Ann Arbor, MI

[awvish]

Hi awvish. Are you an international student? I think most major service carriers in the US works. 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.

Hi Tall Chai. I'm a current Peace Corps Volunteer (coming home this week!), and I've never had a cell phone before. Well, not outside of Africa. So I don't know a lot about them, and don't want to get one with no coverage.

Thanks for the information!

[fumblewhat]

Hey all,

I'm looking at an apartment just east of the stadium - north of Stadium Boulevard between Packard and State Street. It's not too far from campus and relatively near a Kroger grocery -- which matters because I won't have a car. Here's my question! Is that going to be a very undergraduate intensive or social area? Obviously there'd be some increased traffic on game days... Anyone in the know on this?

Thanks!

[Tall Chai Latte]

Hey all,

I'm looking at an apartment just east of the stadium - north of Stadium Boulevard between Packard and State Street. It's not too far from campus and relatively near a Kroger grocery -- which matters because I won't have a car. Here's my question! Is that going to be a very undergraduate intensive or social area? Obviously there'd be some increased traffic on game days... Anyone in the know on this?

Thanks!

Definitely terrible traffic on game days for sure. I'm not sure if it's very undergrad intensive where you are at, but those houses along State street, leading all the way up to Central Campus, is very undergrad intensive. It should be alright...

[cyborges]

Here's a fun question: is the UM Credit Union a good place to bank? What are the major banks in Ann Arbor?

I ask this because I'm interested in being a part of a credit union or other localized banking system in Ann Arbor, not because I don't know what Bank of America is (I have that now). I'm mostly concerned with ATM surcharges, as probably nobody in the world could have worse interest rates/random fees for their customers than BoA (also please note: I am not an econ/finance major, this could be patently untrue).

[newms]

Hi cyborges,

U-M has a survey of local banks here (.pdf) that has a handy comparison of rates, policies and the number of branches each bank has in Ann Arbor. I believe that TCF Bank is the partner bank for U-Ms Mcard - which allows your U-M ID card to be used as a debit card. So you may want to consider that as well.There's also Key Bank, but I'm not sure why that wasn't included in the linked survey.

Edited May 11, 2011 by newms

[timuralp]

Also, consider the availability of ATMs. For example, I use KeyBank because it's close to my house, but they only have 3 ATMs in town. One's on Main St, which is nice, but there is nothing close to central campus. Some banks have terms where they waive some number of ATM fees/month and/or reimburse fees imposed by other banks. Finally, I've found that now I charge everything to my credit card, since I get Delta miles for it and then pay it off each month. Just another model to consider.

In terms of interest rates, sadly I think interest on checking is virtually non-existent and savings account interest is well below inflation. I don't think they change significantly across the board. I might be wrong though

[fumblewhat]

U-M has a survey of local banks here (.pdf) that has a handy comparison of rates, policies and the number of branches each bank has in Ann Arbor. .

I'm surprised not to see Chase Bank on that list. Is it safe to assume they're as ubiquitous in Ann Arbor as they are the rest of the country?

[Tall Chai Latte]

I'm surprised not to see Chase Bank on that list. Is it safe to assume they're as ubiquitous in Ann Arbor as they are the rest of the country?

Chase bank is actually everywhere in Ann Arbor. I have my accounts with them.

[Tall Chai Latte]

Hi cyborges,

U-M has a survey of local banks here (.pdf) that has a handy comparison of rates, policies and the number of branches each bank has in Ann Arbor. I believe that TCF Bank is the partner bank for U-Ms Mcard - which allows your U-M ID card to be used as a debit card. So you may want to consider that as well.There's also Key Bank, but I'm not sure why that wasn't included in the linked survey.

I had concerns with the MCard debit card from TCF Bank though. It is very convenient for sure. One thing to consider is that if you take the bus everyday and have to swipe your MCard a gazzilion times, maybe the magnetic stripe on the back of the card might get scratched up after some time (not sure if it will really happen). Also, what if you lose your MCard? I guess I am the more careful type of person, so I have separate debit/credit cards from my MCard. Just some other perspective newms

[newms]

I had concerns with the MCard debit card from TCF Bank though. It is very convenient for sure. One thing to consider is that if you take the bus everyday and have to swipe your MCard a gazzilion times, maybe the magnetic stripe on the back of the card might get scratched up after some time (not sure if it will really happen). Also, what if you lose your MCard? I guess I am the more careful type of person, so I have separate debit/credit cards from my MCard. Just some other perspective newms

That is definitely something to think about. The increased wear would probably mean you'd probably have to replace your debit card (if you used your MCard as a debit card) more often than if you had a separate debit card.

