University Hills

About University Hills

University Hills occupies the northwest quadrant of Rochester Hills, centered on the corner of Avon Road and Old Perch Road and extending toward Walton Boulevard and the western edge of Oakland University’s campus. The neighborhood takes its name from the university itself — founded in 1957 on land donated by Matilda Dodge Wilson and Alfred G. Wilson, and home to the Meadow Brook Hall historic estate — which sits less than a mile east of the subdivision’s entrance and gives residents walking-distance access to the Meadow Brook Theatre, the Meadow Brook Amphitheatre summer concert series, and the university’s recreation center.

Platted and built out primarily during the 1960s and 1970s as Oakland University was growing from a satellite of Michigan State into an independent institution, University Hills produced a roster of brick colonials, ranches, and quad-levels on generous lots with mature hardwoods overhead. Streets curve gently rather than running on a grid, sidewalks are continuous, and the neighborhood’s two beautifully maintained commons areas — laced with walking paths — give the subdivision a campus-like green spine that few other Rochester Hills neighborhoods can match.

The University Hills Home Owners Association, which operates the long-running uhills.net community site, maintains the commons, the entrance monuments, and a year-round calendar of social events ranging from summer picnics to holiday gatherings. Deed restrictions emphasize residential character and architectural compatibility rather than heavy-handed control, and the association’s self-description as the premiere established subdivision in Rochester Hills reflects both its location and the price stability the neighborhood has shown across four decades of Metro Detroit real-estate cycles.

Schooling is the neighborhood’s hidden anchor — University Hills Elementary School sits inside the subdivision itself, feeding into West Middle School and Rochester High School within Rochester Community Schools, all three consistently among the highest-rated public schools in Oakland County. Commuters reach I-75 via Walton Boulevard in roughly five minutes, downtown Rochester and the Yates Cider Mill on the Clinton River are equally close to the east, and the Village of Rochester Hills lifestyle center on Adams Road sits a short drive south for everyday shopping and dining.