Commute from Ann Arbor to Detroit? (Warren, Livonia: crime, how much, houses)

[arena1992]

My husband is possibly getting transferred to the Detroit area. The region would be from about the Warren area down to Flat Rock so it covers a large area. I would like to live in Ann Arbor. We have 3 children and really like that area. How is the commute from Ann Arbor to Metro Detroit?

Thanks for your insight!

[sike0000]

Thats a pretty good drive. 20-25 miles to 275/94 area (more/less depending on where you want to live), and another 32ish to Warren from there (again, depending on what part). Is he in some kind of sales/marketing? Sounds like he will be on the road alot anyways and maybe it won't bother him. Traffic is abosultely horrible near AA during rush hour near the 94/23 area, and Metro detroit can be even worse depending on which direction you are going.

I know people that drive farther to get to my office, and I never hear them complain. I guess it depends if you like being on the road. I hate it personally.

[Coldjensens]

One of my partners does this. IT generally takes about an hour. He claims that he can make it in 40 minutes at times when there is not traffic, weather or construction, but he must drive about 90-100 in order to do that.

From freewaay ramp to freeway ramp you could do it in 40 minutes at times, but unless you live on a freeway ramp on one end and work on a freeway ramp on the other, it is not going to happen very often. Keep in mind tht is from Ann Arbor to Downtown Detroit. Warren is further. Depending on where you start in Ann Arbor, it could take 5-20 minutes to get on the 94.


Ann Arbor is a great little city and very lively. However it is also crazy at times. Game days are completely nuts and traffic is horrible. (Remember you have 106,000 people going to the stadium). Ann Arbor is also expensive.

To balance that out they have a stronger economy than other areas, a lively and fun downtown, loads of entertainment and cultural opportunites great schools, lots of neat houses and a very cool park (the Arb).

Ann Arbor presents itself well, but it has its warts. The largest are the hordes of loud crazy students wandering around, walking into the streets without looking and committing stupid druken prank type crimes (like stealing potted plants from a porch, etc). Being an actual city, Ann Arbor has more crime than most of the nicer suburbs.

However for overall quality of life, I would suggest that you consider some places more in the immediate area of your husband's work. that commute will get really awful in the winter and if he works long hours, it may become intolerable. If you are extremely liberal, then Ann Arbor may be the only place that you will be happy. Most of the nicer suburbs are generally conservative.


Plymouth is a little closer to Detroit/Flat Rock, very near Ann Arbor and has great schools. It is a bit smaller, less crazy and has a terrific downtown of its own.

Livonia is even closer, has great freeway access and is a very livable city. Schools are very good but not great, the city is kind of bland but reasonably nice. It is basically suburbia.

Grosse Ile is right in Husband's zone of work. It is an island community where most people have boats and water access. It is quiet, almost rural and very family/community oreinted. It is kind of like living in a vacation spot. The schools are excellent. It is expensive (but not quite as expensive as Ann Arbor). Really terrific houses are now comparatively cheap (waterfront houses once selling for $1 million are now around $450,000; houses once $250,000 are now around $150,000 - $180,000). Community Amenities are fantastic. Ann Arbor is an hour away. Flat rock 5-10 minutes, Detroit 35 minutes and Warren about 40 minutes. There is a little shopping on the islands, several fun little shops in downtown Wyandotte (just across the bridge), and decent shopping about 15 minutes away in Woodhaven and Southgate.

THe Grosse Pointes are at the northern end of your husbands work range. Grosse Pointes are very nice, community oriented and have wonderful ameneties and execellent schools. The Grosse Pointes are minutes from Detroit. They are more suburbia (less open space trees and wildlife) than someplace like Grosse Ile. There is some shopping and entertainment in the Pointes, but for significant shopping in a nice place, you need to drive a bit.

One the more afforable end, Trenton is essentially next door to Flat Rock. Trenton is solidly middle class. Has good schools (not execellent, but still good). Trenton is very safe and very friendly. It has a bit of a neat downtwon, but there is very little in it. Neighboring Wyandotte has a fun downtown on a small scale.

[arena1992]

Thanks so much for the suggestions and advice. Coldjensens - your response was very thorougha and gave me lots to consider - thank you! I will check out Grosse Ile and Grosse Pointe as well as Plymouth. We would like something that has a downtown and charm not necessarily just strip malls and subdivisions. However, I don't want to have to travel too far to run errands. We are also looking for areas that are safe and family friendly with excellent schools. I should have mentioned that he will have 1-2 days a week in Troy and 3 days a week out in the region he covers.

[Coldjensens]

Troy is a nice place too. Great schools. Clean and safe. Bland suburbia and no downtown, but it has a really nice upscale mall.

[YAZ]

Dang CJ.....

I lived in that area for over 20 years and couldn't come up with a fraction of what you did.

Heckuva job.

[jmax]

How long would the commute be from Saline to SouthField during rush hour?

[Coldjensens]

It depends on conditions. with or without snow? Construction? Is there a game or other event at U-M? Accidents? Rain?


In Normal rush hour traffic it will probably take about an hour. Sometimes up to an hour and a half. If you drive really fast when it opens up, you might make it in 45 minutes or so.

If you get pulled over or crash it could take longer. It could even take the rest of your life, you never know. Too many variables.

Results will vary.

[Ann_Arbor]

If you want the Ann Arbor feel, may I recommend Royal Oak. The commute between AA and Warren seems awful.

[canudigit]

Living in SE Michigan, one of the biggest things to take into consideration when deciding where to live vs. where your job is, is the amount of road construction that takes place here during the non-winter months. It is the norm for at least one lane of any given expressway to be closed for several weeks or months on end during the warmer months or for on ramps and exit ramps to be closed with posted detours. And it is one colossal pain in the rear, it really is. A 30 minute commute can easily become double that during the summer road construction season. For that reason, I couldn't recommend living in Ann Arbor and working in the Warren to Downriver area, unless your husband wants to spend a couple of hours on the road everyday.

There are some really nice areas closer to where he would be working, many of which have already been mentioned here. If I were in your shoes, the places I would be looking would be: Troy, Rochester, The Grosse Pointes, Shelby Twp., or, at the other end of the spectrum, Grosse Ile. I know that a pp made a comment about bland suburbia, and he is probably correct, but for certain people, suburbia can be a very nice, safe option, and not always that bland, depending on how much you get involved in in the community. I guess you need to decide what things are the most important to you and your family and make your decision based on that. But no, I would not want to do the Ann Arbor to Warren thing. Uh-uh.