My husband and I are considering moving there and would like info from people who live there or have been there. What is the weather really like? Job market? Are people friendly? Cost of living? Best neighborhoods? Is it safe? Pros and cons? Thanks.
2006-07-16 21:42:40 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Detroit
What is the weather really like? The weather is not bad... this past winter I shovelled snow a few times in December and then not much after that. Global warming has its plusses. Spring, Summer and Fall are really pretty. We have a few heat waves (like right now) but overall it's quite pleasant.
Job market? Not bad, depending on what you're looking for. Tons of jobs in health care (nursing, resp therapists, etc.). See this website, http://www.umich.edu/~jobs/ for info about jobs at u of M.
Are people friendly? I think they are--- maybe not as friendly initially as southerners, and not as cold initially as northeasterners, but ultimately the same as most folks once you get to know them. Very supportive of their community, incl. sports, arts, etc.
Cost of living? Mainly regarding housing: A bit higher than most places in Michigan and the midwest, except for Chicago. Lower than northeast and california
Best neighborhoods? Lots of nice neighborhoods throughout the city. Burns Park, Arbor Hills, and Barton Hills are most pricey.
Is it safe? Yes
Pros:Lots of good restaurants, cultural activites, yet you can rent a canoe and bike around right in the city.
and cons? You have to go 4.5 hours for a big city expereince either in Chicago or Toronto. Traffic's not bad, but seems worse than ten years ago.
2006-07-17 15:57:53 · answer #1 · answered by Lemme_show_ya 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ann Arbor is a university town, with the University of Michigan taking center stage there. It is a pretty place, with gentle hills and rivers. People are friendly. Ann Arbor is known as a place where very liberal (politics) people live. There is a very nice downtown area on Main Street with lots of restaurants and boutiques. There is another shopping area on State Street which caters more to the students. There is a lot of cultural activity...concerts, art shows, art festivals, other festivals. It is a safe city...not too big, not too small. There are neighborhoods for every price range. Job market may be a little tight-Michigan is a little delayed in the economic recovery that the rest of the nation is enjoying. But it would depend upon what job you are looking for. The weather...well there are 4 distinct seasons: Summer can get very hot and humid but the night usually cools down; Winter can be very cold and snowy...but also beautiful...and winter sports are fun; Spring and Fall have periods of perfection and other periods of rain. There can be stormy times when seasons are changing-big thunderstorms including tornados. Even with all the weather extremes, most days are good...and each season has it's benefits.
2006-07-17 14:36:09 · answer #2 · answered by elizabeth s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to go to UMich for four years there.
The weather is always usually cloudy and miserable.
The job market is good, but I hear that because there are so many educated people, it makes getting good jobs tough.
The people are terribly cold and unfriendly. People do not want to have random conversations, they are arrogant and brag on their cellphones and do not have common courtesies or manners. People you know will try their best not to talk to you on the street. Everyone is so full of themselves, and many will just name-drop, talk about their work or school. There are a lot of WEIRD people there, many who should or WILL be in mental hospitals soon.
There are a lot of break-ins and thefts reported there. It is very safe though. Cost of living is unreal.
If you are a yuppieish, liberal sort of person, you may like this town. When I say liberal, I mean psychopathically liberal. I vote Democrat, but the people in Ann Arbor are CRAZY. And they are major hypocrites. However, if you are friendly and consider yourself pretty normal, DO NOT MOVE HERE, YOU WILL HATE IT.
Sure, the town has intelligent people, but they are very peculiar and quite odd. You won't run into any ignoramuses, but you will start to feel very lonely because you will realize everyone in the town are unfriendly automatons except for your family and select friends you can get along with.
Trust me, I've traveled and lived in a lot of places. Ann Arbor was flat-out one of the worst places in the world to live in. Cincinnati is another, though not as bad as Ann Arbor. I recommend Miami because I find people are really friendly there in my visits. It's because of Ann Arbor that I know what to look for in people to see what it's really like to live somewhere.
Ann Arbor may be pretty to look at, but the people make it nastier than Gary, IN. Take my word for it, you do not want to live there.
2006-07-18 14:25:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ann Arbor is named for a lady named Ann who liked to plant trees.
After she died, we began celebrating St Arbor Day once a year, by waiting for the groundhog to pop his head out of his hole. Then men grab the animal out of the hole, and a tree is planted in its place.
Rose Nyland
2006-07-17 04:51:30 · answer #4 · answered by Chris C 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both cold and hot weater extremes.
Fairly costly.
Good job market
People are fairly but not overly friendly.
I like the south better but Ann Arbor is not bad.
2006-07-17 04:46:22 · answer #5 · answered by Texas Cowboy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just letting you know, Ann Arbor is in Michigan... it's very very cold and rainy there, from what i've heard lol
2006-07-17 04:47:20 · answer #6 · answered by High On Life 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