[burnedtoast]

Hi everyone! I am planning on making a move soon, and I was hoping to get some input on a few places I have in mind. Some of you may have seen a similar thread I made in the Ann Arbor forum, but I want to get info on some other cities in MI so I thought I would make a post here.

I am a 26 year old guy, single, no kids. Currently I am an online college student (finishing up a bachelors in IT) and am starting a new work from home job within the next month. I currently live in the Traverse City area. I do like it up here, but the majority of my family lives in the Ann Arbor area and I just cannot handle the winters up here any more, as pretty as they are.

I was originally thinking of moving to Ann Arbor (or near it) but my $850ish/month budget for a 1br apartment puts me in some less desirable areas. The only ones I could really afford if I stretched my budget would be Evergreen on the Ann Arbor/Ypsi border (which I hear is unsafe), or Pheasant Run (extreme top of my budget). However, both are super close to family and downtown Ann Arbor (which I love).

Then I started thinking about Lansing. It is much cheaper, fairly safe, kind of between family up here and family in Ann Arbor, and still has tech jobs and a decent atmosphere. I found quite a few apartments that are well below my budget (Ramblewood, Trappers Cove - both of which include all utilities except for electric) and some that are pushing it (Canal, Canal 2 - which also include utilities I believe). I drive through Lansing all the time, but have never really explored it. I hear great things and awful things about it. I have also thought about Jackson (I lived near Jackson before, it's ok if not a little run down and slower paced), Grand Rapids, and possibly the Novi area.

I am unsure of what to do here, spend more to be in a sketchier part of Ann Arbor for the sake of being super close to family, or spend way less and get a nicer apartment in a safe area of Lansing? Are there any areas that I should be looking into that I haven't mentioned? I basically just want a safe 1br apartment for around $850/month or less in a somewhat quiet area without roommates. I will be working from home, so commute time isn't really a factor for me.

Thanks!

[tuebor]

Move to Lansing. At 26 you should be saving as much as you can, either saving up for a down payment on a house or socking it away in a retirement account. Lansing is close enough to Ann Arbor for frequent visits to your folks.

[burnedtoast]

Thank you, I’m thinking it makes the most sense financially for sure. I knew Ann Arbor was expensive but I was blown away at what a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment runs per month.

Besides Canal (1 and 2), Ramblewood, and trappers cove, are there any good apartment complexes around or less than the $850 mark that anybody could recommend? I’m seeing a bunch of them but the reviews on apartments.com are all over the place.

[beachmouse]

I was going to U of M when Future Spouse was going to MSU so I did that drive many, many a time back in the 90s. Save for a handful of snowy days every winter, it's a pretty reasonable weekend drive as long as you've got a reliable car with a decent sound system.

The social scene in Lansing is also infinitely better than it is in Jackson and you're probably going to find it far easier to form a social cohort in an area with a lot more white collar or future white collar 18-30 year olds.

[Coldjensens]

Parts of Ypsilanti are nice and comparatively inexpensive.

[Bondurant]

What are your considerations aside from your family and cost of living. You're focusing on the east side but then throwing Grand Rapids into the mix. Would the winter in GR be that drastic of a change for you? I drove from Grand Haven to Detroit in '18 with a winter storm nipping at my heels. Once I hit the Lansing area it was smooth driving.

[burnedtoast]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

What are your considerations aside from your family and cost of living. You're focusing on the east side but then throwing Grand Rapids into the mix. Would the winter in GR be that drastic of a change for you? I drove from Grand Haven to Detroit in '18 with a winter storm nipping at my heels. Once I hit the Lansing area it was smooth driving.

I originally wasn't going to throw Grand Rapids into the mix, but I hear it has one of the strongest economies in MI and I want to be in an area with jobs in my field (IT). It is farther away from most of my family, but it might be worth a trade off if it means a higher chance of finding jobs in the future. I do not think winters in Grand Rapids would be any worse than where I am now near Traverse City, except for more traffic. I am very comfortable driving on snow covered roads, I do it for 5 straight months up here haha. It does seem more expensive than I was expecting however. I spent a lot of time in GR about 10 years ago and I enjoyed it out that way. I love the outdoors as well, and GR seems to be the best option as far as outdoor activities.

