[always.love]

Hello.

I am a 22 year old male deciding on a new city [currently residing in Kansas]. I am a artist/musician/creative type and I'm in the need of advice for where I should go to pursue my interests. I'm looking for somewhere that is considered a city. [At least 150,000 residents] And has good public transportation. Any suggestions in Michigan or anywhere else??


Thanks for your help.

Always,
Love.

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by always.love

Hello.

I am a 22 year old male deciding on a new city [currently residing in Kansas]. I am a artist/musician/creative type and I'm in the need of advice for where I should go to pursue my interests. I'm looking for somewhere that is considered a city. [At least 150,000 residents] And has good public transportation. Any suggestions in Michigan or anywhere else??


Thanks for your help.

Always,
Love.

I used to live in Kansas (Johnson County, but traveled all over the state) and am from Metro Detroit.

I think what you are looking for can be found in Ann Arbor or Ferndale/Royal Oak. Ann Arbor has the largest art festival in Michigan every summer (in August, I believe).

Ann Arbor is comparable to Lawrence, KS, in many ways: There is a large University there (University of Michigan), a progressive atmosphere (Douglas County is the only county in Kansas to recognize gay partnerships; Ann Arbor is also as progressive, in that and other examples), and there is public transportation available for you in the city.

Ann Arbor is not like Lawrence in that the cost of living is a lot more expensive then what you will be used to. I am not sure where you are from in Kansas, but when I lived in Lenexa I paid about 700 a month for a 1BR, 1BA 900 square foot apartment. You will be paying a lot more then that to live in Ann Arbor, proper.

Ferndale would be another great city, but there is no public transportation there and the art community is not as strong as it is in Ann Arbor.

PLEASE be advised that, much like living anywhere in Kansas, you will still need to own a car. I could not imagine my life in Kansas without a car, and you will absolutely need one in Metro Detroit, or anywhere you choose to live in Michigan. You will want to leave Ann Arbor every now and then, and outside of the People Mover in Downtown Detroit and some SMART buses in the suburbs, there is no public transportation network in SE Michigan that would compare to Chicago, New York, San Francisco, etc.

Good Luck! I think you will find Michigan a lot more to your taste then Kansas.

[cab15]

Hand's down Ann Arbor. I lived there for a few years and moved away last summer. I've been back numerous times and it kills me to leave and come back to Ft. Wayne. I only left due to lack of work in my field (engineering).

Good Luck.

[northstar22]

You'd like Kalamazoo. It's much cheaper than Ann Arbor, there's a big university there (Western Michigan University), and there's plenty of arts/theater/dance kind of things going on there.

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

You'd like Kalamazoo. It's much cheaper than Ann Arbor, there's a big university there (Western Michigan University), and there's plenty of arts/theater/dance kind of things going on there.

Lived in Kalamazoo for five years, and I agree with you that there's lots of arts and theater there, but the OP was looking for a city of 150,000, which would not be the Kalamazoo/Portage Area. Also, the public transportation/ease of getting around without a vehicle is a lot easier in Ann Arbor; when I lived in Kalamazoo, I drove everywhere, even to campus.

It's definitely a cheaper cost of living, which depending on the OP's income, might be to an advantage.

But, Kalamazoo is kinda isolated artistically from other areas. Battle Creek is definitely not an artistically known area, and Grand Rapids is a solid 45 minute to an hour drive...but then again, I am from Metro Detroit originally, so it will always be my favorite area of Michigan (even though Kzoo and the West side of the state is very beautiful).

[magellan]

You should give Grand Rapids a try. There's a budding creative community, especially with Kendall College of Art and Design, the Avenue of the Arts area downtown and several artist hangouts like Destination:1111.

I know several people here who travel primarily by bike and The Rapid bus system (and every bus in the fleet has built-in bike racks).

[brokerdave]

ya, you will love ann arbor then. its a city of its own kind.

[usroute10]

Please consider the midtown/downtown area of Detroit. There is a significant artist community there, anchored by Wayne State University, the College for Creative Studies, and the Cultural Center. Great architecture and cultural diversity. Relatively safer than other parts of city. The public transportation lack rapid transit, but there are a plethora of bus routes that go through that area - 3 of them - Woodward, Dexter, and Crosstown - are 24-hour lines.

[Carlbrecht]

This is an area in Michigan that is growing. Harbor Shores Development, and being at Lake michigan, and Whirlpool headquarters are a few of the reasons. Check out www.Solid-groundsCafe.com with the Benton harbor Gallery of Fine Art. We have Grammy award winning musicians also.

[mattbigelow]

Originally Posted by always.love

And has good public transportation. Any suggestions in Michigan or anywhere else??

Just my two cents, but it's no accident that the state of the Michigan is home to the big three automakers and also boasts some of the worst public transportation.

If public transportation is a real issue for you, I'm not sure you'll find anywhere in Michigan that suits you, depending on what you're used to.

That said, I'd have to agree with some others that your best bet may be Ann Arbor. Google just moved in a few years back and employ about 200 with plans to employ more (or so I've heard) and that's brought some more young, creative types. Plus there's the university, and a not wholly miserable bus system.

Feel free to message me directly if you'd like as I've got a lot of friends your age spread around different areas of Michigan (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, etc.).

Either way, good luck!