Water Damage Restoration in Troy, MI

Troy and Ann Arbor, two southeast Michigan cities ranked among the top 100 "best places to live" in the United States in 2025, according to an report from Livability.

"It’s not hard to understand why so many people find themselves moving to Troy, MI. After all, this vibrant suburb of Detroit has a lot going for it," the report says of the city, which received 829 points on a 1,000-point scale.

Ann Arbor, a Washtenaw County city that's home to the University of Michigan, scored 715 on the Livability scale and ranked as the 40th best city in the U.S.

For more than a decade, Livability has been compiling lists of the best places to live based on experiences and adventures, affordability and healthy lifestyles.

The online ranking system through research, examine topics related to community amenities and develop city rankings for a range of topics.

"So whether you’re looking for a fresh start, want to get closer to your family or hope to take the next step in your career, the cities on our list are ready to welcome you," the report says.

Here's what else Livability had to say about Troy and Ann Arbor, and the top 10 cities overall:

What are the top cities on Livability's list?

Here are the cities with the highest scores on Livability's list:

What does Livability say about Troy?

Troy's top categories included:

The southeast Michigan suburb is a place where "families and businesses thrive," the city's website says. It also has some of the lowest tax rates and is one of the safest places in Michigan.

The city has over 1,000 acres of parkland, two golf courses, a local nature center, and historic village, along with a variety of lakes and streams.

What does Livability say about Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor, mostly known as a popular university town has a host of food options and a walkable, accessible downtown, ranked high for:

"Living in Ann Arbor is a dream as it is a city with a youthful vibe, a wealth of amenities and a robust talent pool," the report from Livability says. "It’s one of the best places to live in the U.S. due, in part, to the prestigious university..."

Additionally, the Huron River flows through the city with over 160 parks that span over 2,200 acres, according to The Ann Arbor News.

The city is home to the University of Michigan, the oldest institution of higher education in the state and the top employer in Washtenaw County with about 37,000 employees, according to a report from the Ann Arbor Spark.

How were the top cities chosen?

Through a partnership with Applied Geographic Solutions, Livability sorts through nearly 100 data points and algorithms that take the city's economy, housing, cost of living, amenities, transportation, environment, safety, education and health outcome to determine the Best Places Methodology.

Then each city gets a "LivScore" which is based on its performance across the prescribed categories.

According to Livability, they place an emphasis on affordability with the median home value of each city of $500,000 or less.

The population of each city ranges from 75,000-500,000 people.

How many cities, counties are in Michigan?

Michigan is comprised of 83 counties and has 276 cities, according to the Michigan State Housing Authority.

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.

Troy center, set to break ground this summer, will be named for donors

June 12, 2025 4:55 PM

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Building on a long history of philanthropic support for health care and research at the University of Michigan, Kenneth Eisenberg has made an additional $40 million gift to the University of Michigan.

The gift will support Michigan Medicine’s first facility in Oakland County, which the U-M Board of Regents today approved naming the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Troy Center for Specialty Care in honor of the donor and his late wife. Additionally, part of the gift will support mental health research through a U-M center that already bears their name, the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center.

Eisenberg lives in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Palm Beach, Fla., and is the former chairman and CEO of Kenwal Steel of Dearborn, Michigan. His wife of nearly 60 years, Frances, died in November. The gift is made through the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Charitable Foundation.

“Our family and our foundation believe in the power of investing in a healthier future for all,” Kenneth Eisenberg said. “We continue our deep commitment to service through this gift to our community and the people of Michigan, and in honor of Frances’s life and mission.”

New outpatient center to bring specialty services to Oakland County residents

Eisenberg designated $25 million to support the construction of the multidisciplinary clinical facility that will be located at the former Kmart headquarters site at West Big Beaver and Coolidge roads. On Monday, the Troy City Council approved the proposed Somerset West development, of which the facility is part.

Expected to open in spring 2027, the facility will enhance access to specialty clinical services provided by U-M clinicians for patients in Oakland County and across southeast Michigan. Programs planned in the facility include advanced cancer care services, musculoskeletal/sports medicine and reproductive medicine. Additional diagnostic and therapeutic services will include an ambulatory surgery and procedure center, infusion suite and imaging services including CT, MRI and mammography.

“Philanthropic giving is often at the heart of our progress, and that is especially true in this case,” said David Miller, M.D., M.P.H., president of University of Michigan Health and executive vice dean for clinical affairs at the Medical School. “The Eisenbergs, for years, have recognized significant opportunities to make a difference, and they have helped ensure we can advance science and medicine for the benefit of all. We are honored to celebrate Frances’s memory and are grateful to Kenneth for his longtime partnership.” Miller will become U-M’s executive vice president for medical affairs and CEO of Michigan Medicine on July 1.

Investment in depression research to focus on prevention

Bolstering the family’s commitment to advancing mental health, $15 million of the new gift will build upon the work at the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center, adding to the $30 million the Eisenbergs have given to depression research and scholarship.

“The University of Michigan is making great progress in better understanding depression, which will help us prevent it and improve so many people’s lives,” Eisenberg said. “We are grateful to support that commitment and believe U-M is the best place in the world to do this critical work.”

Depression is a leading cause of death and disability. The number of people receiving treatment for depression has grown substantially in recent years, with more than one in 10 Americans now on antidepressant medications. However, depression has continued to affect more and more people, with the prevalence growing more than 50 percent over the past decade.

