Ann Arbor, MI

[truc]

Getting back to Ann Arbor, about how far do you have to travel to get to rural or wilderness areas? Is there good hiking nearby?

Rural / Wilderness are not far away, with several largeish state parks / nature preserves within an hour driving. As far as hiking, if you want hills, most of Michigan is flat as a pancake, but there are some nice places around Traverse City / Sleeping Bear Dunes (north, approx. 4 hours driving)

The upper peninsula has awesome options for kayaking and backpacking at pictured rocks and isle royale, but those are about a 10 hour drive from Ann Arbor.

PS - I'm not from Michigan, so my knowledge of where to go might be limited.

[Nurse Wretched]

Forum posts generally don't contain a "central idea" that is then "developed" throughout the post. Especially when they are little more than a series of questions. Furthermore, if all homeless people were criminals, there would have been no need to ask separate questions about homelessness and crime. Hope this helps.

Getting back to Ann Arbor, about how far do you have to travel to get to rural or wilderness areas? Is there good hiking nearby?

If you weren't equating homelessness with crime on some level, why did it come up in a post about safety?

[Ruckby]

If you weren't equating homelessness with crime on some level, why did it come up in a post about safety?

Economically depressed cities tend to have higher crime rates than those with more prosperous economies. Homelessness rates are generally indicative of a city's economic state. Therefore, looking at the homelessness rate in Ann Arbor could yield information regarding its general state of public safety. This in no way indicates a belief that all homeless people are criminals.

[awvish]

Hi! This is a tangent, but I couldn't really think of anywhere else to post it, so here goes.

I'm going to be starting at UM this fall, and will not have time (because I'll be moving back from 2 years in Africa and want to spend time with my family in distant-from-Michigan-locales) to visit and find somewhere to live beforehand.

disucussed potentially rooming with other TGC members as a good alternative to Craigslist or departmentally facilitated introductions. Other than the arriving-in-mid-August thing, I'm a good house/roommate.

So, if anyone's even slightly interested, pm me? I didn't want to start a new forum just for this, but if other people are interested too, maybe we should make one?

[kdilks]

Economically depressed cities tend to have higher crime rates than those with more prosperous economies. Homelessness rates are generally indicative of a city's economic state. Therefore, looking at the homelessness rate in Ann Arbor could yield information regarding its general state of public safety. This in no way indicates a belief that all homeless people are criminals.

You had already asked about the state of public safety. Either you see the homeless as a specific threat to that, or there was no need to ask.

[Nurse Wretched]

Economically depressed cities tend to have higher crime rates than those with more prosperous economies. Homelessness rates are generally indicative of a city's economic state. Therefore, looking at the homelessness rate in Ann Arbor could yield information regarding its general state of public safety. This in no way indicates a belief that all homeless people are criminals.

Those are some sweeping generalizations. I grew up in Seattle, clearly not an economically struggling city and one with a low crime rate. We had a lot of homeless people per capita, because there were a lot of services, because they did well panhandling, because the weather isn't life-threatening. Ann Arbor has a lot of services, particularly compared to the economically-struggling southeast Michigan. If you really wanted to know the crime rate, wouldn't it be more direct to check the, I don't know, rate of crime? Extrapolating danger from homelessness is demeaning and ineffective.

[cyborges]

I'm an incoming phd student. Here's a re-cast question that's probably been asked about 100 times in this thread (I don't mention homelessness herein, so no worries):

I want a single bedroom apartment in AA that is not in the area where the undergrads live. I know that West and North are directions I should head, but Craigslist pictures and location strategizing should probably be supplemented with data from people in the know.

What is up with the "clubhouses" or apartments with such facilities that I see on CL? Are those real? They seem really tacky. Is it common from grad students to live in these places?

Are high-rise style apartments generally better than ground-level, faux-house units (10+ unit kind)? Or is it the other way around? Aesthetically, the idea of living the faux-house is less appealing, but I'm curious what both have to offer.

In the past, I've lived in apartments that have been a part of normal houses (3 stories or so). I'm sure Ann Arbor has these, but are they more difficult to come by? Is the market saturated with condos or corporate living? I prefer to live in a house-type apartment, but a one bedroom or studio seems rarer. Am I a right, or am I crazy and just not looking hard enough?

Last real question: I'm looking for september starting dates at a time when literally everyone else is too -- any advice on assuaging the terrible, stressful efforts of the housing search? Is Ypsi the answer to all my problems?

Alright, feel free to interpret my post in whatever way you see fit.

Oh, I almost forgot. I insist on bringing my Ford Mustang Mach1 (w/ spoiler). I recently removed the muffler and hope to wake you all up at 7am when I zoom off to my finance job. Will my car get keyed for being totally foolish-looking? Are homeless people typically keying fake-nice cars because they're all criminals?

