U. michigan

[muscles]

Hey everyone,
so, I'm off to University of Michigan for residency; in another thread they were asking advice about Wash U - I'm asking for advice about Ann Arbor, ie, where to live, things you wished you'd known before starting there, etc...
Any advice from current/past residents is much appreciated. Thanks!

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[orientedtoself]

congrats! it's great. . . to be. . . a michigan wolverine!

places to live- i lived close to campus at nielsen square, then moved further away to village park apartments on the northeast side of town. nielsen square is right across fuller from the hospital, a little too close in my opinion- can't escape it, it's always up there on that hill, looking down at you. i thought the kerrytown area to the west of the hospital was cute- older houses. if you are interested in buying a house, you might want to try a little further out of ann arbor- dexter, chelsea, ypsilanti township, or ypsilanti (but be careful of your location in ypsi because some parts are shady). if you're looking for a realtor, i recommend ellen cimmino. her daughter cara was in my med school class, and she's helped many residents find houses.

feel free to pm with any questions!
o2s

 

[muscles]

My wife and I found some places in Dexter and Chelsea. Mapquest says it is a 15 min. drive, but I'm concerned about traffic. What do you think?

 

[orientedtoself]

should be fine. the only time i ever saw serious stand-still traffic was on game days near the stadium.

ann arbor's a small town. you don't get city traffic. parking, on the other hand, is in short supply. med students weren't guaranteed parking from month to month. i think residents get parking.

My wife and I found some places in Dexter and Chelsea. Mapquest says it is a 15 min. drive, but I'm concerned about traffic. What do you think?

 

[Strength&Speed]

Anybody know how difficult Umich's Im residency is?

 

[MidwestMD]

The housing market in the Ann Arbor area has really suffered lately (due to the general recession and Pfizer pulling out of the city)...which is a huge advantage to incoming residents since there's a glut of houses and condos/townhomes for drastically reduced prices. Given the price drops, I don't think it's worth the commute from out of town.

One area I'd recommend checking out is the northeast part of town (near I-23/M14). There's a great townhome association called Barclay Park (onear Nixon and Plymouth St) w/ 2 and even 3 bedroom/2 bathroom townhomes from $160-180K. For perspective, I purchased mine brand new in 2004 for $207K. Another nice area is Knightsbridge about a mile west of barclay which is a little more affordable as well. A lot of Michigan residents from different specialties lived in these places and it's <4mile/10min drive to work. Check it out!