If I could afford Ann Arbor I would likely move there in a heartbeat, but it is darn near impossible to find a place within my $850/month budget. I love the vibe there though, and I feel like it would be my best chance at meeting like-minded people around my age. It is such a fun town.

Lansing just seems to be the middle of the road choice for me. There are jobs. The rent is affordable; I found many places that are within my budget and include utilities as well which is nice. It is somewhat close to both sides of my family. There are young professionals around my age. It has more of a depressed vibe to me versus Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids which are alive and popping, although I could be very wrong. I haven't really explored all of Lansing. Perhaps I should look more towards East Lansing?

My main considerations in no particular order include: being somewhat close to family (who mostly live in/around A2), affordable rent (<$850ish), safety (not having to worry about my car windows getting smashed out), jobs (tech related), and young professionals around my age to make friends with.

As far as apartments, I am looking at:

- Trappers Cove in Lansing - $650-700ish, includes all utilities except electric/internet/cable. I am hearing that it is close to a well known trouble spot in Lansing unfortunately. That makes me fairly nervous. However, it is very comfortably within my budget which is good.

- Canal Club in Lansing - $850-900, includes all utilities except for electric/cable/internet, but also includes an in-unit washer and dryer as well as central heat/air. Also a super safe area I am told. Very top of my budget, possibly a little over. But I am still considering it for the safety aspect.

- Evergreen (McKinley) in Ann Arbor - $819+, includes no utilities though which could make this my most expensive option. I am told it is an unsafe area as well. This is closest to family, but the crime map makes me very nervous.

- A few other places around southern MI. I do not need to be in a city, but I would like to be near a city. Country living is fine as long as it is safe, affordable, and within 20-30 minutes of a city. Realistically I can move anywhere since I work from home as long as I have good internet.

Sorry for the wall of text lol. It certainly helps to organize my thoughts a bit

[canudigit]

Before you give up on the Ann Arbor area, check Craigslist, there are hidden gems on there. Our daughter rented a one bedroom apartment in a very nice four unit apartment building in very safe, upscale Plymouth within walking distance of downtown Plymouth, for $640/month for the past two years. She moved out in April to live in Ann Arbor to be a bit closer to work and her graduate degree classes, but that price was a total steal to live in Plymouth which is a very pricey suburb and only about a 20 minute drive to AA. Deals like that aren't common, but they are out there if you really look.

If you wouldn't mind living in a small town, Dundee is about 25 minutes south of Ann Arbor right along 23 and there are some nice, almost brand new apartments there that go for $850/month for a one bedroom. I haven't been in them, but I'm told they have the typical upgrades of nicer apartments like granite, stainless, modern floor surfaces, balconies, etc. The area couldn't be safer, seriously.

http://www.bellestatesapts.com/

The area of Dundee where they are located is all fairly new and very nice, due to being next to Cabela's and adjacent to 23. Applebee's, Bob Evans, Walgreens, all of the typical fast food outlets, some new chain hotels like Hampton Inn, and more supposed to be coming soon, such as a Meijer store, Dairy Queen, and Starbucks. Those apartments have attracted a lot of people who work in AA and either can't or refuse to pay the exorbitant rental rates there.

[burnedtoast]

Hi everyone! Just thought I would update on what I decided to do. So basically the move happened a lot sooner than I originally anticipated, which drastically limited my options at the time. I ended up in Lansing. It is nice being close to family, and I am not paying much in rent at all for my apartment which is wonderful.

I definitely miss the great outdoors. There are a few things to do around here, but I think I got spoiled from living in northern MI for all that time. I have been making lots of trips back up north so I can get away from the insanity of the area lol! I would not be surprised if I begin looking at places up north by the time this lease is up. We shall see.

Anyways, thank you all for the advice on this thread! It certainly helped