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Hello all,
I'm interested in hearing from people who have moved to Ann Arbor from somewhere else. Doesn't matter how long ago you moved there, but please feel free to share how long it's been
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you came from?
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
Does it count if I moved from Ann Arbor to somewhere else? If you are just looking for a comparison here you go. I lived in Ann Arbor for almost 4 years. I also lived very near Ann Arbor for 21 years before that. Ann arbor was our hang out in high school, so I knew it well. Still spend a lot of time there with friends who live there.
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you moved to?
We moved to Orange County/LA California from Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor is smaller, colder, less traffic. More lively. More condensed. Cheaper. Prettier. Much more pleasant. Not as many dining choices.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
I lived in the City. Prior to that I lived in a nearby no-burb (rural area).
Were you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
I lived in the law quad for three years. It is hard to find a cooler place to live. Then I lived in a rented 1920s house. Loved it, except the “no parking spot” part. My brother also lived in a different rented 1920s house - it was awesome.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Feet. And they used to have “green Bikes” Bicycles painted bright green that you could just pick up and ride somewhere and leave it there. I had a car, but parking is a nightmare and so is driving for that matter. Got towed a lot. One time, they put up temporary no parking signs, towed my car, and took the signs away. Poof my car was just gone. I also had my own bike for a few years. Bike and feet are all you need really. If you want to go to Detroit or something once in a while, Uber, borrow a car, or in my case, ride home to parent’s house (18 miles or so) and take my car (got sick of having it in Ann Arbor). Never rode a bus. Never had the need. School, work, shopping were all right there. Are there busses? There must be.
If I go there now, I put my bike in my truck, park asap, and ride to my various destinations. I really hate driving in Ann Arbor.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
Well this is backwards for me, so not really applicable. However when we returned to Michigan after 18 years, we considered but did not choose Ann Arbor as the place to live. Traffic and crowdedness were the main factors. Value for the dollar was also an issue in comparison to other options. Plus we wanted to live in a more open place and on the water (which is pretty expensive in Ann Arbor). Also questioned whether I wanted to have to deal with the extremist's battles every day for the rest of my life. There are probably some people in Ann Arbor who are not extremists, but not more than 10.
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
Compared to Orange County CA 8.5; compared to LA, 4; compared to Detroit 4; compared to where we live now 9.3. There are a lot for its size, but you run through them all pretty quickly and run out of options for something new.
What do you like best about Ann Arbor?
Walkability. Atmosphere. Architecture. History. Liveliness. I like the fact you can rent a Canoe in town and paddle down a major river trough several large parks. I like some of the quirkiness. I like its proximity to Detroit.
What do you like least?
Driving/traffic. Home game days. Parking. Excessively aggressive liberals who will eavesdrop on your conversations at a bar or restaurant, butt in, and attack you if you do not seem sufficiently extremist to them, or sometimes just to pick out some word they heard you say and try to pick a fight over it. I am moderate leaning conservative on most issues and liberal on a few, even on the liberal leaning issues, I still get attacked because I do not lean far enough for the crazies of Ann Arbor. More likely they just want to attack. They even attack each other and compete to be more extreme than the other liberal extremists. It gets seriously tiring. You have too whisper when you have conversations in public places to keep the crazies out of your conversation.
Homes are pretty expensive too.
Last edited by Coldjensens; 04-03-2017 at 04:28 PM..
Does it count if I moved from Ann Arbor to somewhere else?
Hmm, well, did you grow up there? I really want to hear from transplants, so, if you moved there from somewhere else, and then moved out fairly recently, okay then - please share your opinions! I'm mostly looking to hear from people who live there currently after having relocated there. If you moved away like 10 years ago or longer, your experiences might not be relevant anymore.
Hello all,
I'm interested in hearing from people who have moved to Ann Arbor from somewhere else. Doesn't matter how long ago you moved there, but please feel free to share how long it's been
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you came from?
I came from Ypsilanti in 1984. It is a much better situation all around for me.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
I live in the city on the SE side just a par 3 from Packard and Platt.
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
Happy with my house. Its a modest 3 bedroom ranch. Bought it in 1994 for 110,000. Might be close to 275,000 now if I wanted to sell.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Traffic has gotten worse over the years during typical rush hours. I learn short cuts and to avoid some prime time roads. I avoid Washtenaw Ave at 5PM. The bus system is decent IF you want to go downtown. If you want to stay on the perimeters its not so good. A 12 minute car ride can be a 20 minute bus ride or a 70 minute bus ride depending on where you want to go. I turned 65 in January and have a free pass to ride the buses but have yet to get on one. When I do it will be "for fun". My wife and I have 2 cars. I work at home. She was working 4-6 minutes from home by car but her new job will be 12-15 minutes by car out near Domino Farms.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
Happy overall and will stay. I have 2 out of 3 adult children living here and 3 grandkids.
