Family Neighborhoods in Wayne & Washtenaw Counties (Ann Arbor, Livonia: renting, houses)

[petasengin]

Hello there, my wife and I are currently renting in Canton and we're looking to buy this spring. We really like Canton but we're having trouble finding the neighborhoods for young families (both under 30 and have an ~18 month old). It seems like most of the houses we've seen so far have had older (teenager or already in college) kids and we'd really like somewhere with other kids that our little one can grow with. What are the best young family neighborhoods in the Plymouth/Canton area? Or do we need to go out Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti/Novi/Farmington/Livonia to get to more of the younger crowd?

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by petasengin

Hello there, my wife and I are currently renting in Canton and we're looking to buy this spring. We really like Canton but we're having trouble finding the neighborhoods for young families (both under 30 and have an ~18 month old). It seems like most of the houses we've seen so far have had older (teenager or already in college) kids and we'd really like somewhere with other kids that our little one can grow with. What are the best young family neighborhoods in the Plymouth/Canton area? Or do we need to go out Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti/Novi/Farmington/Livonia to get to more of the younger crowd?

When we were looking to move we would look to see if the subdivision had a lot of playscapes and swingsets in people's backyards. That's always a giveaway.

I live in Novi and every new family in our sub seems to have kids under 5. A lot of families move here for the schools. PM me if you want to know more about specific subs.

Many families move to Northville for the schools, but I am not as familiar with specific subs. I would imagine most subs with homes priced $400K and lower would have a lot of small children. Again, look for the playscapes!

I think the trickle of families to Plymouth and Canton has slowed in recent years. I have seen complaints about the PCCS schools on these boards.

[zthatzmanz28]

I would look to Novi / Walled Lake area, may be even South Lyon. Livonia is not what it used to be. albeit Livonia schools are better than most in Wayne County. Plymouth Canton schools always seem to be recovering from some problem.

[petasengin]

Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't thought about looking for playscapes, great idea.

Anything in particular about the PCCS schools that's an issue? I know they recently opened SOC, but how is the age of the district? If the families are older I imagine there would be consolidation on the horizon unless families move in/out to offset kids graduating and moving on.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by petasengin

Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't thought about looking for playscapes, great idea.

Anything in particular about the PCCS schools that's an issue? I know they recently opened SOC, but how is the age of the district? If the families are older I imagine there would be consolidation on the horizon unless families move in/out to offset kids graduating and moving on.

There are posters on here with children in PCCS that can give you specifics.

School of Choice is one of the issues, which was a result of less families moving into the district. I believe that the population is starting to skew older.

Another is school closings. I believe one poster on here found out their child's elementary school was being closed at the last second. She said there are a lot of communication issues with the district.

Yes, it seems that unless SOC is expanded rapidly consolidation will be on the horizon for PCCS.

However, there are some parents who love the district. I'm just passing along what I have heard.

[mgkeith]

Just want to mention-- for our previous house and our neighbors' as well, we all had playscapes and swing sets in our yard even after our kids were teens! Heck, even I like the swings.

[justinbkw]

My wife had friends in the Pheasant Run Golf course neighborhood in Canton, and there seemed to be a lot of young kids. They have one teen, but also two small kids and are relatively young-now in their early 30s. I wouldn't say having a teen necessarily means they are all older, or can't have any young kids. Some people get an early start, are in a second marriage, etc.

I'm a realtor and can look up more specific demographics for you though if you would like, just send me a private message. My wife grew up in the Livonia area, so we are very familiar with it. I do agree the schools are not as good in Livonia anymore, but Canton/Plymouth still seems like a good place for families. Hope this helps!