Moving to Ann Arbor area - please help a non-Michigander! (Royal Oak: apartment complexes, to rent)

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by squank

Thanks MittenDweller82, that's a lot of great information.

I'm open to other areas of town (I certainly don't know the area at all). I was only thinking east side of Ann Arbor because of the convenience of getting to Detroit, but I see from looking closer at a map that going to the west side wouldn't really add that much more travel time.

The country setting, tree lined street idea is very appealing, so I'll check out the west and north sides of town.

Any idea where city property taxes apply/don't apply regarding those areas? Also, what is shopping/parks/recreation like in these areas?

There is every kind of shopping all over the area -- it's a shopper's heaven. There are big malls & garden centers, your basic KMarts and Valu Lands as well as all kinds of interesting little shops close to the main campus. Parkage is everywhere, ranging from the grand & glorious Ann Arbor Arboretum to humble Mushroom Park over by my mom's place. Quite a few vest-pocket parks in the main campus area, too.

When I say "parkage," I mean "parks," not "places to park." There are NO parking places in the downtown area. The buslines are good and I suggest you take advantage of them, but if you are going to be living close to the main campus area you can do most of your travelling on foot.

Look on your map and trace Geddes Road -- there are lots of groovy old houses in heavily-treed settings along there. Also look at the Burns Park area, behind Arborland Mall. For more of a Fifties tract-housing setting, look around Scio Church Road. There are McMansions going up along North Maple if you have that kind of money to throw around.

On the East side of town, including Ypsilanti (pronounced IP-sill-auntie, not YIP-sill-auntie), you will find prices a lot easier to take. There are some beautiful areas out there -- Grove Rd overlooking Ford Lake is one -- and even in the lousiest down-at-the-heel areas the houses tend to have a great deal of charm. Remember Ypsi, home of Eastern Michigan University, is also a college town, albeit with a lot fewer of your woolly-socks-with-Birkenstocks types infesting the area.

[jodyrose]

Originally Posted by squank

Hello all. I am moving to Michigan in June, and would very much appreciate some advice on areas to live. First some info on me for context:

I'm planning to retire in this house (very solid on this), so I'm not worried about home values fluctuating in the near term.
-I'd love to get in for around $250,000, with ~2,500 sf. Fixer-uppers are fine.

Thanks so much for helping out a soon-to-be permanent Michigan family!

My daughter lives and works in Ann Arbor at the University. I LOVE the town, always great things to do, an amazing amount actually, when you consider the size of the town. Shes been semi-hunting for a place to buy for a couple of years now and she says the prices have come down, although in AA city, its still pretty pricey. Like the other posters said, depends on how far out you want to be from the action in town. If I were going to move there, I like the area that is close to the Pfizer complex. If you dont mind being further out, Jackson or even Chelsea are nice too and less $.

[squank]

This is great stuff - thanks so much.

btw - where is the Pfizer plant?

[squank]

I'm looking seriously at Dexter, Chelsea, and Brighton. How is bus service from there into AA?

[MittenDweller82]

Unfortunately there is no bus service from Dexter Chelsea or Brighton. Dexter is about a 10 minute drive, Chelsea about 15-20 minutes, and Brighton nearly 25 minutes.

[SunsetSky]

There's bus service between Ann Arbor and Chelsea for commuters, but it's a pilot program so who knows how long it will last.
The Ride - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (http://www.theride.org/A2chelsea.asp - broken link)

If you are leaning toward Brighton and have to commute to Ann Arbor duing rush hour, I suggest you drive it a few times to see if you can stand it. That stretch of US23 needed a third lane 10 years ago.

[squank]

Originally Posted by SunsetSky

There's bus service between Ann Arbor and Chelsea for commuters, but it's a pilot program so who knows how long it will last.
The Ride - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (http://www.theride.org/A2chelsea.asp - broken link)

If you are leaning toward Brighton and have to commute to Ann Arbor duing rush hour, I suggest you drive it a few times to see if you can stand it. That stretch of US23 needed a third lane 10 years ago.

Eww.... traffic

Thanks for the info. Although I won't have to drive into the city, my daughter will be commuting into AA as a college freshman this fall (don't know which school yet), so traffic might be an issue.

[MI-Roger]

Originally Posted by squank

I've been doing some looking at the outlying areas to the North, NW, and West. How is public transportation to these outer areas? My daughter will be starting college this fall (living at home), and won't have a car. It really sounds like Brighton or Dexter areas would work well for me, as long as she can easily bus in and out of town.

Thanks again for the great insights.

Public transportation effectively no longer exists anywhere in Michigan, blame it on our recent past history as the automobile capital of the world. The AATA (Ann Arbor Transportation Authority) operates a large fleet of modern buses within the city of Ann Arbor and immediately adjoining areas (i.e. shopping areas just outside of the city limits) but the bus runs stop there.

The route between Ann Arbor and Chelsea is often in the news as a possible cost savings to AATA via cancellation. There is bus service between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, but service within Ypsi is very spotty. I live 2 miles South of Ypsi and I see AATA buses in my area, but I have no idea where the bus stops are located. I think I can drive 1 mile to a shopping center to wait at an open air bus stop sign. Naturally, not many customers.

[squank]

Wow, that's too bad about the lack of public transportation into AA.

As I continue to look at possibilities, Brighton and Green Oak Township are moving to the top of the list of areas. I don't have to commute into AA, so that's one less thing to worry about.

I welcome all opinions about housing in the area!

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

On the East side of town, including Ypsilanti (pronounced IP-sill-auntie, not YIP-sill-auntie), you will find prices a lot easier to take. There are some beautiful areas out there -- Grove Rd overlooking Ford Lake is one -- and even in the lousiest down-at-the-heel areas the houses tend to have a great deal of charm. Remember Ypsi, home of Eastern Michigan University, is also a college town, albeit with a lot fewer of your woolly-socks-with-Birkenstocks types infesting the area.

Though if you've still got kids in K-12, the schools in Ypsilanti proper can get pretty sketchy. I'd probably think of the schools in A^2, Dexter, and Chelsea as the better options. (Can't recall the conventional wisdom on Brighton, so it's probably decidedly better than Ypsilanti as well)