About the Plymouth, Canton and Northville, Michigan Area
Plymouth, Michigan
Ideally situated and only a 30 minute drive to Detroit, 20 minutes to Ann Arbor home to the University Of Michigan, and 25 minutes to Dearborn home of Ford Motor Company World Headquarters. Yet beyond the urban sprawl, Plymouth has managed to maintain the identity envisioned by its founding fathers when they named the Michigan village after Plymouth, Massachusetts, where some of its early settlers had lived.
Kellogg Park, the hub of the city's business district, reminds many visitors of a New England common. Once called Plymouth Green, its wide expanse of grass, variety of shade trees and bubbling fountain make it an attractive focal point for the many civic, social and commercial activities that take place in the community.
Mettetal Airport, a private class B field with hard-surfaced runways, was built in the 1940's. In more recent years, two major freeways were completed on the outskirts of the city. The Jeffries Freeway, running from Detroit to Ann Arbor, and I-275, running north and south, cross each other in Plymouth Township. Plymouth's first newspaper, the Plymouth Mail, began publishing in 1887. The colonial architecture of Plymouth, influenced by its New England counterpart, is exemplified in its attractive public buildings. These include the Dunning-Hough Public Library building which the library has occupied since 1958; the City Hall building erected in 1964; and the Dunning Memorial building which Margaret Dunning presented to the Plymouth Historical Society in 1973.
Today Plymouth offers a wide variety of housing needs with prices ranging from the upper $100,000 to over a million dollars.
Canton, Michigan
Demographics
Demographic Profile (2002)
Established: 1834
Area: 36 Square Miles
Government: Charter Township
Population: 83,000
Housing Units: 28,430 (est.)
Valuation: $2.4 billion
Tax Rate: 8.85 mills - police, fire, &
general operating fund Median Age: 33.4 years
Males: 37,800
Females: 38,566
0-19 years: 23,973
20-44 years: 30,975
45-59 years: 14,949
60 and older: 6,469 Labor Force: 33,700
Employed: 33,025
Unemployed: 675
(Unemployment rate: 2% 2001)
2001 SEV: $2.8 billion
Location
Canton has a competitive edge over many of the area communities due to its central location, just 20 minutes from both Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit. Only 10 minutes from Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport, Canton is also home to Canton-Plymouth Mettetal Airport, located at Joy and Lilley Roads. Canton, located at the crossroads of M-153 (Ford Road) and the Interstate 275 corridor, is also accessible via Michigan Avenue, which runs east west through the southern portion of the community. Interstates 96 and 94 lie to the north and south, respectively, allowing for quick and easy access both into and out of the community.
History
By the 1830's, what is now known as Canton was becoming a steadily growing and emerging community. At this time two villages had been established, Sheldon Corners and Cherry Hill. These villages offered services such as a post office, general store, a school and a church. By 1834, named for a city in China, this bustling community became known as Canton.
In 1874, the first township hall was constructed at the southwest corner of Canton Center and Cherry Hill roads, the epicenter of the community. By 1961, the need for services prompted a proposal to incorporate as a charter township. From 1925 to 1970 farming served as the primary source of income for the families that lived in Canton due to trace minerals and organic matter that provided the community with fertile soil. From the 1960's to the mid-1990's the population of Canton has risen greatly from 5,313 to 67,924 people. Canton has thrived for many reasons, least of all due to its community's commitment to maintaining an historical nostalgia yet uncompromising in its endeavors of the future.
Business & Industry
Business development in Canton has continued to expand especially with the booming professional and service sector, as well as the rapidly growing manufacturing and light industrial base. Last year 37 permits were granted for commercial and industrial use, for a total of 684,874 square feet. Michigan Avenue is changing with the addition of Home Depot and Dick Scott car dealership. Haggerty Road is continuing to develop with the new Henry Ford Health Care facility opening in 1999 and Yazaki North America is already planning an expansion to the area where they recently completed a new research and development facility. The view of Canton Center Road continues to change with the opening of the new University of Michigan Health Care facility, along with Community Bank of Dearborn and a large upscale apartment development.
