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I posted a similar question in the General US forum but thought I'd post here too! since we are very interested in Ann Arbor. First a little background, and I apologize in advance for being long-winded, but I want to give you as much info as I can! We are young newlyweds living in the Dallas Ft. Worth area of Texas due to jobs. We are looking to relocate in the next few years to a city we can call home and (later on down the road) raise a family. We've both moved a lot growing up (he's from Ohio and I'm from Missouri) so moving away doesn't bother us and we have family spread all over the country (many in the Midwest).
DFW is a wonderful area, and we are fond of TX in general, but there are two major things we can't stand anymore: the weather (we HATE heat) and the traffic/sprawl. Sure, we have tons to do and everything at our fingertips- IF we want to drive 30 minutes to an hour or two. The driving is taking a toll on us and on our cars. We'd love a place where we could walk to our favorite coffee shop/bookstore/restaurants! So tired of car culture which is rampant in TX, and would like to escape some of the consumerism that comes with being so close to a big city.
We want to scale back a bit. Ultimately we want a smaller city with somewhat of a big city feel. We don't want huge culture shock, but we're looking to switch to a slower pace, so something of a transition between small town and big city. Ideally a smaller city with a larger city (or cities) within a 3 hr drive, yet we'd like our city to have all it's own amenities and personality (grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops, cultural events, festivals, other things to do, etc) so we would only need the "big city" maybe once a month for big mall shopping, bigger events or big city exploration.
Based on our research, family-friendly college towns seem to have most of what we are wanting. The downside to most of these is the lack of jobs as they have very education-driven economies. He is in the computer/technology/engineering field and I am in health promotion.
We like:
-Nearby colleges for the activities and diversity they bring
-Coffee houses and bookstores, especially local non-chains (love open mic nights!)
-Food quality is also very important to us. We'd love to be near organic farmers markets and health food stores and fantastic non chain restaurants (I admit we're a bit spoiled in this department in TX!)
-Vibrant, lively, walkable, SAFE downtown gathering area (think "Main Street") preferably within walking distance of where we live, though a short drive (within 10 min) could be considered.
-Community feel (not necessarily "everyone knows everyone," but friendly people with community events would be nice)
-Natural beauty, greenery and outdoor recreation (namely trails for running/walking/biking)
-Being near water (ocean is best, but lakes and rivers are very welcome as well)
-Wine and being near wineries/wine bars (Nothing better than some laid back live music, wine and good company!)
-Prefer cold weather over hot (autumn's chilly weather is our favorite, bring on the jacket weather, rain and clouds! We also don't mind winter/cold weather and would MUCH rather live with harsher winters than harsher summers, though we'd prefer avg. snowfall to being buried in heavy snow)
-Road trips, so being within a day's drive to different cities and places would be an asset
-Reading and learning (I will possibly be looking into grad school for health education in the future and we both love taking random classes- painting, cooking, you name it. He is also very interested in Japanese culture- he is learning to speak it and we both love the food and the people! If possible, he would like to have people near our city to practice speaking with but that isn't a deal breaker)
Another city we researched and liked the sounds of was Charlottesville, VA (LOVE the walkable downtown with non-chain restaurants, festivals, family friendly environment, active culture, close to wineries, college town where cultural events abound, as well as art walks, wine tastings, live music. We would probably move here, but we hear the job outlook isn't so hot for us. The other possible downside would be hot/humid Virginia summers.
We currently live in Grapevine, TX and here are some things we like about it:
-The downtown Main Street area (though there's not a whole lot down there) and cute surrounding neighborhoods- historic looking yet well kept-up
-Being near a lake
-They have a large running community with a club that meets on weekends
-Decent restaurants, though we do have to drive a ways to get there
-The community festivities around Christmas and a few other times a year
Purely from a research standpoint, Ann Arbor seems bike friendly/walkable, appears to have health and tech oriented jobs, great libraries and bookstores, art galleries/art fairs, diversity and a Japanese presence, good farmers markets and outdoor recreation. We are actually strongly considering this city. Can anyone guide us towards or against it?
How do you think Ann Arbor measures up to what we are looking for?
-Nearby colleges for the activities and diversity they bring *** University of Michigan, which makes it an amazing college town and has the MOST amazing campus
-Coffee houses and bookstores, especially local non-chains (love open mic nights!) *** TONS
-Food quality is also very important to us. We'd love to be near organic farmers markets and health food stores and fantastic non chain restaurants (I admit we're a bit spoiled in this department in TX!) *** A2 farmers market is amazing and the restaurants are mostly non chain, very diversified. From Ethiopian to Cuban to German to Indian to Sushi to Arabic, to various fusion, etc…
-Vibrant, lively, walkable, SAFE downtown gathering area (think "Main Street") preferably within walking distance of where we live, though a short drive (within 10 min) could be considered. *** A2 Main streets are incredible – loads of restaurants/shops/book stores/coffee shops and constantly have large fun festivals. very walkable/bikable.
-Community feel (not necessarily "everyone knows everyone," but friendly people with community events would be nice) *** A2 people are very friendly and nice. - its Midwest vibe...
-Natural beauty, greenery and outdoor recreation (namely trails for running/walking/biking) *** Check out Pure Michigan, state has tons of natural beauty. Downtown A2 you have many amazing parks (such as arboretum) which will even give you a nature feel in downtown.
-Being near water (ocean is best, but lakes and rivers are very welcome as well) *** Lake Michigan and its beach towns are 2 hours away – This easily rivals an ocean. Smaller lakes (still big/sports lakes) are all over MI. we are known for our lakes….
