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Sunday, November 3, 2002
 Ricardo Thomas / The Detroit News
Vera and Jeffrey Johnson moved beyond the suburbs to the exurbs, to Bolles Harbor in Monroe Township. Lake Erie "is the best part about living way out here," said Vera Johnson, 38. "It reminds me of the cottages in Traverse City."
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Small town, Lake Erie worth the long commute to couple
By Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News
MONROE TOWNSHIP -- Lake Erie is in their back yard.
The lure of that lake keeps Jeff and Vera Johnson solidly entrenched in the small boating community of Bolles Harbor, 43 miles south of downtown Detroit and four miles south of Monroe.
Breezes whipping through the sails of their 28-foot Catalina, "Reverie," soothe the couple on weekends after nearly 20 combined hours of commuting to their jobs each week.
"Having the lake is the best part about living way out here," said Vera Johnson, 38, a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley in Bloomfield Hills.
The Johnsons, with a combined income of more than $200,000 and a four-bedroom ranch home worth between $400,000 and $500,000, represent the latest metropolitan trend among whites. Families now are moving beyond the suburbs, to longer commutes and higher mortgages, for what they see as a better quality of life.
William Frey, a University of Michigan demographer, said whites always have moved to the suburbs. Now, according to the most recent U.S. Census, they are "starting another retreat into a new exurban space."
The areas are frequently untainted by the development in suburbs; they also are frequently devoid of minorities.
The Johnsons live in a four-bedroom ranch with 100 feet of lake front. They have no children.
"It reminds me of the cottages in Traverse City," said Vera Johnson, exuberantly listing the amenities of her community.
Jeff Johnson, 58, vice president of LG. Philips Displays in Ann Arbor, relocated to the boating community from New York's Finger Lakes region.
But Vera Johnson, who was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and was raised in Franklin, lived in closer-in suburbs, such as Farmington Hills, where she still owns a condominium and rents it to a black family. She moved to Monroe six years ago.
Living closer to Toledo than Detroit, the Johnsons pay close to $100 a week to fuel their commutes. But they love the small-town flavor.
"When I go into the jewelry store, the jeweler knows me, and will say something like, 'Oh, it's anniversary time again,' " said Jeff Johnson.
Fishing and boating are the main draws in Bolles Harbor. Diversity is not.
Of the 4,651 people living in that census tract, 98.1 percent are white, and 3.6 percent are African-American.
The median income for whites in that area is about $50,000, while for African-Americans, it is $23,640.
But Vera Johnson says it is Detroit that lacks diversity.
"I wish Detroit could be more like a West Bloomfield or Farmington Hills," she said. "They've got Arabs, Asians -- all cultures -- not just black and white. That's a huge appeal to me."
"I hate segregation. This is the best it's been, but we still have far to go."
Jeff Johnson, who travels frequently for his job, rarely goes into Detroit.
But his wife, who belongs to several professional women's networking organizations, said "I'm always in Detroit, either for meetings or cultural events."
They would not consider moving to Detroit.
"It's the perception of the city," Vera Johnson said. "When I went to the DIA with some friends, they wanted to valet park because of their fears. I parked in the parking garage because I didn't want to wait for the valet and everything was fine."
She adds, "There are some beautiful homes in Detroit, and the value of the houses, especially in areas like Palmer Woods, is great. But we like the accessibility to the airport and Ann Arbor, and we're still not that far from Detroit when we want to go to hear some live jazz."
You can reach Shawn D. Lewis at (313) 222-2666 or slewis@detnews.com.
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