[ogre]

Hi everyone. For a couple of years I've been closing in on time to apply to graduate school. I've posted on several forums here at CD with questions about areas with grad schools I'm considering. Now the U. of Michigan is looking like a school I'm likely to apply to. I have some questions about life in Ann Arbor. Here are some details:

It won't be in the student budget for me to own a car, so I need to know whether a car-free life is manageable in Ann Arbor. I'm in good shape physically, and would not mind a bit of a walk. I could reasonably handle living as far as two miles or so from campus. The qualification to this would be that if I lived that far from campus I would want to be very close to basic shopping (grocery, drugstore, a few eateries), as the time spent getting around would begin to add up if I had a two-mile walk to campus and also had a substantial walk in order to buy the basic necessities.

Another transportation concern is the issue of getting in and out of town for vacations. Ann Arbor's proximity to Detroit makes this less of a concern than it might be at other schools in small cities, but I'd still appreciate info on access to larger cities and major airports. If I were to take Amtrak to Detroit, would I find a convenient public transit link between the train station and the airport? Does the university run shuttles to the airport?

I'm on the mature side, even for a grad student, so I would prefer to avoid areas with a large student population, and the noisy parties often found in these areas. Are there a good number of rental possibilities in quieter parts of town? Also, keeping in mind the fact that I anticipate going car-free, are there some quiet areas more or less close to campus? And, it's not a make-or-break question, but I'm interested in knowing whether Ann Arbor is purely a college town, or there is still some life to be found around town during the summer and other university break times, since, being older, I would be staying around town most of the year, not leaving town to spend entire summers with family.

How are the on-campus housing options for grad students, such as apartments, dorms for grad students, etc.? Are these areas clean and quiet, and generally reasonable residences for someone older than the typical student? Regarding off-campus housing, I have the impression that Ann Arbor is somewhat expensive for a small city. What is the ballpark figure for rent in Ann Arbor?

Thanks much for any info you all could offer about the above questions, or anything else that would be useful to know about the area.

[MI-Roger]

Being car-free in Ann Arbor is doable. Being a U of M student will give you access to two separate bus systems, the University Buses and the AATA (Ann Arbor Transportation Authority) city buses. There are shuttle buses from Ann Arbor to Detroit Metro Airport, AMTRAK to Chicago, and Zip Cars available in town also for the occasions when you absolutely need a car.

Judicious choice of apartment/housing locations will give you ready access to local business amenities, and immediate access to bus routes.

Ann Arbor is one of the few (maybe only?) cities in Michigan where exclusive reliance on public transportation is feasible.

[Coldjensens]

You are better off without a car if you live on campus or downtown.

[ogre]

Thanks for the info. Coldjensens, I know what you mean about the fact that you are often better off not having a car around a college campus. In some college towns, however, this can make things a bit tricky when you live in town year-round, as many towns with large universities have a sharp decline in transit service during the school break periods. Ann Arbor sounds workable, though. Thanks again to you both for the info you've provided.