Everything you know if you’re from Troy, MI

I grew up in the best hometown in the United States – Troy, Michigan. The city is often seen as boring, but it is safe and a great place to spend a childhood. Everyone who grew up in Troy shares a bond, regardless of what high school they attended or what side of Troy they lived in, because we can all relate to the following things.

Snow days are a myth

As all students in the Troy School District know, the district was fairly stingy when it came to giving snow days. The snow day rituals we were taught in elementary school rarely worked, as while many of the nearby school districts got the day off, we would still go to school. Of course, it usually wasn’t a terrible amount of snow, but having to go to school when students across the road had off was never fun. As a result, anytime that we got consecutive days was truly a blessing from the snow gods.

Troy’s location is central to other places

When there’s nothing to do in Troy, it’s never much of a drive to get to a nearby city. Troy is in the heart of Oakland County and makes up a portion of the border with Macomb County, so there’s easy access to more places, people and events. Detroit and Ann Arbor are also fairly close, providing a more big city feel contrasting the feel of Troy and the surrounding cities.

Somerset Mall is the place for everything

Shopping sprees, regular hangouts, homecoming and charity ball pictures, you name it – chances are it happened at Somerset. For being the one thing that everyone knows about Troy, the mall does come in clutch when there is nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. Somerset is a place where I’ve had countless memories with friends, and it is one of the defining places in the city. In fact, I’ve had a GSI talk to me about the mall upon learning that I was from Troy despite her only having lived in Ann Arbor for a few months.

The greatest mall in Troy

We have top-notch education

One of the biggest advantages to living in Troy is the quality of the education here. Many families, especially in recent times, move to Troy in part due to the education that the city prides itself on. Many of the schools are award-winning, and everyone in the city generally stresses the importance of education. Troy is home to high schools that do well on national rankings, in part due to the amazing set of teachers in all of the schools across the district who work so hard to help the students even beyond the classroom.

Seasons are plentiful (and confusing)

As with the rest of Michigan and the Midwest, Troy has four seasons that are fairly distinct. The boundaries between the seasons are also fairly well-known, but there are those moments when the weather makes absolutely no sense. Anyone remember the 70 degree weather in November and mid-February? Of course, I always say that I want to live somewhere where I can avoid the snow and experience nice, sunny weather all-year round, but I will definitely miss the four-season year that Troy offers. There’s always an opportunity to get a break from the snow of the winter and the heat and humidity of the summer.

Everyone looked forward to Troy Daze

Although I don’t remember it too clearly, the Troy Daze was a staple part of my childhood while it was at Boulan Park. Having the festival in the city every year meant that it was something that I went to every year, so when the festival was cancelled for a few years, I was disappointed, just as many other people. However, the festival came back a few years ago and has once again become an event that I try not to miss. You can never really expect what or who to see at Troy Daze, but it rarely ever disappoints.

Troy Daze a few years ago with someone dressed as a TV remote

Having no downtown sucked

With Troy being as big as it is, you would think that there would be at least a few streets that would be considered a “downtown” area. Instead, the closest thing that we have to a downtown is given to us in the form of Big Beaver, but for the real downtown experience, going to Royal Oak, Rochester or Birmingham is our best bet.

The city is almost always under construction

With winter comes potholes. This occurs every year, without fail, and can be seen across the rest of metro Detroit as well. Also as with the rest of metro Detroit, roads are nearly always under construction soon after the last snow melts away. Once the sun comes out for good, the traffic cones come out as well. The construction always seems inconvenient and usually causes more traffic headaches, but it’s the only way to haphazardly survive until the next winter, when the process usually restarts, albeit in a different location.

We grew up in the greatest place

We grew up in the best city in Michigan/America, and for that, we are extremely lucky. Troy may be a city that is usually considered to be boring, but it was a great place to spend our childhoods. Our proximity to Detroit meant that we were always exposed to the resilience displayed by the great city, but we were still our own, suburban city that allowed for a great sense of diverse community. I would not trade my hometown for any other in the world, as it is the place that I spent my childhood and made most of the memories that make me who I am today.