Tell me about Ypsilanti (Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor: rent, crime, neighborhoods)

[monopoly]

Hi! Eastern Michigan is one of the universities I'm looking into, and I was hoping some of you could tell me about your experiences living and working in/ visiting Ypsilanti. How are the stores and public areas? What kind of attitudes do most people hold? Is it generally a nice place to live? CityData has good information, but numbers really aren't the same as hearing personal experiences.

Thanks!

[Pocket Rocket]

Ypsilanti is a dump...the town is primarily blue collar and with all of the manufacturing job cuts/economy problems I would advise that you don't live here. Also, I am an Eastern Michigan University graduate and I would also advise that (unless you plan on being a teacher) you don't go to that school. The stores and public areas are horrible and nightlife is virtually non-existant. Most people do all of their business/activites in the neighboring town of Ann Arbor but Ann Arbor is not that great either. If you like ugly women, blue collar neighborhoods, economic decline and bad schools then Ypsilanti is for you.

[monopoly]

Thank you for your response (and frankness!). I'm having a tough time finding anywhere in Michigan I want to be, honestly. I've got some time, luckily. Thanks again!

[Cliffie]

Are you going to write off a perfectly good college and town based on one opinion!? I was born in Ypsi and partly raised there -- worked there too. It is not infested with coffee boutiques and la de da like more upscale areas -- look elsewhere if that's what you want -- but it has great charm and the people are very diverse and friendly, some educated, some not. The school itself is very good and I frankly wish I had gone there instead of U of M next door -- I would have gotten a boss education for about half the price.

If you do want posh and upscale, go next door to Ann Arbor and the U of M. There's a lot more nightlife and cultural events there than in Ypsi but it's only 10 minutes away. I need to add the rents are much higher too.

[ModelChick]

Ypsilanti is a dump. Do not move there.

[lesliek0308]

I wouldn't recommend Ypsi. Kinda dumpy.

[Coldjensens]

The best thing about Ypsi is its proximity to Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is very possibly one of the ten coolest cities in the US. I have been and/or lived all over the country. No place beats Ann Arbor, especially if you enjoy variations in weather.

A lot of EMU students live in Ann Arbor, or live very affordably in Ypsi and drive to Ann Arbor for fun.

Ypsi is not totally horrid, but it is not a place that most people would chose to live in. Mostly it is affordable.

[pmckee1]

Ypsilanti is actually a very nice city with a good University. I've been living here for 3+ years now and have no plans of leaving. If you want obscenely high rent you can check out ann arbor instead. Ypsi has lots of local businesses and nightlife. One of its charms is that despite being a small city, it has one of the largest historic districts in MI filled with restored nineteenth century buildings. For the most part, people here take pride in their community and try to make it better. I will admit that the economy is in the dumps due to michigans manufacturing problems and some parts of the city have crime problems but the same can be said of most of the state. I could go on all day but don't take someones disgruntled word for it, come visit and check out emu, downtown, depot town, the parks, talk with the people and make the call yourself...i think you'll be glad you did.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by monopoly

Thank you for your response (and frankness!). I'm having a tough time finding anywhere in Michigan I want to be, honestly. I've got some time, luckily. Thanks again!

Try Grand Rapids. Job growth, affordable living, over 63-thousand undergrads at a host of small/medium/large colleges and universities and 40 minutes from Lake Michigan beaches.

Ann Arbor's still a "cooler" city in my opinion (on of my favorites, nationwide) but GR has a lot going for it and appears to be on the upswing.

[pmckee1]

I just wanted to throw this in;

Ann arbor and Grand rapids are much bigger places (>100k populations) Ann arbor has a lot of cool stuff which i go to occasionally but not as often as you might think (still its close by if you want to visit) i cant vouch for GR since I've never been there but my impression is that it's similar. Take a look, Ypsi is worth a chance especially if you want a less crowded area with a lower cost of living. I like that its just big enough (dense) to be urban but small enough to run into friends.

just my other .02, if you have any other questions just post them. (im not on commission here, i just think the bad reputation is inaccurate)