[Iknownothing]

LoL Cyborges...best post on this forum ever. I don't actually have any answers for you, but I just wanted to say hello to a fellow incoming historian. We must have met at the prospective students weekend. I just accepted my offer yesterday! Cheers and good luck on the house hunting!

I'm an incoming phd student. Here's a re-cast question that's probably been asked about 100 times in this thread (I don't mention homelessness herein, so no worries):

I want a single bedroom apartment in AA that is not in the area where the undergrads live. I know that West and North are directions I should head, but Craigslist pictures and location strategizing should probably be supplemented with data from people in the know.

What is up with the "clubhouses" or apartments with such facilities that I see on CL? Are those real? They seem really tacky. Is it common from grad students to live in these places?

Are high-rise style apartments generally better than ground-level, faux-house units (10+ unit kind)? Or is it the other way around? Aesthetically, the idea of living the faux-house is less appealing, but I'm curious what both have to offer.

In the past, I've lived in apartments that have been a part of normal houses (3 stories or so). I'm sure Ann Arbor has these, but are they more difficult to come by? Is the market saturated with condos or corporate living? I prefer to live in a house-type apartment, but a one bedroom or studio seems rarer. Am I a right, or am I crazy and just not looking hard enough?

Last real question: I'm looking for september starting dates at a time when literally everyone else is too -- any advice on assuaging the terrible, stressful efforts of the housing search? Is Ypsi the answer to all my problems?

Alright, feel free to interpret my post in whatever way you see fit.

Oh, I almost forgot. I insist on bringing my Ford Mustang Mach1 (w/ spoiler). I recently removed the muffler and hope to wake you all up at 7am when I zoom off to my finance job. Will my car get keyed for being totally foolish-looking? Are homeless people typically keying fake-nice cars because they're all criminals?

[truc]

I'm an incoming phd student. Here's a re-cast question that's probably been asked about 100 times in this thread (I don't mention homelessness herein, so no worries):

I want a single bedroom apartment in AA that is not in the area where the undergrads live. I know that West and North are directions I should head, but Craigslist pictures and location strategizing should probably be supplemented with data from people in the know.

As a graduating undergrad I can give some advice on this topic. Look for anything in "Kerrytown" or the "Old West Side." This is where grad students, in my experience, tend to live. FWIW I like Kerrytown more because it is closer and has the food co-op.

What is up with the "clubhouses" or apartments with such facilities that I see on CL? Are those real? They seem really tacky. Is it common from grad students to live in these places?

Tacky, yes. Real, unfortunately also yes. The upside is that these are all on the outskirts of town and not located anywhere near campus. No clue if grad students commonly live there, undergrads don't.

Are high-rise style apartments generally better than ground-level, faux-house units (10+ unit kind)? Or is it the other way around? Aesthetically, the idea of living the faux-house is less appealing, but I'm curious what both have to offer.

In the past, I've lived in apartments that have been a part of normal houses (3 stories or so). I'm sure Ann Arbor has these, but are they more difficult to come by? Is the market saturated with condos or corporate living? I prefer to live in a house-type apartment, but a one bedroom or studio seems rarer. Am I a right, or am I crazy and just not looking hard enough?

We don't have many high-rise style apartment buildings (I think there are 4: University Towers, Zaragon Place, 411 Lofts, and Tower Plaza). Smaller apartment buildings (not the faux-house variety) and houses divided into apartments are the norm. I don't think downtown / campus area Ann Arbor knows what a corporate condo is.

One bedrooms and studios are rarer at this stage of the game (leases for september 2011 were first available to sign in october 2010), but much easier to come by in small apartment buildings as opposed to apartments in houses.

Last real question: I'm looking for september starting dates at a time when literally everyone else is too -- any advice on assuaging the terrible, stressful efforts of the housing search? Is Ypsi the answer to all my problems?

I recommend the university's off campus housing website (http://www.offcampus...du/lt/index.cfm), it is definitely way better for finding apartments near campus than craigslist. In my opinion, Ypsi is not the answer; however, I don't have a car, which, from the rest of your post, I gather you do...

[Ruckby]

You had already asked about the state of public safety. Either you see the homeless as a specific threat to that, or there was no need to ask.

Well now, that's a false dichotomy fallacy. You see, most people on this forum are not public safety experts. Therefore, it is likely that additional information (past merely their personal opinion of public safety) can be gleaned by asking about indicators of public safety in a given city. I hope this clarifies things for you.

[Ruckby]

Those are some sweeping generalizations. I grew up in Seattle, clearly not an economically struggling city and one with a low crime rate. We had a lot of homeless people per capita, because there were a lot of services, because they did well panhandling, because the weather isn't life-threatening. Ann Arbor has a lot of services, particularly compared to the economically-struggling southeast Michigan. If you really wanted to know the crime rate, wouldn't it be more direct to check the, I don't know, rate of crime? Extrapolating danger from homelessness is demeaning and ineffective.

