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 3:14 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
I love it like no other.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 3:18 PM ^
If you are exploring all options Southwest Michigan is great. Mattawan, Portage, Schoolcraft are all great family oriented slow pace cities/towns. IMO
January 13th, 2015 at 3:19 PM ^
Macomb County
Cheaper than Oakland county, close to downtown Detroit, and easy trip for football Saturday.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
everyone here likes suburbs. Cities, including a great one like AA, not so much.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^
But that's me. Some suburbs are okay, too, depending on what you're looking for.
January 13th, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
The question is about raising a family. You will get different answers for that than you would if the question were "Best place to live as a single person."
Suburbs may be boring, but they are usually safe, fairly inexpensive and have good schools, which are important factors for many with children.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
Grew up in EGR and lived in Hermosa Beach, CA for much of the last decade before moving back to MI for work.
Love Ann Arbor but was really surprised that we were more or less likely to spend the same amount that we spent in Hermosa for an adequate house in Ann Arbor. To be clear, a lot more house than in Hermosa, but the same price.
We ended up buying in Saline. Great little town. Our oldest is a freshman at Saline HS and enjoying it tremendously.
EGR wasn't really a choice given that my employer's in metro Detroit. My parents are still in that area, but it's not someplace I'd want to raise my kids, personally.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^
"It's not someplace I'd want to raise my kids, personally." Please explain.
So if money for housing was not a factor, you would have purchased within Ann Arbor (or at least within Ann Arbor's school district, e.g. Superior Township, etc.)?
January 13th, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
No relation to Rockford Illinois I hope.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:01 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 6:12 PM ^
He'll get back to you.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:13 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 11:50 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^
Depends on what your looking for, but if "progressive" is one of your qualifications, you'll be hard pressed to find a more progressive city in Michigan.
Our family much prefers the small town rural areas of Michigan, just seems a lot more friendly and more of a family environment. JMO.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:08 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^
edit double post
January 13th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
double edit
January 13th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
I would totally raise my future family in Ann Arbor. Assuming I could get a job there of course (grad school right now)
My only concern is that my love for AA is more tied up in how great my undergrad experiences there were. Would I still love it the same amount living there as a post grad, or is my fondness more due to the friends I made there and the college experiences? I don't THINK so, but who knows...
January 13th, 2015 at 5:03 PM ^
I don't spend much time in/around campus anymore, except for UM games, but occasionally I'll just take my kids for a walk around campus and think about the old days and how much everything's changed and I wouldn't give that up for anything
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January 13th, 2015 at 7:38 PM ^
Having moved back here a few years after graduation, I do find my perceptions gradually changing. I find myself a little annoyed at the student presence sometimes, and how it means a lot less parking, longer lines at restauarants, cafés, and having to dodge random jaywalking college kids when I'm driving. I have to stop myself and remember that I made the choice to move back to a university town and that this is part of the price. Of course, on the flipside it's totally awesome to have this kind of proximity to Michigan sports...
January 13th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Muskegon Heights... great school district and absolutely no violence! Plus, the scenery is breathtaking.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
Things I like about Brighton ("city"):
Nice walkable downtown. I live just over a mile from the center and I regularly jog through town. Plenty of sidewalks within the city limits (not in the township).
Great for families. There is the Imagination Station downtown. It is a series of wooden play structures. The biggest one I have seen. We frequently run into people we know around town. There is a nice sense of community.
Good Schools.
It is 20 min up 23 from A2.
Lots of UM fans.
Drew Henson went to Brighton High School.
Very close to Kensington MetroPark, Huron Meadows MetroPark, Brighton State Rec Area, Pinkney Rec area, and others.
