[sunshine311]

I am moving to Ann Arbor in July. My husband and I are DINK(double income no kids) and would like to live somewhere relatively lively. We are moving from downtown chicago and don't want to go to the 'burbs. We are looking to rent an apt. Any recs on where to live in Ann Arbor and how to find a place.

thanks

[ElphinKnight]

I moved to Ann Arbor about 18 months ago. Downtown is very lively, but because the University of Michigan is right off downtown most of the housing is "student ghetto". Not all.. but you might want to live a little out of downtown. There are lots of apartments by UofM North Campus, off of Plymouth Rd, which are quite nice and mostly house (quiet) graduate students and medical residents. I have a friend in Windemere Park Apartments which are quite nice and a bit north of Plymouth Rd. The apartment office number is (734) 327-3762.

ArborWeb is a good resource, and the housing section is:
www.arborweb.com/housesindex.html ... (Of course, remove the stupid URL tags)

You can also look up a lot about nightlife and restaurants there. Ann Arbor has a very good restaurant scene (ok, maybe not quite Chicago, but for a city of 120,000, it holds its own with most larger cities). Most of the Main Street restaurants are great, and I'd also recommend Paesano's.

Hope this helps.

[Micah'sMom]

http://nuclearworldconflict.com/warning.html (broken link)



"We are moving from downtown chicago and don't want to go to the 'burbs."

Hello, I was born and raised in Ann Arbor and moved back after college to raise my family. Ann Arbor is in fact the *burbs*. The majority of the residents in Ann Arbor are either single students or married people with families. Downtown Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor in general does not compare at all to Chicago in the slightest. But if you want to live in a *lively* section of this wonderful city I would suggest you look in to buying or possibly leasing a condo in the immediate downtown area. The surronding neighborhoods are in fact student housing mixed in with very expensive older homes, which are occupied by professional couples generally with families. Realestateone.com might be a help to you in finding a home in the Ann Arbor area.

Enjoy the city!.

[M TYPE X]

I lived at 555 East William in downtown Ann Arbor. Great place, have a look.

[andypiper]

Some people that move to Ann Arbor from Chicago are dissapointed to find out that Ann Arbor is a town - not a city like Chicago. If you get into Ann Arbor for what it is, you will be happier. Many great restaurants, very little traffic, lots to do especially relating to the U of M. Oh, and remember it is only a 1/2 hour drive to Downtown Detroit.

I would suggest renting a home or condo in town. many are on the market now as rentals because of slow housing sales. Look at Craigslist.org/annarbor, or check out my website www.piperpartners.com and search mls for listings under 2000 dollars, or what ever your monthly budget is. You will find lots of leases. An existing home or condo in town will probably offer more amenities and community feel than an apartment community will. Good Luck

[M TYPE X]

Ann Arbor is "becoming" one of the upper middle class type suburbs that ring Detroit from the west to the north. Upscale dining and shopping (malls and car dealers) follow. The Ann Arbor Auto Mall is set to get an Infiniti showroom! Briarwood has a Von Maur!

Word is that Huron River Drive between Main Street and Bird Road will be closed to motor vehicle traffic if some pressure groups have their way. A lot of independent stores in the downtown and campus area closed years ago (i.e. the Old German) and Metzgers (also a German eatery) moved out to Scio Township. UM keeps expanding, knocking down everything to build huge, ugly, impersonal "life science" buildings.

Not that I would recommend Northville over AA ...

[ElphinKnight]

The Ann Arbor Auto Mall already has BMW, Mercedes, and Acura dealerships. It's not as though .. "woo woo, we're getting an Infiniti dealership" is a big deal. I mean the new G37 is really nice... but AA is hardly hickville. Ann Arbor isn't Chicago. If I had to describe it in comparison to a major city, I would say it is more of a "mini-San Francisco". But with fewer men wearing dresses. Fewer; not "none". ;-) A-squared (A2), as it is affectionately called, isn't perfect, and it's never going to be Chicago. But it's a nice place, very safe to live in, and has quite a few nice restaurants and shops. Zingerman's in Kerrytown is absolutely world-class. And if you want to see big concerts, Detroit is nearby.

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by ElphinKnight

The Ann Arbor Auto Mall already has BMW, Mercedes, and Acura dealerships. It's not as though .. "woo woo, we're getting an Infiniti dealership" is a big deal. I mean the new G37 is really nice... but AA is hardly hickville. Ann Arbor isn't Chicago. If I had to describe it in comparison to a major city, I would say it is more of a "mini-San Francisco". But with fewer men wearing dresses. Fewer; not "none". ;-) A-squared (A2), as it is affectionately called, isn't perfect, and it's never going to be Chicago. But it's a nice place, very safe to live in, and has quite a few nice restaurants and shops. Zingerman's in Kerrytown is absolutely world-class. And if you want to see big concerts, Detroit is nearby.

You forgot Lexus. Anyway, it is a big deal because Infiniti and Jaguar dealers are fewer and farther between. You will only have a high concentration of these in less populous areas (although "metro Ann Arbor" is said to be rather large) if the region is relatively wealthy.

There are more "Chicago style" pizza places in Ann Arbor than in Champaign, Illinois. You can enjoy Chicago style pizza and Detroit style hot dogs. Zingerman's is overpriced and kinda social lefty ... kinda like professors in Volvos.

Ann Arbor is said to be "x square miles surrounded by reality."
Reality is Detroit, Flint, and Toledo. No thanks!

[stephiej42]

Hi Sunshine. Maybe we can help each other! My bf and I are moving to Chicago this fall (DINK too)! (See my ad: http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...need-help.html).

Anyway, I'm from Ann Arbor, you will love it here. Not the same as Chicago, a bit more convienent, but still a lot to do! What types of things are you looking for in an apt? Are you thinking about condo's too? We live about 5 minutes from Main Street in a condo, right by the Mall, the highway, Meijer (grocery store), Target, etc. It's quiet enough but close to everything and a nice neighborhood. Our condo community is called Oak Meadows. I found it though Martin Bouma. I can pass the name along of the agent we went through if you want, she was great. Just send me a message with your email info.

Best of luck!!

[Cliffie]

Be aware..there is ZERO parking in Ann Arbor. Otherwise it is close enough to Metro Detroit to give you the big-city experience without all the disadvantages of actually, you know, living in a big city.