but compared to lots of other places with comparable amenities, not surprising that AA gets the nod in one of these polls
and usually find myself reading them and seeing how different ciities are ranked and why. But they are so subjective. Love AA, but really how can anyone say it's the "Best" city in the entire country to live in? As you mention it has become very pricey and to me that is a big draw back from being the best, affordabilty should be a huge consideration.
I live in Colorado and love it. Have traveled extensively and have found nice cities and places to live in pretty much every state I have been in, so to say one city is so much better then another? I would think you would need to live in them for at least a year to get a real feel for any place and how great it is to live there.
Yeah, pretty subjective. Denver was just ranked 'Best City' but it seemed more geared towards recent college grads looking for jobs. So yea ....more hipster millenials for us! yea!
If you've ever been around the tri-state area, it's really indisputably the best place to live. Growing up I felt like Maximus - "I've seen much of the state, it is cold and dark. Ann Arbor is the light"
Other places like Traverse City are decent in the summer only
Since the great recession, many places have crumbled, while A2 economy remains mostly insular. Mid-sized college towns with all that federal $ coming in logically would be at the top of the list
Make note of that, all you people who bitch about the presence of the university and its students in Ann Arbor . . . *gasp* they have night games at the stadium.
Without the University of Michigan in it, Ann Arbor is just Jackson.
Within the context of the midwest/Michigan, yes, Ann Arbor is probably more than a "bit pricey".
But nationally, a "bit pricey" is a pretty fair assumption, especially compared to cities with similar amenities. The Northeast and West Coast obviously are more expensive and Ann Arbor is not far off from the pace of the nicer parts of metros in the middle of the country either (Denver, Minneapolis, North Side of Chicago, etc.).
or Economics; I was never very good at either.
Yup, with unregulated capitalism it sure will be that way. Based on what though?
don't talk to me about pricey.
Move.
Duh.
to all of those other hotbeds of tech/media start-ups activity.
Here I can have a new job in a week, anywhere else....not so much.
London, New yYork and Paris would be employment options.....expensive still applies.
Been a lifelong resident. Have had mulitple friends leave and go to all other parts of the country, and eventually they come back or have a desire to come back. Pretty great place - feel lucky to have grown up here.
It is getting pricey in town for sure, but you can find nice places within a 15-30 min drive of downtown (Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, etc.) for a reasonable price and still enjoy the city.
Well any town with both Zingermann's and Rick's is bound to take home the glory.....
While I don't disagree, surely you have those in the wrong order.
...and don't call him Shirley....
And as someone who lived their for 80% of my life so far, including growing up there, it never gets old.
This actually came out a month ago and was discussed ad nauseam then.
...but it is an awesome place to live.
But not in Jan Feb Mar ,,,not the cold, need to see sun.
I'll take so cal anyday.
Talk about pricey.
More like West of The 5 and South of the 101, in LA at least. Many of LA's most exclusive neighborhoods are east of the 405 (Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Hancock Park, Larchmont, West Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, etc.).
Actually nevermind, because that excludes Pasadena and its beautiful neighborhoods. As long as you're not in the middle of the inland Empire, the middle parts of The Valley or certain parts of interior South LA, SoCal is pretty nice.
I like the mild temperatures you get near the ocean. I'll take the beach communities (HB, MB, RB) any day over 110 degree Pasadena.
Ann arbor is nice, but I can think of several other cities just in MI where I'd rather live. I suppose it's all subjective, but IMO their criteria are a bit lacking for the proclamation of "Best City To Live In." They only looked at 200 cities for starters which is the biggest issue, but we could argue all day about the grades they've assigned for different criteria. Housing, for example, might earn a B+ among their 200 cities, but compared to a wider selection of cities/towns across the US is expensive for small lots, older homes, etc. And while the nightlife is decent the A grade seems generous. Also, you can't ignore the value of lakes, mountains, climate, etc. as amenities if you're talking about the best place to live.
Niche.com analyzed data from more than 200 cities and 15,000 towns and neighborhoods on crime, public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities. This year’s number one ranking is an improvement from last year, when the site ranked Ann Arbor fourth in the nation. Here’s how Niche.com graded Ann Arbor:
- Public Schools: A+
- Housing: B+
- Good for Families: A+
- Crime and Safety: B
- Nightlife: A
- Diversity: A
So, it turns out the "grade" depends upon the criteria used to evaluate. We've got "nightlife" and "diversity" listed here (though I'm not sure what they evaluate diversity on, Ann Arbor might be more diverse than much of Michigan on average but it's not all that diverse) so if those are things that are important to you, great. But some people would rather have good outdoor activity options, a criteria not listed here. Some people don't care about nightlife.
This is all just subjective anyway. Ann Arbor is a great place if you like a city that isn't too small or too big. It's a great place for foodies, and for people who enjoy left-leaning University-centered cultures. It is, as smaller towns go, a great place for the arts. It's a great place to be a sports fan. It is also lovely, and the neighborhoods are safe, warm, simple, and pleasant.
It's ok but not great for lovers of outdoor activity. It's not particularly friendly to people who don't agree with a post-modern left-leaning culture. It's not at all easy to live in if you make median national income or below. It has become very difficult to find housing of any size in town that is not ridiculously expensive.
