Pittsfield is unique among Ann Arbor neighborhoods in being anchored by a condo complex. Laid out in 1943, the 422-unit Pittsfield Village Condominiums feature winding streets and sweeping, park-like common yards on a total of sixty-four acres, housing a mix of seniors and families. The many children in the adjoining Forestbrooke area enjoy a neighborhood pool and swim club. Forestbrooke and nearby Darlington subdivisions, which have homes with ample yards, abut Sheffler Park and the Redbud Nature Area, as do the Arlington Place condos.
The established, affordable neighborhoods that make up the Pittsfield school area are surrounded by commercial strips lined with big-box stores, fast-food chains, and a variety of international shops that serve a diverse population.
Block after block of starter homes surround the school. Kids also are bused from the shady streets of the 1960s-era neighborhood off Golfside between Woodside and Ellsworth. The Silverleaf subdivision near Golfside and Ellsworth is composed mostly of two-story homes. The University Palisades subdivision off Ellsworth closer to Carpenter offers ranches, colonials, and split-colonials.
Pittsfield also draws students from the 336-unit Ridgewood Apartments on Carpenter and the adjacent 121-unit Coachville mobile home community; the boyhood home of Iggy Pop, it now has a significant immigrant presence.
Pittsfield grads go to Scarlett Middle School and then Huron High.
Bike lanes: Packard has a marked bike lane, as do parts of Platt. Washtenaw Ave. has an off-street bike path. Some smaller roads are designated “neighborhood connectors,” which have signs to guide cyclists through neighborhoods and include Pittsfield Blvd. and Edgewood Dr. connecting Platt to Washtenaw. Golfside has a short dedicated bike lane from just south of Fresh Thyme Supermarket to Strawberry Hills Dr.
Walking: Pittsfield School, in the neighborhood’s center, has a Walk Score of 66, and most homes must be higher, with a variety of shopping on both Washtenaw and Packard close by for most.
