Moving to DTW metro, where to live (Detroit, Ann Arbor: apartment, rentals)

[lilyt58]

Hello! My husband and I will be moving to the Detroit area in a few months. He will be working at the airport and we are looking to rent at least for the first year. We would like a community that has a somewhat urban feel, with a decent, and preferably walkable, downtown area. Obviously we would also like a safe community. We are moving from the Chicago area and are used to traffic, but don't really want a commute longer than 30 mins. Our budget would be around 1200/ month and are looking for more of a town home or duplex set up. I've read a little about the Wyandotte area but don't like the idea of the train tracks or the supposed smell. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

[MackOnMack]

You should look into Ann Arbor. Very fun community if you're into the whole going out at night thing, and definitely a walkable downtown area IMO. Should find plenty of housing options in your budget and would be within a 30 minute commute to the airport.

[zthatzmanz28]

Budget of $1200 month rent can get you some great places within 30 minutes of DTW. Ann Arbor is definitely the first choice.

Downtown Northville or Plymouth might be #2 and 3.

Looking for more of an urban setting Trenton is a thought. Stretch that budget and Grosse Ile is a possibility.

[lilyt58]

How is ann arbor reference u of m? Is it too overrun with college students? We are in our early thirties so we like to go out but not too wild or crazy. I will have to look into Northville and Plymouth. I have read a little about Trenton and that was an area I wanted to check when we visited. Thanks for the replies!

[hhwtm]

No, there are plenty of other people in Ann Arbor who are not students. (that's why summer is great there; many of them go home!) There are cool people of all ages, you just don't want to live close to campus where there are students living in rentals having parties and making lots of noise. However, Ann Arbor is incredibly expensive. $1200 might get you a two bedroom apartment.

There are lots of other towns/cities within 30 minutes or so of Detroit Metro. Plymouth, Northville, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Ypsilanti, all are small communities that have a lot going on. I don't know much about downriver area but that could be a possibility too.

[DaniellaG]

Originally Posted by lilyt58

Hello! My husband and I will be moving to the Detroit area in a few months. He will be working at the airport and we are looking to rent at least for the first year. We would like a community that has a somewhat urban feel, with a decent, and preferably walkable, downtown area. Obviously we would also like a safe community. We are moving from the Chicago area and are used to traffic, but don't really want a commute longer than 30 mins. Our budget would be around 1200/ month and are looking for more of a town home or duplex set up. I've read a little about the Wyandotte area but don't like the idea of the train tracks or the supposed smell. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

If you don't like trains which I am noise sensitive so don't Northville, Plymouth, Royal Oak, Ferndale I know have some areas where you would hear them so I would ask when you look at a place. I am not sure of the others listed. Also townhomes and duplex are not that common in MI it seems. I viewed a couple in Novi and Walled Lake which were pretty nice. You wont get that downtown feel though.

[MS313]

Hmm, somewhere in the Downtown/Midtown Detroit area and Ann Arbor as others have mentioned would be my first choice for what your looking for. You might be able to find some duplexes in Dearborn and Hamtramck as well. There are other cities with downtown's near the airport but they aren't really as urban. I also didn't suggest anything outside of Wayne and Washtenaw counties because the commute times can be longer than a half hour without traffic.

[usroute10]

I think you would really like Plymouth. It has a beautiful downtown (albeit small), I am sure there are some multi-family housing nearby.

[DTWflyer]

Dearborn (west)
Wyandotte
Ann Arbor
Plymouth

While townhouses and duplexes are not as plentiful, there are usually many single-family homes for rent. Some via realtor, but many for-rent-by-owner just go on Craigslist.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by lilyt58

How is ann arbor reference u of m? Is it too overrun with college students? We are in our early thirties so we like to go out but not too wild or crazy.

Ann Arbor has ~120,000 full time residents. 30k work at UofM (but lots drive in from the rest of Washtenaw county).
UofM has 40,000 students. Some (probably less than 10%) live full time in Ann Arbor.
So in the winter, the population swells up to ~160k. Outside of campus and the few surrounding blocks, you don't notice.

EXCEPT for a couple weeks in late August/early September, and late April/early May. Beginning of school is the worst, as you get a lot of parents moving their precious snowflakes into dorms.

But lets say you find a place with easy access to 94. Except for extra traffic that week, and every saturday for a home game, you'll barely notice it. HOWEVER, if you find a place where you'd take State or Ann Arbor-Saline exits to get on 94, don't expect to be able to get on or off the expressway when there is a home football game!