[HEATHERW4100]

I am moving from Gainesville, FL to Michigan. I will be working in Ann Arbor and my Fiance will be working in Detroit. Can anyone tell me a town that will be half way for both of us? I was looking at Belleville but I didn't know how the commute to Ann Arbor would be especially when it snows. I appreciate any help anyone can give me.

[suydam]

Where in Detroit? That makes a huge difference as far as commute times from the west-side.

Fair warning: Lots of people will be commuting from the western 'burbs into D-town. You might be better off saddling the Ann Arbor worker with a longer commute in miles, to equal the commute times.

If your fiance is working downtown in Detroit, I'd check stuff on the I-275 corridor. It's easy to get downtown into Detroit (I-96 or I-94), easy to get to Ann Arbor (M-14 or I-94).

On that stretch, my personal choice would be Northville, great schools, cute downtown, reasonable commute in either direction (Detroit, AA), etc.

You have a host of choices though: Novi, Canton, Plymouth are all great downs with good schools.

[Judith2174]

You may want to look into the Monroe area. There is quick access to I 275 which would be an easy commute. Depending where in Detroit, Monroe is about 25-30 minutes and probably 40-45 minutes to AA.

[HEATHERW4100]

He will be working on the East side in Detroit and I will be working at the VA in Ann Arbor. What about the snow? Are the roads pretty clean on the main roads?

[suydam]

If you've never lived in a winter climate, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how clean the roads are in the winter. People here love to complain, but I've worked in Tennessee where one inch of snow closes down the entire state for 2 days. In Metro-D a few inches of snow has no real effect on jobs or commerce. IT'll slow your commute down by 33% but it really only happens a few days per winter (and by the day after the snow, the roads will be totally clear).

[Coldjensens]

Plymouth is a really awesome city if you live downtown. Northville is nice, but it is pretty yuppified now. Not as quaint as it used to be. Traffic is a problem, schools are excellent. it is pricier than Plymouth.

If you are going to go for the rural setting look at Lyon township (you want to be in South Lyon east High School district), Salem (township), Northville township, Franklin village, and outside Canton.

My personal opinion is that Novi is horrible. It is one giant series of malls and traffic. No downtown. real estate is overpriced for what the city has to offer.

If schools are not an issue for you there are a lot of great bargains to be found in outlying areas of Romulus, Taylor and Brownstown Township. Framington is supposed to be nice in places as well. I have only found boring places.

If you are insistant on yuppie conformity, look in the North Oakland county areas. They are really "nice" by some modern standards. Lots of new matching houses, shopping malls and roads in nice condition. Schools are good, private schools are awesome (Cranbrook). It is a long commute to AA but close to Detroit's East Side.

Finally, you could look at the Grosse Pointe cities, or Grosse Ile. Some of them are really neat. Right on the water and lots of historic charm. Grosse Pointe is surrounded by Detroit though. No more need be said.

For Semi-rural living, Grosse Ile is an unusual small community. Grosse Ile is an island community south of Detroit. about 1:15 from AA and about 30 min. from downtown Detroit in good conditions. It is hard to describe. However do nto belieeve what people tell you about it, descriptions are never accurate. go see for yourself i your are interested in that long of commute.

Ypsilanti has some awesome bargains too (schools are not so great in many areas), but that is a long way to Detroit. Ann Arbor is in the top three Citys I have ever seen in the US. It is comparably expensive comparably crowded, but most of the schools are excellent.

One awesome location is just outside of Kensington Metropark. If you are outdoorsy types, this is an awesome location. It is about an hour commute for each of you from there (depending on weather).


wherever you end up, this is an awesome time to be moving TO Michigan when so many are moving out. You will not believe the bargains that you will find on real estate. If it is not a bargain, keep looking or lowball an offer. Nothing is selling here, sellers are highly motivated.

[RWS600]

Welcome to Michigan - best place ever (I think ...hehe). Well for more information on counties, cities, and things to do in that area... check out

www . michiganlookup.com/michigan/counties.php

Counties In Michigan . You can also see some areas of intereset and some neat facts...the winter here is not bad and there are plenty of fun filled activites...sorry I can't help you more, but I am from the east side of the state....Welcome again

[trmaoy]

In my opinion, you and your fiance should try to stay off I-94 as much as possible. I know of someone who commutes to downtown Detroit everyday from Ann Arbor. I think she comes in on I-96. It takes less than an hour but she gets to work around 7 a.m.

I would suggest Farmington Hills. It is off of I-696. You could take that to 275 to M-14 West and be in Ann Arbor within 45 minutes. Your fiance could take 696 east to one of the east side roads like Mound. I don't know if he will be working within Detroit city limits, but 696 goes east and it is only three miles north of Detroit city limits.

Farmington Hills is considered one of the safest cities in the metro area. It is pretty diverse too with a good size Indian community. It is easy to get to great shopping and restaurants, and the schools are rated well.

[100%Michigan]

I would perfer you to move to Farmington Hills, Michigan. Its almost an equal commute for the both of you besides yours is a bit longer. from farmington hills, Michigan to Detroit is about 30 minutes. Farmington Hills to Ann Arbor is about 35 minutes. Although Detroit may seem like it is closer, the commute is worst. So traffic time was estimated in there, I would say they are equal. Farmington Hills, Michigan is a very nice place to live although it may be expensive. Other than Farmington Hills, I would recommand East Lansing, Michigan its a very family community neighborhood. Although it is very close to a major university MSU, which makes it a city full of activities. You should check both of those cities out... if the distance to which is closer doesnt matter I would recommand you to stay in East lansing, but if you like to cut off some times go to Farmington Hills.

[athletesfoot]

Belleville wouldn't be bad, but might be a tougher commute to Detroit. There is a lot of traffic going that way. Getting to Ann Arbor has traffic, but it moves relatively well and I used to get there in about 30 min. from Romulus during rush hour. Canton is good. Not Lansing, too far away!! As someone else said, Monroe is a lovely area, close access to freeways, but still there will be lots of traffic. New Boston is between Monroe and Belleville, it's a small town.