Anthony and Renee Shimanekhave lived in various Downrivercommunities most of their lives.Their current home is the Brownstown-Woodhaven community.

“I lived in southwest Detroit nearPatton Park until kindergarten,” Reneesaid. “Then I lived in Trenton for 20 years until moving here. We love the school district, great neighbors, lots of young families. It feels very safe.” Renee worked in the Woodhaven Meijer pharmacy for almost 10 years.

“I miss the pharmacy days, but I love my current job,” she said. “I’m a dental hygienist at JSP Dental in Trenton. We have 10 hygienists, four doctors and we serve hundreds of local families. I love it.”

Born at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Anthony has lived all over the map.

“I went to a different high school every year because we moved a lot,” he quips. “I graduated from Baptist Park High School but lived in many different cities, including Charleston, South Carolina. It was a great series of life lessons and it made me good at adapting to new situations.”

Anthony’s parents met Downriver. “Mom is from Michigan, dad is originally from Indiana, but they met in high school in Taylor,” he said. “I love how inviting and dependable the Downriver community is.”

Anthony works in IT and loves sports and competitive online gaming.“I’m a bit of a sports fanatic,” he said. “Indiana University basketball and football, and all Chicago teams except the White Sox. Gaming, I’ll play solo or multiplayer. I love Borderlands and Counterstrike.”

The Shimaneks were drawn to the Brownstown-Woodhaven area for the schools.

“We have a 3-year-old and wanted to make sure he was in a good district,” Renee said. “Fortunately, our neighborhood has lots of kids and very friendly neighbors.”

The Shimaneks are very active in their church. “We attend a non-denominational Christian church where we’ve met some really wonderful people,” Renee said. “Our son loves the kids ministry and we’re very blessed to have such an amazing church nearby.”

Annual vacations are a fun pastime for the family. “The Outer Banks off the Carolina coast are incredibly scenic and breathtaking,” Renee said. “And Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando are fun for the kids. I prefer Disney, but Anthony likes Universal.”

The Shimaneks also regularly travel statewide. “We love going to concerts, especially in Grand Rapids,” Anthony said. “We love going camping. The KOAs have great amenities for families. And we often head up to Lake City near Cadillac to visit Renee’s parents.”

Locally, the Shimaneks have some favorite spots. “Promenade Artisan Foods in Trenton, which sometimes has live bands, is cool,” Renee said. “The Oak Café in Wyandotte and Thorn Park in Woodhaven are good.”

Anthony’s Woodhaven favorites are “Bierhaven, The Taco Stand and Vreeland Market,” he said. “Vreeland’s pizza rolls, joey sticks and pizza are all delicious.”