Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

The south area of Ann Arbor blends old and new, with established neighborhoods to the north of the I-94 freeway ring and huge new housing developments to the south. The area’s commercial district spans 120-store Briarwood Mall and several business parks and shopping centers.

Housing in the south includes more than two-dozen apartment and condo complexes on busy stretches of road as well as quieter tree-lined streets.

Some older neighborhoods with single-family homes have elementary schools tucked into the landscape, such as the Scarlett-Mitchell area in the southeast. Here, trails connect residents to its namesake schools and a 25-acre nature area.

Newer subdivisions are sprinkled throughout the south and homes with larger plots of land are just outside city limits in Pittsfield Township. Stonebridge has 11 neighborhoods and 700 housing units—from condos to large executive homes—and a golf course. Lake Forest, to its north, offers 250 homes, walking paths, and an eight-acre lake. 

The south area’s 23,000 residents have a median age of 32.

Three public elementary schools serve families in this area: Carpenter, Mitchell and Bryant. Scarlett Middle School also is on the south side.

Along well-traveled Packard Road, Cobblestone Farm welcomes visitors to its 1840s farmhouse and barn to learn more about the city’s early farm families. It hosts occasional “living history days” with guides dressed in period costumes.

Behind Cobblestone is local favorite Buhr Park, which bustles with year-round activity. Sports fields and tennis courts fill up in the warmer months. Summertime brings swimmers to its pools. And during winter, figure skaters and hockey players flock to the city’s only outdoor ice arena.

Across Packard Road is 80-acre Mary Beth Doyle Park, which features an 18-hole disc golf course with trails along Malletts Creek and through woods and wetlands. Nearby is 10-acre Swift Run Dog Park, one of two dog parks in town. Just south of the dog park on the other side of I-94 is Southeast Area Park, which offers many amenities, including play structures, picnic areas and sports fields.

Technology-based companies are heavily represented in the south side’s business parks, including engineering, Web site development, data processing and electrical components companies. Also hidden away in a business park near the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport are three sister businesses of famous downtown-area Zingerman’s Deli: Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Zingerman’s Creamery, and Zingerman’s Coffee Co. 

Editor's Note: This biography was last updated in February 2010.

Contact the Community Team at community@annarbor.com.