My view about living in Ann Arbor, FYI (Detroit, Grand Rapids: transplants, college)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by brodie734

The parking garages always have spots, people just want street parking

A lot of the parking garages are low. Some of us are stuck only parking on the street or in open lots.

It is not uncommon to go to garage after garage and find them full, or not open to the public. Certainly there are times there are spaces open. Unfortunately most times I go to Ann Arbor seem to be the times when they are full. Admittedly I go to ANN arbor infrequently now and the many of the garages I knew are gone.

How one earth are they going to tear down Ulrichs and put housing/mixed use in there without any parking?

[alikelysuspect]

Originally Posted by craig11152

The whole parking myth is a bit out of hand. Admittedly I avoid downtown because of the parking.....but.....not because I can't find a place to park, rather I can find restaurants and pubs outside of downtown whose parking in much more convenient and free.

As to restaurants I think its a bit silly to point out what people from Chicago or San Fransisco think. The size difference between those places and Ann Arbor are huge. And I think San Fransisco may have more restaurants per capita than anyplace else in the country.

'

I don't avoid downtown because of the parking, and I mean the Main and Huron area. I don't find that it is unmanageable. But, I understand what you have noted that the cost side of parking is more problematic than the availability. But, it's the same in Plymouth and Northville, or suburbs north of Detroit. No difference. And when you talk to residents from those areas, they complain about the same thing...the parking downtown.

Ann Arbor is compared to neighborhoods in Chicago, San Francisco, Manhattan, Austin, D.C. for the same reasons that Madison, Portland, and other smaller but forward thinking cities compare themselves to those same places. It's that small communities(100-200K in our case) that are comparable, simply do not exist. That said, I do agree that the restaurant scene, although always a key point of comparison, is different in all places, large and small. Different demographics yield different tastes, etc. But, although you mention Chicago and San Francisco and the fact that they have lots of restaurants, I'm sure that both have their share that are marginal. Ann Arbor doesn't have any restaurants that are bad, although some are better than others. Bad restaurants can't stay in business in Ann Arbor, because, although small, it is a very competitive town and there are fewer restaurant dollars to go around. But, competition is a characteristic of that business, anyway, no matter what city or town we are talking about.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by alikelysuspect

Ann Arbor is compared to neighborhoods in Chicago, San Francisco, Manhattan, Austin, D.C. for the same reasons that Madison, Portland, and other smaller but forward thinking cities compare themselves to those same places. It's that small communities(100-200K in our case) that are comparable, simply do not exist.

I have no clue what your point is. Somebody mentioned San Fransisco and Chicago when accessing Ann Arbors restaurant scene. All I am saying is Ann Arbor is the 234th biggest city in America while Chicago is #3 and San Fransisco is #13. There are 188 cities in America between 100-200K in size. Those are the cities to look at when comparing amenities.

[brodie734]

Ann Arbor is compared to those cities because a lot of people who live in Ann Arbor are either relocated from those cities or are comparing themselves to their friends from college who subsequently moved there.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Ann Arbor is compared to those cities because a lot of people who live in Ann Arbor are either relocated from those cities or are comparing themselves to their friends from college who subsequently moved there.

I get that but my point is those comparisons have no legitimacy and anybody who makes them is ignorant.

[alikelysuspect]

Originally Posted by craig11152

I get that but my point is those comparisons have no legitimacy and anybody who makes them is ignorant.

Wow, Craig.... Go Blue.......

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by alikelysuspect

Wow, Craig.... Go Blue.......

That wasn't directed at you although I can see why you might think so.
In post #18 brodie734 wrote

"I would agree that Ann Arbor has a good food scene but you do not have to look far for the hoards of ex Chicagoans or San Franciscans who feel that dining is a knock on Ann Arbor as opposed to a plus."

I was "directing it" at ex Chicagoans or San Franciscans who would somehow have an expectation that a city of 115,000 should have a restaurant scene like the one they left behind in the #3 or #13 largest cities in America. Do they also complain that we don't have two MLB baseball teams, and NBA,NHL and NFL franchises in town?
So in essence I was directing it at people who probably are not even reading this.

[citychik]

OP, you only mentioned houses and buying real estate when you summarized your views of the housing in Ann Arbor. So I am curious about apartments or houses to rent (not in a student area, but elsewhere).

Does anyone have feedback on the rental aspect of Ann Arbor's housing market?

I have a few other questions:

Is it necessary to own a car in the city? How is the public transportation network within the city and to other places?

How entrepreneur-friendly is Ann Arbor? By that I mean, are there programs in place that help people start business, like they have in Maine (known as a very entrepreneur-friendly state)?

Thanks, in advance, for any feedback on these questions.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by citychik

OP, you only mentioned houses and buying real estate when you summarized your views of the housing in Ann Arbor. So I am curious about apartments or houses to rent (not in a student area, but elsewhere).

Does anyone have feedback on the rental aspect of Ann Arbor's housing market?

Certainly when you get away from downtown or campus rents are lower but overall its a bit pricey because of the ripple effect. You can find a one bedroom apartment for less than $1000 a month but you have to look.

Originally Posted by citychik

Is it necessary to own a car in the city? How is the public transportation network within the city and to other places?

The AAATA (Ann Arbor Area Transit Authority) runs a pretty extensive bus system for a smallish city. You can get anywhere in town but it seems to favor people getting downtown. It does that well but if you want to operate on the outskirts of town it can be a slow ride at times.
Example: I live on the SE side. From my house if I go to the main bus transit station down town its about 12 minutes by car or 28 minutes by bus. If I go to the Amtrak station its about 11 minutes by car or 45-51 minutes by bus.
As to outside of town there are numerous ways to get to the airport but otherwise Uber is your friend...at a price.

Originally Posted by citychik

How entrepreneur-friendly is Ann Arbor? By that I mean, are there programs in place that help people start business,

I can't offer much. There is an organization called SPARK designed to do that but it is a bit controversial
Here is a link
SPARK Ann Arbor, Michigan - Business, Entrepreneurial & Job Services

[RJ8089]

Originally Posted by craig11152

I have no clue what your point is. Somebody mentioned San Fransisco and Chicago when accessing Ann Arbors restaurant scene. All I am saying is Ann Arbor is the 234th biggest city in America while Chicago is #3 and San Fransisco is #13. There are 188 cities in America between 100-200K in size. Those are the cities to look at when comparing amenities.

Exactly. AA is a great city, but can't be compared to huge cities like Chicago and SF.