Is Ann Arbor the best town in Michigan to raise a family?

Submitted by diag squirrel on

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.

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bringthewood

January 14th, 2015 at 8:00 PM ^

I raised my kids in Milford. The politics in the Ann Arbor were a bit to left of center for me. Much of my perspective comes from being born, raised and educated in the city. I am less in touch with me the politics since I left. I do think I got a good education and the diversity of not just race but economics and religion was nice. Going to school with professor' kid was cool. And I also knew Bo's stepsons, Canham and Ufer. My dad was raised there and owned a small business just off campus. I am thinking of moving back when I retire but glad my kids did not go to school there.

Joined: 09/07/2009

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lawlright

January 13th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^

Do you actually live in Kalamazoo? The only thing bustling in Kalamazoo is the bars downtown on a Friday/Saturday night. Or downtown Bronson/Zoettis/MPI because the three employ several-thousand people. There isn't much else here to work for not named a Bronson, Stryker, Zoettis, or a Pfizer. Yes free college education is sweet, but first you have to go to a Kalamazoo public school which is a major trade-off. Also, didn't the major art center downtown by the train tracks threaten to shut down due to funding?

I've worked downtown Kalamazoo the last 5 years. KPS works hard, but they have a lot of work to do. The nice thing about that, and just being 100% honest here, as a white-male, most KPS don't even give me a second glance. Kalamazoo is a very "ghetto" place and unfortunatly, the top attractions to the city is probably a bar and the downtown entertainment district. I guess you could also throw in Bells to the list, but I feel like by now, Bells could be so much more than it is as a bar. The beer is great, the bar, with the amount of money they're raking in, is mediocre.

Portage is a nice littly city, that's very proud of itself, but has been stuck in the "same-old" for the past 25 years. Very little has changed. You exchange one chain restaurant for the other. It's nice and safe, and many of the residential areas are secluded yet always near by the inner-city, but that's about it. It's funny that the city that has the most restaurants per capita of anywhere in the US (at least a couple years ago did not sure today) doesn't actually have one single restraunt worth going to. That's kind of a mind boggling stat when you think about it. 

Living in SW MI my whole life, I would say just avoid it. South of Grand Rapids and west of Lansing there is nothing really good here. It's far from a progressive area. Many counties are drug and teen-pregnancy ladened and incredibly broke. Most public schools in the area are probably not "great". There are not many large corporations not listed above. Even the healthcare industry in much of the area is really struggling and many are operating in the red. Manufacturing is hit or miss with GM plants offering no where near the wages they once did, and anything new and progressive such as the LG battery plant has been shut-down.

Now having family in the Jackson, Chelsea, Ann Arbor, and Dexter areas, you have a lot more money, and IMO a lot more diversity. Better schools in certain areas, and while you come to expect crime in certain areas, I would say overall better than SW MI. There are more industries there than your standard manufacturing. Google is trying to push more into A2 but I think is struggling with that some.

As someone with 30 years of living in MI I would say this: I love this state, but I think there are much better places to live. If you have free choice, choose Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Ann Arbor (area), or even anywhere in the "fingers" part of the state. Stay away from SW MI.

Joined: 11/08/2013

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Blue Baughs

January 13th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/03/25/kalamazoo-literary-…

This shows the national recognition for the Kalamazoo literature scene, coupled with constant art festivals, art hops, and art and craft shows that run all year long.

Honestly when someone tells me Kalamazoo is ghetto, all i really hear is "hey im a close minded racist that is scared of colored folk". 

Ive lived in Kalamazoo alot longer than you. Kalamazoo is a clean affordable college town that has made the top 100 cities to live list multiple times including ln the 90's when it took a turn at #1 in the country.

It was also listed in 2013 by CNN as the 21st best place in America to find a job.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/08/cnn_kalam…

Either way you are entitled to your own misguided opinions all you want, but i can attest that Kalamazoo is a great place to live and raise kids.

Joined: 12/19/2014

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switch26

January 13th, 2015 at 3:29 PM ^

Ive lived in holland my whole life except when i went to college and ive watched it change big time.. it is not the whitest city anymore.. maybe like 15 years ago..

 

Walk into any elementary school in the area and see who the minority is.  Typically 5-10 white kids now per class and that's it.  And no im not being racist, im just poiinting out the fact that it is not like that anymore at all.  The hispanic population was almost 40% not long ago.

 

Zeeland is more white people, but even that has drastically changed big time over the last 10-15 years.