Housing
Canton, as one of the fastest growing communities in the area, issued 763 occupancy permits in 1999. While most of this growth has been with single-family homes and condominiums, plans for more multi-family developments are in the works. This year will see the addition of upscale apartment complexes along with condominiums and large single-family homes. Canton continues to attract many top developers and builders because of the opportunities to construct unique, one-of-a-kind homes in the community. While Canton provides a diverse range of housing, property values have been on the upswing over the past few years. The median price for a home in the community has risen to approximately $250,000. The current range of the market is from $200,000 to $750,000. Cherry Hill village will bring a new, unique concept to community life for the Canton Community. The village will be designed as a replica of community life back in the 1930's with small lot sizes for residential and commercial business in the Town Square. The excitement for new homeowners of all ages in the community stems from the vast array of opportunities for recreation, leisure, education and a combination of the many business services offered in Canton.
Parks & Recreation
Canton is rich with opportunities for leisure time activity, making it not only an exciting place to live and work, but also an exciting place to play. The community provides a host of facilities and organized events that promote individual and family activity.
The center of our community recreation, Summit on the Park, is recognized throughout the southeastern Michigan area for its unique recreational programs and services as well as its quality full-service banquet facilities. The Summit, an 85,000-square-foot facility, offers a full-service fitness center, an aquatics area, a gymnasium, an indoor running track, racquetball courts, and dance studios. Leaders in the community continue to place a great emphasis on developing open space and park areas for the use and enjoyment of the public. Canton is home to two golf courses. Fellows Creek Golf Course offers 27 holes and Pheasant Run Golf Course currently features 27 holes. The community also plays host to many special events throughout the year. Liberty Fest continues to be Canton's most popular annual festival and is joined throughout the year by October Fest, summer concert series in Heritage Park, the annual Fishing Derby, Marshmallow Drop and other events for all ages.
Plymouth-Canton Schools ?
In 1830, when the first public school was established in a log house on Plymouth Road, there was probably no thought that the School District would today have three high schools, five middle schools, and 15 elementary schools.
These buildings and the staff working in them are governed by a seven-member Board of Education. The Board meets twice monthly in regular session and meets at other times for workshops. Each Board member is elected by voters in the Plymouth-Canton community for a four-year term of office. The Board is charged with setting goals and establishing policies for the operation of the District. These goals and the policies to implement them include equality of educational opportunity and quality instruction. An outstanding teaching and support staff has made the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools well known throughout the state
The District, 54 square miles, encompasses the City of Plymouth, Plymouth Township and parts of Canton, Northville, Salem and Superior Townships. Included in the District are shopping centers, modern subdivisions, industry, and open farm land.
The Plymouth-Canton School District boasts the only educational park in the State of Michigan. Known as the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP), it is a 305-acre site which serves as the location of three four-year comprehensive high schools, Canton, Plymouth, and Salem. The buildings, completed in 2002, house over 220 teachers, counselors, and learning specialists, with a student population of about 5,170. Courses available to students, who participate interchangeably at either of the two schools, range from auto mechanics through foreign languages to calculus and cover all the areas in between. Athletic facilities at the Park include swimming pools, gymnasiums, and an 8,000-seat athletic stadium used jointly by both schools.
Every school in the District has a media center staffed by a certified librarian and is served by specialists in art, music, physical education and learning problems.
The District welcomes inquiries about individual schools or the school program. Such inquiries can be made to the E. J. McClendon Educational Center or to individual school principals. Arrangements for visits to any school building can also be made in this way
Plymouth-Canton School District Facts:
Special Services Offered
Community Education
Speech Therapy
Programs for the Disabled
Homebound
School Social Workers
School Nurse
Learning Specialists
Talented and Gifted
Vocational Program
Extended Day Care
Transportation
Students transported
(including parochial schools)
9,094
Class Size Averages
Elementary: 23.7
Middle School: 28.8
High School: 29.2
Foreign Languages Offered
French
German
Spanish
Staff
(Full-Time Equivalent)
Teachers: 897.7
Operating Employees: 643
Administrators: 75
Accreditation
North Central Association
1916-Present
