[ctnash]

My husband & I are both considering graduate school at Michigan State. Its really important to me to find a city that we both enjoy & feel safe and welcome in.
So I'm curious if Ann Arbor is a good place for responsible, mature young couples? Also is the cost of living ridiculous?

[Guy Fawkes]

If your going to MSU, which is in East Lansing, Ann Arbor , where U of M is , would be quite a drive.

That said, Ann Arbor is my home town, and I loved it there.

[ctnash]

Oh I'm an idiot! I did mean University of Michigan...its been a long day of searching schools.

[renter8319]

ann arbor is one of the best areas in eastern michigan. it's a great place for a couple as long as your not living close to frat houses and student living areas. in my opinion, the cost of living is high. it does depends on what you consider to be high though.

what type of lifestyle are you looking for. there are plenty of nice places to live within a reasonabledistance from ann arbor.

[skylinedrive]

Ann Arbor is a great city with an interesting culture. Tons to do - restaurants, art, sports, shopping, etc. Cost of living is high compared to other areas of Michigan, but may be comparable to other cities, depending on where you are from.

[MittenDweller82]

Originally Posted by ctnash

My husband & I are both considering graduate school at Michigan State. Its really important to me to find a city that we both enjoy & feel safe and welcome in.
So I'm curious if Ann Arbor is a good place for responsible, mature young couples? Also is the cost of living ridiculous?

If you look at statistics, Ann Arbor has one of the lowest crime rates in the state. Not many people worry about crime here, although with any college town in the nation, "crime" is inevitable.

Not knowing what type of city you are coming from, you will notice right away that Ann Arbor has a very high number of PhD and graduate students, which makes the workforce very competitive. You will also notice a high concentration of Medical and Dental students, so if lots of coffee/tea shops with intellectuals scares you away, I would reconsider Ann Arbor. When compared to other cities of similar size, Ann Arbor has a huge amount of venues, restaurants, museums, shows.

As far as the cost of living, if $1000/mo is to much for a 2bdr or 300K for a 3/4 bdr house, then it will be high to you. Most houses within a 5 mile radius of Ann Arbor will rent right around 1200+/mo.

Good luck with your looking

[Coldjensens]

Look down in the neighborhoods near the Gandy Dancer resturuant (if it is still there). There are (were) lots of older married grad students living there. It is a bit of a walk to campus, but there are lots of rentals and it is a nice area away from the get drunk and throw up hubub of immature underclassmen.

[leebinky]

Ann Arbor is a beautiful area. I lived there while I attended undergrad and graduate school at U of M. It is a very eclectic community and you would definitely be able to find a community of people that you're comfortable with. Don't live too close to campus or you will be living with young rowdy students. The cost of living is pretty steep but it's worth it when taking into account what the area has to offer. I always felt safe in Ann Arbor and part of a community.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by ctnash

So I'm curious if Ann Arbor is a good place for responsible, mature young couples?

Yes.

Also is the cost of living ridiculous?

Yes.