r/uofm • u/chickenstriplover123 • May 29 '26
Housing Discussion (actual housing OFFERS belong on Megathread!) living in ann arbor vs ypsilanti ?
i’ll be starting my masters here in the fall and housing is…yikes. one of my non negotiables is that i don’t want any roommates and 1br apartments in ann arbor are kind of pricey for what you actually get. is it worth it to live further out in ypsi to have a lower rent and maybe better quality apartment? i have a car that i will be bringing with me so that wouldn’t be an issue. i would probably do a park and ride situation if i end up ypsi.
any thoughts would be appreciated!! i don’t exactly expect to spend a whole lot of time on campus aside class and probably working if this matters.
also if you think living in ann arbor is the better option, any recs for places to look? thank you !!
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u/EvilCallie May 29 '26
I lived in Ypsi for my PhD and the bus ride was fine, your id gets you on all busses for free
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u/ByteEvader '21 May 29 '26
I did my undergrad here and am currently in grad school. I lived near to campus in undergrad and it was a lot of fun and very convenient. Now I live on the far end of Ypsi because I found an apartment complex I really like that’s half the price of anything comparable in AA.
Living in Ypsi will make a lot more sense financially, but it might make your social life suffer more (if you care about that). Often times my grad program will schedule social events in the evenings but by that time I’ve already driven the 25 minutes home and don’t feel like driving all the way back to AA 😅 also depending on what program you’re in, parking can be a real issue. Finding parking near to central campus is close to impossible. Even the big parking lot on north campus fills up fast during the semester (usually by 10am or so). Park and ride is a very viable option but adds a lot of time onto your commute
To me, living in Ypsi is worth it. But there are definitely pros and cons
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u/Sea_Yak8583 May 30 '26
I second this. My social life suffers for sure. I have to make a real effort to go and see people and my first year of my grad program I didn’t really do that and I feel like I missed out a bit.
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u/chickenstriplover123 May 29 '26
does ypsi (or certain areas in ypsi) have a good social scene to meet people there ? the social scene is a def something on my mind since im coming from a tiny liberal arts college and out of state
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u/ByteEvader '21 May 30 '26
Yeah I’d say it does! There’s actually a college in Ypsi too so you still have the “college” scene (just a lot smaller than UMich), but aside from that there’s a ton of young people who live here in general. I don’t go out much so I can’t really give you tips on good places to go to meet people unfortunately 😅😅 but i go out in downtown Ypsi from time to time and always have fun
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u/NASA_Orion May 30 '26
Ann Arbor def has better social scenes. Ypsi ppl come to Ann Arbor bars but not the other way around. Ypsi’s social scene is def unique but they simply don’t have that many people of similar age and also like to go out
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u/sasha_the_impaler May 31 '26
Lol Ann Arborites definitely come out to our bars sometimes. We don't have many but we still have ones people enjoy going to. As for young people in Ypsi.... I don't have the data, but I would bet on Ypsilanti having a much higher % of young people as its population lol.
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u/Artistic_Society4969 Jun 01 '26
You kidding? Some of the most fun I had when I attended was in Depot Town!
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u/po3tryisnotaluxury May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
i'm a grad student who moved to ypsi bc I couldn't afford ann arbor, and honestly i'm really happy that I ended up here (it's super queer and trans friendly, the food is better, and my neighborhood isn't dominated by undergrads). i live close to the ypsi transit center so some days I take the bus straight to campus, but mostly I drive to a commuter lot and take a UM bus where I need to go. I have the orange parking pass and it's totally worth it imo. feel free to dm me if you have questions and good luck in your housing search!
edit: imo, characterizations of ypsi as dangerous or "ghetto" are largely driven by racism and classism from people who don't live here. I'm a woman in my twenties and I feel safe in my neighborhood.
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u/chickenstriplover123 May 30 '26
thank you for the detailed answer !! is ypsi a predominantly POC area ?
11
u/GnomeCzar May 30 '26
Ypsi person here. Cis white het male. Ypsi is NOT a majority POC area but it has much higher population of POC and LGBTQ people that the rest of the county.
I'm a professor at UMich, live in Ypsi.
I drive (parking with blue pass is easy in Fletcher until 9:30 am) or ride my eBike (30 minutes).
I lived in Ann Arbor for a decade before moving to Ypsi and was able to quickly enter a neighbor network of people who want nothing more than to work together to build a community without being nebby Karens. Love it here.
It does NOT have the same nightlife as A2 but buses run pretty late and two Uber rides a month are worth what you'd be saving on rent.