-Wine and being near wineries/wine bars (Nothing better than some laid back live music, wine and good company!) *** Traverse city (4H North) rivals Napa, CA – downtown A2 has a few wine bars, all very fun and trendy…
-Prefer cold weather over hot (autumn's chilly weather is our favorite, bring on the jacket weather, rain and clouds! We also don't mind winter/cold weather and would MUCH rather live with harsher winters than harsher summers, though we'd prefer avg. snowfall to being buried in heavy snow) *** No comment here, MI gets snow.
-Road trips, so being within a day's drive to different cities and places would be an asset *** Chicago (HUGE CITY) is 4 hours away plus you have Canada to explore. Highly recommend visiting Montreal, bit of road trip but worth it. EU feel...
-Reading and learning (I will possibly be looking into grad school for health education in the future and we both love taking random classes- painting, cooking, you name it. He is also very interested in Japanese culture- he is learning to speak it and we both love the food and the people! If possible, he would like to have people near our city to practice speaking with but that isn't a deal breaker) *** A2 is flushed with culture
-Nearby colleges for the activities and diversity they bring
Yes.
-Coffee houses and bookstores, especially local non-chains (love open mic nights!)
Yes. Borders used to be a local non-chain store, the first store was on State Street right next to UofM campus. Then it became a chain. There are still some fine non-chain bookstores in town.
-Food quality is also very important to us. We'd love to be near organic farmers markets and health food stores and fantastic non chain restaurants (I admit we're a bit spoiled in this department in TX!)
ALL of downtown Ann Arbor is non-chain resturants. Well not all, there is a BD's mongolian BBQ. But there is a lot of fine local dining.
Washtenaw county used to be a very large farming area. My family has owned a farm northeast of the city limits since the 1860s. Lots of pick-your-own farms nearby. A couple really nice food co-ops in town.
-Vibrant, lively, walkable, SAFE downtown gathering area (think "Main Street") preferably within walking distance of where we live, though a short drive (within 10 min) could be considered.
Main street, Liberty, State, and South University are very walkable and vibrant. Every other place I've lived in the US has been a let down compared to downtown Ann Arbor - but I've never live in downtown SF, downtown Boston, or Manhattan. It is possible to live near Main Street, but there is loads of parking downtown.
-Community feel (not necessarily "everyone knows everyone," but friendly people with community events would be nice)
Lots of events for a city of 100k. Not all held by UofM either! Top of the Park is one example.
-Natural beauty, greenery and outdoor recreation (namely trails for running/walking/biking)
-Prefer cold weather over hot (autumn's chilly weather is our favorite, bring on the jacket weather, rain and clouds! We also don't mind winter/cold weather and would MUCH rather live with harsher winters than harsher summers, though we'd prefer avg. snowfall to being buried in heavy snow)
It gets cold. Not as cold as MN or WI, but colder than southern New England.
It gets snowy. Not as much snow as MN, WI, the west coast of MI, or New England.
It get hot. Not as hot as Texas or inland California, but it's a "humid continental" climate
-Road trips, so being within a day's drive to different cities and places would be an asset
Just a 4-5 hour drive to Chicago...
-Reading and learning (I will possibly be looking into grad school for health education in the future and we both love taking random classes- painting, cooking, you name it. He is also very interested in Japanese culture- he is learning to speak it and we both love the food and the people! If possible, he would like to have people near our city to practice speaking with but that isn't a deal breaker)
Michigan's library is the 9th biggest in the US. Ann Arbor has a nice city library system. Besides UofM, Washtenaw Community college is in town, and Eastern Michigan University is about 2 miles east.
If you don't find what you want in Ann Arbor, try East Lansing/Lansing. Much/many of the same amenities, just not as many. For example; 1 or 2 coffee or wine bars as opposed to several. Whole Foods is coming; Ann Arbor has Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. The East Lansing/Lansing sprawl is more car driven but it's never more than 10 minutes to what you're looking for~culture, sports, biking, trails, farmer's markets, shopping, open air concerts during the summer, museums, the State of Michigan state offices and capitol building (lots of IT jobs available), Michigan State University/Cooley Law School/Davenport College/Lansing Community College, and a glut of insurance company home offices. There is a local baseball team, and tons of festivals and celebrations throughout the year, a small zoo, river trail, large music scene, a winery. The biggest + might be the cost of reasonable housing (rent or purchase). Lansing is still recovering from the exodus of the automotive industry, so there are areas where home prices are selling below their former value/purchase price.
EL is getting a Whole Foods, and it has a co-op and several other large organic grocery stores, nearly every big box store is located in this area, and there are two decent malls, as well as the shopping areas of downtown East Lansing and Old Town, and everything in between.
The one desirable plus for East Lansing/Lansing over Ann Arbor is the ability to still get around or through town on a home football game day and the affordability of rent/housing. The traffic in/around AA (rush hour in general, every single day) is a bit intense at times because of the congestion (and seemingly endless reconstruction) of Routes 23/94 as far north as Brighton and east/west to Chelsea and Ypsilanti. Add this to a football game weekend or the arts festival weekend and it's gridlock for hours on end.
Love Ann Arbor for all it has to offer, but the reality of home/rent prices and the traffic (and this is coming from an east coast New Jersey/bedroom community of NYC raised person) sent us up the road to MSU territory.
Last edited by teachbeach; 12-04-2013 at 05:24 AM..
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