[marchesefam]

Hi all!

Hoping you can help... We currently live in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area and we are looking to relocate.

A little about us:
We are in our early 30's, the parents of a special needs (heart defect) daughter who is adopted. We are looking for the idyllic "quaint" area. I grew up outside of San Francisco but went to high school in Sheboygan, WI and my husband grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We like the smaller communities and we're looking for a small town feel with some amenities. I'd like a community where one can get involved, one with good schools, a middle-class cost of living, and very safe. My daughter will require numerous heart surgeries over the course of her life, so we're looking at the top 25 pediatric cardiology facilities and searching a 45 mile radius around the area.

In Arizona, kids can't do sports in the summer because of the heat. No kids play outside, and after 5 years in my current home, I still don't know most of my neighbors. I'd like a town where kids play outside, the neighbors know one another, the town goes to the high school football games.

My husband is a claims adjuster for a large insurance company and works from home, so we're very flexible. I am a stay-at-home mother, so being able to do things with my child is important.

I enjoy a milder climate, but I'm flexible.

I appreciate your help!

[canudigit]

We live in the village of Dundee, which is about 20 min. south of Ann Arbor along U.S. 23. It is pretty small, with about 4,000 people. There is a Cabela's store here, the only one in Michigan, and when it was built almost 10 years ago it spawned some other development such as an Applebee's restaurant, a Lone Star steakhouse, and a few other restaurants and shops. I like Dundee, but you do have to drive approx. 20 min. if you need to do any kind of shopping other than basic groceries or outdoor items that they stock at Cabela's.

Saline is bigger than Dundee and closer to Ann Arbor. It has a very cool downtown and some gorgeous neighborhoods, but I don't know how much of a small town feel it has.

Tecumseh is a bit farther from Ann Arbor, but it seems like a perfect cross between Saline and Dundee--about 8,000 people and lots of cute shops in the downtown district. It seems to have a great community feel to it, and even prints a quarterly magazine of events.

Here are some links to find out more about the above places:

Welcome to Tecumseh, Michigan | home-page | home-page

City of Saline, Michigan - One of America's Best Places to Live, Work and Play

Village of Dundee, MI

We just moved back to Michigan from the Phoenix area ourselves a couple of months ago. I cannot tell you how much I can relate to what you say in your post about living in the Phoenix area. My daughter and I used to go for walks in our neighborhood (we lived in the Arrowhead Ranch neighborhood in Glendale) in the evenings and it was so weird! There were no kids anywhere, even when the temps cooled down to 100 degrees (lol!) in the evening. It was like someone came along and kidnapped all of the kids. We never saw any of our neighbors unless we passed them in our cars on the street, since everyone would pull into their garage, shut the garage door, and then never emerge until they had to go somewhere in their car again. We didn't like AZ at all, even though there are some very nice areas and some gorgeous scenery. I think it was just too much of a shock after living all of our lives in small towns in NW Ohio and SE Michigan. Here in Dundee, two of our neighbors came over within the first week of our moving into our house and brought gifts and welcomed us to the neighborhood. We are HOME!!!!

[Bydand]

My old College roommate and his wife live in the Tecumseh area with their kids and really love it there. (They live a few miles out of town) The kids are doing well in school and the boys are very active in sports. I have been down there a couple of times and really liked the town myself. A bit larger than I am used to , but still very nice.

I stayed in Dundee a couple of times and everyone I met there was super friendly. Felt like I knew them, instead of just met them. I would think both of them would be a good choice, but nothing like visiting and getting the "feel" of the towns before making a move. It is a long way to end up in a town that, while very nice, just isn't a good fit.

[Smooth23]

Grass Lake is a good spot. The town is about 20 minutes, maybe a half hour at most west of Ann Arbor. Its exactly what you are looking for as far as having a friendly community. Neighbors definitely know one another and kids play outside. The town has several community events every year, such as a big public boat race on the lake, street dances at night on main street and stuff like that. It doesn't have a lot of shopping and stuff, but its less than 10 minutes drive down the road to Jackson which has all the normal shopping, and isn't far to Ann Arbor for it to be a common shopping destination.

[MI-Roger]

Chelsea, MI.

We don't live there, but this small town/village matches what you are asking for. Located ~15 miles west of Ann Arbor, it still has a vibrant downtown. And some famous local residents..........



Other possibilities include:

• Dexter, MI. Smaller than Chelsea, closer to Ann arbor.
• Tecumseh, MI. Where I grew up, but with a 30 mile distance to Ann Arbor it may be too far away.
• Plymouth, MI. East of Ann Arbor, it may still have the small town feel.

But Chelsea is definitely at the top of my Michigan list for you.

You mentioned milder climates and top medical facilities, are you looking at the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area in North Carolina as well? My son just left Raleigh for a university in the North-East after living there for 5 years. My wife and I, both life long Michiganders, loved the Raleigh area.

[aquadejoe]

I too would highly recommend Chelsea. It is a quick 15 minute drive into Ann Arbor even if traffic is heavy. Chelsea has a nice little Farmer's Market and in the summer and fall they have some fantastic weekly festivals and downtown events for the whole family. You will see tons of families out during Thursday Sights and Sound nights. The library is fantastic. I have lived in many places big and small and the library won the best small town library in 2008. There are a handful of coffee shops and restaurants in the quaint downtown and you will see people out walking around all year round despite the small town. The town itself has the usual McDonald's and what not, grocery store, CVS and all the little things you need day to day. The really nice thing is that Ann Arbor is so close and it has all the big box stores and a huge selection of restaurants, theatre, art . . . when you feel the need. Chelsea schools are great and the services for special needs children are very good in Washtenaw county. Good luck to you and your family.