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I will soon start a new job in Canton and was looking for advice on the best place to move. I'm single, male, in my late 20s, and would like close access to good nightlife. I'm willing to pay rent in the $1,000-$1,500 range.
The advice I've received and what I've read have all indicated the best locations in the area for this are Royal Oak and Ann Arbor; both sound very nice but I'm concerned about the commute. It looks like Royal Oak should be about a 30-40 minute commute and Ann Arbor 25-30 minutes depending on exact location, excluding traffic. Particularly with construction going on that I've heard about it sounds like it could get rough on a daily basis. How bad do you think it could really be during rush hour? Is there anything closer that could still be a good fit (I've heard a few good things about Plymouth, but don't know very much)?
Plymouth/Northville don't really have any nightlife, but they do have small walkable downtowns. That's about it. It's much more family oriented than downtown RO or Ann Arbor. I'd also suggest Midtown Detroit which is also roughly 30 minutes away. Not necessarily any better of a commute, but just another area if you wanted to be close to night life.
Are you new to SE Michigan? If so, you might just want to consider renting in Canton, at least until you get more accustomed to the area. It will make life a lot less complicated--especially in the winter. You can always go to the "hot spots" after work or on the weekends.
Congrats on the new job!
Agree with above. Rent in Plymouth / Canton area at first to figure the place out and which areas suit your style. There is something to be said about having a short commute. In all honesty, how many nights a week are you really going to be going out? In reality most weeknights or so you'll be getting out of work and going for a run and/or going to the gym, running some errands, and hanging out around your apartment. Why drive 30-45 minutes each way to do the same.
I would live closer to work since that is where I must travel day in and day out no matter the weather. The nightlife "commute" is then optional. Long commutes to work get old pretty quick. My opinion.
Are you new to SE Michigan? If so, you might just want to consider renting in Canton, at least until you get more accustomed to the area. It will make life a lot less complicated--especially in the winter. You can always go to the "hot spots" after work or on the weekends.
Congrats on the new job!
This is what my family is doing. My husband started a job in AA and we rent in Canton because we aren't ready to buy in the area.
If you don't know the area, then live close to work. When you get to know the area better, you'll know where you want to live (or don't want to live).
As others have said, long commutes get old fast. In a lot of places, there isn't a simple direct route to your city to where you work (if it's in another city). Yes, highway driving is different than city driving, but still, it gets old fast.
Just trying to get down to Canton from Rochester (1/2 hour north of Royal Oak) is a beast during non-rush hour traffic.
696 West - people can't figure out that the speed limit isn't 60 in the faster lanes. (I usually hit 696 at Telegraph, not the Royal Oak exits, FYI).
275 South- a lot of extra traffic because 96 is shut down. M-14 interchange to get to Ann Arbor, is annoying because you have all the extra traffic, people are going slow and a lot of them can't figure out how to get into the right hand lane to merge on to 14. Also, the cops tend to watch this side of the highway more frequently than the northbound side, so you need to keep your eyes open.
275 North - not so bad, what you'd expect. Busy, busy and dodging slow drivers.
696 East - same as 275 north.
At rush hour (afternoon), 696 E moves, even though it's slow. 696 W, you'll be sitting in traffic for a while.
I'm not too sure about 275 at Rush hour. But, I'm assuming it's just heavier traffic than the usual volumes which tend to be heavy to begin with.
I assume it's the opposite in the morning. That's not including weather or traffic accidents. So, don't assume that everyone is pleasantly driving along at 70-75 because that's so far from reality in most situations. You have the slow people who can't figure out how to get past 60 and the fast people who are trying to figure out the best ways to zip around people while going 80-90. Some days, you get lucky and can get onto the highway and just hit cruise at 75, but that just hasn't worked out for me much lately (and it doesn't matter what time of day I drive either. )
Needless to say, I'll be thrilled when I'm not driving between Rochester and Canton to get our old apartment cleaned up before we turn the keys back in.
Find the best place you can afford that's close to work. Save your sanity.
I should have mentioned that living close to work is a blessing when one must leave earlier than usual, possibly shovel snow, and de-ice their car at 4 a.m.
yes, it is best to live in Canton area. There are lots of restaraunts sports bars...so you will have some night life with friends there as well. If you want to go to club to dance/drink you can easily drive there. And as a bonus the same drive that takes 45 minutes in horrible traffic every morning will be a pleasant breeze 30 min drive after 6 pm..
I will soon start a new job in Canton and was looking for advice on the best place to move. I'm single, male, in my late 20s, and would like close access to good nightlife. I'm willing to pay rent in the $1,000-$1,500 range.
The advice I've received and what I've read have all indicated the best locations in the area for this are Royal Oak and Ann Arbor; both sound very nice but I'm concerned about the commute. It looks like Royal Oak should be about a 30-40 minute commute and Ann Arbor 25-30 minutes depending on exact location, excluding traffic. Particularly with construction going on that I've heard about it sounds like it could get rough on a daily basis. How bad do you think it could really be during rush hour? Is there anything closer that could still be a good fit (I've heard a few good things about Plymouth, but don't know very much)?
Thanks!
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