[fumblewhat]

OK, everyone. I have a confession. I still haven't signed a lease because I can't make up my feeble little mind. Maybe you all can help me.

If you had to commute to the central campus in the winter, would you rather have....

A) an apartment with a great location on the Old West Side, about a 20 minute walk (1 mile) from campus, but without a very usable bus line (only goes 5 blocks before dropping me off again)

OR

B ) a much nicer apartment in a nice complex south of campus (2 miles) on two usable bus lines that (unfortunately!) stop at 10 pm.

Would living way south of campus make me socially isolated? I'd rather go with the place on the Old West Side, but it seems like I'd be walking or biking in all manner of weather (in the snow, up hill, both ways) there. But then again, with the complex down south, those early stopping bus lines could leave me in a fix as well.

I don't feel like I know the areas well enough to make this call! Thoughts and opinions welcome!!

[newms]

Hey fumblewhat, keep in mind that there are taxi services arranged by UMich that are available after 10pm. See here: http://pts.umich.edu/taking_the_bus/special_services.php So the early stopping bus lines don't have to be a social life killer. Good luck with your decision!

[Tall Chai Latte]

OK, everyone. I have a confession. I still haven't signed a lease because I can't make up my feeble little mind. Maybe you all can help me.

If you had to commute to the central campus in the winter, would you rather have....

A) an apartment with a great location on the Old West Side, about a 20 minute walk (1 mile) from campus, but without a very usable bus line (only goes 5 blocks before dropping me off again)

OR

B ) a much nicer apartment in a nice complex south of campus (2 miles) on two usable bus lines that (unfortunately!) stop at 10 pm.

Would living way south of campus make me socially isolated? I'd rather go with the place on the Old West Side, but it seems like I'd be walking or biking in all manner of weather (in the snow, up hill, both ways) there. But then again, with the complex down south, those early stopping bus lines could leave me in a fix as well.

I don't feel like I know the areas well enough to make this call! Thoughts and opinions welcome!!

Hey fumblewhat. My current living situation is similar to your option B. I commute to central campus everyday on the bus. Having lived here for almost a year (3 miles south of central campus), I have to say that living way south provides me with the peace of mind I prefer (I just can't stand all the commotion from game days and drunk undergrads), but the downside is commute during winter (too much brrrr). Yeah, it does suck when you want to have a drink out late with your friends and then say "oops gotta go, my last bus is coming", this happened to me all the time. But you know, you'll find ways around that, and your friends will understand. I don't think living way south is a bad option, and honestly, your first year of grad school will keep you busy. Time will fly by you fast, and you'll have a better idea where to live next year.

[awvish]

Hi...

I know I've posted about this before, but does anyone have information on cell phone carriers? I've heard that AT&T and Verizon are good in Ann Arbor, but what about smaller (prepaid/pay as you go) carriers?

Anyone?

[kapture]

Hi,

I'm bumping this up bc I had the same question as awvish. I'm looking at Virgin Mobile, which runs on the Sprint network, and was wondering how well it works in the Northwood housing area, as well as throughout Ann Arbor and Michigan?

Thanks!

[timuralp]

I know I've posted about this before, but does anyone have information on cell phone carriers? I've heard that AT&T and Verizon are good in Ann Arbor, but what about smaller (prepaid/pay as you go) carriers?

Not exactly small, but T-Mobile's pay as you go service is fine, as far as I can tell. I've used them very sparsely, but didn't seem to have any issues.

I'm bumping this up bc I had the same question as awvish. I'm looking at Virgin Mobile, which runs on the Sprint network, and was wondering how well it works in the Northwood housing area, as well as throughout Ann Arbor and Michigan?

In general, I have friends that have Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon. I haven't had a dropped call while talking to any of them in Ann Arbor. Can't say much about Northwood in particular or Michigan in general, though. I believe that within the city all providers will be fine, to varying degrees, but you won't be completely disconnected. If it doesn't work out, you can change carriers at the end of your contract. Sorry I could not be of more help.

[awvish]

Hey,

I have Virgin Mobile now and have been in Ann Arbor for nearly a month. I'd say that service seems to be fine, although if you're deep in a building you may not have it. Anywhere that I'd want to talk, though (like outside) seems to work great, although I don't use data that much. If you're a browsing-mad universal coverage-wanter, it may not be for you, but it suits me fine.

Hope that helps a little.

Hi,

I'm bumping this up bc I had the same question as awvish. I'm looking at Virgin Mobile, which runs on the Sprint network, and was wondering how well it works in the Northwood housing area, as well as throughout Ann Arbor and Michigan?

Thanks!

