Moving from DFW area to Michigan (Detroit, Ann Arbor: real estate, housing, rent)

[hisgrace]

Hello Everyone,
I'm a native of Michigan who has lived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex since 1981. My immediate family lives in the Ann Arbor area but I don't want to live there...housing is pricey. I would like to find a little cottage or bungalow in a moderately sized city (60,000 to 80,000 people) within an hours drive of Ann Arbor.
Is Canton a good place to start looking? I'm open to any and all suggestions!

Thanks,
Hisgrace

[magellan]

Maybe Brighton might work. It's a little smaller than 60,000, but has a nice little downtown area.

[wanderer74]

Yes, Canton is nice, but it's pretty much all houses and strip malls. It has been building up a lot in the past few years, too. You might want to check out Manchester - it's very small and is on the far outskirts of A2, but I knew someone who lived in Manchester and thought it was a great little town.

BTW - what part of DFW? I lived in NE Tarrant for 8 years, Keller/Watauga area. I miss the availability of jobs (and the Mexican food - there isn't any good Mexican food around here!) there, but I don't miss the traffic at all. Even sprawl in metro Detroit is nothing compared to DFW sprawl...

[Jake1256]

Canton is a great place, except alot of traffic, Ford Rd.

[jumpygh]

Saline is a smaller city near Ann Arbor that is very nice. Personally, I'd live as close to AA as possible, as it is one of the nicest cities in the state.

[KKRA]

Try Dexter, which is only a few miles NW of Ann Arbor. House prices and real estate taxes are lower, schools are all good, the small town is nice (has 3 new, nice restaurants)and has some shopping and weekend events. The town is most charming in the autumn with the cider mill open and people flocking here from other areas to see it and our local farm market. There's plenty of "little" avenue shops locally and the Briarwood Mall, in AA, is only 25 minutes away (with easy access via I-94). Dexter is less crowded than Ann Arbor but still close enough to it for convenient shopping, dining, etc. or sports events. Dexter is also close to a local chain of lakes where, if you do not own a boat, one can be rented to enjoy the water. Hudson Mills county park (in Dexter) is a great place for walking, biking, skating, a picnic and any other outdoor activity you might like.