Northville, MI

What sets Northville apart is its community-wide focus on preserving history. The village was founded in 1825 by New York State travelers who created a mill and had close ties to nearby Plymouth. The village got its name for being a village north of Plymouth. Town leaders have tried to keep as much of the Victorian Queen Anne architecture intact and moved several structures destined for demolition to Mill Race Village, a preserved community on a 12 acre lot downtown next to Ford Field. Visitors can learn more about the town’s history by strolling through the village and visiting a grist mill, a blacksmith’s shop, an old inn, and a general store.

The Victorian heritage is celebrated every year during the Victorian Festival held in September when residents dress in costume during a parade and watch a vintage baseball game.

Northville has plenty of food options from casual coffee shops to Middle Eastern eateries along Main and Center streets. Browse for a bestseller at The Next Chapter Book Store & Bistro and then sit down for a coffee and crepe. This is a perfect breakfast or lunch spot. Along with the books its feature dish is the yummy strawberry banana Nutella crepe and the savory Crepe Complet, a buckwheat crepe stuffed with fried egg, Black Forest ham, gruyere cheese and Dijon dressing.

Food lovers will want to taste the Middle Eastern cuisine of Le George. While the Metro Detroit area is awash with Middle Eastern restaurants, Le George puts an artistic spin on the menu that blends with the town's historic feel. The chefs add radish and an intense citrus flavor to the fatoosh salad that when it's topped with chicken or falafel makes it the best in the region. The restaurant's extensive wine least will please while also offering creative cocktails for the experimental patron. Northville takes its love of the arts to the extreme with Genitti's Hole-In-The-Wall, a venue to watch theatre after munching on a seven-course family-style Italian meal. Replicating an Italian wedding, the meal starts with soup followed by pasta, an antipasta salad, Italian sausages, steak, baked chicken and cannoli for desert. Once you are stuffed with food, the show begins in the theater next door.

If you like your art without food there are three other theatres including the historic Marquis Theatre that offers movies and plays and the Tipping Point Theatre, which has an array of community play productions throughout the year.

If you're headed for a night on the town casual drinks and entertainment can be had at Poole's Tavern. For a taste of gambling, the Northville Downs offers a dining room and has simulcast wagering seven days a week and live harness horse racing August through April.

Northville has no public transportation. The best access to highways is south to Highway M-14 or east to I-275, which will take you anywhere you need to go. The town does promote the use of a RideShare program organized by the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, which is a free carpool matching program.

The closest Amtrak stations are Greenfield Village in Dearborn, which is 15 miles away, and in Ann Arbor, 16 miles from downtown Northville. There is taxi service in the area, but it must be ordered by phone ahead of time. In Northville it’s rare to see a taxi to hail.

One of the best parks in the state is Maybury State Park, located on 8 Mile and Beck Road., west of downtown. The 1,000 acre park has a mix of terrain including open meadows and forested areas. The park has an abundance of wild life and it’s not uncommon to see a deer while walking the park’s rugged seven miles of single-track mountain bike trails that will satisfy a thrill seeker.

Hikers and equestrians share trails and a paved path circling the park is groomed in the winter for cross-country skiing. There is a cost to use the park and most residents buy an annual state park pass when they renew vehicle registrations.

Ford Field is the oldest of the five parks Northville maintains. It’s located just east of downtown, has an energetic playground for children, large baseball diamond that hosts vintage 1860s baseball games during the Fourth of July celebrations and is adjacent to the Mill Race Historical Village.

Northville has not forgotten its four-legged friends. There is the off-leash Cady Street Dog Park just behind the Art House downtown where dogs can exercise leash-free in a fenced in park. To get a permit to use the park dogs you have to take a 30 minute class.

It’s not cheap to live surrounded by historical beauty. The cost of living in Northville is 17 percent higher than the Michigan average. As such it costs more to rent an apartment in a historic area with a one-bedroom apartment running between $650 to $900 a month.

While the cost of gas tends to be above the national average, you can save on coffee and pizza, which are cheaper and come in below the national average.

Shopping in downtown Northville is a distinctive experience. The neighborhood presents its 75 stores spread out over several streets. It has a mix of consignment stores with children's clothing beside a bundle of home decor shops that contain interesting items not to be found in big box stores. There are also six art galleries that feature artists and musicians every First Friday.

When it comes to home décor, the shops offer a wide variety of distinctive products. Pear-Aphernalia specializes in clocks and scented soaps, while Nest To Nest features attractive furniture and funky accessories. Finally, Haven specializes in décor to decorate in a country or cottage theme.

It’s hard to leave Baby Bay Plus More, a consignment clothing store, without spending money. It has a wide selection of gently used children’s shoes and clothing as well as games and books in the back of the store.

Most shoe stores have disappeared except for Cobbler’s Corner, which only carries good quality leather shoes featuring brands like Clarks, Neil M and Alden from New England. For groceries and your other necessities head over to chains such as Hiller's Markets, Meijer, or Kroger which have locations in town.

Knowing that residents want fresh, locally grown food, there is a Farmer’s Market weekly that residents loath to miss. Stop by on Thursdays from May to October at the corner of Sheldon Road and 7 Mile where over 100 stalls set up business from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Here there is always Michigan-grown fruits and vegetables, craft artists and handmade soaps, jewelry, furniture and woodworking items for sale.