With a rich history dating back to a time when Henry Ford built small factories and dormitories to employ and house war veterans, respectively, Canton Township in Wayne County, Michigan is an exciting place that never fails to surprise with its unexpected juxtapositions of commercial vigor and lively and diverse communities.
Out of Michigan’s 1,240 townships and 275 cities, Canton ranks as the ninth-largest municipality and second-largest township. Canton Township Supervisor, Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, explains that as Canton has around 100,000 residents, it is ranked as a township, and so its municipality provides the level of service one would expect from a large metropolitan area. That includes having independent and fully-fledged fire and police departments, while maintaining a township management structure where a supervisor replaces the position of mayor, supported by a treasurer, clerk, and trustees rather than councilors, as one would typically see in the management structures of cities.
Canton’s biggest employers are the healthcare and automotive industries, which support a thriving middle class keeping three school districts alive and growing. With an annual median income of $107,000, the township outperforms national averages on a number of statistics, including its below-average unemployment rate. While many businesses and industries drive its prosperity, Ford remains one of its greatest anchors, both economically and socially.
Having a strong Chamber of Commerce also means a strong workforce and favorable business conditions, especially as the Chamber supports local municipal leaders in keeping community ties and the economy strong. One example is an extensive events calendar the Chamber created showcasing annual festivals and gatherings. In terms of its economic strengths, Canton is also easily accessible from other parts of the country via I-275 and is just 15 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport.
Many large companies have headquarters based here, including a large Amazon warehouse; however, many Canton residents work in downtown Detroit due to its proximity. As industrial outfits and the retail sector continue growing, local authorities are collaborating with the South Michigan Transit Authority (SMART) to ensure that public transportation infrastructure becomes more sophisticated and can accommodate growing numbers of commuters.
“All of that makes it very, very efficient for a business and very wholesome for somebody to live and work and play and be able to travel when they need to,” says Dr. Gavin Beckford, Economic and Downtown Development Manager.
Canton is known for its hospitality and welcoming attitude toward outsiders and those in need of protection. To this end, it is proactive in ensuring everyone has food on the table through its local food banks, and city officials don’t hesitate to present their cases at a higher level when necessary to secure grant funding for important causes such as creating care facilities for abused children. Local businesses—especially restaurants—are also well-known for their philanthropy.
Thanks to its demographic mix, Canton’s food scene could, quite fairly, be compared to a foodie paradise, but that is not the only aspect that makes this township different. It also hosts a popular annual LGBTQ pride festival and takes special care of the wellbeing of its youth by keeping them meaningfully engaged in healthy activities and projects. Canton’s parks and recreation department, for instance, hires around 200 high school students annually—all of whom are mentored and trained in maintenance and other useful skills while contributing to their community.
Naturally, children in Canton learn about diversity from a young age, with 6,300 children speaking a combined 66 languages and dialects. This is a place where hospitality and progressive values are more than taglines. Instead, local government has made it an official mandate for its teams to familiarize themselves with the customs and cultural norms that should be considered and respected when engaging with locals from the many faiths and cultures represented here.
Canton’s sense of inclusion is the result of a 20-year commitment toward consciously facilitating meaningful change. “When you look at the rest of the world and all of the issues that are happening between some of these faiths or cultures, I think Canton is like a model to show how we can all live together in peace and how we should live together in peace,” Graham-Hudak says. To mark this achievement, three years ago a peace pole was installed exemplifying Canton’s mission, with ‘Peace on Earth’ in 13 of its major languages written on it.
Indeed, its absolute freedom of faith is one of the area’s most appealing features as Sikh, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and many other faiths are represented and supported by one another here. One example is an innovative new bakery in Cherry Hill Village, SAJ, home to delectable Lebanese fare, which serves customers until 3 a.m. to accommodate those observing Ramadan. “The owner, Hussein Siblini, does such a nice job, and it’s a beautiful store. He spared no expense on the finishes,” says Jon LaFever, certified parks and recreation professional and Manager of Community Services.
Despite its size, Canton has never really had a downtown area. More recently, developers and town planners decided to change that. Today, the historic commercial area is a Downtown Development Authority district based around Ford Road, where statisticians have identified traffic from as many as 30,000 vehicles per hour across 22 intersections. It is not surprising, then, that nearly every large chain and restaurant imaginable, including Swedish furniture giant Ikea, can be found here. Interestingly, this same store has brought with it an unexpected destination element that Canton is only too pleased with.