That's why you shouldn't be extrapolating danger from homelessness, which you are the only one here doing. Also, you might want to look up the word "tendency", as it has implications in the generality of my questions.

[cyborges]

That's why you shouldn't be extrapolating danger from homelessness, which you are the only one here doing. Also, you might want to look up the word "tendency", as it has implications in the generality of my questions.

excuse me, I'll be having the last word here.

can we stop littering the forum with some pointless clarifications?

[ZeChocMoose]

I'm an incoming phd student. Here's a re-cast question that's probably been asked about 100 times in this thread (I don't mention homelessness herein, so no worries):

I want a single bedroom apartment in AA that is not in the area where the undergrads live. I know that West and North are directions I should head, but Craigslist pictures and location strategizing should probably be supplemented with data from people in the know.

What is up with the "clubhouses" or apartments with such facilities that I see on CL? Are those real? They seem really tacky. Is it common from grad students to live in these places?

Are high-rise style apartments generally better than ground-level, faux-house units (10+ unit kind)? Or is it the other way around? Aesthetically, the idea of living the faux-house is less appealing, but I'm curious what both have to offer.

In the past, I've lived in apartments that have been a part of normal houses (3 stories or so). I'm sure Ann Arbor has these, but are they more difficult to come by? Is the market saturated with condos or corporate living? I prefer to live in a house-type apartment, but a one bedroom or studio seems rarer. Am I a right, or am I crazy and just not looking hard enough?

Last real question: I'm looking for september starting dates at a time when literally everyone else is too -- any advice on assuaging the terrible, stressful efforts of the housing search? Is Ypsi the answer to all my problems?

Alright, feel free to interpret my post in whatever way you see fit.

Oh, I almost forgot. I insist on bringing my Ford Mustang Mach1 (w/ spoiler). I recently removed the muffler and hope to wake you all up at 7am when I zoom off to my finance job. Will my car get keyed for being totally foolish-looking? Are homeless people typically keying fake-nice cars because they're all criminals?

Welcome cyborges! I'm an incoming graduate student as well that just secured housing. I actually was looking for a one bedroom apt in a house, but couldn't find one that met all my criteria (1-1.5 miles away from campus, off-street parking, laundry, ~500 sq feet, cat friendly, etc). I ended up in a small apartment building with less than 15 units. I would echo the advice to try Kerrytown or the Old Westside. The apartments that I saw that weren't in these areas were definitely geared towards undergraduates and didn't look like they were well maintained (at least not the ones that I saw!). My realtor also referred to these areas (mostly south of Central Campus) as the "student ghetto." That didn't seem conducive to studying...

I also got the impression that apartments go quickly. I would recommend planning a trip to AA soon and going to see several apartments. I set up 10 appointments about a week to a couple days before I visited. Surprisingly, 2 out of the 10 were rented before I had a chance to see them. I found a couple that I liked and put down a deposit that day.

Good luck!

[cyborges]

Welcome cyborges! I'm an incoming graduate student as well that just secured housing. I actually was looking for a one bedroom apt in a house, but couldn't find one that met all my criteria (1-1.5 miles away from campus, off-street parking, laundry, ~500 sq feet, cat friendly, etc). I ended up in a small apartment building with less than 15 units. I would echo the advice to try Kerrytown or the Old Westside. The apartments that I saw that weren't in these areas were definitely geared towards undergraduates and didn't look like they were well maintained (at least not the ones that I saw!). My realtor also referred to these areas (mostly south of Central Campus) as the "student ghetto." That didn't seem conducive to studying...

I also got the impression that apartments go quickly. I would recommend planning a trip to AA soon and going to see several apartments. I set up 10 appointments about a week to a couple days before I visited. Surprisingly, 2 out of the 10 were rented before I had a chance to see them. I found a couple that I liked and put down a deposit that day.

Good luck!

Thanks for your post. Today I also began the process of signing a lease, but I did so without visiting. I found that when I searched for "Ann Arbor 1 Bedroom September" I found several realty companies that had places, with pictures, that had a suitable move in date for my needs. I'm glad I didn't bother with craigslist as a result, mostly for time reasons related to contacting people and negotiating something like this from afar. Anyway, I pass along this info for anyone else interested. You might pay a tad bit more than you would on craigslist, but I found an affordable 1 bedroom in a house, closer than 1.5 miles from school, and in a nice neighborhood.

[Bimmerman]

I'm 99% set on going to UMich in the fall for a MechE PhD, and am definitely looking for a place to live!

Questions about the town though:

how bad are the roads? I'm a car nut as well as a soon-to-be grad student.

Is there any good trail biking nearby?