 

With that being said Holland was still listed as one of the top 5 places to raise a family..  Not sure about the best towns for diversity of jobs though

Joined: 02/04/2010

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Meeeeshigan

January 13th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^

Real estate is much cheaper on the west side of Michigan. $600K+ will buy you a huge house/property here. There just aren't that many listings in that range. Even in the nicer suburbs of EGR, Ada, & Cascade, your money goes pretty far.

We moved to East Grand Rapids from the North side of Chicago (Buena Park/Wrigleyville) eight years ago, and our cost of living was literally cut in half. I would highly recommend this area: great public schools, very safe, low cost of living, easy drive to Ann Arbor for Fall Saturdays or Chicago for a weekend, not to mention easy access to Lake Michigan and Northwest Michigan in the summers. It is a bit conservative, but downtown GR is slowly starting to become more interesting, with more going on, more to do, etc.

EGR was just listed this year as the "most educated city" in Michigan (a position Ann Arbor has always traditionally held) with highest percentage of citizens holding college/graduate degrees.

Joined: 11/01/2010

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Z

January 13th, 2015 at 5:57 PM ^

I would group East Grand Rapids separately from Ada and Forest Hills just because they are so different, and both are great depending on what you are looking for.

EGR is going to have a more urban feel with the ability to walk to a lot of unique local shops and restaurants.  In that way it is more similar to living in Ann Arbor.  You are also [generally] going to pay more per square foot than if you go further east to Ada/Cascade/Forest Hills, and property taxes are more than 50% higher.

Ada/Cascade are more suburban.  You don't walk to the market, you drive to Meijer or a close Spartan Store.  I would classify homes here as more affordable but you give up the urban kitch if that is your thing.  For reference, a year ago I closed on a 2,500ft, 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bath with a finished basement in a developed neighborhood in Ada for $290K.  Also a great public school district - Forest Hills is one of the best of the state and I would say on the same level as East Grand Rapids schools from a reputation standpoint (some in EGR may not agree ;)

I love Greater Grand Rapids just because the downtown area has so much more to do and places to visit than even 10 years ago.  I also believe recession proof due to the huge presence of the medical community in this area.

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Don

January 13th, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^

Some of you seem to believe that everybody in Ann Arbor smokes crack, belongs to a transgender gang that terrorizes old people, and firebombs churches on weekends.

We've lived in a neighborhood on the west side of A2 (about 1/4 m from original Knight's) for 15 years, and it's filled with young families with children, dogs, strollers, joggers, bicyclists, well-manicured lawns and well-kept homes. Our block is filled with great people of all ages, and property values have recovered nicely from the recession. I grew up in Grosse Pointe in the '50s and '60s, and while I loved it at the time, I'd pick A2 every time as a place to raise my kid.

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bringthewood

January 13th, 2015 at 4:38 PM ^

That neighbohood has changed in the last 40 years. Spring street near Knights market was a bit scary in the 1960's with race issues. As property values began rise the neighborhood got gentrified and more upscale.

The 60's in Ann Arbor as a kid was not a pleasant time but I am sure that was true elsewhere as well. Again I think it depends upon your political leanings, the farther left you are, the more comfortable Ann Arbor will be.

Joined: 09/07/2009

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Bernstein

January 13th, 2015 at 7:14 PM ^

My political views are slightly right of center, and I've been in Ann Arbor for 5 years after college now. I have more of an issue with the lack of single 23-30 year old females than I do the liberal views people hold. If you come across as any type of alpha male, the extreme left wingers cower in fear.

Joined: 01/12/2015

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UMQuadz05

January 13th, 2015 at 2:08 PM ^

Where are you moving from?

My in-laws live in South Lyon.  It's a nice place with good schools, and a short drive up Pontiac Trail from Ann Arbor.  However, to me it still feels isolated.  A lot of places don't have sidewalks, and the "downtown" is really a bunch of strip malls.  AA probably still has the most culture per capita in the state (term I just made up), but one other place I enjoy is Plymouth.  There are great, old houses there, an actual town square/park thing, and a little walkable downtown. 

Disclosures:  I'm outside of Philly now, and was raised on the East Coast, so I'm used to a certain level of density and things like walkability and public transit are important to me. 

Joined: 04/03/2009

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Bernstein

January 13th, 2015 at 7:26 PM ^

To me, the appeal of Royal Oak is just for a couple years of single life out of college. I have a few friends there and have been quite a few times, but even I'm pretty sick of the place after about 10 nights out there. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to raise a family anywhere in that Woodward corridor.

Joined: 01/12/2015

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