Birmingham Michigan - The BEST Place To Live: Looking for the perfect place to call home? Discover the hidden gem of Birmingham, Michigan! Nestled in a charming and vibrant community, Birmingham offers an exceptional quality of life that's hard to resist. From its picturesque downtown filled with boutique shops and cozy cafes to its top-rated schools and strong sense of community, Birmingham has it all.
In this video, I unveil the countless reasons why Birmingham stands out as a great place to live. Explore the small-town charm and welcoming atmosphere that creates a sense of belonging. Dive into the diverse range of amenities, from parks and recreational activities to a thriving local economy that supports local businesses. Discover the rich cultural and artistic offerings, including art centers, galleries, and the famous Art in the Park event.
Not to mention, Birmingham's proximity to downtown Detroit opens doors to world-class museums, theaters, and professional sports, providing the best of both worlds. Whether you're a family looking for excellent schools and a safe environment or an individual seeking a close-knit community with endless opportunities, Birmingham has something for everyone.
Join me as I dive into the captivating allure of Birmingham, Michigan. Get ready to fall in love with its unique blend of small-town charm, vibrant atmosphere, and abundant amenities. It's time to make Birmingham your dream destination. Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the best of Michigan living!
Picture this. You’re on the hunt for the perfect place to call home in southeast Michigan, and you have what seems like an impossible list of criteria from allowing you to be nestled away from the hustle and bustle, enchanting downtown space, top-notch schools and a tight knit community that makes you feel like you’ve found your long lost home. Be sure to fasten your seatbelts because Birmingham Michigan is about to be on your home finder radar. Let’s get to it.
Before I dive into some more reasons why Birmingham Michigan should be on your list of places to call home, I want to mention a video I made a year or so ago that I'll link in the description where I did a little video tour of the city, downtown and showed a few homes in different price ranges, so be sure to add that to your queue to watch after this.
ATMOSPHERE
If someone threatened my life and wanted to know what the best of the best looked like in this region of the state, Birmingham would be within the top 2 or 3. And for those of you that have been or live in the area, I bet you can agree. So we will name this first reason Atmosphere, because once you drive through all the surrounding areas and hit that city line, you are encapsulated with this upscale, well-maintained, and community-centric atmosphere that is unlike any other, and several of my clients moving from all over the country to the state of Michigan can attest to the breath of fresh air this city creates. This isn’t one of those stereotypical uniform communities full of high-end cookie cutter houses that all look the same, but different color. This city is full of a diverse selection of architecturally beautiful homes. It’s almost dangerous honestly, I go over there all the time for showings and to my other office downtown on Woodward, and I find myself just staring at people’s houses. I'm just waiting for someone to be looking out the window and see me, but I’m just admiring the craftsmanship.
When atmosphere and Birmingham Michigan are a part of a conversation, there’s 7 things this city offers pertaining to a great atmosphere and that is: small town charm, walkability, vibrant downtown, festivals and events, welcoming community, architectural appeal, and green spaces and parks. Birmingham offers an atmosphere that embraces the best of both worlds—combining small-town warmth with a touch of urban energy. It's no wonder that people fall in love with Birmingham's atmosphere because these lifestyles are catered to a huge demographic.
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Another aspect I have noticed in this city after spending more and more time there is the entrepreneurial spirit or discipline. Despite this city being considered outside the hustle and bustle you’d see in places like New York, LA or Chicago, the city of Birmingham is not only well-known for being a thriving entrepreneurial community, with a variety of local businesses and startups with endless networking opportunities, it also radiates overall discipline outside of just business. As I drive and walk around, the sidewalks are always full of people running, jogging, and just working on their fitness. And that goes for the gym’s too, they always seem to be more packed than a McDonalds Drive thru at lunch time. Makes me feel like I need to spend some time on a treadmill in the most motivating way possible. So if that’s something you prioritize or value, I can certainly guarantee this community has that, but full disclaimer, I am in no way saying if you’re not obsessed with fitness you don’t belong here, it’s just an observation and all the healthy restaurant and store options throughout the city can further support that point.
COMMUNITY
The next aspect that transitions nicely is the community. So atmosphere is more of that “oooh ahh” moment when you roll into the city with all the 7 points I mentioned coming to reality, which refers to the feeling. Then there’s the physical connection we will refer to as community (even though there’s emotion in that too). So when I think of community and Birmingham Michigan in the conversation. I think about these 5 lesser known facts and those are: volunteerism and philanthropy, the support for local businesses (which goes hand in hand), mentorship and support programs, and environmental stewardship. All these lesser-known aspects of Birmingham's community highlight its extraordinary commitment to making a positive impact, and fostering a strong sense of unity and support. They contribute to the overall appeal of Birmingham as a place where people not only find a home but also a community that values their well-being and actively works towards a brighter future. At the end of the day I think we as people just want that most in the communities we call home.
Birmingham has a good atmosphere and an amazing community, but as an outsider looking in, where would you even begin to focus your time and energy within the city lines?
