When I spent 2 years in Michigan this is what I was told, but please note the information is a decade old, so it may not be entirely factual...
If you do buy, try and buy around 8 or 9 mile. Most city employees are meant to live within city boundaries (8 or 9 mile). Address is checked upon job offer.
If you live out there and get shot, you have a much better chance of an off duty police officer shooting the offender, or, of hospital personnel tending to your needs within the critical first response period.They live near the boundary because, generally the closer to the city the worse it is (generally). Only exception is for Grosse point - that's just millionaires, and changes remarkably in just one traffic light...
Of course some city employees are the exception to the rule by using a post box in this area to show they are within city boundaries.
You might want to check homicide rates (and crime in general). For example, Arson was (is?) big the night before (or after ?) halloween in the city district
