Attracting new crowds in this former Detroit racetrack town
Located in the heart of Southeast Michigan, Hazel Park is an up-and-coming Detroit community attracting a new wave of residents. “Younger people have been coming to Hazel Park in droves since I started in this business just under 10 years ago,” says John Mahar, a metro Detroit resident for 21 years and local realtor at Jim Shaffer & Associates. Once a farming and autoworker community, Hazel Park was mainly known for its Hazel Park Raceway, which was built in 1949. When it closed in 2007, the city had to figure out other ways to draw in crowds. Eventually, a sort of renaissance began, with a steady upswing of trendy businesses rolling in and putting this small community on the map. Even with new offerings, longtime residents know that Hazel Park has always had charm, with its authentic mom-and-pop shops, friendly neighbors, well-maintained subdivisions and a proud, small-town spirit. “People from Hazel Park love being from Hazel Park,” says Mahar. “It’s a cool little suburb that has grown a lot, and still has a lot of growth in front of it.”
Hazel Park is a friendly and charming community with a variety of amenities.
Tree-lined streets linked to community pocket parks
Hazel Park’s streets are wide and tree-lined, with nicely paved sidewalks flowing along every block. Surrounded by homes, pocket parks often hug the center of subdivisions and create a safe residential space for kids to play freely outside. Housing styles here are architecturally mixed. “The homes in Hazel Park are standard styles found in other Southern Oakland County areas, including a lot of bungalows, colonials, ranches and even a few cape cod’s,” Mahar shares. Houses are primarily small to mid-size, with very few tri/quad level options. From a market perspective, Mahar says, “Hazel Park seems to stay just on the cusp of affordability for many first-time home buyers and even investors, specifically in Oakland County.” Potential homeowners can expect the lower range of homes to start in the $120,000s, while new builds, although not as common, can get as high as $300,000.
Bungalow-style homes give Hazel Park its warmth and charm.
A driver’s haven in the heart of the tri-county area
Hazel Park sits along East Nine Mile Drive, a convenient connection to other commercial hubs, and is located directly next to the I-75 Highway, making a 10-mile drive into downtown Detroit take as little as 12 minutes. “Hazel Park is in the dead center of the tri-county area, so a lot of people like that they can get back-and-forth to everything really easily,” Mahar says. The public SMART bus system also makes multiple stops in Hazel Park and connects busgoers to other destinations in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
Residents of Hazel Park have access to nearby shopping centers, like Kroger on 9 Mile.
Where innovative dining meets mom-and-pop classics
The community's dining options are a special blend of mom-and-pop varieties with culinary-forward hotspots. For classic eats, locals head to the tried-and-true Loui's Pizza for their original, award-winning Detroit-style pizza. Opened in 1954, Loui’s is a time-capsule setting, where diners sit in vintage red booths accented by memorabilia-filled walls and rustic wine bottles dangling from the ceiling. Upscale foodies enjoy the highly celebrated Mabel Gray, owned by Michelin-star Chef Rigato and located in a former abandoned diner on John R. Road. Mabel Gray offers seasonally rotated food selections made from scratch with fresh ingredients from the chef’s local network of farms, butchers and foragers. Sitting nearby is Frame, a hip restaurant within a restaurant, accessed through a hidden door. It serves up all kinds of cuisines from a rotating lineup of notable chefs. When eating at home, residents stock up on groceries at Kroger and Hazel Park Food Center on John R. Road.
Loui's Pizza in Hazel Park was founded in 1977 and is a landmark eatery.
Outdoor recreation for any age at Green Acres Park
“One of the highlights of living in Hazel Park is there are tons of parks that include play structures and great communal areas,” says Mahar. Green Acres Park is the most frequented, where locals can spend an afternoon playing 9-hole disc golf or breaking a sweat at the outdoor exercise gym. With numerous pocket parks to explore, Scout Park stands out with its whimsical art-painted playscapes, picnic areas and a covered venue spot to host birthday parties or cookouts. For more structured recreation, the Hazel Park Recreation Center has a multitude of classes, from adult pickleball to youth athletics and seasonal ice skating.
Green Acres Park has a variety of amenities for all to enjoy.
Small-town public schools with other nearby offerings
Public students can attend United Oaks Elementary, which gets a C-minus score by Niche.com. Middle schoolers can head to Hazel Park Junior High School, ranked at a C-minus, and for upperclassmen, Hazel Park High School gets a C-plus ranking. Alternatively, parents looking for a private school in the area can look at Detroit Country Day School in nearby Beverly Hills, MI, scoring at an A-plus and ranked as the #3 best private school in Michigan.
United Oaks Elementary School signage.
Seasonal community events that draw in big crowds
Most of Hazel Park’s biggest community events are held at Green Acres Park, the most noteworthy being the annual Hazel Park Art Fair. Residents can peruse through art varieties and meet with local, emerging artists while enjoying a food court, craft beer station and dance-along tunes from Michigan-based performing artists. Another favorite event is the Memorial Day Weekend Festival, a jam-packed 5-day festival featuring an impressive carnival, car show, game area, live music and an energetic Memorial Day Parade.
Green Acres Park is known for its wooded disc golf.
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