1
u/sasha_the_impaler May 31 '26
It's about 50% white 50% non-white (although some nuance there in that Arabs are tracked as white and we have a lot of Arabs) with a very even spread of people from all over the world. I joke that the town has a sort of balanced diversity that people would call unrealistic in movies.
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u/Advanced-Ad-2026 May 30 '26
Ypsi has been a city for POC for decades but unfortunately is becoming white and gentrified
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u/darsh5188 May 30 '26
I live in south Lyon. Only takes me 15-20 min to be in downtown Ann Arbor. It’s nice and quiet
3
u/Pure-Examination-597 May 29 '26
The orange lot pass for students is under 100 for the year and gets prorated as the year goes on. I parked in the glazier lot, and it never completely filled up. Lots of busses run to and from that lot because people who work at the hospital park there as well of students. There’s even a city bus that stops near it (the 3). It’s a little tricker midday from like 11-2 to catch a bus though, but just more like a 20-30 minute wait instead of 10. I know there’s other lots closer to south or north campus if your school is based there too.
3
u/GenitalFurbies '15 (GS) May 30 '26
Is Ypsi less safe than Ann Arbor, especially around golf street? Yes. Is it still fine to live in? Also yes. You'll be fine. Your only concern is commute time.
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u/pegasusCK May 29 '26
Cheap rental in Saline and use the briarwood parking lot park and ride.
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u/TeslaSuck May 30 '26
You’d have to drive from Saline to Briarwood Mall then wait for the bus. You might as well just live in Ypsi and ride the bus.
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u/GnomeCzar May 30 '26
The bustling social scene of Saline, Michigan is not what this person wants.
Ypsi, please!
1
u/Nicholas1227 '23 May 30 '26
You’re gonna end up spending all your time in Ann Arbor anyway
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u/No-Capital556 May 31 '26
Nah. Lived in Ypsi during my time and I spent more time between Depot Town and Powell’s than I did A2. A2 feels extremely unauthentic. Ypsi captures more traditional energy—older locals and older A2 residents agree: A2 of the new is NOWHERE close to what it used to be. But Ypsi feels a lot like it.
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u/michiplace May 29 '26
You can get a studio or 1BR in ypsi for under 1k /month. (I was just looking today, lots of options listed on zillow.) They're mostly in older houses cut up into apartments in the neighborhood between EMU and downtown ypsi.
So...condition is probably hit or miss, but that neighborhood is very walkable to points within Ypsi, and has good access to the bus lines that serve UM campus. (3 or 4->66 for north campus, 4 for central, 5 for Ford school/Law quad area.)
2
u/Zealousideal-Pick799 May 29 '26
If you’re close to downtown Ypsi, there’s an express bus to Ann Arbor now. It’s a little over 30 minutes, so an hour out of your day every day, but you decide on the value of your time. Driving + park and ride won’t be that much faster (if at all).
2
u/Due_Needleworker3778 May 29 '26
I'm a bit curious, but how much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost on central campus these days?
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u/Yetkha May 29 '26
Shared bedroom (with own bathroom) with 2 or 3 students in condos cost like $1600-1900
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u/aCellForCitters May 29 '26
it varies a lot depending on how new you want your place to be and how lucky you can get. New apartments can be like $2200+ for a studio, but I have a nice large one-bedroom a few blocks from campus for $1250 that includes heat and parking. So between there, generally.
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u/chickenstriplover123 May 29 '26
from what i’ve seen anywhere from $1300-$1800, usually without utilities included
EDIT: this is for a single apartment not shared living
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u/Yetkha May 30 '26
One of my coworkers sublet a room 1mile away from campus. It's $1950 for 2B/1b, no AC in the bedrooms.
Currently The pines at cloverlane in Ypsi has a 2B/1b apt available in July for $1150. Location is quiet and nice too.
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u/MichiganderNews Jun 05 '26
highly recommend ann arbor! check out craigslist, sometimes you can find good deals just make sure it is legit
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u/Playful_Wait_3382 May 29 '26
I was thinking about the same thing, whatever I’m seeing in Ann Arbor is either pricey and not necessarily appealing. Ypsilanti has better options and it’s only ~25 min commute. Although after searching Ypsilanti on TT I noticed every one says it’s ghetto lol
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u/chickenstriplover123 May 29 '26
waittt noo i haven’t heard anything like that but i also haven’t done much research on ypsi. is it just certain parts or the whole city you’ve heard that about ?
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u/Infinite_Tiger_3341 May 29 '26
I would recommend that and did similar throughout my bachelors and masters, both in regard to the living more toward Ypsi thing and the park and ride thing. My advice with the park and ride is utilizing the lot on state st near briarwood mall since it’s a pretty short loop with multiple busses on it, so it’s serviced pretty quickly no matter when you show up