[AnneSeelbach]

I grew up in Chelsea so I am baised towards it of course. I loved the schools and the town is so family friendly. It was a wonderful place to grow up. I dont know much about public transportation to AA except for that I believe they were starting a bus to go from Chelsea through dexter to AA. I believe she will need to have a car or a ride. Dexter is good as well, great schools.

[squank]

Originally Posted by AnneSeelbach

I grew up in Chelsea so I am baised towards it of course. I loved the schools and the town is so family friendly. It was a wonderful place to grow up. I dont know much about public transportation to AA except for that I believe they were starting a bus to go from Chelsea through dexter to AA. I believe she will need to have a car or a ride. Dexter is good as well, great schools.

Thanks for the input, Anne. I'm definitely looking for a family friendly place. That bus ride into AA is a big draw, too.

[renter8319]

Originally Posted by squank

Wow, that's too bad about the lack of public transportation into AA.

As I continue to look at possibilities, Brighton and Green Oak Township are moving to the top of the list of areas. I don't have to commute into AA, so that's one less thing to worry about.

I welcome all opinions about housing in the area!

Public transportation is highly lacking in Michigan. Ann Arbor is a nice city sorrounded by many rural areas, thus the public transportation is certainly a problem. i suggest your daughter invest in some parking permits and make the drive. i suggested brighton/green oak township because it's not only a great place to live, but compared to the other areas i have seen listed it is closer to the rest of the happenings. I lived in Brighton a little over two years ago, since than they have built a lot more nice shopping/entertainment areas. It is centrally located to areas like Novi, Northville, farmington Hills, Royal Oak and such.

[plannine]

Originally Posted by MittenDweller82

Hello Squank,

I've lived here in the Ann Arbor area for most of my life, hopefully I can help you make a good move!


I noticed you were considering the east end of town, although with your wifes love of more quaint settings, I would suggest the western end of town. The neighborhoods west of downtown are made up of more historic homes, mature oak, maple lined streets, rolling hills and larger lots. 250 would get you in a home in that area, although i don't think you would find that many square feet for that price. As you get closer to Ypsilanti (eastern end) neighborhoods are more crowded and have much less of a quaint appeal. (In my opinion) Another area you probably would like is north Ann Arbor near Kerry Town, along and north of the Huron River. More mature tree lined streets, quite a few winding drives with homes that sit on bluffs along the river (more than 250K though), but awesome neighborhoods, small quite little alleys that back up to woods. If your looking specifically for a fixer upper, I would suggest looking further outside of Ann Arbor, possibly near Dexter (small town about 10 min west of Ann Arbor) or along Dexter Trail Rd (connects Ann Arbor and Dexter to the west). You'd be hard pressed to find a fixer upper closer to town, most homes have been owned by the same family for many years. Schools are excellent in Ann Arbor, two main High Schools are Pioneer (largest) and Huron, near the eastern end of town. If you are bent on staying in the eastern side, I would look along Geddes Rd area, there are some quite nice neighborhoods as well, more isolated from town. Regardless of where you choose, you can be on a freeway in 10 min or less. All the areas I have suggested are less than 10 min rides into town, and are serviced by public trans (parking a car can be difficult in Ann Arbor..especially during fall and winter semesters).

Well I hope I gave you at least some more insight, feel free to ask more detailed questions if you choose to!

Good Luck!

I agree with Mittens, the Dexter/Chelsea area would be best for you. (You could also live outside of Hell, which is a few miles further by Pinckney, Michigan!). Brighton seems to have the best and worst, you can have the Clampett's and the Drysdale's living side by side.

[alleghenyangel]

Why would anyone want to live in Brighton? I grew up in Howell, Brighton's sister city. Howell actually has a charming little downtown, but Brighton is like suburban sprawl with no city. If you love vinyl clad apartment complexes, McMansions, big box stores, and tons of traffic all the time (not to mention overpriced housing), Brighton may be for you.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by renter8319

Ann Arbor is a nice city sorrounded by many rural areas, thus the public transportation is certainly a problem.

I couldn't disagree more. AATA reaches almost the entire Ann Arbor/Ypsi area.

I suggested brighton/green oak township because it's not only a great place to live, but compared to the other areas i have seen listed it is closer to the rest of the happenings. I lived in Brighton a little over two years ago, since than they have built a lot more nice shopping/entertainment areas. It is centrally located to areas like Novi, Northville, farmington Hills, Royal Oak and such.

Brighton is also an excellent choice, though -- I live there myself.

[Coldjensens]

There are many many quaint small towns around Ann Arbor with execellent schools. Plymouth, Dexter, Chelsea!!, Saline, Tecumseh, South Lyon, Northville (all are about 20-30 minutes away).

If you are looking at rural areas you will have tons of choices. THe whole area is riddled with great school districts, and quaint old farm houses with property at comparatively low prices.

Since you are right there, you may want to look for something alon the huron river. Most of it is very shallow and slow moving. It would be great to throw a canoe in the river from your back yard or go wading on a hot day. What a great location for kids.

Just for Fun, you could lookk out around Hell. Lots of quanit places out there and lots of lakes too.

Part of Green Oak Township is in teh South Lyon School District. (Or at least it used to be) They have considerably better schools than Brighton.

Ann Arbor itself has many great schools and some properties on the river (expensive though). You will nto find a lot of space in Ann Arbor. I woudl not chose to raise children in downtown Ann Arbor, but that is where I woudl prefer to live myself if I wanted the City lifestyle.

You may want to take a very close look at Plymouth. Very close to Ann Arbor, quaint downtown and a very active community, great schools, and great freeway access.

You may want to rent somewhere for a while so that you cna look around veiw different homes in different communities. Once you buy, your are going to be there for years.

[warrenbelize]

If I were you, I would try and find a house anywhere near the Huron River from Dexter all the way to US23. My ideal neighborhood (based on your criteria) would be the Huron Hills neighborhood in the city of Ann Arbor just east of campus along Geddes road. I'm guessing the homes are extremely pricey, but the area is worth checking out. It's quiet, hilly, forested and in close proximity to downtown and freeways. There are great parks and bikepaths along the Huron river from Barton Hills to Gallup park. You can get you into rural areas West of the city quickly. The life in Ann Arbor is second to none for Michigan (walkable, full of things to do, eventful and lots of parks). There are some nice areas like Brighton, but they are more suburban than Ann Arbor. Although the eastern part of the city does connect with the sprawl of Ypsilanti, the north eastern corner of the city is still very much green and quiet. Why not move close enough to Ann Arbor to actually enjoy it. The charm of the city is being able to take a bus, bike or walk to Top of the Park summer festival or the Arboretum. Unless you really want to live out in the boonies, don't cheat yourself out of living in a forested areas of Ann Arbor.

[squank]

Well, after a week-long house hunting trip, we settled on a house on the half-moon lake near Pinckney. It's in a beautiful area, and the price was right. It's totally out in the country, but only about 30 minutes from Ann Arbor.

And we had to go through Hell to get there, of course.

Thanks so much to everyone here for their valued suggestions!

[MittenDweller82]

Originally Posted by squank

Well, after a week-long house hunting trip, we settled on a house on the half-moon lake near Pinckney. It's in a beautiful area, and the price was right. It's totally out in the country, but only about 30 minutes from Ann Arbor.

And we had to go through Hell to get there, of course.

Thanks so much to everyone here for their valued suggestions!

Thats awesome, probably one of my favorite rec areas in Michigan, don't forget to hike the Poto (trail at Silver Lake), and take your Kayak from Bruin Lake up to Hell at Hells Creek Ranch (about a 8 mile trip).