Commuting to Detroit and Ann Arbor from Plymouth, Novi and Canton (Livonia: 2014, houses) - Michigan (MI) - City-Data Forum

kd0220 · 09-30-2013, 06:49 AM

I was wondering if anyone can comment on how the commute is for someone living in Novi, Plymouth or Canton and working in either Detroit or Ann Arbor. All info you care to offer on this is really appreciated. Thanks!

Arthur Digby Sellers · 09-30-2013, 09:46 AM

A lot of it depends on when you are commuting.

Novi to Detroit during rush hour would be a slog because you would be hitting high traffic areas on 696 and 75. During non-peak traffic times it would be about 45 minutes. During peak traffic times you are looking at an hour or more.

Canton and Plymouth to Detroit would probably be 30 minutes or so during rush hour. A lot of it would depend on where you are in either city, because Canton stretches pretty far west -- almost to Ypsilanti. Traffic in parts of Canton can be horrendous. Avoid Ford Road at all costs!

Canton/Plymouth to Ann Arbor would be relatively easy as they are both pretty close to AA. A lot of people who work in Ann Arbor live in one of those two cities. Novi to Ann Arbor might be ugly. However, you would be going against the flow on 96/Beck until you get to M14.

jonnynonos · 09-30-2013, 10:31 AM

It depends where you're going. Novi isn't near Plymouth, really. It depends how close you are to the freeway etc.

Google map it and that is actually in my experience a very accurate predictor of the actual drive times.

Mavigo · 09-30-2013, 10:52 AM

Most likely a pain in the ass but it's unavoidable in the burbs of the motor city.

kd0220 · 09-30-2013, 11:04 AM

Thanks. We are considering a move to Plymouth/Canton, but also wanted to throw Novi into the mix of options because of their school district. We've heard great things about PCCS, but since Novi seems to be rising in the rankings, we figured we should consider that area as long as traffic wouldn't make us miserable, or would at least be comparable, to the Plymouth/Canton area.

jonnynonos · 09-30-2013, 11:39 AM

Do you mean Northville?

I don't know much about Novi's school district. Northville has a very, very good school system.

It really depends what you're looking for. Plymouth is a small Victorian town that has really come alive over the last decade; the downtown is booming with hip new restaurants and stuff. I don't think there's much doubt it's probably the best downtown in metro Detroit with the possible exceptions of Birmingham and Royal Oak (obviously a matter of taste, but that's how I feel. Birmingham is definitely more upscale... which to me is both a strength and a weakness, a little nuveau riche for me. Royal Oak... just not my favorite)

Canton and Novi are similar in that they are just big suburbs. Canton can really vary. There are some extremely upscale subdivisions and there are tracks that look like beat up a beat up suburb that's about 40 years out of date, and probably even a few mildly "rough" areas.

Novi IMO seems newer and, on average, probably a bit more upscale than Canton, generally speaking, although, again, it is basically just a big ol giant suburb with tons of strip malls all over the place.

PCCS is crazy... something like 5,000 kids there, but it's a good school. I don't really know if your kids would have a demonstrably better experience going to Novi high than PCCS. Probably six of one, really.

The drive to Detroit or Ann Arbor really isn't bad at all. It's not like it's LA style traffic going into the city. I would say under a half hour to either destination from most vantage points.

Arthur Digby Sellers · 09-30-2013, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kd0220

Thanks. We are considering a move to Plymouth/Canton, but also wanted to throw Novi into the mix of options because of their school district. We've heard great things about PCCS, but since Novi seems to be rising in the rankings, we figured we should consider that area as long as traffic wouldn't make us miserable, or would at least be comparable, to the Plymouth/Canton area.

The drive would certainly be a bit further. I'm assuming one of you is commuting to Detroit and the other to Ann Arbor? If so, Plymouth/Canton is probably the best spot to be commute wise. Novi is indeed shooting up the rankings and considered one of the best school districts in the state, but PCCS is certainly very good as well. It all depends on what your requirements are for school districts and what kind of commute you can tolerate.

If you do decide on the Plymouth/Canton area, I would highly recommend purchasing in Plymouth. It's a nicer area, has a great downtown, more green spaces and less traffic congestion than Canton. The two cities are not identical despite sharing a school district. From what I've heard from people who live in the district, you definitely want to avoid some elementary schools in Canton. Canton overall can be a mixed bag in terms of neighborhoods while Plymouth is uniformly nice and upscale. You'll pay more per square foot in Plymouth, but its probably worth it considering the overall quality of life there.

Just north of Plymouth is Northville, which would also be an pretty easy commute to Detroit/Ann Arbor. Northville has all of the same things Plymouth has going for it, but is much more affluent. The schools are also a notch better and are about on par with Novi (usually a few spots behind Novi in the overall state rankings). VERY expensive houses though -- one of the most expensive in the state.

North of Northville is the aforementioned Novi. Almost as upscale as Northville, but lacks a downtown. Lots of shopping, green spaces and a couple lakes. Depending on where you live in Novi, you're likely no more than 5-7 minutes from shopping at either 12 Oaks or Downtown Northville, lots of parks and green spaces and beach access at Walled Lake. Housing is not cheap and falls somewhere in between Northville and Plymouth.

Good luck!

kd0220 · 09-30-2013, 11:53 AM

Yes, you got it. One to Ann Arbor and one to Detroit. I should have written that in the original post. Thanks!

Thank you for the reply. It's really helpful!

DTWflyer · 10-01-2013, 07:43 PM

Agree with what ADS has say.

Plymouth & Canton area makes the most sense for splitting the distance. I know many couples were one person works in Detroit or Dearborn and the other spouce works in Ann Arbor. The closest area to have the most favorable commutes are going to be along and near M-14 / I-275 / I-96. The commute from Novi is going to be longer, and could be that much worse depending on the part of Novi. The Northwestern part of Novi is going to have a more painful commute to both Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit.

A work of caution, particularly for the one commuting to downtown Detroit. I-96 through Livonia is going to be completely shutdown for reconstruction for most of 2014. This will significantly increase the commute time. It is going to be a pain in the short term but will be good when its complete.

beans213 · 10-13-2013, 02:46 AM

sorry this is way late but Novi to Detroit is not a bad commute at all as long as you Dont take the Lodge (m-10), I-696, or I-75. If you take I- 275 S to I-96 east its not bad at all. I-275 is the only part that gets bad and your only on it for 3 or 4 miles at most.