The Best Detroit Area Neighborhoods for Off-Campus Housing Renters
Detroit is an exciting and vibrant city with many educational and employment opportunities, and many neighborhoods to choose from while attending school.
The City of Detroit and nearby communities offer a range of public and private colleges and universities varying in size, academic focus, and whether they are in urban or suburban settings. The Detroit-area college scene also includes county-based community colleges with campuses throughout the metro area. Community colleges are especially affordable in Michigan due to the state's free community college program.
So, regardless of the type of school you are looking for, the Detroit area has one available. If you attend one of these schools or want to live near one, this page describes five Detroit-area schools and provides information and links to help you find an apartment in the same neighborhood as the school or one nearby. However, it is important to note that each college or university profiled is within 20 miles of the others, so students can easily live in a neighborhood we tie to another school. The neighborhoods listed here are among those closest to each school that serve students well.
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is in Detroit's vibrant Midtown area, just north of downtown. The school has more than 27,000 students and 375 degree programs and offers something for every student, whether you are an undergraduate, graduate student, or in a professional program. The housing choices for Wayne State students overlap those of the Center for Creative Studies, so check out those neighborhoods below.
Wayne State University Neighborhood
The Wayne State University neighborhood provides the convenience and vibrancy expected of a college environment. Woodward Avenue is the main thoroughfare through campus and is served by the QLine trolley, which runs from Grand Boulevard to Congress Street. Apartments include older, rehabbed, and newly constructed apartment buildings. You will also find many duplexes and even one-bedroom apartments in stately old homes for students.
Midtown
The term "Midtown" is sometimes used generically to describe the Wayne State area generally, but the Midtown neighborhood is immediately south of Wayne State's main campus. Bordered by the Lodge Freeway (M10), Warren, Woodward, and Mack Avenues, the area has a mix of contemporary restaurants and shops and is a desirable neighborhood with a younger vibe. Like other neighborhoods around Wayne State, you can find apartments in older buildings that are less costly if not rehabbed, while high-rise buildings and apartments in new townhouses and older homes are available for students as well.
Cass Corridor
The Cass Corridor is part of Detroit's Midtown area. Bordered by I-75 to the south and I-94 to the north, it runs from Woodward Avenue to Grand River Avenue. Among the first areas in Detroit to be revitalized, it houses Little Caesar's Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons, so a host of businesses have blossomed in the surrounding area. Still, there is a significant student presence in the area, with businesses catering to students' needs and tastes. Housing options range from newly built or renovated luxury and near-luxury apartments to older apartment buildings and townhouses.
Brush Park
Brush Park is in Midtown Detroit, so it is closer to downtown than Wayne State while remaining north of the Fisher Freeway. The area includes elegant older homes, many of which are fully restored. Sizable condominium and apartment buildings have been added in recent years. Brush Park is more upscale and expensive than most areas closer to Wayne State, but it is an appealing location for those with a slightly higher budget and a desire for a more professional feel.
Woodbridge
The Woodbridge neighborhood is immediately west of Wayne State's campus and includes many stately homes, some of which have one-bedroom apartments available for students and others. Like the rest of the general Midtown area, a mixture of shops and restaurants line the commercial streets. Mixed-used apartments and townhouses are also common.
Cultural Center
Detroit's Cultural Center borders the Wayne State and Art Center neighborhoods and is home to many cultural attractions and museums. Depending on how different groups define the border, the Cultural Center can include the DIA, the Michigan Science Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. The neighborhood consists of stately homes and recent developments, including townhouses and apartment complexes. Woodward Avenue is the primary commercial hub for the neighborhood, so the QLine provides easy access to nearby and more distant communities. Restaurants, shops, Wayne State, and the Center for Creative Studies are all nearby.
College for Creative Studies
The Center for Creative Studies (CCS) is one of several private colleges and universities in the Detroit area. Its Ford Campus is in Detroit's Art Center neighborhood, while the Taubman Center is in the New Center neighborhood. Many lifestyle and housing options for CCS students overlap with Wayne State. Be sure to review the Wayne State neighborhoods as well.
Art Center
The Detroit Institute of Arts is the focal point of the Art Center neighborhood, which is bordered by I-94, I-75, and Woodard and Warren Avenues. It also includes the Michigan Science Museum and other attractions just east of Wayne State. The commercial streets are filled with restaurants, shops, and other stores to meet all your needs. Housing available to students includes high-rise apartments, townhouses, and mixed-use apartments.
New Center
The Center for Creative Studies Taubman Center is in the New Center neighborhood, which is bounded by The Lodge (M10), Lothrop, Woodward, and Baltimore. The area includes the iconic Fisher Building, boutique hotels, various forms of housing, and several QLine stops, which make it easy for students to access other parts of central Detroit.
Virginia Park
Virginia Park is the northernmost neighborhood in Detroit's New Center district. It includes many turn-of-the-20th-century homes, some of which now have apartments, as well as multi-story apartment buildings. Woodward Avenue provides students with easy access to shops and other commercial needs.