What is the average monthly rent for a room in a decent house/apartment?

[Iknownothing]

I'm 99% set on going to UMich in the fall for a MechE PhD, and am definitely looking for a place to live!

Questions about the town though:

how bad are the roads? I'm a car nut as well as a soon-to-be grad student.

Is there any good trail biking nearby?

What is the average monthly rent for a room in a decent house/apartment?

Hi Bimmerman,

Oddly enough, the biking trails were also a concern of mine when considering my move to AA. I found a great website about nearby trails:

http://www.a2skiclub.org/biking/

[Nurse Wretched]

The roads are terrible. Freeze-thaw cycles and lots of salt create potholes you could get lost in. The fifth season in Michigan is Road Work.

That said, I do love my 85mph commute. Traffic rules are really guidelines here, and you will be driven over if you don't match the speed of traffic.

[paint]

The roads aren't the best for biking but it's doable (and totally fine for commuting). The highways are in good shape for the most part.

Grad students looking for places to live should also look south of campus, south of the undergrad area (south of Wells). Burns Park is where a lot of faculty and families live and there are a decent number of nice apartments in the area (almost all in houses). You can go further south along Packard and get some good deals but you'll have to take the bus to campus. Woodbury Gardens is a decent complex if you prefer that.

[radagast]

What about cell phone service? I am considering switching to Sprint during the summer but want to make sure the service is okay in Ann Arbor.

[fumblewhat]

So, I currenly live in Japan and I won't be making it into Ann Arbor until mid-August. Anyone have any suggestions for a long distance housing search? Should I wait until I land in Ann Arbor to start looking or should I try to secure it now? I'm uneasy signing a lease sight-unseen, though maybe this wouldn't be such a risk at a complex. The problem is most complexes are a teensy bit out of my price range (I'm really pushing for something under $750), and since I'm not planning on buying a car, Ypsilanti is probably out of the picture. (Unless someone wants to tell me otherwise!)

Any suggestions?

[Tall Chai Latte]

So, I currenly live in Japan and I won't be making it into Ann Arbor until mid-August. Anyone have any suggestions for a long distance housing search? Should I wait until I land in Ann Arbor to start looking or should I try to secure it now? I'm uneasy signing a lease sight-unseen, though maybe this wouldn't be such a risk at a complex. The problem is most complexes are a teensy bit out of my price range (I'm really pushing for something under $750), and since I'm not planning on buying a car, Ypsilanti is probably out of the picture. (Unless someone wants to tell me otherwise!)

Any suggestions?

Long distance housing search is difficult, but doable. I'm a domestic student, but my hometown is about 10 hours (driving) away from Ann Arbor before I started grad school. I found my current place by sending mass emails asking if anyone is looking for a roommate, with the intention of moving to a better place next year. Sharing apartments definitely cuts down the cost, something you can consider if you don't mind having roommates. As for getting a car or not, Ann Arbor itself is convenient and the bus system takes you everywhere. If you choose to live in Ypsi, having a car won't help with commute because there is no on-campus parking for students (those are for faculty and staff), and regular public parking won't go easy on your wallet. Having a car definitely makes grocery shopping easier, also if you want to explore areas outside of Michigan having a car helps as well.

Just my two cents. Hope this helps.

[Fem18]

Any one have any advice about gyms? What are the university gyms like, and do they offer classes? I'll be in kerrytown and I'd like to find a gym nearby, because I won't have a car.

[Tall Chai Latte]

Any one have any advice about gyms? What are the university gyms like, and do they offer classes? I'll be in kerrytown and I'd like to find a gym nearby, because I won't have a car.

There are gym facilities on campus. Most people I know are from Medical School and Central Campus, and we all use CCRB, access is free for anyone with valid Mcard (if no Mcard... 30 bucks!!!). You can look them up online (http://www.recsports.umich.edu/facilities/ccrb.html). The Kinesiology department does offer classes, but I haven't signed up for any classes yet, so can't help you there. You should be perfectly fine living in Kerrytown, the gym is close to Central Campus Transit Center...

Hope this helps.

[awvish]

I'd also be really interested to know which cell service providers work well in Ann Arbor (both in terms of coverage and having an accessible branch office in case a phone has an issue...). Anyone? Anyone? (Thanks!)

[Tall Chai Latte]

I'd also be really interested to know which cell service providers work well in Ann Arbor (both in terms of coverage and having an accessible branch office in case a phone has an issue...). Anyone? Anyone? (Thanks!)

Hi awvish. Are you an international student? I think most major service carriers in the US work. I have been using AT&T for years and doesn't have a problem in Ann Arbor, lots people seem to have AT&T because I see iPhones everywhere on campus. Verizon is also an alternative, but a bit more expensive. Both have a branch office near campus.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Tall Chai Latte