Ann Arbor · MI
Orchard Hills ranches and colonials
A 1960s and 1970s north Ann Arbor subdivision of ranch homes and colonials, with a neighborhood pool.
Living in Orchard Hills
Orchard Hills is a subdivision on Ann Arbor's northeast side, just north of Plymouth Road, built in the 1960s and 1970s. Along with the neighboring Maplewood subdivision, it's often listed as Orchard Hills–Maplewood.
The location is a big part of the appeal. Orchard Hills is close to the University of Michigan's North Campus and medical campus, and US-23 is easy to reach. For errands and dinner, the shops and restaurants along Plymouth Road are nearby. In summer, residents can join the neighborhood pool, and Thurston Elementary is within walking reach.
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Orchard Hills homes: ranches and colonials
Orchard Hills homes come in two main styles. Ranch homes keep everything on one floor. Two-story colonials give you more space spread over two levels.
In part of the neighborhood, homes back up to a pond. A pond-side lot gives you a view of the water from the back of the house.
A home built in the 1960s or 1970s may have been updated over the years, or it may still have its original features. When we look at one together, I'll point out what has been done and what may need attention. Read more about buying a home in Orchard Hills.
Two parks with a lot to explore
The Thurston Nature Center has quite a history. In the 1960s, Dr. William Stapp, often called a founder of environmental education, led students, teachers, and neighbors in turning school district land beside Thurston Elementary into an outdoor classroom. Today it's about 24 wooded acres with a 7-acre pond. Michigan's Department of Natural Resources named it a Conservation Education Reserve in 1968, and the project earned the school district a place at a 1967 White House youth conference on conservation hosted by Lady Bird Johnson.
Sugarbush Park, a 27-acre city park in three parts, is nearby too. It has tennis courts, a ball field, a basketball court, two playgrounds, a small sledding hill, and wooded trails where pawpaw and blue ash trees grow and trillium blooms in spring. A paved path through the park is cleared of snow in winter.
Trading up or downsizing in Orchard Hills
The mix of ranches and colonials makes Orchard Hills work for very different moves. A colonial can mean more room when you need it. A ranch can mean one-floor living when stairs no longer suit you.
If you're moving within Ann Arbor, we plan the order of your sale and your purchase first, so you aren't stuck between two houses. See trading up in Orchard Hills or downsizing in Orchard Hills.
Selling your Orchard Hills home
Your price comes from the homes that sold nearby, especially homes of the same style. A ranch and a colonial compare against different sales, and a pond-side lot is its own case, so I use the sales that truly match, and we price your home together. See selling your home in Orchard Hills.
If your home backs up to the pond, drone footage shows it in a way ground photos can't.
If you're buying or selling here, call me or send a note, or read my guide to Ann Arbor neighborhoods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Orchard Hills in Ann Arbor?
On the northeast side, just north of Plymouth Road, close to North Campus, the medical campus, and US-23.
What is the Thurston Nature Center?
An outdoor classroom of about 24 wooded acres with a 7-acre pond, created in the 1960s by students, teachers, and neighbors led by Dr. William Stapp.
What's at Sugarbush Park?
Tennis courts, a ball field, a basketball court, two playgrounds, a small sledding hill, and wooded trails, across 27 acres.
What kinds of homes are in Orchard Hills?
Mostly ranch homes and two-story colonials from the 1960s and 1970s, and in part of the neighborhood, homes back up to a pond.
The method
How we do it in Orchard Hills
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