A straight shot up Woodward Avenue takes you from the center of downtown Detroit to Ferndale, one of the city’s coolest outposts. It’s home to the annual DIY Street Fair, where fairgoers can enjoy live music, sip craft beers and buy art, clothes and more goods courtesy of local artisans, as well as the Ferndale Pride Festival, which counts itself as the largest LGBTQ+ event in the state.
There doesn’t need to be a festival going on to find lots to do in Ferndale, though. The town’s main street, Woodward Avenue, is dotted with restaurants, bars, nightclubs and theaters. (One major highlight is the Rust Belt Market, Ferndale’s largest artisan marketplace). Many more gems exist just off the main drag, like the mid-century-themed Vogue Vintage shop and Found Sound records, and the town’s walkability makes it easy to get to any of them without a car. Affordability makes for a sweet cherry on top: Ferndale’s median home price of $240,000 is well below the national average (and most of the other towns on our list).
