York Township mixes homes and farmland
York Township is a community of homes, farmland and woods between the small Michigan cities of Saline and Milan. While the township provides space and privacy, the neighboring cities put residents within minutes of two historic districts with local shops and restaurants. York Township also has a couple of scenic parks with nature trails and a Toyota Motor North America research and development campus. “It’s conveniently located by the expressway to get to Ann Arbor. Township taxes are nice because they’re lower than city taxes,” says Megan Mazurek, a Realtor with Reinhart Realtors. “There’s definitely some new builds, but there’s also some rural areas. And there’s a lot of homes with bigger lots and more property. That could be a benefit.”
Township has a few neighborhoods amid farmland
The township has more neighborhoods than some nearby rural areas. “York Township does have more neighborhoods,” says Debbie Bourdon, a Realtor with Real Estate One. “There’s still farmland, but there are some neighborhoods that maybe have 1- or 2-acre lots with bigger homes.” Spruce, pine and maple trees surround many homes. Some lots make room for backyard pools, while a few areas give several homeowners lakefront views. The township has some upscale contemporary, Colonial Revival and modern traditional homes. There are also ranch-style and split-level homes. Many homes with footprints between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet run between $300,000 and $600,000. Larger homes go from $600,000 to $1 million.
Recreation includes soccer fields, nature trails and seasonal amenities
Sandra J. Richardson Park has several soccer fields and more than 3 miles of trails. The walking paths cross woods and meadows with tall grasses and yellow and purple coneflowers. Minus the soccer fields, Mary McCann Park offers similar features. The neighboring cities offer more outdoor places. Saline’s Mill Pond Park has open spaces for dogs to roam and a castle-style playground with several swings and slides. The 54-acre park also has some benches near the pond, fishing spots and boat access. Sledding is a winter hobby here. Milan’s Wilson Park has a playground, too. During the summer, children play on its splash pad, which features an elephant fixture shooting water from its trunk.
Saline and Milan offer nearby dining and bar scenes
The community is minutes from restaurants in Saline and Milan. Carrigan Cafe is one of the staples in Murphy’s Crossing, an area of restaurants and boutiques in Saline’s historic downtown. Carrigan’s drinks include specialty espressos and mocktails. The cafe is across the street from Brecon Grille & Pub, which serves bar fare and provides seating on the sidewalk along Ann Arbor Street. The pub is near Salt Springs Brewery, which runs out of a repurposed Romanesque-style church. In downtown Milan, The Owl, Morning ‘til Night serves coffee, craft beers and wines. Milan’s Kroger offers a nearby grocery store.
Students may attend Saline or Milan schools
Saline Area Schools and Milan Area Schools cover the township. The Saline district gets an A from Niche, while Milan’s school system receives a B-plus. Milan schools include Symons Elementary and Paddock Elementary, which both get B-plus grades. Paddock enrolls students from Young 5s to second grade, while Symons serves third to fifth grade students. Students may also attend Saline middle and high schools, which both get A grades. Saline High’s recent successes include its boys swimming and diving team winning a state title in 2025. York Township also has a public charter school, South Arbor Charter Academy, which gets an A-plus and enrolls students from kindergarten to eighth grade.
Hundreds show up for Milan’s 3rd Thursdays
Seasonal events and festivities include 3rd Thursdays, which brings live music, food trucks and crafts vendors to downtown Milan. The monthly series runs from June to October and often draws over 500 people. Past foods offered included waffles and handcrafted ice cream sandwiches made with doughnuts.
York Township is centrally located
Commuters take Salin Milan Road toward Saline and Milan, while U.S. Highway 23 goes to Ann Arbor. The township is 16 miles south of downtown Ann Arbor. “It’s very easy to get to other places, north and south, on U.S. 23, and 94 [Interstate 94] is only 3 miles north,” says York Township Supervisor Chuck Tellas. “We’re very centrally located for transportation.” University of Michigan Hospital near downtown Kalamazoo provides medical care for the region. Located 25 miles east, Detroit Metro Airport is the area’s hub for commercial flights.
Important to know
The area usually gets over 30 inches of snow annually, more than many parts of the country. Also, most of Milan Federal Correctional Institution, or FCI Milan, is within the township. The prison, a low security facility, has about 1,600 inmates.