Milwaukee Junction
Milwaukee Junction is a quickly developing area to the east of the Wayne State and New Center neighborhoods. Considered by some to be the cradle of the American auto industry, Ford's Piquette plant, where they built the first Model T, still stands in the area. Several former factories have been transformed into apartments, condominiums, and office space, and more are on the way. The area lacks conveniences like a grocery store, but these are underway, so it can be exciting for those who enjoy being part of the redevelopment process.
The University of Detroit Mercy
The University of Detroit Mercy's McNichols campus, the school's central campus, is in the University District nine miles northwest of downtown Detroit.
University District
The University District is a quieter neighborhood immediately north of the University of Detroit Mercy and west of Palmer Park, with 7 Mile Road as the northern border. The area offers many single-family homes, duplexes, and multi-story apartment buildings, providing many options for students.
Fitzgerald Neighborhood
The Fitzgerald or Fitzgerald Marygrove neighborhood includes the former Marygrove College campus. Its grounds are now used for many community and other functions. Student housing in the area includes duplexes and multi-story apartment buildings with studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments.
Royal Oak Downtown
Downtown Royal Oak is seven miles west of the University of Detroit along Woodward Avenue. Housing is more expensive than the neighborhoods around the university, but Royal Oak's many restaurants and shops offer employment and nightlife opportunities. Most student housing is in multi-story apartment complexes.
Lawrence Technological University
Those looking for a private school in a suburban community can look at Lawrence Technological University, located 19 miles from downtown in suburban Southfield, along the Lodge Freeway (M-10). Lawrence has a College of Arts & Sciences but is best known for its engineering, architecture, business, and health sciences programs. Students who live off-campus often choose to live in Southfield or nearby communities such as Lathrup Village or Berkley.
Southfield
Southfield is a suburban community lacking a formal downtown, but a variety of shops and restaurants are located along commercial roads. Students primarily live in two-story apartment complexes with lawns and green space. Some high-rise apartments and converted office buildings are also available in the area.
Lathrup Village
Lathrup Village borders Southfield to the north and east and shares Southfield's inner-ring suburban feel. Parts of Lathrup Village are within easy walking distance of Lawrence Tech, and the entire community is a short bike or drive from the school. Most housing opportunities for students are in two-story apartment complexes, with other options available as well.
Berkley
Berkley is northeast of Southfield and northwest of Royal Oak and sits along the Woodward Corridor, so Woodward Avenue is the central commercial hub, though downtown Berkley stretches along 12 Mile Road. Berkley itself is a walkable community laid out in a grid pattern typical of its 1920s origins, but it is not within walking distance of Lawrence Tech. Berkley has some new multi-story apartment buildings, but most apartments are older, two-story construction with studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments available.
The University of Michigan - Dearborn
The Detroit area also boasts the University of Michigan – Dearborn. UM-Dearborn has over 8,000 students. Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, and the university is 12.4 miles from downtown Detroit. In addition to being the headquarters of the Ford Motor Company, and various historical and entertainment sites related to Ford's history, Dearborn is a center of Arab American culture. More than 40% of Dearborn residents are of Arab descent, and the community houses the country's largest mosque and the Arab American National Museum.
I-94 runs east to west, bisecting Dearborn, and major state north-south highways run through Dearborn, so the city and campus are easily accessible from anywhere in the metro area. Since the University of Michigan-Dearborn does not have campus housing, access to campus is an important consideration.
Dearborn
Dearborn has a population of over 100,000 and covers 24 square miles, so the city provides a range of housing options, though as an inner-ring suburb, there are many single-family homes on smaller lots. However, there are apartment complexes ranging from 100-years-old to newly built ones located near the university, some of which are on the UM-Dearborn shuttle bus line. The city also offers some high-rise apartment buildings. Some neighborhoods and apartment complexes near campus are highly popular with students, including international students.
Dearborn Heights
Dearborn Heights is a separate community bordering Dearborn to the northwest. Like Dearborn, it is a suburban community offering many apartment options, including traditional two-story apartments and townhouses and some newer construction. Telegraph Road is the major north-south artery, offering a range of shopping and dining options.
Allen Park
Like other Downriver communities, Allen Park has a significant Ford Motor Company presence and is home to the Detroit Lions practice facility. Located south of Dearborn, much of the Allen Park community consists of single-family homes on tree-lined streets, but there are two- and three-story apartment complexes in several locations. I-75 and I-94 run through Allen Park, making the community accessible to anywhere in the metro area. The city has many commercial, shopping, and entertainment options in addition to those in nearby communities.
Student Housing Near Detroit-Area Colleges and Universities
The colleges and universities in the Detroit metro area are generally well-connected to interstate or state highways, so they are readily accessible to students living outside each campus's immediate vicinity. Your decision about where to live while attending school primarily depends on your budget, available transportation, lifestyle preferences, and work location if you plan to work while attending school. Although this list assigns neighborhoods to specific colleges or universities, each of the five schools is within 20 miles of one another, so students could easily live near any one of the five while attending another. That situation is especially true for Wayne State and the Center for Creative Studies since their neighborhoods largely overlap.
