Is Ann Arbor the best town in Michigan to raise a family?
Never thought I'd say this, but we're debating a move back to Michigan. As far as I can see, Ann Arbor area is the most stable, progressive and cosmopolitan region in the state. Or is Ann Arbor a peer to Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Hills, Birmingham, Northville, East Grand Rapids? Wife heard South Lyon is booming and could be a stable investment.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:17 PM ^
You couldn't pay me to live anywhere in SE Michigan. After 20 years on the shores of Lake Michigan, no comparison at all.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:39 PM ^
Winters can be tough for sure. Some are better than others but if you've never experienced it, I could see people not liking it. Gray, overcast and you know... snowing all the time!
And that was just living in Grand Rapids. Grand Haven and Muskegon? I just don't know, man. Although I'd take the West Michigan lakeshore in the summer at the drop of hat. Beautiful.
January 13th, 2015 at 7:31 PM ^
I grew up in Muskegon and never lived more than 2 miles in a straight line from Lake Michigan.
The snow ain't that bad. It's only 110"
The lake is great. The beaches are great.
There are no jobs. There is barely anything to do culturally without driving 30-60 minutes. It's areas of Whiteyville surrounded by ghetto.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:04 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:01 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
I've read the entire thread, and the only intolerant asshole is...you, Mr. Diversity!
January 17th, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
According to the 2010 census, Ann Arbor is almost 10% whiter than Grand Rapids by population percentage. The university is known for its diversity, but the city proper is really not that diverse.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:17 PM ^
If West side, EGR is definitely safe bet along with Grand Haven, Spring Lake, N. Muskegon to name a few. Don't know that much about the east side. AA seems to have a bit of the rather arrogant type although I've met more good people there than the former so I think these people are just being pretentious. For investment purposes you really can't go wrong with any of these or the burbs you listed on the E. Side. All are full of money.
You might want to look into Gross Point(e?) as well. I like Lake Michigan so that's why I chose N. Muskegon.January 13th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^
Minus the weather, I would move back to Ann Arbor in a heartbeat. I live in Evanston now, which is like a poor man's Ann Arbor. The best thing about towns like this is diversity. My son just started Evanston Township High School, and when I pick him up after school, I can't believe that all these very different kids go into this one building and co-exist everyday. My son's best friends are not at all like him socioeconomically or racially. I don't know if you can find that in more suburban towns (nor do I know if Ann Arbor is as diverse). But I guess it depends what you're looking for. Ann Arbor, to me, is the perfect balance of progressiveness, intelligence, good eating establishments (and therefore people who appreciate good food), and year round sports to follow.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:36 PM ^
If it were me, I'd choose Grand Rapids, and probably EGR in particular. EGR has outstanding schools, well maintained, character-filled older homes, and a lovely "downtown" in Gaslight Village. It is adjacent to Eastown, Cherry Hill, and downtown GR, yet is very quiet and peaceful. With close proximity to some of the very best beaches in the state (Grand Haven, Holland, Pere Marquette), a vibrant downtown (GR), and a low cost of living, the area is hard to beat.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:51 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:12 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:43 PM ^
... I'd say that A2 is perfect for a family of eskimos.
January 13th, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:15 PM ^
I believe Detroit would be the most Progressive city in the state. It's been run by "progressives" for decades!
January 13th, 2015 at 9:45 PM ^
or GR!
January 13th, 2015 at 9:53 PM ^
I would move back to W MI in a heartbeat but he wife hates the cold.
Lived in small town called Hudsonville, just SW of GR. Very good schools, little to no crime and very affordable housing.
January 13th, 2015 at 11:55 PM ^
Product of the suburbs. Have lived in downtown Detroit and Cleveland (med school and fellowship respectively).
We loved Plymouth, too, when we lived there.
January 14th, 2015 at 12:52 AM ^
We moved from Portland, OR because of my dad's job (he's an engineer) and were really disappointed with the staunch conservatism from the predominately old people living in the city. However the schools were great, and as the years passed a lot of people with "new money" so to speak moved in from South Lyon and Plymouth and other surrounding areas into one of the many new subdivisions with huge houses by the high school to raise their families. One benefit of the the new housing is that Northville, specifically Northville Schools are now increasingly diverse with more families of different backgrounds, especially Indian and Chinese moving in. Schools are still great, about 40 kids including myself made it to UM (LSA, Engineering, Nursing, Art/Design and even Theatre) from my graduating class, with a couple kids getting to the Ivies. But make no mistake, it is still extremely conservative (I spent all 13 years in Northville Public Schools and never had Martin Luther King Day off).
As with any upper middle class suburb, there is an insane amount of classism, with a huge portion of family's budgets going towards keeping up with the Jones', personal finances be damned. So the pressure to trade in your Lincoln and upgrade your iPhone every year is everpresent.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:22 AM ^
Northville area families actually buy new Lincolns every year? Always assumed they were company cars.
January 14th, 2015 at 2:05 AM ^
Grew up in Bloomfield.
Lived, worked in:
Sault Ste. Marie
Brighton
Kalamazoo
Charlevoix
Saugatuck/Grand Rapids
Warren/Mt. Clemens
We just moved this past summer and were SO TORN between the GR/Ada area and Brighton.
AA is great, but for the land we wanted, AA (and parts of GR) were out of our price range.
Ultimately, we chose Brighton because it was affordable (barely) & kept us closer to aging/bad health relatives and more family friends.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
Congrats! If money wasn't a concern, where would you have purchased? Are kids doing Brighton public or Catholic Central in Novi (apparently popular with Brighton families)?
January 17th, 2015 at 4:46 PM ^
Well there is Zingermans, Maize and Blue Deli, Pizza Bob's and Blimpy.
January 17th, 2015 at 5:04 PM ^
I know this is an old thread, but now that it's back I just have to point something out regarding diversity. I keep seeing people posting about the diversity of AA being a selling point over a place like GR. According to census data, this is a myth. Ann Arbor is significantly whiter than Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids: 64.6% white
Ann Arbor: 73% white
I think people are conflating their university experiences with the city itself. I loved AA as a student, but I prefer GR as a graduate.
EDIT: This wasn't meant to be a reply. Derp.