Livonia Michigan Real Estate
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Livonia Michigan Homes
Livonia is a carefully planned community of residential, industrial, commercial and
civic development. As the City’s motto proclaims; “People Come First” in Livonia. The community has successfully maintained its friendly, hometown atmosphere in the midst of unprecedented urban growth. It is one of the finest, most stable family communities in the country. Livonia combines great school systems with a clean, safe, and well maintained community that offers fantastic recreational opportunities as well as a thriving commercial sector. It’s a formula that brings results and a reputation that places Livonia among the best places to live in the country. A lot of investors are starting to look at the Livonia homes for sale, because of the unique opportunity the market presents.
Livonia has been recognized by the FBI as the 7th Safest City in the Country. It has also been named the 2nd Best Kid Friendly Place in the Nation by Population Connection. This is a great place to live, work, learn and play!
Location
Livonia real estate is located in the northwest corner of Wayne County, encompassing an area of 36 square miles, halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Its boundaries are: Inkster Road on the east, Eight Mile Road on the north, Eckles Road and Haggerty Road on the west and Joy Road on the south. Livonia homes have convenient access east to west on the Jeffries Expressway (I-96), the I-275 expressway traveling north and south and major highways and interstates that fan out in every direction; providing convenient drive times to just about anywhere in Michigan.
Population
Since Livonia has a population of over 100,000, it is the 2nd Largest City in Wayne County. It is also the 8th Largest City in Michigan and the 242nd Largest City in the United States.
Average Residential Sales Price & Property Taxes in 2007
The average Livonia home price is approximately $191,000 for the year 2007.
Livonia real estate has the lowest property tax rate among cities in Wayne County.
Livonia School District
$34.09 per $1,000 taxable value (Taxable Value is usually approximately half the Property Value)
Clarenceville School District
$35.95 per $1,000 taxable value (Taxable Value is usually approximately half the Property Value)
For Example: A property purchased at $200,000 would have a taxable value of approximately $100,000, and therefore taxes would be $3,409 per year assuming you are in the Livonia School District.
Public Transportation
The City of Livonia is proud to offer curb to curb service for its senior and disabled residents. Transportation is not only available to locations within the city itself, but also provides limited service to locations outside the city limits. Livonia Community Transit also serves two hubs for both SMART and D-DOT riders, providing transportation to employees throughout the city.
Prevalent Architecture
The housing styles vary drastically in the City of Livonia, since the homes date back to when the city was first incorporated. Livonia real estate ranges from starter homes for first time home buyers, to higher end, custom built houses designed by nationally prominent architects. You will have no problem finding any architectural style, including ranches, colonials, tri-levels and bungalows. The past couple years there have been more foreclosures in Livonia. Investors are starting to buy distressed bank owned homes for very reasonable prices as more homeowners go through the foreclosure process in Livonia.
Local Business
There are over 5,000 businesses in Livonia. Major employers in the city include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, United Parcel Services, Quicken Loans, Valassis and St. Mary Mercy Hospital.
Livonia’s industry is concentrated in a six square mile corridor combining major railroad and highway access to all sections of this metropolitan area.
Brief History
The Potawatomi Indians were the first to reside in Livonia. The area’s rich soil and abundant harvests is why pioneers from both New England and New York settled in here. The name “Livonia” is rumored to have come from a region of the Baltic Sea comprising present day Estonia and Latvia. Livonia Township was officially established in 1835 and existed during its first century as primarily a dairy and farming region. As Livonia started to get more and more populated, dirt trails became roads and ultimately highways. Agriculture finally gave way to business and industry in 1948, when General Motors Corporation built its automatic transmission plant, and Ford Motor Company soon followed with a parts depot.
In 1949, the Michigan Racing Association decided to generate revenue by building a thoroughbred and harness race track, known as the Detroit Race Track. It was the only one of its kind at the time and proved to be a profitable investment. In order for the Township of Livonia to benefit from its hearty racetrack revenues, they would have to incorporate, and on May 23, 1950 the Township became incorporated as the City of Livonia.
