Business & Tech

Why Are There So Many Starbucks in Troy?

There are 11 Starbucks locations in Troy -- more than in almost any other city in Michigan.

This story was posted by Jessica Nunez. It was written and reported by Dante Chinni.

It turns out that Double Mocha Macchiato in your hand not only says something about you – it also says something about where you live in Michigan. If you are carrying a mermaid-emblazoned cup, you are more likely to live in one of the state’s politically blue counties and there’s a good chance there’s a university nearby.

In Troy, there are 11 Starbucks locations, including one inside Beaumont Hospital, three in Somerset Mall, one in Target and one in Oakland Mall.

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In an effort gauge the power and reach of Starbucks nation in the Wolverine state, Patch mapped the state’s 203 outlets – stand alone stores and Starbucks cafes within other stores, with locations from the firm AggData. One of the biggest surprises is that while Strabucks can seem ubiquitious, only a third of the counties in Michigan have a local Starbucks.

In Michigan land of “tall” coffee cups is based heavily around the Metro-Detroit area. Almost half of the state’s total stores – 99 of them – are in the tri-county area. But if you would rather live further from Motown and still need a regular visit with a green-aproned barista, the map of Starbucks above suggests a few strategies.

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  • Go back to college, or move near a major campus. The counties holding the state’s biggest universities all have a Starbucks purveyor nearby. Washtenaw, the home of U of M and Eastern Michigan has 13, Ingham, the home of MSU has 7, Kalamazoo, the home of Western Michigan has 6, and Isabella, the home of Central, has 3, even Marquette up in the U.P., the home of Northern Michigan, has 2.

  • Go to the water, or a resort community. If you don’t want to live in a big city, go to the places where the people from the big cities vacation – including people from outside of Michigan on the West side of the state. Ottawa County, home of Grand Haven and Holland, has nine outlets. And up the west coast, Grand Traverse, Emmet and Mackinac all have one.

  • Move to Grand Rapids. The state’s second-largest city actually leads the way on places to soothe your Starbucks jones with 17 stores.  

The numbers and map also show a liberal political disposition in most Starbucks-heavy communities. About 70% of the state’s Starbucks locations – 144 of 203 – are set in counties that voted for President Barack Obama in 2012. Four of the five counties with the most Starbucks voted for Obama in November – all except Kent County, home of Grand Rapids.

But that may have less to do with coffee politics than other factors. As seen on the map above, Starbucks tend to cluster around more densely populated places. And data have shown time and again that those places tend to vote Democratic.


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