“The mental health field has not invested deeply in complementing treatment with prevention. With incredible researchers across schools and departments and exciting advances in mobile technology, generative AI, genomics and other modern research tools, we have the potential to identify modifiable root causes and personalized solutions to help prevent depression before it begins. This transformational gift offers the University of Michigan an unprecedented opportunity to lead this work. We are profoundly grateful to Kenneth and the Eisenberg family for their incredible support,” said Srijan Sen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center.

The gift will fuel research awards, policy initiatives, educational events, and facilitate the launch of a large-scale research initiative to identify, target and prevent the drivers of depression in populations at high risk, including students, health care workers and patients with medical diseases.

The new gift will also create two new Medical School professorship funds for the Frances Aftel Eisenberg Research Professorship, in memory of Frances, and the Sue Ellen Eisenberg Research Professorship, in honor of Kenneth Eisenberg’s sister. Sue Ellen Eisenberg has been integrally involved in the development of the depression center, is a U-M Law School graduate, and is managing partner of the Sue Ellen Eisenberg and Associates law firm in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Both endowed professorships will support faculty research in depression in perpetuity.

Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg’s giving to the university now totals more than $80 million and includes support for the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies in the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and for biomedical research scholars at the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies.

“The Eisenbergs have made incredibly impactful investments in our university, especially in the critical area of mental health,” said Domenico Grasso, president of U-M. “With their support for the Troy center, we will continue to create the future of health care in our state and bring Michigan Medicine-level care to more people.”

“This generous contribution will fuel our statewide network strategy of bringing our world-class care close to home for patients throughout Michigan and make an important difference in advancing research and care for depression,” said Marschall S. Runge, CEO of Michigan Medicine, dean of the Medical School, and executive vice president for medical affairs.

About the donorKenneth Eisenberg was chairman and CEO of Kenwal Steel, the family business he took over in the 1960s, for five decades. Under his leadership, the company became a full-service steel processing company with locations in the U.S. and Canada. His wife of nearly 60 years, Frances Aftel Eisenberg, died in November 2024 at the age of 82.

Kenneth and Frances Eisenberg earned bachelor’s degrees from U-M in 1964, Kenneth from LSA, and Frances from what is now the Marsal Family School of Education. Frances also completed her teaching certification at U-M. As active volunteers across the university, both served on the steering committee of U-M’s Victors for Michigan campaign.

Kenneth Eisenberg serves on the Michigan Medicine Advisory Group, the LSA Dean’s Advisory Council, and the Taubman Medical Research Institute Advisory Board; Frances served on the Marsal Family School of Education’s National Advisory Board. The Eisenbergs’ two sons, Stephen and Brian, and their families give generously of their time and resources to a range of U-M areas.

About the Look to Michigan campaign

This gift is being made during the University of Michigan’s Look to Michigan campaign, which merges philanthropic impact with U-M’s innovative Vision 2034. Made possible by U-M’s momentum and vast expertise to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, the Look to Michigan campaign will raise funds for a sustainable future, civic engagement, health and wellness, and quality education for all. Look to Michigan includes all three U-M campuses, Michigan Medicine, Athletics, and all university units. Partnering with our passionate donor community, we are committed to supporting all students, fostering inclusivity, and recognizing the arts as a creative catalyst for learning. With this foundation, we boldly move forward, dedicated to serving the public good and discovering what’s next for a better tomorrow. For more information, visit giving.umich.edu/um/look-to-michigan/the-campaign.

For more information about the Troy location visit https://michmed.org/TroyCSC

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OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Two Oakland County communities recently ranked among the top 10 best places to live in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 850 cities in the U.S. to see how they meet living expectations, using several factors, including the job market, quality of life, desirability, and public safety, to select the top 250.

Two Oakland County cities, Rochester Hills and Troy, earned spots among the top 10.

Here’s what U.S. News analysts said about these neighboring cities:

Rochester Hills ranked No. 9 out of 250 on the list.

Here’s some data from U.S. News & World Report for the city:

Rochester Hills outperformed in quality of life factors. It also ranked as the No. 22 city for college readiness and is the No. 5 safest city in the rankings, according to U.S. News’ crime index.

“Residents can feel comfortable spending their evenings dining out in the city’s lively downtown district or shopping at the Village of Rochester Hills, a popular outdoor shopping destination,” said U.S. News analysts.

Troy ranked No. 10 on the list.

Here’s some data from U.S. News & World Report for the city:

Troy ranked high in the quality of life, safety and college readiness factors. The city also ranked for its school district, which has some of the top-rated public schools in the country, according to U.S. News.

Analysts also noted Troy’s position as the No. 5 best city in the job market category, and also pointed to how residents from across Metro Detroit visit Troy for the Somerset Collection mall.

“Troy has held strong to its reputation as one of the best places to live, work, learn, play, and raise a family because of our excellent quality of life which is a result of hard work, planning, sacrifice, and strong leadership,” said Troy Mayor Ethan Baker. “Now the entire country will know what we have known all along. We are so very proud of this recognition from U.S. News & World Report. Troy will continue to be an involved community planning for the future and welcome everyone to come find out just what makes Troy one of the best!”

Here are the other places that ranked among the top 25 best places to live:

To see all 250 places that ranked on the list, visit here.

U.S. News & World Report released its rankings for the “250 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2025-2026″ to help show people what they can expect when choosing the next place they call home.

Several factors were used to determine the rankings, including school quality, housing affordability and public safety.

Analysts asked 3,000 people across the country what mattered most to them when determining where to live, and this year’s survey showed that people prioritized quality of life, value, desirability, job market and net migration. The data is weighted based on what people think is most important.

For more information on how the cities were ranked, visit here.