When Ypsilanti Michigan sneaks its way into a conversation, it oftentimes gets downplayed and overlooked. So do yourself a favor and stick around as I touch on the good, bad, and ugly of Ypsilanti Michigan. Let’s get to it!
For those of you that don’t know, the city of Ypsilanti is located in Washtenaw county, and is 4.47 square miles in size with a population of around 20,000 people. The charter township of Ypsilanti however is 31.72 square miles in size with a population of around 56,000 people, but then there’s also Superior charter township which is north of the city of Ypsi that’s 35.56 square miles in size with a population of around 15,000 people, and there’s also Pittsfield township which is south of ann arbor and west of Ypsilanti, but there’s a little sliver that creeps into Ypsi where people are in Pittsfield with an Ypsi address, confusing I know, but I’ll talk about why it’s important to know what area you’re living in or else you’ll be paying much more.
Pros of Living In Ypsilanti Michigan
Ypsilanti Michigan Location
With all that in mind, it takes us into the first pro of living in Ypsi and that’s the location. Despite being more on the south side of Metro Detroit, it’s less than 10 miles east of Ann Arbor, so you can take advantage of everything that wonderful community offers, while having the ability to be on the outskirts of the hustle and bustle of what feels like a metro area. Ypsi is also just over 15 miles away from the Detroit Metro Airport, and 35 miles away from Downtown Detroit. There’s also a wonderful commute to the Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital which is 3 or so miles away, as well as being just 8 miles from the award winning University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor for those worst case scenarios. Ypsi also has some close proximity to Canton, Plymouth and all those offerings along Ford Road. As well as some of the smaller communities such as: Saline, Salem, Dexter and Chelsea which I’ve all made videos for, that I will link in the description to add to your binge worthy series.
Ypsilanti Michigan Sections
Expanding on location of Ypsi some more, A lot of people don’t know this but the city of Ypsilanti is divided into several sections similar to Ann Arbor. Looking at a map, you have college heights on the northwest side, Depot town which is northeast, normal park, which is in the middle west area, and heritage park which is southwest. College Heights has its name for being close to Eastern University. This neighborhood has a 1900’s historic feeling, where a lot of the homes have their original features. We are talking tree lined streets, sidewalks for walkability, more of a close knit college community, understandably so.
-Depot Town Ypsilanti Michigan
Depot town is extremely underrated, and is never given the recognition it deserves throughout all the negative media about Ypsilanti as a whole. It feels like you’re in a different time period when you walk through there, as everything has been restored and keeps to that historically rich feeling that is known throughout Ypsi. This is the shopping district, which is home to several boutique shops and restaurants, farmers markets, museums, and so much more. This is the area i’d recommend you make a visit to, to truly get a sense of what Ypsi is all about. There’s residential areas on the outside of the downtown space, while having the Huron river cut right through which adds to an awesome atmosphere.
-Normal Park Ypsilanti Michigan
Normal park, similar to College heights, just west of Midtown, has that historically rich feeling, preserved homes, original designs, the closest neighborhood to Washtenaw international high school and middle academy, Estabrook elementary, and Ypsilanti community high school.
-Heritage Park Ypsilanti Michigan
Heritage park surrounds park ridge park and perry elementary school, while being close to Michigan avenue full of offerings, and right near the on and off ramp to I-94 for expressway travel.
Ypsilanti Charter Township Michigan Sections
Ypsilanti charter township covers most of its ground south of I-94 and Ford Lake has 3 sections near the city of Ypsilanti, Gault village, West Willow and Rawsonville which are all pretty jam packed together along I-94.
-Gault Village Ypsilanti Michigan
Gault village is named after john gault, whose house was the site for the Gault village shopping center. The neighborhood shopping area was built in the 1960’s, and is now going through renovations, as they had a 7 year legal battle and was demolished in late 2023. The neighborhood also houses Nancy park and Erickson elementary school.
-West Willow Ypsilanti Michigan
West willow is surrounded by US-12, I-94 and Ward Road and is the closest to the General Motors plant just east.
-Rawsonville Ypsilanti Michigan
Then Rawsonville is south of I-94, just north of the Ford Lake Dam, and Rawson elementary school and the closest community to the Lake wood shopping mall, which doesn’t have a lot to offer unfortunately.
Ypsilanti Michigan Home Prices
Now that the geography lesson is over, we get on over to pro #2 and that’s the home prices and cost of living, because it’s actually true. There aren’t a lot of communities where you can get your hands on a home or condo for under $200,000. It seems very unheard of today, and if a home is listed for that, you’re basically having to demolish it and start over, but in Ypsi, it’s more about needing cosmetic changes and some have even been completely renovated for that price. There’s even 2+ bedroom condos right on Ford Lake that offer dock access for all your water activities for a price of $219,000 to $240,000 depending on the unit for sale. Taking a look at this graph provided by the MLS, we have the average sale price over the last 3 years with Pittsfield township in blue, Ypsilanti township in green, the city of Ypsilanti in yellow and superior charter township in red, just to give you some insight on how the home prices differ from city to township.
