Durand offers small-town living with rail history and outdoor fun
Durand is a family oriented community with a locomotive history and year-round amenities. “It’s a very comfortable small rural town,” says Kim Omer, a third-generation Realtor with Re/Max of Owosso. “It has a lot of railroads and a beautiful historic depot still active with an Amtrak train.” It’s also home to the Michigan Railroad History Museum. For those wanting to get around by car, Durand is by a major intersection. “It makes it easy to drive to a larger town for more work opportunities,” Omer says.
Optimist Park and Trumble Park provide year-round recreation
Durand has one large green space and many smaller pocket parks. Optimist Park has a rink for ice and in-line skating, baseball diamonds and basketball courts on over 10 acres of land. Trumble Park is about half the size and has a volleyball court. “The park is set up for the children, but also just for all people to sit and enjoy nature,” Omer says. In the winter, the hill is used for sledding. Soloc Wildlands Pond has the Wood Chip Trail to explore. Dutch Hollow Golf Club has a public 18-hole course.
“In the summer, we have Wednesday Night Live concerts from May to August with all genres of music,” says Candyce Wolsfeld, executive director of the Durand Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc. “Railroad Days carnival and parade have been held in mid-May for 50 years. The Edible Landscaping Project brings growing fruits and vegetables to downtown. “It’s planted by volunteers and free to everyone to harvest,” Wolsfeld says.
Homes range from historic to modern with varied price points
Housing styles vary greatly in Durand, from historic and midcentury to modern and minimal. Homes built between the 1900s and the 1980s range from $40,000 to $440,000. Houses built from the 1990s up to today sell for between $265,000 and $715,000. "We’re an older rural community, so most homes are older,” Omer says. “The majority have been well cared for.” The average home size is 1,300 square feet, below the national average of just under 2,000 square feet. The median lot size is less than an acre, as most properties are concentrated in small blocks in the city center. The surrounding area is rural and has more land.
Schools recently added athletic and performing arts centers
Students can begin their education at Bertha Neal Elementary, which has kindergarten and first grade. It gets a B-minus grade from Niche. Robert Kerr Elementary serves grades 2 through 5. It is located on the same campus as Durand Middle and Durand Area High, and all three schools receive a C-plus grade. “The schools have recently added an athletic center and a performing arts center, as well as upgraded all buildings,” says Candyce Wolsfeld, executive director of the Durand Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc.
Residents travel to Flint or Lansing for groceries and retail
Union Station Smoke House is a downtown restaurant with a smokehouse built from an old gas station. Sometimes, they have live music. Nick’s Hometown Bar and Grill has a variety of menu items and homemade desserts. There are also several fast-food eateries in Durand.
The area has a handful of thrift stores and gift shops, but residents will likely travel to larger areas nearby for more retail, like the malls and shopping plazas off of Interstate 69. There are no grocery stores in Durand, but Kroger, Aldi and many other options are in Flint , around 20 miles east, and Lansing , about 40 miles west.
Interstate 69 corridor makes commuting to nearby cities easy
Sidewalks connect residential blocks, and some homes near downtown are within walking distance of restaurants. A car is necessary to travel farther, as public transportation is minimal. Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency provides dial-a-ride bus services. "Durand is on what’s called the Interstate 69 corridor, and people can get to Flint , Lansing , Saginaw and Detroit very easily,” Omer says. M-71 runs through Shiawassee County. Durand Union Station provides service on the Blue Water route running from Chicago to Port Huron . Bishop International Airport is around 15 miles east.