[Guest]

Does anyone have any recommendations for internet service, AT&T versus Comcast in Ann Arbor? I'm hesitant to sign up for AT&T because they run on DSL (generally slower and less reliable than cable), but I've heard nothing but horror stories about Comcast's service and charges (and they're definitely more expensive). Anyone have a suggestion?

[TypeA]

It's been a few months, but if you're still looking--but just to share my story: I had Comcast last year. We managed to get a deal through a local authorized Comcast dealer (located on Industrial, I believe) where we got Basic Cable with HD, DVR, HBO/Showtime and high-speed internet for $89.99 for 9 months. That's their usual bundled cable/internet deal, but we got the HD/DVR/premium channels for free. I'm not sure if they're offering that again this year, but it's worth calling to find out if you're interested (granted, I only would be interested in a situation where I had a roommate to split the costs). A word of caution though--they don't notify you when those 9 months are up. We got nailed with a ~$200 bill the month that they transitioned back to normal payments. That said, they let us switch back to the basic package for the remaining 3 months of my lease without any fuss.

[timuralp]

Also, AT&T u-verse is fiber to the neighborhood in most of Ann Arbor (I think), which is not as nice as fiber to premises, but the speeds are pretty nice and it is reliable. However, it is more expensive -- at least for the packages I've looked at. I have the Comcast economy packages (which they somehow don't offer anymore) and get their slowest Internet connection + expanded basic for $50/month. The 1.5 Mbps link is not great, but it works for the small stuff (including watching movies off Amazon prime) and I'm in the office often enough to make it tolerable.

[earlenceferns]

Is there any Brazilian Zouk dancing scene in Ann Arbor or nearby areas? I know theres salsa and bachata, but I'm looking for zouk/lambada.

Its an important part of my life

-Earlence

[ChibaCityBlues]

Anyone attending UMich in the fall who wants to spend the summer looking for a good place, I'm subletting my 1br apartment.

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/sub/2860090070.html

[ellie811]

I'm moving to Ann Arbor in mid August and am looking for a place to live. I'll be getting my masters in social work and my husband will be a law clerk. We have one car and mainly bike/walk now, and would like to continue that. I've heard Kerrytown is the place to be, and the distance to my building and his work look pretty good from there, but rent is expensive. I'm looking for a quiet 2 bedroom (or BIG one bedroom) that allows a cat.

Anyone know of anything like that?

My program is 16 months, and I'm not sure if we'll be moving after that, but most likely.

[Chasely]

I'm moving to Ann Arbor in mid August and am looking for a place to live. I'll be getting my masters in social work and my husband will be a law clerk. We have one car and mainly bike/walk now, and would like to continue that. I've heard Kerrytown is the place to be, and the distance to my building and his work look pretty good from there, but rent is expensive. I'm looking for a quiet 2 bedroom (or BIG one bedroom) that allows a cat.

Anyone know of anything like that?

My program is 16 months, and I'm not sure if we'll be moving after that, but most likely.

I lived in Kerrytown, and did enjoy it very much. It's within walking distance to pretty much everything you need. I'm an engineering student, so I was able to catch the buses to north campus with a few-minutes walk.

A good two bedroom apartment in Kerrytown is going to run you at least $1200/month. Sorry, that's just the way it is. And you should start looking right now. Craigslist is your best friend. I created an RSS feed for places that would interest me, but I also checked CL multiple times a day anyway.

Depending on where your husband will work, parking could be a PITA. You do have to buy a street permit for the Kerrytown area now. This keeps students going to classes from parking in Kerrytown. I don't know how much it costs though, we moved a few months before that went into effect.

A lot of places will allow a cat, it's fairly common in that area.

We moved out of Kerrytown because we felt that we weren't getting enough for our money. We ended up moving to the northwest side of town (off of Pontiac Trail), and ended up paying $1200/month for a 3-bedroom with a yard (I like to garden!). Although we do miss the convenience of Kerrytown, I can still take a bus to central or north campus (the AATA bus, not U-M's bus), it's even quieter, and we feel that we just have more "us" space.

Good luck in your search and reply if you have any more questions.

[ghanada]

Hi all,

I too am moving to Ann Arbor to start a biomedical engineering PhD this fall. I will split my time between central and north campus for classes but my research lab will most likely be in north campus. I would like a 1 bdrm for under $1000/month and I don't necessarily want a car if I don't need it. I have so far heard Kerrytown is nice, but a little pricey. The other places I have heard about are Willowtree, which sounds overpriced and in bad condition, or Northwood which sounds ok but overpriced. Are there any more opinions about these places or other great locations to look at? I would def. prefer quieter areas that are at least close to some restaurants (in case I don't get a car).