The township is also home to the first Raising Cane’s restaurant in the region, a shop that sees some of its highest annual profits in June, when data shows that a large portion of an estimated 100,000 carnival attendees visit its local outlet. As a result, it has become one of the event’s largest sponsors.
As Ford Road feeds into Canton’s major shopping area and Michigan Avenue at the southern part of its commercial district ultimately connects Detroit and Chicago, Canton often boasts more than one branch of a big chain; in such a comparatively small community, this is evidence of its popularity as a commercial tourist destination. This road has also been the focus of the Michigan Avenue Innovation Network (MAIN), a technology corridor stretching from Detroit to Canton.
The MAIN will also be used as a tool to maintain the integrity of the commercial endeavors in the area by focusing on clean industries. “We’re looking at the MAIN as a way to positively increase and enhance our communities,” says LaFever.
Since many people recognize these advantages and the wide variety of real estate on offer, growth has been consistent. Years ago, Canton Township went from a community of around 35,000, when development was on the rise in the ’90s, to its current booming population that lives across six square miles. The speed of Canton’s growth has taught its leaders to think on their feet, making them responsive, efficient, and resilient change makers. Over time, as everywhere else in the United States, some areas developed in more economically conducive ways than others. Now, thanks to a welcome cash injection through the American Rescue Plan Act, the township has revitalized areas in need of fresh visions.
One such area is Cherry Hill Village to the west. Described as a neo-traditional development and perhaps its most popular area, this is one of Canton’s most charming places to live and play, as Cherry Hill Village was developed around the original Cherry Hill School in a beautiful, historic area now re-envisioned for modern lifestyles while maintaining its character.
The project was undertaken to regenerate the township at large. As Canton was a residential hub with lively communities but lacking a definitive downtown zone, the extensive improvements to Cherry Hill Village solve this and keep the social scene buzzing. In the process, planners are creating more places for residents to gather, joining an existing performing arts center with an active theatre that welcomes audiences from across the region nearly every day of the year.
This initiative was achieved in collaboration with a nonprofit, Partnership for the Arts and Humanities, which has been a part of the community for over 20 years. This group is now mandated to actively maintain the cultural and activity programs in a number of new spaces, including weekly concerts, yoga in the park, and myriad other events.
There is also a new farmers market pavilion that hosts over 1,000 people on Sunday mornings, where fresh produce, flowers, and delicious treats are on sale. The township also has a new town square—a lovely park right in the center of the village, opposite the theatre, where residents and visitors can enjoy each other’s company and the beauty of the setting. “The leadership here in Canton had a vision to utilize some of the Rescue Plan Act dollars to infuse into that area, to create places for people to gather and stay, give people a reason to go there and be there and spend time there,” says LaFever. An old Ford factory building—with its original wooden floors—is also being transformed into a small community center which will welcome locals and their activities seven days per week.
The result of all this meticulous planning and diligent development is growing commercial development as new businesses all want their slice of the Cherry Hill Village pie. Achieving their goals in good time, it stands to reason that the township’s management teams are proud of the achievement, with every empty plot of land accounting for a new development set to take off over the next two years or so. And the effort is getting Canton noticed, with a delegation from the National Planning Conference in Detroit booked to visit.
Against this backdrop, residents also take great pride in maintaining Canton’s heritage. Committed to preserving and sharing its history with locals, the next generation, and visitors alike, the Historic Society maintains storyboards throughout the area. There are also many recreational options to choose from: apart from a generous sports complex, people can enjoy two golf courses and 10 parks that are well managed and maintained, benefitting from large investments in all of Canton’s amenities.
Moreover, Canton is undertaking a project that will see the creation of a portal that identifies parcels of real estate eligible for possible redevelopment, aiming to optimize the area’s use of land and infrastructure while helping property owners earn more from their investments. Canton identifies properties that are “eligible for certain types of investment vehicles, eligible for certain types of tax incentives, which can then attract developers who are looking for those types of developments,” Beckford explains. The overhaul will include ensuring that every area has strong internet connectivity and other services that support robust economic frameworks.
There is no doubt, the area has momentum. Looking at the many plans in place in Canton, one thing is clear: as the economic landscape continues shifting, Canton Township and its remarkable people continue to meet change with the same sense of welcome with which they meet one another.
