Commuting to Ann Arbor?
Coming this fall, I will be working towards a Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan: School of Information. I’ll also be keeping my job in Livonia but scaling my hours back a little (or a lot, depending). However, I’m still going to need to be able to commute between Ann Arbor, Livonia, and Detroit pretty often. Does anyone have any experience commuting to/from Ann Arbor? Where are the best and cheapest places to live on the west side of town (I currently live on the East side)?
I’m going to drive down to Plymouth next week and check out some of the apartments there and then probably check out Ypsilanti or (ehhh) Romulus. Any other suggestions of cheap places in the I-275, M-14, I-94 corridor?
Welcome to SI!
srah (c/o 2005)
Tom,
Definitely check out Ypsi. Not nearly as expensive – or pretentious – as Ann Arbor (where I live), with some great bars such as Sidetrack, Corner Brewery and Aubreys.
— Another Tom.
Another Tom is on the mark. Ypsi is a great place to live. It’s a great town with normal people and it’s imensely walkable. It’s an easy commute to A2. It’s also fairly easy commute to Livonia with two highways to pick from that will get you there. With all the construction as of late, it’s important to have some options on getting to work!
Being that it’s a college town, there is a big variety of quality in the apartments. Here are some of the more reputable management companies:
http://downtownypsi.org/talk/comments.php?DiscussionID=54&page=1#Item_0
http://barnesapts.com/bbhome.php
Mauer Management – 734.487.7182
P.S. The blogging community in Ypsi is outstanding (check out markmaynard.com as your hub), there are several outstanding coffee joints and there is a great library downtown.
Tom,
If you go to Ypsi, stay west of campus and North of Packard. Or go to Gault village south of 94 south of Willow Run. You might check out Van Buren Twp near Haggerty Rd and Belleville.