Livonia City Hall, dedicated on October 27, 1979, has become a dynamic symbol for the City and its people. The building is a five story architectural landmark of concrete, steel and bronze glass windows. The intersection of Five Mile and Farmington Roads is the home of the city’s Civic Center, which is home for the City Hall and includes the 16th District Court, the police department headquarters, the fire department Station #1, Civic Center Library, and the Civic Park Senior Center.
Schools
Livonia’s students have the benefit of two fine public school systems: Livonia Public Schools; which has 22 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools and a career/technical center, and the Clarenceville School District. The city also has six parochial elementary and one parochial senior high school.
Livonia is also home to several private schools, including Ladywood High School, Livonia Montessori Center, St. Michael, and St. Paul’s Lutheran School.
Choices for post secondary education include, Madonna University or Schoolcraft Community College.
Shopping & Recreation
Abundant recreational opportunities contribute greatly to Livonia’s premier quality of life for families and individuals. The city has set aside 1,800 acres for recreation that includes, a brand new 130,000 square foot community recreation center, along with 46 developed municipal parks. There are 3 city owned and operated golf courses, 22 playgrounds, 42 baseball diamonds, 33 tennis courts and 27 soccer fields. The City also owns 2 indoor ice arenas with 3 sheets of ice. The Livonia Recreation Center offers activities for residents of all ages and fitness levels to participate in a lively and inviting environment. The center includes a wide variety of activities, including, two indoor pools with a 250 foot water slide, a 40 foot high climbing wall, an outdoor in-line skate rink, skateboard park and volleyball courts.
The city of Livonia celebrates is birthday each year during the last week of June in a fashion called, The Livonia Spree Festival. The Spree provides family fun from start to finish with amusement rides, food, various attractions and of course, fireworks. The festival helps raise funds for the City of Livonia and for many non-profit projects and programs in the community.
The cultural fiber of the City is alive and thriving. Both music and the Arts are celebrated and embraced. The Livonia Symphony Orchestra is 25 years old and still going strong. They perform a full concert series each year, and special events including a wide range of musical repertoires. The Livonia Civic Chorus remains active throughout the year with its annual spring musical and various performances around the City. “The Music Under the Stars” series is a highlight for Livonia residents each summer.
Greenmead Historical Village and the Wilson Barn preserve the past for both residents and visitors alike. Greenmead has been preserving Livonia’s heritage for years and features some of the city’s original buildings from the 1850’s. It is also the home of several events, including The Fine Arts Festival and the Arts and Crafts Festival. Meanwhile, Wilson Barn is also the site of numerous events and activities throughout the year, including flower sales, an antique car show and holiday programs.
Livonia offers a wide variety of entertainment, dining and shopping venues. Numerous movie theaters include a 20-screen state of the art facility. With over 200 restaurants within the city limits, Livonia has something for everyone’s taste.
There are two restaurants in particular that are considered landmarks in the city. The first is known for its greasy burgers, also known as “sliders”; is known as Bates Burgers. The second restaurant controls the start of summer. The first day it opens each year, is considered the first day of summer in the city of Livonia. On a hot summer day, nothing beats Han-D-Dip Dairy Barn.
In 2005, along Haggerty Road next to Schoolcraft College several upscale restaurants and bars opened, including Mitchell’s Fish Market, Bravo Cucino Italiana, and Claddagh Irish Pub. Plymouth Road is home to many fine Italian restaurants.
Whether it’s elegant shopping at Laurel Park Place Mall or treasure hunting at the Town Peddler, Livonia has something to fit everyone’s interests. Laurel Park Place is conveniently located just east of I-275 and features Parisian and other high-end retailers. Livonia Mall is another one of the major shopping destinations in the community, located at the corners of Middlebelt Road and Seven Mile Road. It includes many craft and antique dealers and specialty shops, along with Sears.
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For more information about the beautiful City of Livonia, contact Livonia Realtor MARK Z. & Associates.