When it comes to choosing a neighborhood in the city of Birmingham, I can’t say there’s necessarily a bad one, it’s more of a preference on whether or not you want to be in close proximity to the golf courses, busier streets, schools, or commercial spaces, because when you take a look at an aerial view of Birmingham, you can see how tight the streets and homes become near the Woodward corridor, where as if you branch out a bit, there’s slightly more space or at least a feeling of space since you can see how perfectly horizontal and vertical the streets are closer to Woodward, then further out there’s more turn sequences farther out.
A lot of people from out of state have this mentality of prioritizing certain neighborhoods and in some cities there are more superior ones and inferior ones of course, and I know where this thought process comes from, because in Texas for example, they have neighborhoods or subdivisions that are hundreds of houses in size, with schools, parks and everything else within them, but here in Michigan, if you searched the best neighborhoods in a particular city, more times than not it would dish out the different suburbs which are just the cities and townships within each county. The city of Birmingham is only 4.8 square miles with a population of around 22,000 people, so if you spent your time focusing on a specific neighborhood, there could be 2-3 sales happening within it each year maybe, and you aren’t even guaranteed to call 1 of those 3 your home, because it may not fit all your other non-negotiables. So if schools are your priority for example, focus on the district as a whole, to open yourself up to more opportunity and search results in a market where the inventory is slim.
Keep in mind, the price at which you’re willing to spend on a home and the potential HOA fee you’re willing to take on will make a difference on the overall appeal of the neighborhood and what it offers. Jumping back to school districts, because some are better than others and vice versa. This Birmingham school district map shows this goofy U-shape where the Northwest and southern region is Grove high school and Berkshire Middle school, while the North east portion is Seaholm high school and derby middle school, and I’ll be sure to link some sources in the description pertaining to school rankings to help you with your decisions or at least narrow in on a region within the city to focus on.
SCHOOLS
As far as schools, Niche.com ranks Birmingham Michigan #2 of 617 places with the best public schools in Michigan, #2 out of 334 suburbs with the best public schools in Michigan and a notable #5 out of 336 best suburbs to live in Michigan, and this data is from dozens of ranking factors from federal and local government datasets, so it’s pretty reassuring numeric data to keep in mind, but outside of data, conversing with new and old residents there was a pretty common trend and that was the district always working to better their education, the readily available resources to help students accomplish their goals and achieve success, along with the academic expectations being extremely demanding, which is something you don’t hear about from a lot of students or school districts.
PARKS AND RECREATION
Another point I briefly touched on was the green spaces and parks. When you explore this city for a short time, it’s easy to say and assume it’s just a packed in the city along the Woodward corridor without any nature offerings, but that is far from the truth. Of course, Birmingham has the Birmingham country club, but there’s also medium and small sized parks accessible within some of the neighborhoods such as: St. James park, Haworth park, Barnum park, Crestview park, Linden park that has Rouge river flowing through it, Booth park, Poppleton park, Springdale park, the manor nature preserve, Adams park and Quarton Lake with trails all around it. I just rattled off quite a bit of nature filled opportunities and that is all within 4.8 square miles.
Despite the size of this city, it does have pretty extensive art and cultural offerings. I’ve noticed this isn’t something a lot of people prioritize in a city when they decide to move there or not, but It never hurts to mention. From the local art galleries, and art festivals, and music and theater performances, to the Birmingham Bloomfield art center to the nearby Cranbrook educational community, these city offerings give Birmingham the reputation for being vibrant, celebrating creativity, and providing opportunity to engage with the arts. Whether it’s making a visit to the local art galleries, attending a live performance, or grabbing a ticket to a museum, there’s truly an inspiring artistic landscape in this city to say the least, and with that in mind, I’ll be sure to link the events page in the description so you can get a sense of all the different community events being offered to residents.
Last but not least, I want to touch on the location, just as I did in the Video tour in Birmingham, every homeowner within the city has the luxury of being in close proximity to the downtown area. On top of that, this location aspect holds true for being close to other great nearby cities that can definitely be experienced without a heft commute to keep in mind. Whether it’s being a short drive away from Detroit, to take advantage of some big city amenities, it’s also a few miles away from Ferndale, Royal Oak, and the business hub we call Troy. So whatever your wants and needs are in a community, you can bet if you can’t get it all in Birmingham, the nearby cities will make up for it. For example, Birmingham has a wonderful downtown space and a nightlife, but as I have mentioned in several videos, there’s also a great night life in Royal Oak and Ferndale, so it gives you some options, and that goes for restaurant and grocery options too.
Birmingham, Michigan emerges as an extraordinary place to call home, offering a multitude of reasons that make it truly special. From its small-town charm and welcoming atmosphere to its top-rated schools and strong sense of community, Birmingham provides an exceptional quality of life for its residents.
For those of you that live or have lived in the community and even for you outsiders looking in, what are your thoughts about Birmingham Michigan? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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 Brighton, Michigan.