BIRMINGHAM

Quality of Life

Birmingham, MI is a vibrant, prosperous community with almost 20,000 residents. Covering only 4.73 square miles, the community is able to maintain a small town feel, while experiencing the amenities of being only 6 miles from an affluent urban area, Detroit. The City has a pedestrian-friendly downtown area offering one of Michigan's premier shopping districts. A diverse array of boutiques, restaurants, galleries, antique dealers and clothiers line the streets. No matter where you park, you can walk through the entire shopping district. With recreational opportunities both downtown and in the residential heart of the city, there are amenities near any Birmingham home. Birmingham is indeed a place to "live, shop and play."

Economy

Retail is a major industry in Birmingham, being the home to one of Michigan 's best shopping districts. Being a suburb of Detroit, many workers commute into the metropolitan area which offers a diverse economy based in industry, retail, service and manufacturing sectors. Technology is a rising star in the economy of the area, with the expansion of "Automation Alley," and its extensive white-collar jobs.

Education

The citizens of Birmingham value education with traditions of achievement and academic excellence, and it shows. Birmingham schools are some of the finest schools in the county. Students consistently perform well on national and state achievement and aptitude tests. More than 98% of our students graduate from high school. Teachers, Parents and the rest of the community contribute to having a commendable learning environment by providing 13 schools in the Birmingham Public School District, a 10-acre environmental center, an alternative high school, a senior learning center, corporate training center and an early childhood center.

Birmingham is also home to a number of prestigious private schools: Roeper Schools, Eton Academy, Holy Name, Our Shepherd Lutheran, Gateway Montessori, and nearby Cranbrook Educational Community, Detroit Country Day School, and the Academy of the Sacred Heart. 

Entertainment

Residents of the area encourage culture and the arts by supporting community-based organizations in the area. With visual art projects throughout the community like the 24- foot-high bronze statue of "The Freedom of the Human Spirit" in downtown to a rotating public art project, Birmingham has never been a better patron of the arts. The Community House offers Art education classes for all-ages. Recreational opportunities in Birmingham are available year-round. Residents enjoy walking, jogging, biking, skating or playing street hockey or soccer on neighborhood streets. Twenty-two parks with 300 acres of land cover more than 10% of the city's total acreage. Residents swim, play baseball, softball and tennis as well as enjoy playgrounds and picnic facilities. Two nine-hold municipal golf courses offer golf and golf lessons. Quarton Lake is located in the residential district in the center of the city. Its quiet banks are home to ducks, geese and swans. Its waters prime for fishing and locals are encouraged to use the azure lake to relax. In the summer it is a popular fishing spot, while in the winter ice-skating is customary. Annual events in the area include: summer concerts in the park, "First-Night Birmingham," a no-alcohol family-oriented celebration of the arts on New Year's Eve, and more.