The neighborhood and the woods are both named after a well-known, local and prominent physician, Dr. Edward Sparrow Snow (July 5, 1820 - July 18, 1892), who settled in the area in 1849. Snow Woods is a 34-acre mixed habitat and forested wetlands sandwiched between Rotunda Drive and Culver St. along Snow Avenue. Although patchy in distribution, the wetlands amount to at least half of the total acreage. Over time, the woods have most likely become even wetter.
These wetland woods serve as a natural sponge by retaining floodwaters and filtering sediments and pollution. The woods also act as a buffer zone to traffic noise and congestion, thereby further enhancing the property values of homes in the surrounding Snow Woods neighborhood.
Prior to the 1990’s, students from nearby Edsel Ford High School would take a seven-minute walk to the woods for their field biology experience. During those field trips, students were able to compile a list of the major plant species present in the woods. At that time, they documented that there were 25 different tree species, 6 fern species, 15 wildflower species, and 14 shrub species. The Snow Woods land is currently owned by the Ford Motor Company.
