Ann Arbor neighborhoods (Pontiac: sales, 2015, apartment complexes)

[lsodano]

My family will be moving to Ann Arbor summer 2015. We will be working at the north campus and just started looking into neighborhoods in the northeast and the northwest parts of town. What are the major differences between living in the east side compared to the west side of town?
Thank you.

[Jillbug]

I have lived in the northwest part of AA for twenty years, and so am very familiar with it. My neighborhood (Sunset Road/Newport Rd) is very nice, has a very low crime rate, somewhat hilly, full of mature trees, and homes built mostly in the fifties thru seventies which can range from simple ranches to larger multilevels. The streets tend to be curved, the homes well tended, and the residents a mix of all races and ages, but this is not a student housing area. We are served well by the AATA bus which takes under ten minutes to get downtown, or a walk to downtown is about 45 mins. There is an elementary school and adjacent middle school. This is the second highest point in the city, so is not subject to any kind of flooding. There are several parks (really nature areas) in the area, and you can take a walk that connects three of them in a 90 minute loop that includes the Huron River. Quite lovely. There are no apartment complexes, and only one condo development in the area, so it feels like a real family neighborhood. We recently moved from our single family home in this neighborhood to the one condo development - we wanted to downsize but did not want to leave this area, it's really just right for us. I am not as familiar with the northeast side of town, but I can tell you that it is somewhat newer in terms of housing, has far more apartments and condos, and more students. It's not as hilly nor as attractive in my opinion. This area seems to be where many Asians live so if you are Asian you might be more comfortable there. One exception to all this is the neighborhood between the Huron River and Pontiac Trail. It's also mostly fifties homes, but a funkier more interesting area than the neighborhoods farther east, closer to downtown and Kerrytown, near parks along the river and canoeing. Has character and good location. A good resource for neighborhood info is the Ann Arbor Observer. They are a monthly that has a crime map of the city, and a map of recent home sales and prices. They have an annual City Guide that describes each neighborhood with all sorts of demographic onto. One very popular neighborhood with young families is the Old West Side. Homes from the turn of the century, family oriented, easy walking to downtown and a real community spirit. Hope this helps. Will be glad to answer any more questions.