In a recent survey conducted by the Military Times, Sterling Heights ranked in the Top 50 Best for Vets: Places to Live in the country, for medium sized communities with a population greater than 100,000 and less than 250,000.
The cities were evaluated based on veteran culture and services, economic indicators and livability factors such as cost of living and school quality.
Approximately 65% of all the defense work produced by the State of Michigan is done in Sterling Heights and the surrounding Macomb area. With over 6,000 defense contractors and 404 defense establishments in the county, major defense employers located in the area include: General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems Land & Armaments Inc, Chardam Gear Co Inc., D-M Fabrication Inc., KUKA Robotics Corporation, Macomb Group Inc/MI, MAG las LLC, Miba HydroMechanica Corp., MB Aerospace Holdings Ltd., Rave Computer Association Inc., Shuert Industries Inc., and Ultimate Hydroforming Inc., In addition, Sterling Heights is in close proximity to the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), which are both located in the adjacent city of Warren.
The City of Sterling Heights honors its veterans annually on Veterans Day by inviting them to join a ceremony held in their honor. This ceremony is planned by local area veterans groups with the assistance of the City of Sterling Heights and the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation.
Sterling Heights resident and 41-A District Judge Steve Sierawski stated, “ My father served in World War Two, I served in Operation Desert Storm, my son served in Operation Enduring Freedom and is currently a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. We as a proud military family could not be any prouder of Sterling Heights and their accomplishment! Hope to see you at the Senior Center on November 11 at 11:00 a.m. for the Sterling Heights Veteran Day ceremony. Godspeed!”
In addition, this year Dodge Park Coney Island, located at 35252 Dodge Park Road, will offer a free Thanksgiving meal to people in the military, veterans and their families from 11:00 to 1:00 on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd. Owner Pashko Ujkac said, “This is just a small token of our appreciation to honor those that have served our Country and may not have a place to go for a nice Thanksgiving Day meal.”
For more information, please call Community Relations at (586) 446-2470.