It is what it is. I love it, but I've lived in other places that have different strengths and weaknesses. I really enjoy where I live now. The foodie options aren't on the same planet, and the art fair type options here just make me pine for Liberty, State, and South U. But we have Lake Superior, hiking trails, great public parks, a robust ski hill inside city limits, and a house I can afford.
Everyone has a place.
Duluth should always rate high as well.
It's a great place. In most of the things that make Ann Arbor great, it doesn't measure up. But it has its own charms and it has better outdoor options and it has Lake Superior, which is terrific.
+1.
Harbaugh-approved comment.
These city rankings are nonsense. The #1 city to live is Ann Arbor. #2 is Naperville Illinois. The respective zeigeists in these places are worlds apart. Ann Arbor is a vibrant college town with political views that shade to the far left. Naperville is a suburb of Chicago populated almost exclusively with upper middle-class families, and the general political climate is pretty far to the right. I am familiar with both places, and it doesn't even make sense to put them on the same list.
Dude, there were FIVE people on the first night of Ann Arbor's stillborn attempt at an Occupy, that was BY FAR the peak of it! Almost every night and day there were nothing but empty tents with signs on them and no people anywhere except the occasional sleeper inside a tent, doing and saying nothing.
I don't understand the continuing fantasies about A2 being a leftist town or campus just because it was 50 years ago and because the town votes for Democrats, whom are further right than Nixon & Reagan were ,and the town isn't totally and completely ignorant or devoid of thinkers, and actually has a handful of actual lefties still tickin'.
Mildly "liberal" isn't left!
Is there a living wage law? No.
Is there rent control? No.
Are the police demilitarized or anything like what left wing, let alone radical left wing people would create or run as a peace making team? No.
Is there a city credit union making loans to poor, working or average people to fund worker owned co-op businesses keeping money in the hands of local people rather than handfuls of pyramid owners? No.
Is there affordable or subsidized housing on any sort of meaningful scale? No.
Is there a Green or Socialist city council or Mayor? A Green, or Socialist or left board of Regents? No.
Is there much affordable food? No.
Is there any real and serious and mass and consistent organizing, activism, or protest even remotely resembling the A2 square that earned the rep you think still applies? Not by a zillion miles.
Pssst . . . they just want you to read their list. They don't really care if ti's accurate.
"Lake Superior, hiking trails, great public parks, a robust ski hill inside city limits"
Hmm, why are you trumpeting all the public amenities and property? Isn't that too left leaning for you? Shouldn't all those things be owned by the biggest baddest capitalists who can charge you as much as they can get away with in a "free" market?
- Public Schools: A+
- Housing: B+
- Good for Families: A+
- Crime and Safety: B
- Nightlife: A
- Diversity: A
I love Ann Arbor, but it's really, really dumb that weather is not on that list.
Entire regions of the country are thriving soley because of their weather, and the reverse is true too.
Moved back here on September 1st of last year just in time for football season. Gotta love AA. One more football season in me then heading back to Chicago. The crazy thing is that housing prices aren't too far off between the two cities...
So I've only experienced Ann Arbor for a UM football game. Tailgate to game, then home. If I were to take a day trip to check it out, what would be the things that I need to see/do?
and those are all within one block of each other. It all depends on what your interests are.
Yeah, I'm sorry, but Ricks is the most single overrated place ever.
Rob a bank on your way in.
yeah, we looked at real estate the last time we were back in A2 (and go back every Fall for a few games) and were shocked to see a 2BR/2BA condo downtown listed at $525,000. Had friends build a custom home near Plymouth for a very reasonable amount, but it seems A2 proper is pricing out folks. We then looked at investment-type properties - student rental perhaps, but those are all owned by Real Estate companies and/or pretty spendy as well.
We've debated moving to A2 (spent HS in TC before UM) but the classic "get more bang for your buck" notion doesn't work any more. That said, it would take a hot second to sell here in Denver and we'd make a fucking killing right now if we did.
What is "downtown"? Of course, if you're looking at condos on Main or Liberty or a couple clocks from that intersection, prices are going to be expensive.
I paid $162k for my condo which is on the east side of town, near Huron High. It's a 15 min bike ride/5min drive to downtown, a 3 min drive to US-23.
I feel if you expect to live within 1 mile of any city's center, you probably should expect prices at least $300k to buy, $1300/month to rent (2 br).
yes, it was that area and we weren't expecting half a million dollar price tag, even for what we saw. That seemed to be the consensus of our friends when talking later that night - A2 has gotten expensive. Yes, with what we could buy in Ann Arbor we could get a rather large house with a rather large yard within 10mins of Main Street. We could also pay cash for a house about 15mins from Grand Traverse Bay up in inland-TC. I was just noting that in terms of 'Best Places to Live,' some feel its increasinly cost-prohibitive. Looks like other posters have said the same today as well.
close enough to AA to enjoy, but homes more reasonably priced. Good schools. Others have pointed out the same about points south and west of AA.
I moved here 4 years ago and redid my house. If I tried to buy now, there'd be no way I could afford it (and it seemed expensive 4 years ago). They just passed an ordinance to limit the house size for the lot with a new calculation, so that is supposed to keep it more affordable for families to live. Nice thing about A2 is that it is a lot more recession proof for housing than other area markets.
I don't know man, Hazel Park should be right up there....