jameswales

Following my recent thread about a move from Nova Scotia to Ontario, what are your opinions of Windsor?

Property prices look good, climate seems great and our NEXUS cards would be ideal for getting across the border frequently.

Just wondering if anyone actually lives there/lived there and has an opinion of the place?

Simon Legree

At least now you can get directly onto I 75 from the Ambassador Bridge without having to take a five mile magical mystery detour through Mexican Town and/or Crack House central. A huge improvement.

MarylandNed

I've been to Windsor but haven't lived there. Seems like a decent place to live.

I have a friend who lives in Windsor and likes it a lot. She works in Detroit and so crosses the border frequently.

cheeky_monkey

i really like Windsor been there a few times and was my place of choice when going through the emigration process. Housing is cheap some really nice communities just out side the city..close to Detroit for shopping and stuff..only down side was that jobs were no existent in my field..so i ended up in London Ontario..before Alberta came calling.

iaink

I think the main thing people have against Windsor is the job market. If thats not a factor for your personal circumstances then its worth checking out.


Detroit is a strange place, grinding poverty and great wealth side by side.... I used to go there when I worked in Automotive, there are some parts that were pretty rough to say the least.

Former Lancastrian

If you do decide to make the move then have a coin handy at all times to help you decide Tunnel or Bridge, Bridge or Tunnel.

manningl

Please explain what 5 mile detour you are referring to and wheres this 'Crack House central'??

How many times have you made the trip between Windsor and Detroit and how much time have you spent in either City?

G77

This was a few years ago, there was no direct access from the bridge to the interstates and you had to take a detour through the outskirts Mexican town... It wasn't total ghetto area, but not somewhere you'd want to break down either...

In response to the OP, I think Windsor is great if you have a line of work that you can do here...

House prices are very competitive, weather is fantastic (don't mention last summer) and proximity to the US is unbeatable...

There's lots of naysayers on here about Windsor, but really there's nothing not to like if have work.

Novocastrian

I'd agree with that. There was a time (a very long time ago, half a lifetime for most of you) when I contemplated living in Windsor and working in Ann Arbour.

That didn't work out (thank god in retrospect) but Windsor is ok if you don't need a local job.

Simon Legree

In the last 43 years I have made the Windsor to Detroit crossing at least 100 times !
I crossed last time on May 16 a matter of fact and returned on the 20th. This was the first time that I had direct access to I 75. Previously you either had to follow a detour through Mexican Town or through a neighborhood of abandoned homes and burned out cars to access the Freeway near the delightful Hotel Yorba.

manningl

I agree 100% gets on my nerves when people talk badly about Windsor and Detroit when they have never done more than just pass through on 1 or 2 occasions or listen to the stories from this person or that person...

I do so much with my children in Michigan and Ohio. Cedar Point voted #1 amusement park in the world for the 14th straight year! It takes 1hr 45mins from the bridge to the gates in Sandusky and we were going there most weekends with our season passes - the kids can't get enough of the place.

Ford Drive inn Movie Theatre - $24 for a family of 4 (2 adults 2 children) for 2 movies or more if you can stay awake all night... It's 15 mins from the bridge and we go year round! Yep even in the winter they provide heaters

family fun Centres where you can play laser tag, glo golf or go kart for $4 on a Tuesday

I've never had any issues with anyone so far in Windsor or Detroit never seen any violence or anything even remotely close and I cross the border at least once a week. In fact I personally find the people in Detroit very polite

manningl

Ok so there are a few abandoned buildings in Detroit but as we all know there are dodgy looking areas everywhere....

I see nothing wrong with Mexican Town and you still have to drive partly through it now to get back onto the bridge to go back to Canada or of course if you don't want to you can use the tunnel. Im still questioning the 5 mile detour though I think thats an exaggeration...

I prefer the tunnel anyway the border guards are much more lenient for some reason You pull up fully expecting to pay duty and they are just not interested but that's another topic for another thread...

G77

Must have been a while since your last visit, as that detour has been gone for about 2 years I'd say from memory... Admittedly it wasn't great, but it only took a couple of mins to get to the interstate.

I read the OP's other post, for $300k you could get a very nice house. I'd actually recommend looking at the Windsor suburbs for best value - we live in Lakeshore, about 20 mins from Windsor, which i think offers the best value for money/location....

http://www.townoflakeshore.on.ca/

I can even recommend you a builder who would build you a 4 level side split home brand new for less than $300k...

manningl

Yep G77 has a very nice side split home and lives in a nice area too...

I'm just about to move to LaSalle from Windsor.... Nothing wrong with Windsor I just couldnt find the house I wanted in the area I wanted to move to but you will only hear good things about LaSalle

I will have to see if I can get StefandLins to add to this thread to give you someone else's point of view...

dbd33

Ahem. I think I have a high tolerance for sketchiness and, by way of keeping my eye in, just this evening I've driven along Buffalo's delightful Genesee Street. Still, I think this claim is rather a stretch. Which cities have as many abandoned buildings as Detroit? Buffalo. Perhaps New Orleans, there was a hurricane there. Nowhere else springs to mind. Detroit is as rough looking as cities get.