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
I am not a guy to rate that stuff. As an old fart I have 2-3 regular pubs I like for drinks and dinner or to watch a game.
What do you like best about Ann Arbor?
Fairly crime free, decent schools, good fire and police, nice parks, nice people, Great medical availability.
What do you like least?
I am a middle of the road independent and the city council is way too liberal form me.
Reading Coldjensens response I would like to add there is a significant difference between people who live downtown/on campus and those of us who live on the perimeters. Folks on the perimeters are often ignored by city council and people who live downtown/campus are clueless to the differences.
I don't live in Ann Arbor, nor do I claim to (I claim Detroit if someone asks), but I'm going to give my input anyway as I believe I've spent a sufficient amount of time there to do so.
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you came from?
I tend to think of Ann Arbor as an extension of Metro Detroit, because it is, and overall the metro is far and away superior to where I came from. Ann Arbor is a fantastic city that I enjoy every time I visit and many of the nearby communities in Western Wayne County are equally fabulous. Ypsilanti makes for a fun place to visit and proximity to everything Detroit has to offer really makes Ann Arbor a special college town.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
Nearby(ish) suburb
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
Yeah, the ability for just about anyone to own a home in Midwest is something that people in much of the nation can't even fathom. Ann Arbor proper is pricey, but compared to college towns on the coast it's great!
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Eh, I live in a Detroit suburb 45 minutes away so I always have a car when I'm in Ann Arbor.. I may not be the most qualified to answer this. Overall though Metro Detroit has rather inadequate public transportation.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
Yes, very much so - and probably quite a while.
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
8/10 - Great local art and culture scene as far as town of 100,000 go, but if you want the big city culture with world class museums and professional sports you need to head into Detroit which is a 45 minute drive.
What do you like best about Ann Arbor?
Though it's a fairly large city in a massive metro area, Ann Arbor has an odd small town charm to it that you typically don't get in cities of its size. In this manner, it reminds me of the city I went to college in - but its larger size and proximity to so much more make it even better.
What do you like least?
Racism/segregation. This isn't quite as evident in Ann Arbor with its high Asian population and low-income students living among more wealthy families, but Metro Detroit is very economically and racially segregated this extends into Ann Arbor, even if it is less pronounced.
I wouldn't say it's an extension of Metro Detroit so much as it has become an extension of Metro Detroit over the past decade and a half due to continuing westward sprawl and the slow decline of Wayne County in favor of Washtenaw. By 2020, I expect the Ann Arbor MSA to cease to exist, but you missed the heyday when it indisputably was it's own thing.
Sure... but as I moved here from an adjacent county, I am not sure I can be of much help!
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you came from?
Infinitely better. I was living in a bland, generic suburb with no character. To do anything remotely exciting, I would need to drive for 45 minutes. Here, I can walk to downtown when the weather allows it.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
The city.
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
Meh. I live in an older, non-updated apartment. I am overpaying compared to the region at large, but the location is perfect for my lifestyle.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Like any right thinking person, I haaaaaaaaaate downtown Ann Arbor's jaywalking culture. However, I have no overall complaints about getting around. I avoid the freeways most of the time and have little trouble getting anywhere in town in under 20 minutes. I mostly drive, but take the bus sometimes if I plan on drinking (or walk). Parking is obviously, objectively, the worst.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
This is tough. I oscillate between wanting to put roots down here and buy a house and wanting to move to a much bigger city while I am still young enough to enjoy it. In either case, I would probably want to move back to Ann Arbor when I decide to settle down and have kids. My concern is that costs here are absurd... a 900 sq ft ranch in the Midwest is not worth $225k and if the bubble does not burst, I will not settle down here period.
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
Getting worse as the city's prices get out of control, but still better than anywhere else in the region bar Detroit proper.
What do you like best about Ann Arbor?
The community, the culture, the general atmosphere and the food!
How has Ann Arbor compared to where you came from? It's a lot smaller, with less going on that interests me, although what is going on tends to be more my speed than a lot of what goes in in the Motor City.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb? I was always downtown most of those years, even though I ranged from a crowded Main Campus apartment to a housesitting arrangement out in the subdivisiony areas.
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner. It's really pricey, so you need roommates you don't necessarily want, but otherwise not bad at all. I never owned a house there.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation. I was always very happy with either walking or the bus system. Once I had a car my life turned into a nightmare of one-way cul-de-sacs closed to traffic for repairs, studded with parking rickets.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term? I had to move away to find work that paid enough to live on.
How would you rate Ann Arbor's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)? Pretty good. There's always live music of some sort, movie festivals, plays, and BOOKSTORES, BOOKSTORES, BOOKSTORES.
What do you like best about Ann Arbor? I like how walkable it is. And the BOOKSTORES!
What do you like least? The level of PC one-upmanship gets really oppressive. It's almost impossible to have a conversation with a lot of the people out that way without them interrupting you to inform you that they are more enlightened than you in some way.
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