Rated #1 Best Place to Live in America by Livability.
Ann Arbor is a city of around 110,000 residents with a great mix of college town, city amenities, and outdoor activities. Located in southeast Michigan, it is an easy drive to Detroit and the Detroit International Airport, and around three hours from Chicago by car, bus, or train.
Residents live in rented and owned apartments, condos, and homes throughout the Ann Arbor area. Some choose to live in walking distance of downtown. Others are north of the hospital, including apartments within walking distance of the hospital, or along Plymouth Road and its surrounding area. Some more economical homes with lower property taxes are available in the southeast, at the border of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Finally, some residents do live in surrounding communities and commute in. Ann Arbor and several surrounding communities have excellent school systems regularly ranked highly on state and national assessments.
Ann Arbor’s downtown is easily walkable, and has a number of areas that cater to a wide variety of interests. The Main Street area is known for its restaurants and shops. The State Street area, closer to the undergraduate campus, has more of a college town feel. South of town is the Big House football stadium and the local Briarwood Mall, as well as several department stores. The Kerrytown area, just north of town, features the twice weekly local farmer’s market as well as famous Zingerman’s Deli. The medical campus is east of Kerrytown, and lies along the Huron River and Arboretum, part of a long stretch of natural areas and trails that continues throughout Washtenaw County.
Events and Activities: Ann Arbor has a vibrant music scene at many local establishments, and the University of Michigan features many local and invited performances throughout the year. Ann Arbor hosts a number of festivals every year, including the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and the nationally recognized Ann Arbor Art Fair. More activities can be found at the Ann Arbor Visitor’s Guide. And of course there is Michigan Athletics as well as the nearby Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Pistons. Many residents enjoy running and biking in the area, and the local waterways offer three-season kayaking, canoeing, and tubing. Some residents have joined soccer and other sports teams, and others gather regularly for knitting, parent, and other groups, or to enjoy the many local microbreweries.
Michigan is a beautiful state surrounded by four of the five great lakes. Its residents embrace all of the seasons with activities as diverse as biking, swimming, fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. There are many amazing communities worth visiting on day or weekend excursions, from the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline of Grand Haven and other western cities, to Traverse City’s Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and many wineries, to Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel and automobile-free streets, to Detroit’s excellent food and sports events. More information can be found at Pure Michigan.
