Brookside

Thirty miles from Detroit, the Brookside neighborhood of Canton Township is very nearly a bedroom community. Close to the shopping and dining options of Carriage Hills, Brookside is a primarily residential planned community with five phases of growth. The first phase began in the 1970s, and today the area is still expanding with several multi-acre lots available. In fact, all of Canton is getting larger as it’s one of Michigan’s fastest growing townships. Residents are often attracted to the area’s location, which is right along Interstate 275 and near Palmer, Ford and Cherry Hill Roads. It’s also close to Fellows Creek Golf Club and is only 15 miles from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Brookside was designed to be walkable and has well-maintained sidewalks running along gently curving streets. Small, private green spaces with playgrounds dot the neighborhood of around 600 homes. Densely populated, Brookside is a popular and desirable area with its own homeowner’s association for the Brookside Village subdivisions. It distributes a bi-monthly newsletter with neighborhood news and upcoming events. Strolling or biking through the area, you’ll notice the dominance of ranch-style and colonial houses from the 1970s until today. Most have attached one- or two-car garages and are landscaped with shrubs, flowers and seasonal decorations. The houses tend to have brick facades and around 1,600 square-feet of living space. Prices range from $155,000 for a two-bedroom condo to $500,000 for a four-bedroom colonial.

Students in the area are part of the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district, which is the third-best district in Wayne County. Children might attend Field Elementary, Discovery Middle or Canton High. All three facilities have earned a grade of A-minus or higher on Niche. Field Elementary was founded in 1976 and has a media center and resource room along with literacy interventionists to make sure each child is reading at or above their grade level. Discovery Middle is a one-to-one technology school where each child is issued a Chromebook for classwork and projects. Canton High is the thirty-fifth best public high school in Michigan and teaches advanced placement and honors courses in addition to operating specialized academies for the arts, business and STEM.

The neighborhood has green space built in with several private parks scattered throughout the area. One of them is Brookside Village Park West. This nine-acre park includes natural scenery, a playground and an open area with a soccer goal. Crossing under I-275 will bring you to Flodin Park, which is operated by Canton Township and is open to all. Fellows Creek flows through the space, and the trailhead to the Fellows Creek Wetland Nature Trail can be found here. In addition to open spaces, the park contains athletic and soccer fields, a baseball diamond and basketball and tennis courts. There’s no indoor recreation, but pedestrian paths alongside the pond and through the woodlands are open year-round.

While close to the shopping and dining of the Carriage Hills neighborhood, Brookside itself has very few retail and food options itself. But that’s not to say you can’t have a good time or even a bite in the community. Emagine Canton is a state-of-the-art movie theatre with immersive sound and an upgraded snack bar. You can munch on stone-fired pizzas or popcorn made with extra virgin olive oil, and wash it down with a drink from the Coke Freestyle Machine, which has over 100 available flavor combinations. Featuring both cuddle chairs and stadium seating, the theatre is also home to a Super EMX screen. It’s one of the largest movie screens in the state at almost 100 feet wide.

Found along Ford Road, Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar is part of a growing national chain of fast-casual restaurants. Inspired by Cajun cuisine and founded in the South, the eatery prides itself on making guests feel at home with a cozy ambiance and live music. The shop has six signature sauces and sells its own line of shirts and spice blends. Specializing in nicely spiced seafood boils, raw bars and po’boys, you’ll know the down-home meal was good by the pile of napkins left at the end.

Brookside invites residents to enjoy a laid-back lifestyle close to the conveniences of downtown Canton and Detroit.

Written By

K.T. Phillips

Photography Contributed By

John Collins

Video By

Michael McAdams