Plymouth Made Top 100 List of Places to Live for the Second Straight Year

By Matt Jachman

http://www.hometownlife.com/

An Internet-based resource for people around the country who are relocating has recognized the Plymouth area for the second straight year.

The Plymouth community — the city and the township together — was named one of the top 100 places to live Tuesday by http://www.relocateamerica.com/. The area also made the list in 2008.

The Plymouth area joins Rochester Hills and Hudsonville as the three Michigan communities on the list, which was whittled from more than 1,800 nominees.

“We all knew the Plymouth community was a great place, but it's special when somebody from the outside looks at 1,800 communities and recognizes” Plymouth and Plymouth Township, said Richard Reaume, the township supervisor.

A press release said feedback from residents and local leaders, plus statistics on crime, education, employment and more in the nominated communities, were studied before selections were made.

Wes Graff, executive director of the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce, filled out a questionnaire for the study, which was a new element in the selection process. The questions, Graff said, touched on public safety, parks and recreation, community events, the economy and leaders' vision for improving the community.

“It's exciting that they've put more (criteria) into the process and we're still able to be in the top 100,” Graff said.

Eco-Wheelz of Plymouth is Pedaling Its Way To HUGE Profits

Zoomlife.com
Sebastian Schepis

One Detroit-area company has found themselves a profitable niche amidst the maelstrom - selling electric vehicles.

Eco Wheelz, a personal electric vehicle retailer and online store started and run by entrepreneur Jeremy Panizzoli and located in Plymouth, MI has been enjoying steadily growing sales of their personal electric vehicles.

“Traffic continues to grow at our new retail store,” said Jeremy. “Surprisingly, most people aren’t even aware that these products exist. But as the word spreads, we’re seeing growing interest as more and more people become educated about the advantages of electric-powered bikes and scooters.”

And it makes sense. Electric vehicles aren’t just eco-friendly, they’re also economical. It costs about $599 to purchase a starter e-bike, which then costs pennies to recharge straight from a wall outlet.

That same bike will give you the ability go travel at over 20mph with a 20 mile range - and let you pedal home if you run out of juice. And for a lot of people, that makes good economic sense.

Only time will tell if personal electric vehicles become adopted en-masse in the US. They’ve been popular for years in places like Europe and Asia, and the U.S. market for e-bikes continues to grow.

2009 is expected to be a record year for electric bike sales in the U.S., with projections of 170,000 units. If the numbers are any indication, it might only be a matter of time before electric bicycles and electric mopeds become a ubiquitous presence on U.S. streets.