Check it out.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:12 PM ^
I grew up in Ann Arbor and still live there. I would endorse it as a good place to live but it depends on what you want. The pros are the obvious ones:
1. Entertainment/culture/restaurants in higher proportions and quality than in most cities its size.
2. Michigan sports
3. Good schools.
4. A relatively high level of diversity given the high average income level.
5. A fair amount of natural beauty
There are cons however:
1. Traffic is getting worse.
2. Funding for public services is constrained by the fact that the University owns so much land and pays no taxes.
3. You can find a range of housing prices but for whatever you get you'll pay more than in most areas in Michigan.
4. I would say there's an undercurrent of academic snobbery. Whereas in some towns prestige is attached to the size of your house or cost of your car (things that most Ann Arborites wouldn't admit to caring about) in Ann Arbor you will be judged based on whether you are on the faculty and/or University administration (and, if so, are you a tenured professor etc.). Even if you are outside of academia what level of education your career requires can impact how people perceive you.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:58 PM ^
While there are many very nice towns listed above, it appears that their most common denominator is a lack of diversity.
January 13th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
Good family oriented friendly place=people who look like you for most people. This isn't a white black brown or yellow thing, pretty much people of all races and creeds tend to find themselves most comfortable around those that are similar to them both physically and ideologically. That is part of why I wouldn't want to raise my future potential kids anywhere but a city, if you don't grow up in a diversity I think it is very very difficult for people to ever truly embrace it. Heck my parents are like this. They grew up in Baltimore during white flight and despite being very progressive people all of their friends are white middle class to rich jews just like them. They let me go to public school in Baltimore and now my friend group is completely different than theirs was growing up and continues to be different than the kids of my parents friends who attended private schools in the area.
January 13th, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 4:56 PM ^
double posts all over this thread.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
I grew up in western Michigan and after a brief stint in Colorado (Steamboat Springs) I found my way back to Grand Haven, Michigan where I have raised my family. I love the water so being on Lake Michigan is where I wanted to be. From here it's easy to head north for long weekends or 2-1/2 drive to Ann Arbor for a game. In the end it's a personal decision and where your comfortable. My kids loved growing up on the water. What I screwed up on was having my daughter end up at Michigan State and son at Purdue. Oh well....
January 13th, 2015 at 4:57 PM ^
Have a seconfdhome on the Lake north of Manistee, abiut a mile off M22, M22.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
if you want a middle eastern feel. Try the Red Lentil soup.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
definitely a2 or surroundings. Having lived in both A2 and surroundings I prefer the surrounding cities a little more: Saline and especially northwest towards Dexter along the Huron River, and Chelsea.
Dexter/Chelsea: very safe cities, quaint downtowns, low stress, good schools (many kids get into UM/ top tier schools), relatively easy to make school sports teams, and more bang for your buck than A2 or Saline, and loaded with UM maniacs( and easy to get to UM games).
January 13th, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
Chelsea born and raised, go Dogs
January 13th, 2015 at 6:57 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:08 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
I live in A2. It's nice overall, but definitely a lot pricier than a lot of areas nearby. If I wanted to buy a nice home with a yard to raise the kids in, I probably wouldn't stay in the city.
January 13th, 2015 at 4:37 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
Why do I not see any love for Barton City?
January 13th, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^
Or Whitmore Lake!
January 13th, 2015 at 5:03 PM ^
That's where Brandon's mansion is?
January 13th, 2015 at 4:59 PM ^
As a second generation Wolverine and someone who grew up 20 minutes outside Ann Arbor...AA is about the last place in Michigan I would choose to raise my family, save Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and crime ridden areas du jour. Aside from the demographics which I am not a fan of (I know, I know, no politics or religion), its a much more densely populated town with around 40,000 college kids. If you want access to Ann Arbor specifically but room to breath may I suggest Chelsea, Dexter, or Saline (most coaches live here). Brighton, Northville, Plymouth, Canton are all also good areas. Ann Arbor just doesn't do it for me, but that could be a preference. If you are in love with the city, I'm sure it's not an awful place to raise a family.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:39 PM ^
Sorry, confused if you're rec'ing Brighton, Northville or if you didn't disclose your actual preference. Perhaps west side guy or Traverse City? Thank you.
January 13th, 2015 at 7:02 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:30 PM ^
So says the guy from . . . Canada?