Is Ann Arbor really that good? (Detroit, Grand Rapids: real estate, houses, public school)

[DaveStavroz]

After looking at several "Best Places to Live" lists on the internet I've noticed that Ann Arbor, Michigan is at the top of nearly every list.
I have never visited it even.
To those who live there , is it really that good , and if so what makes it so?.

[highlanderfil]

We enjoy living in A2. Would probably enjoy it even more if we had the money to live closer to Downtown. Personally, I find it a bit surprising that it's right at the top of the lists (at least the weather ought to knock it down a bit), but as those lists are either extremely subjective, or focus on one narrow criteria, I don't really pay much attention to them.

[craig11152]

I think Ann Arbor is a swell place to live (been here since 1984 or 1985 I forget the exact year) but as highlanderfil said above any of those lists are so utterly subjective that I give them no credibility.

[craig11152]

I'd say some things that stand out that may work for some folks and not so much others....

1.Government is liberal
1a)big on liberal issues like social justice,renewable energy, "anti car", public transportation
2. population highly educated (on average)
3. University town. (highly rated University)
4. lots of restaurants and pubs
5. 25-30 minutes to International airport
6. train stop to Chicago
7. An hour from Canada
8.40 minutes to downtown Detroit
9. Good public park system including outdoor pools and skating rinks.
10. Intersection of east/west and north/south freeways to get you up north, Florida, Canada, Chicago
11. very good public school system that always gets their millage's passed.

those are off the top of my head.

[MI-Roger]

Three footnotes to craig11152's list.

The City has a definite liberal leaning due to the high number of students, but the surrounding areas (as well as the non-student, non-university, long time Ann Arbor families) lean just as strongly to the conservative side. Being very liberal ourselves, we have learned to be cautious when approaching topics with people we don't know well yet.

The quantity of special events in the city is astounding! Perhaps this is directly connected to Ann Arbor being a university town, but maybe not too.

The parks system does not stop at the City limits. A regional Park System has numerous facilities less than 20 miles outside of town, flanking the Huron River, small lakes, and glacial deposit hills. Some of these Parks include nationally ranked mountain biking and hiking trails.

[usroute10]

I don't live in Ann Arbor, but I would like to add the following positive attributes:

-Very ethnically diverse
-Very little blight/crime/poverty (as opposed to the city 42 miles to the east that is notorious for those 3)
-charming, cool surrounding towns - Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, and of course, Ypsilanti
-University has its own Art Museum and Natural History Museum
-Downtown Ann Arbor is super-duper vibrant
-Nichols Arboretum
-College Football at Michigan Stadium, the largest football stadium in the country!

[MCB09]

I went to school in Ann Arbor for undergrad and recently moved back after living in Boston for a year. It is pretty much the only place I would live in in Michigan (with the exception of maybe Grand Rapids, or maybe Rochester if you have a family and are looking to settle down) as it has lots of great restaurants and many parks. Tons special events also- as was mentioned by a previous poster. Just last week there was a Festifools Moon festival downtown with dancers and people bringing their own light up lanterns. It kind of is the best of the two worlds in the sense of you get a lot of the same amenities as you would in large cities, without the crowding, and without the urban sprawl as A2 (as locals abbreviate it) has lots of trees and green space. The only downside for me personally are the long winters.

[leroythelion]

Originally Posted by usroute10

I don't live in Ann Arbor, but I would like to add the following positive attributes:

-Very ethnically diverse
-Very little blight/crime/poverty (as opposed to the city 42 miles to the east that is notorious for those 3)
-charming, cool surrounding towns - Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, and of course, Ypsilanti
-University has its own Art Museum and Natural History Museum
-Downtown Ann Arbor is super-duper vibrant
-Nichols Arboretum
-College Football at Michigan Stadium, the largest football stadium in the country!

I don't live in Ann Arbor either but do go frequently. The dining options are excellent, especially in that they are mostly concentrated in one area. The UofM hospital is top notch and would not go anywhere else. The downtown area does have a lot of empty storefronts and the traffic in Ann Arbor can be annoying. There are some days I stay completely away, such as home football games and UofM Parent's weekend. Also, by SE Michigan standards, there are no deals in real estate.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by leroythelion

Also, by SE Michigan standards, there are no deals in real estate.

True enough. But real estate is extremely supply and demand driven. So if you find a "deal" in real estate anywhere its because there isn't a demand for that location.
My oldest daughter and her husband put their Ann Arbor house on the market this morning on the SE side just 3 blocks from Arborland, Washtenaw, US 23. Asking $200,000 they have 50 viewings scheduled today, 65 over the weekend and it will be gone by Monday for somewhere near $230,000 by their Realtor's estimate. There is huge demand to live in Ann Arbor and there is a small supply of houses under $300,000.
Many folks will say Ann Arbor is overpriced but in the world of capitalism it won't be overpriced until demand falls and houses stay on the market for weeks or months instead of days.

[Nn2036]

Really good by Michigan standards