Have you ever wanted to move to or pass through Milford, Michigan? In this video I am going to breakdown the pros and cons of living in the wonderful city of Milford. Lifestyle, schools, crime and MUCH MORE! Stay tuned.
This blog is a direct transcript from the video below. This comes in 3 versions: You are able to watch the video, read the blog for your convenience or listen to the audio experience (which is linked under the video below).
I have received so many calls, texts and emails from people wanting to make the move to Michigan, so let this be your resource to do the same. As I mentioned, In this video I want to dabble a little bit in the pros and cons of living in Milford. You don’t see or hear too much about this hidden gem in southeast Michigan, so I figured I would shed some light on a town I spent most of my childhood growing up in.
Starting with the pros. The biggest pro that anyone would say about Milford is its livability, it’s something I have appreciated my whole life and still continue to. If you ever have time to take a stroll over to downtown Milford, you’d understand why it’s rated above average. Thinking back, we’d spend our time biking and fishing throughout Kensington Metropark, going to Baker’s on Sunday to experience their awesome car shows, then running across the road to get some Dairy Queen or even next door to grab some fried chicken from Holden's. This doesn’t even count what’s going on in main street in downtown Milford.
Going to the Milford bakery to get fresh donuts or the prime location of the Milford House before it closed down. There was also an amazing ice cream place on main street near smoke street that I can’t remember the name of that closed down years and years ago. If someone out there knows what I’m talking about, you better comment below so I can sleep tonight.
And before I forget, the event that brings all the outsiders in, Milford memories. This 3-day event that happens in the middle of August every year. It’s full of art, entertainment, events for the kids and enough food to have you keeled over for a week. It’s basically a farmers market on steroids. If you’re wanting to experience the area, that is easily the best way to do it. I’ll leave the festival information in the description below. The entertainment runs late and so does the service in the beer tents for the adults out there.
Sorry I went off on a tangent, but that just goes to show how many memorable experiences a real person had just heading over to Milford.
Some other pros to take note of, the school system is great. Huron Valley schools is where My mom and dad went and some other family members as well. Milford Highschool is ranked very high not only for academics, but sports as well.
On top of that, crime is almost non-existent and the poverty rate is much lower than average. The GM proving grounds are also very close and gives an opportunity for the residents. With that in mind, real estate prices, economic growth, etc. all prove the positive outlook of Milford overall.
Jumping to what you came here for, the cons. One of the biggest cons I have heard from current residents and from personal experiences at times is the population. Just like any small town surrounded by other advanced cities, the town can find itself being pretty packed. Milford has roughly 6,500 people and the complaint is too many people on the roads. I have driven through Milford at all times of the day and I would say during the peak hours of coming home from work or going out to dinner is the most of the traffic.
Another con that has been brought up on a few different reviews is the influence of local businesses. You can either see this as a pro or a con, but these local businesses have a pretty strong influence on the town, so the politics tend to be in their favor, so new businesses may struggle to take off with established businesses soaking up the spotlight.
A few residents have said that the job opportunities are a little hit or miss, as the town has an abundance of college and high school students who fill those positions rather quickly. While firing up the ole home search platform you may find that getting a cheap house in Milford is few and far between. Milford is a rustic town with old homes that have mostly been redone completely, which has been pouring equity throughout the town. You’ll figure out that most residents in Milford wouldn’t move homes if their life depended on it, which makes inventory a little slim.
Like I mentioned in the White Lake video last week, since Milford is a neighboring city, the expressways aren’t as close of a commute as most people would like depending on where you are located, because if you are on Milford Road near the expressway you of course have an easy commute, but oftentimes you’ll find yourself having to drive through town to get to the nearest expressway. I don’t mind it, because of how much I like downtown Milford, but I can see how that is unappealing to some.
Lastly, this point contradicts a pro I mentioned earlier pertaining to the schools. I noticed that it wasn’t so much that the education the students were receiving was poor, but the amount of dollars used to build the school in every aspect is lacking.
Milford, Michigan is a little historic town that shouldn’t be overlooked if you’re spending any time in southeast Michigan. There’s such an abundance of things to do, you’ll never find yourself pacing your kitchen twiddling your thumbs ever again.
If you or anyone you know are looking into the Milford area, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have, I am always happy to be a local resource since I've spent a large portion of my childhood running around the town.
For those of you that have spent some time in Milford, what are your thoughts about it? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and I will do the same for local resources.
Cheers,
Andrew
Andrew McManamon is a Michigan REALTOR® with Signature Sotheby’s International Realty and provides real estate services to Buyers, Sellers and Investors throughout SE Michigan including Livingston County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, Genesee County & beyond. Andrew has become one of the rising stars of Michigan real estate agents. Prior to his real estate career Andrew was responsible for managing a senior living facility in Brighton, Michigan as a dining supervisor and an activities assistant. Andrew’s passion to help people is unlike any other, and he continues to strive to be best resource he can be. Andrew graduated from Cleary University in Howell, Michigan with a double major and currently resides in White Lake, Michigan.