[RhymesWithOrange]

I’m a single, thirty year old dude who is originally from the area. I currently live in Los Angeles, and I consider coming back on occasion to be closer to my family, but I feel like my options for a living area with the basic conditions that make life livable (for me) are quite limited in metro-Detroit.

In terms of transportation, I currently subsist on public transport and shared lyft/Uber out here. We all know that public transit is basically a non-starter in metro-Detroit (although beginning to improve downtown, I guess?), and for some ungodly reason, they don’t have shared Lyft/Uber rides in the area either, making the cost of using that on a regular basis prohibitive. I can drive, of course—but I hate it, and I am not so good at it... I’ve totaled a few cars. I have an anxiety disorder which largely plays into this; I’m not sure if I’d be able to get approved for disabled transport for longer trips or something, and I’m not clear on the extent to which that is available. Anyways, suffice to say that I could use to live in an area that is, at least, immediately walkable.

The second thing is a young-er population. I am still single, and young-er. I don’t want to feel isolated.

Considered together, it seems like my only real options are maybe somewhere Downtown, Ferndale/Royal Oak, and Ann Arbor. Maybe there’s other some college campuses in the greater Detroit area that would offer walkability and a bit of a younger population? Maybe Dearborn? I’d really appreciate any suggestions!

One of the primary reasons that I came to LA originally was because I’m interested in the arts. I can’t see that metro-Detroit offers nearly as many career or even extracurricular opportunities with other passionate people in things like music, theatre, comedy, broadcasting, etc. Most of my friends who have really been committed to these endeavors have relocated to other places to pursue them, and that seems to be the trend more generally. When I consider all of this together, it really almost seems like I’m “fighting the current” by trying to make life work for myself in metro-Detroit, at least right now. That said, I want to understand if there’s a way that I can!

Thanks a lot for any suggestions!!

[Zenstyle]

Rhymes, are you absolutely tied to the Detroit area? I ask because your desired conditions scream "Eastown!" to me.
Eastown is a compact neighborhood in Grand Rapids. Personally, I would rate it considerably higher than "79" for walkability.

To understate the case, I don't think you'll find Grand Rapids wanting for an arts scene!

[craig11152]

Can't speak for the Grand Rapids area but Ann Arbor fits many of your needs.....provided you don't compare it to LA.
The whole "the arts" thing is problematic in terms of scope. Nothing compares to LA and New York for "things like music, theatre, comedy, broadcasting, etc." because of their sheer size. But that doesn't mean the opportunities are better if more people are seeking jobs. A 1000 people going after 800 jobs is better than 1,000,000 people going after 500,000 jobs.

[jdhpa]

Out of curiosity, where did your friends relocate to for arts jobs? I would think LA is the center of the universe for that.

[RhymesWithOrange]

Originally Posted by Zenstyle

Rhymes, are you absolutely tied to the Detroit area? I ask because your desired conditions scream "Eastown!" to me.
Eastown is a compact neighborhood in Grand Rapids. Personally, I would rate it considerably higher than "79" for walkability.

To understate the case, I don't think you'll find Grand Rapids wanting for an arts scene!

I appreciate you noting this! The thing is, the main draw of coming back is to be nearer to family who live in metro-Detroit. If I’m going to live in Grand Rapids, and have to take a bus back home (because I certainly won’t be driving that far if I can avoid it), then I may as well be living in Chicago or something that would be more ideal for my needs. I wouldn’t be absolutely opposed to that, either—coming from from LA takes much more time and is much more expensive—but I’m really just seeing if there’s even a way that it makes sense for me to actually be home.

[RhymesWithOrange]

Originally Posted by craig11152

Can't speak for the Grand Rapids area but Ann Arbor fits many of your needs.....provided you don't compare it to LA.
The whole "the arts" thing is problematic in terms of scope. Nothing compares to LA and New York for "things like music, theatre, comedy, broadcasting, etc." because of their sheer size. But that doesn't mean the opportunities are better if more people are seeking jobs. A 1000 people going after 800 jobs is better than 1,000,000 people going after 500,000 jobs.

Thanks, Craig. I really, really like Ann Arbor. And I think your point is very much worth consideration; I was thinking the same just yesterday. But, my inclination is to think that I may be better grinding to establish some type of artistic “resume” here and then moving back... at least generally/theoretically/ideally.

Practically, I’m realizing that many of my artistic interests are more solitary anyways and don’t necessarily require me to be in a specific location right now. But it’d be nice to be able to do some plays or something. And it’d be nice to know that a certain level of expertise exists in the areas of my personal artistic pursuits when I need to seek it. I feel like half of what I learned prior to coming to LA basically amounted to, “yeah, you need to go to LA for that”. If the majority of the talent pool, especially at the highest level, defects to LA, then that presents some concerns for me up until the point when I truly am a self-sustaining, location-independent creative agent of some magical sort.

Edit: I guess I went ahead and compared it to LA, haha... but I can hardly help it in this case! Anyways, thanks again, I tend to think Ann Arbor is most likely the best option, I’m just not convinced it’s a viable one or I would have gone there in the first place. *defeated face*

[RhymesWithOrange]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

Out of curiosity, where did your friends relocate to for arts jobs? I would think LA is the center of the universe for that.

Los Angeles, you are correct! But there is a greater disconnect between me and said friends than there is between me and my family. My family is and will always be my family, whereas said “friends” belong in/to the culture of LA in ways that I do not and never will. Still, there is a great value in being part of a community in some way that validates your passions and pursuits; I worry about finding that back home, although it’s probably the least of my concerns at this point.

[snoopygirlmi]

One of my friends was really into the art scene in Grand Rapids. She made her passion work there for awhile. She's now in another city for work related reasons.

Years ago, I tried to get her to move out to the Detroit area, but she said that she didn't like the art scene/culture in the area. She said it was a different vibe than what she wanted to participate in. She also really just doesn't like the area, in general. She is more tied to the GR area because of family. (I'm not in the arts, so......I took her word for it!)

If you are looking at the Metro Detroit/Ann Arbor area, then Ann Arbor (of course), but maybe Midtown around Wayne State. Downtown is packed with young people these days!

I think that you will be surprised at what both GR and Detroit have to offer in terms of the arts. Obviously, neither scene is on the scale of a LA or NYC, but for regional cities they both have a lot to offer.

[Colgate01]

Originally Posted by RhymesWithOrange

Considered together, it seems like my only real options are maybe somewhere Downtown, Ferndale/Royal Oak, and Ann Arbor.

I would suggest Royal Oak/Ferndale based on what you are telling us. Lots of young, 30-something folks in those areas. Also, the art scene in both communities are pretty good.

When I first moved to the area I used the SMART bus from Birmingham to get to work in downtown Detroit and never had a problem. The route went straight down Woodward Avenue with not a lot of stops. The only reason I stopped using it is because I needed more flexibility in my schedule, so I started driving.

[walker46]

Just got back home from a walk in minus four degrees windchill. That sure put a damper in walkability.