As you can see, it ranges from $256,589 in the city of Ypsi to $471,425 in superior charter township. The area is also a hub for several new construction communities too. It tends to be fairly rural out there so there’s a lot of land to work with, there’s Pulte home communities, M/I homes and infinity Homes. I have had several clients purchase a home in an infinity homes community that have gone a lot smoother than the other large community builders in my experience and they tend to be in that $345,000 to $430,000 range for a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, and over 2,000 square feet, which is a fairly good price for a new construction home these days.
Ypsilanti Michigan Community
The next pro I wanted to touch on coming in at #3 is just the community overall. The area as I mentioned has some rich history and culture, there’s several events in the city of Ypsi that I will link in the description, as well as a lot of natural beauty and parks that are so often overlooked as well. There’s towns where you go through and it just feels blah, but when you drive through places like Depot town, you think, finally, of a community that has some personality. It’s not that, “oh great another small town to pass through” this one makes you want to park and explore a little bit even though it wasn’t on the agenda that day, and I think that attraction and uniqueness is very powerful when it comes to choosing the right community for you. They have concerts, beer festivals, 5k runs, motorcycles and music, Summerfest, first Fridays, a nightlife at their bars and restaurants, recreational activities, art, orchards and farmers markets and of course shopping as I mentioned. I think when you see that events calendar you’ll be pleasantly surprised how involved Ypsi is.
Cons of Living In Ypsilanti Michigan
Ypsilanti Michigan Negative Reputation
Moving over to the not so good things about Ypsilanti Michigan, I want to kick this off with #1, and that’s the negative reputation. Niche.com ranks the city of Ypsilanti an overall grade of a B, and the township sitting at an overall grade of a B+ but ranks #5 of 338 most diverse suburbs in Michigan, #16 of 804 most diverse places to live in Michigan and #83 of 338 best suburbs for young professionals in Michigan, and is actually #14 best places to live in Washtenaw County. It’s the little brother of Ann Arbor and it’s been something the community is striving to shake. Ann Arbor has that affect where they can rub off on nearby communities, because it’s such a desirable, attractive and dense area to live and experience life in a different way compared to other communities in Metro Detroit. When we compare the city of Ypsi versus the township of Ypsi, the city is dripping with culture and uniqueness, while the township is much more rural and doesn’t have that character you see in the city. It’s often searched about the area regarding crime and safety, and That's why I wanted to outline the different sections or quadrants throughout the area, so you can utilize my method of due diligence prior to viewing any homes or committing to an area, because despite their closeness, they can be pretty different from one another, and of course I will link that in the description below, as I go over step by step what you should do before you even look at a home in person from looking at the homes surroundings, crime, safety, etc., which is something you should do with any area you’re unfamiliar with.
Ypsilanti Michigan Schools
The next con I wanted to lean into are the schools. Niche.com ranks Ypsilanti public schools a C-, which is based on academics, teachers, clubs and activities, diversity, college prep, administration, sports, food and resources and facilities. Schooldigger ranks the the school district #524th of 606 Michigan school districts. Of course, some schools are rated better than others and i’ll be sure to link a few resources below so you can do your due diligence if you’re interested in the area.
Ypsilanti Michigan Property Taxes
And lastly I wanted to touch on con #3, and that’s the property taxes. They are definitely a lot friendlier here than in most metro Detroit suburbs with home prices this low, so there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, but for the sake of creating awareness and educating you on the importance of due diligence, it’s a fair topic to touch on. Despite being able to get an affordable home in the area, it’s crucial to keep an out for property taxes. The average millage rate, which is used to calculate property taxes in Michigan is about 42.2 mills, which fits in par for some areas in Ypsi, but it really depends what school district you fall in as it ranges from 43.2044 in the Van Buren public school district, 47.403 in the Lincoln consolidated school district, 49.8857 in the Ypsilanti school district and 55.945 in the Ypsi willow run school district in the township of Ypsilanti. In the city however, it is the Ypsilanti school district at 66.986 mills. Superior charter township and Pittsfield township are on the lower end of that range, and these two areas become a cheat code to capitalize on lower taxes while having access to Ann Arbor schools. Ann Arbor has a millage rate of 50.862 , whereas superior charter township has a 39.938 in the Ann Arbor school district and Pittsfield has a 40.773. So something to keep in mind if Ann Arbor schools are a priority for you.
What questions do you have about Ypsilanti? Drop them in the comments below.
MENTIONED LINKS ⬇️
→Ypsilanti Michigan Events: https://www.ypsireal.com/events/
→Due Diligence Video: https://youtu.be/MGMbu5uAMVQ
→Salem Michigan Video: https://youtu.be/e4Mm50xFKOs
→Saline Michigan Video: https://youtu.be/ESYjf-GAaiQ
→Chelsea Michigan Video: https://youtu.be/Y7crPofoye8
→Dexter Michigan Video: https://youtu.be/F_jhWJ4_BHo
Thank you as always for reading, if you’re ever looking to buy, sell or invest, don’t hesitate to reach out. I'm happy to be your go to resource. Until next time!
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 pillars of Michigan real estate. 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 Brighton, Michigan.
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