Normal Park: a Ypsilanti neighborhood
A walkable pocket of Ypsilanti built to house college professors a century ago, named for the teaching college that used to stand nearby.
Where the name comes from
Normal Park takes its name from Michigan State Normal School, a teaching college (the predecessor to Eastern Michigan University) that once stood in the area. Many of the homes here were built in the 1920s specifically to house the school's professors, which is part of why the neighborhood has the older, settled housing stock it does today.
A quirk of local history
One home I listed in Normal Park — a 1920s Tudor — had previously been owned by the man credited with inventing the striped referee shirt, a detail that made it into the listing video below. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of neighborhood trivia that comes up when a place has been continuously lived in for a hundred years.
See it on video
Frequently asked questions about Normal Park
Is Normal Park close to Eastern Michigan University?
Yes. Normal Park sits near EMU's campus, which grew out of the Michigan State Normal School the neighborhood is named for.
What kind of homes are in Normal Park?
Mostly older housing stock, much of it dating to the 1920s, originally built for faculty at the teaching college that used to be nearby. Specific inventory and condition varies by property and changes over time.