[TCKx3]

I am thinking about moving this summer to gain residency in a state to go to grad school for social work in summer 2011. However, I haven't decided which school/ town I want to go to. The four I am looking at are Ann Arbor, MI; Madison, WI; Pittsburgh, PA;, and Cleveland, OH (for Case Western U). I don't really know anything about any of these towns, so I am hoping to get some advice from all of you!

Here are some things about me: I don't like big cities (so for the bigger cities on the list, are there smaller cities within a 30 min drive nearby?), I have worked at a day care program for elementary school kids and summer camp, as a volunteer EMT on the ambulance, and interned at CPS. I am not yet sure what job I would be looking for for the year before I start the masters program, but I definitely want to stay involved in EMS, so if you know anything about EMS in the areas, please let me know! Oh, I also play water polo, and if the town has water polo, that would be an added bonus for me!
Another thing that would be great to know is what the general cost of living in the town is, and what the cost of renting a 1 bedroom place would be.

Well, I hope this makes sense, hopefully I can get some good advice on the different towns.
Thanks in advance!

[northstar22]

I can only tell you about the Ann Arbor area, because I'm pretty unfamiliar with the other cities you mentioned. I don't know much about EMS jobs, but Ann Arbor has the best economy in the state of Michigan, so you should have reasonably good luck in finding a job. Some nice surrounding small towns are Pinckney, Stockbridge, Tecumseh, Dundee, Manchester, and Chelsea. You'll want to stay south and west of Ann Arbor, because the areas to the north and east are heavily suburbanized. You'll need to live in Michigan for one year before getting in-state tuition for U of M.

[canudigit]

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

I can only tell you about the Ann Arbor area, because I'm pretty unfamiliar with the other cities you mentioned. I don't know much about EMS jobs, but Ann Arbor has the best economy in the state of Michigan, so you should have reasonably good luck in finding a job. Some nice surrounding small towns are Pinckney, Stockbridge, Tecumseh, Dundee, Manchester, and Chelsea. You'll want to stay south and west of Ann Arbor, because the areas to the north and east are heavily suburbanized. You'll need to live in Michigan for one year before getting in-state tuition for U of M.

That's what I always thought too, but earlier this year we relocated to Arizona and then moved back to Michigan. When our son enrolled at U of M Dearborn, we asked about in-state tuition rates and were told that as long as we live in the state of Michigan, he gets the in-state rate, even though we moved to Arizona for a while earlier this year. I'm not sure if it's because we lived in Michigan for twelve years before that or what, but we definitely hadn't lived in Michigan for a solid year before he enrolled. Not saying that you're wrong, just saying that the OP should check it out to be sure.

[canudigit]

If you don't like bigger cities, then Ann Arbor sounds like a pretty good fit for you. It really isn't a big city, but there is a lot to do there. The small towns outside of Ann Arbor, such as the one where I live, are very nice, very clean, and very safe, but they could be pretty boring for you, since they have the total small town feel and very little to actually do unless you have family here.

Ann Arbor is great in that, while it definitely isn't a big city, in the respect of hundreds of thousands of people, skyscrapers, horrific traffic, etc., it is a very bustling small city with a vibrant college town atmosphere. You should have no problem finding work as an EMT there, because the U of M Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the country, is there, as well as another large hospital, St. Joseph Mercy. There are a lot of nature areas such as metro parks with walking trails and state parks nearby. As the pp mentioned, AA has not felt the full effects of the recession as compared to the rest of Michigan because of the relatively recession-proof college related jobs. There are some wealthy people in AA and some gorgeous neighborhoods. I'm not sure what a one bdrm apt. would run you there, but I think you will find that all college towns are a bit more expensive in that regard because there is such a need for that type of housing. As far as the general cost of living, things like utilites, groceries, clothing, etc. are not overly expensive. There is a nice mall in AA, Briarwood, that has pretty much all of the chain stores that you will find all over the country. There are also strip malls with stores like Kohl's, Borders, Meijer, Target, and others. Strangely (maybe says something about the folks who live there), there is no Walmart in AA. You have to go to Ypsilanti or Saline for that.

[TCKx3]

Thanks for the information! What is the weather usually like in Ann Arbor? How much snow is normal?

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Tamar1

Thanks for the information! What is the weather usually like in Ann Arbor? How much snow is normal?

Somewhere between a lot and almost none. It varies year to year. However snowfall is measured in inches rather than feet (not like up north). It is pretty rare to get snowed in to where you cannot drive anywhere. That may happen anywhere from zero to three or four times in any given year.

It is cold. Not as cold as some places, but there are always some days where the windchill is way below zero. We already had one evening where the windchill got to -25. However those days are also rare and most days are more in the 30s. Usually there are a few really nice days in February, then it gets cold again. It really varies a lot from year to year. Some years you might get 20 or 30 days with temperatures below zero and other years you may get only 1 or two days.

You may get some nice days again by April, but usually not until June is wodnerful, but often wet and muddy. Again it just depends.

I rememeber getting a major snow storm in May. I also remember getting many days in the 70s in May.

Michigan is exempt from Global warming. It is not happening here.

[YAZ]

I am not "liberal" by any stretch of the imagination, but AA is quite liberal and I've always loved that town. I enjoyed going to Michigan Stadium and I hate the Wolverines.....

Walkin' downtown...there's a slew of restaurants and fun places to have a drink. And it's not just college students either. Busy place even in the cold weather. Some great music down there too; check out the Blind Pig when you get there.

All kinds of 'lil holes in the wall with all different kinds of music. Much fun.

Ypsi (the next town to the east) can be hoppin' too, just a tad bit rougher. Look hard and you will be able to settle down in a reasonably priced pad.

SE MI has lots of higher education establishments, and AA is close to all of 'em. U-M (of course), EMU, Concordia, WCC, et al.

The AA Street Art Fair draws thousands every year and used to be a hoot....theyv'e toned it down some but it's still a lot of fun. It used to be quite rowdy. Wonderin' out loud if the Hash Bash is still tolerated......?

The Huron River is close, as well as many lakes and parks.

Check out the Intramural sports programs at U-M and EMU; they may have water polo leagues.

Some little towns close by:

Chelsea...prob'ly out of your price range

Whitmore Lake...400-800 per month

Brighton....same as WL

[TCKx3]

Brrr, -25! Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius? Either way, thats pretty cold... I guess if I move there (or really any of these 4 places) I will need to invest in some pretty warm clothes
I am so happy to find out that there is water polo in all the towns I am looking at! I live in CO now, and most people have never heard of water polo.

On another note, do any of you know what ambulance service answers most of the emergency calls? I would much rather do 911 EMS then work on a transport ambulance...