Possibly transferring to work at the prison in Milan (Detroit: apartments, foreclosure)

[rnpribyl]

What would be the best place to live? We are a young married couple (both 27) with no kids. It would be best to have easy access to shopping, nightlife, basic things to do. Also we don't want to live in a high crime area so trying to avoid Detroit. We would like to have less than a 20 minute commute to work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[MTUCache]

I'm not all that familiar with the Milan area, but if you're only willing to commute for 20 minutes you're going to have no issues with Detroit-area crime... You'll be pretty well livin' the country life if you want to. If you're more into the suburban thing there'll be some stuff for you in the Belleville or Saline areas. Up towards Ypsi/AA is about the closest "city" you'll find.

Shopping/nightlife may be an issue, but if you're willing to go 15-20 minutes to AA (or even Romulus really), you'll have plenty of options, you just won't be living surrounded by options.

I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing there's a LOT of room out near there. Probably as much land as you'd like to mow and more.

[rnpribyl]

Thanks for the advice. I think we're leaning toward AA if all goes well.

[rnpribyl]

Does anyone know anything about Ironwood Place apartments in AA?

[J'aimeDesVilles]

Originally Posted by rnpribyl

What would be the best place to live? We are a young married couple (both 27) with no kids. It would be best to have easy access to shopping, nightlife, basic things to do. Also we don't want to live in a high crime area so trying to avoid Detroit. We would like to have less than a 20 minute commute to work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I live in Ypsilanti and commute to the Toledo area so I drive through Milan everyday. Milan is an okay little town but not a whole lot to do there. Dundee, 10 minutes south, is about the same and smells like oil most of the time. Not sure what that is all about. Saline has a nice downtown and some good little parks. I think it might be a bit pricey to live in but I am not sure. I don't really know too much about it.
Ann Arbor is 10 minutes north and is definitely your best bet if you can afford it. "A2" is clean, lots of parks, restaurants, bars, shopping, and of course U. of M. It has a very ethnically diverse population and is quite liberal politically (not sure if that is a plus or a minus for you). Ypsilanti is just east of A2 and is about 15-20 minutes from Milan.
There is an expression around here; Ann Arbor is where you want to live, Ypsilanti is where you can afford to live." "Ypsi" has a lot of character. It has a large historic district, parks, festivals (seems there is always something going on.) EMU (I also graduated from here) is located here as well. It is more of a blue-collar working class town as oppossed to Ann Arbor's white-collar professional make up. Ypsi has a larger minority and rental property population. It has a reputation for crime and yes some of this is justified. Ypsi has its rough areas and you do need to be cautious. If you are looking for a place where you can leave your car unlocked in the street in front of your house at night this isn't it.
We live about a mile and a half from Depot Town in Ypsi and have been here about 3 months. We like it here and the neighborhood seems fine. Granted we are a middle-aged couple so we are not out late night/early morning near the bars, etc. when and where most of the crime seems to occur.
Good luck on whatever you choose. The whole area is great.

[MI-Roger]

In all that time we had one bicycle stolen out of our garage by a neighborhood kid, and that is the extent of crime in our Ypsi history.

The current housing crisis has hit the areas south of Ypsi hard! Five year old, $300K houses, are going for only $150K! If you can scrape together a down payment, and are willing to stay put for 5 years or so, now is a great time to buy an existing home at rock bottom prices.

Ten minutes from work in Milan, ten minutes from the cultural options in Ann Arbor, 20 minutes from Metro Airport, and 40 minutes from the Sports/Theatre district in Detroit.

[Cliffie]

I agree Ypsi is a good choice. Some of the houses are really charming, with a ton of personality and they cost a lot less than the ones in AA. That's true even when there's not a foreclosure avalanche going on, but right now you can get a really nice place for a song.

[Lion11]

Ypsi has the most charming houses in the whole area. However, I wouldn't advise anyone to live there. 20 years ago Ypsi was much better off, but things are different today. The Visteon plant, which was recently a Ford plant closed down for good there and it was the town's major employer. I just read about a shooting that happened Friday on Worden Street.(see link) It was the city's third homocide this year. Even though housing is much cheaper, it's not worth it. Ann Arbor is pricey, so if you're looking to buy I would suggest Saline. It has a nice downtown, great parks, and the housing is a lot cheaper now than 5 years ago. Plus it is about 10 minutes to Milan and 15 minutes to downtown Ann Arbor.

Two charged in shooting in Ypsilanti that left one dead, another injured - AnnArbor.com
City of Saline, Michigan - One of America's Best Places to Live, Work and Play

[dragon_fly_12]

If you're willing to consider it... Ohio has cheaper state taxes, cheaper car insurance, and very comparable cost of living. Toledo has some good clubs (Frankies, etc) that have good concerts. Milan is only 20 miles up 23 from the border.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by chance2jump

If you're willing to consider it... Ohio has cheaper state taxes, cheaper car insurance, and very comparable cost of living. Toledo has some good clubs (Frankies, etc) that have good concerts. Milan is only 20 miles up 23 from the border.

I did not know that about Ohio! Good tip.