Movoto's Most (Yawn) Boring Places in Michigan List: Is Bleh the New Hip?

Is your community on Movoto’s list of yawn-worthy cities in Michigan with populations of 20,000 or more? (Photo: In Cherl Kim via Flickr)

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Rochester Hills, you’re boring.

OK, not as boring as Norton Shores, which the real estate brokerage site Movoto says is the most boring place in Michigan, bar none – partly because there are none, or much of anything else.

But cheer up. At No. 12 on the yawn-factor list, you’re not quite as boring as No. 11 Dearborn Heights. Really? Dearborn Heights barely escaped the Top 10 of Bleh among Michigan cities with populations of 20,000 or more.

Dearborn Heights doesn’t seem that boring by most standards, given recent news headlines about a high-profile porch shooting trial, election fraud allegations and a settlement by a school district of a federal lawsuit challenging its assimilation of non-English-speaking Arab students. It’s kind of a newsy place, wouldn’t you say?

But Movoto doesn’t measure headline click-throughs for its ubiquitous lists. Its rankings are of factors such as the percent of residents aged 18-34 and how many places there are to go out and whoop it up, chow down and work it off.

Which again proves why the reputed criminal playground of Inkster came in as the ninth most boring city in Michigan:

“This city may have a slight reputation for its high crime rate, but maybe that’s just because there’s else to do here,” the Movoto writer sneered. “Out of all the places we looked at, it had the smallest number of arts listings per capita, the second least in active life, and it ranked 50th out of 56 for its nightlife, which includes such establishments as Bogart’s Lounge and Flight Club.”

Dearborn Heights’ boringness is confirmed in each category measured by Movoto save one: a cornucopia of fast-food options. That’s either boring or exciting, a matter of perspective or the health of your arteries.

Rochester Hills was dinged on scores for population 18-34 and availability of nightlife venues, drawing down its “big deal score” – which is to say it isn’t much of one by Movoto’s calculations.nAgain, is that good or bad?

Rounding out the, yawn, top 20 in the oxymoronic list is Farmington Hills, which isn’t near the cellar of boringness in offerings such has – big eyeroll here – fast-food offerings.

| All this begs the question, why would a real estate brokerage rank places where it presumably wants to sell homes according to their snoozerly qualities? Wait, wait – don’t answer that. Instead, tell us how you escape boredom in your hometown. |