Living in Ann Arbor
Check out the following links from Rackham Life to help get you situated with Ann Arbor's housing, groceries, transportation, and arts and culture scene.
Housing
There are three main types of graduate student housing at Michigan:
University owned and operated apartments and townhomes (called on-campus housing)
Tip: Northwood is closest to CLaSP. If you apply for on-campus housing, they will let you know if you were able to get a spot 1-2 months before your selected move-in date.
Student-owned cooperatives
Off-campus housing, such as privately owned and operated houses and apartments (off-campus housing is not operated by the University)
Tip: Willow Tree, the Courtyard, Parc Pointe, Broadview, the Highlands, Huron Towers, Greenbrier, and Traver Ridge apartment complexes are closest to North campus and are popular with students.
Furniture and Thrift Stores
U-M Property Disposition: Items that the university is no longer using are sold by the Property Disposition Department on North Campus
Kiwanis Thrift Sale (open on Fridays and Saturdays)
Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop
The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center (Thursday is student discount day, show your M-Card for 25% off)
Ann Arbor Thrift Shop
The ShareHouse
Tip: There's a decent number of CLaSPers with cars - try asking in the slack if anyone will help you move in!
Tip: Alternatively, renting a u-haul (for couches, etc ...) costs ~$50 for 2 hours.
An exhaustive list of supermarkets, farmer's markets and specialty stores, and international grocery stores.
Information on getting around town, buses, cars and parking, taxis and zipcars, nighttime transportation, and to/from Ann Arbor.
The BlueBus is the university-run shuttles that go between different parts of campus frequently.
Tip: You can access real-time bus tracking from Wolverine Access. The buses don't ask for id, runs several times an hour, and there's often multiple routes going through two stops.
TheRide is the city (Ann Arbor) buses that travel throughout the city, often running twice an hour.
Tip: You always have to scan your UM id.
The D2A2 is a pilot express bus service connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI. Tickets are $6 one way if booked online.
Getting to/from the Detroit Airport (DTW)
Michigan offers the Michigan Flyer, a reliable motorcoach with connections between East Lansing, Brighton, Ann Arbor, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) at affordable rates.
Learn more about Ann Arbor's performance groups and venues, museums, galleries, and libraries, and movies.