In 2024, the artsy college town of Ann Arbor took the number one spot on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live for Quality of Life. On the heels of busy Detroit, this eclectic Midwestern community is located in southeast Michigan’s lower peninsula and is home to around 120,000 students and full-time residents. Home to the University of Michigan, the city was named the number one Most Educated City in America by WalletHub. Almost half of Ann Arbor residents have a graduate degree, and roughly 75% hold a bachelor’s. The large student population means the city's median age is 28, one of the youngest among major US cities, according to the World Population Review’s 2024 data. The young and highly educated community feeds directly into the city’s wide range of advanced employment industries and markets. “Ann Arbor is a unicorn,” says David Anderson, a Realtor with Howard Hanna who has over 14 years of experience in the area. “Between the university and the hospital, money just funnels into the city — that’s rare. The problem is that there’s a limited amount of space, and it’s already full. From here on out, Ann Arbor is going to be growing vertically up.” As an influx of high-rise developments changes the city skyline, Ann Arbor is starting to leave its small-town feel in the past. However, it remains a popular place to raise a family, with highly rated schools and relatively low crime rates. Ann Arbor’s violent crime rate is 14% less than the national average, and its property crime rate is 5% less than the national average. Ranked among the world’s top colleges, the University of Michigan placed third in the US News and World Report’s Top Public Schools category. The Michigan Wolverines football team is in the NCAA Division I level and boasts the most all-time wins in college football history. Michigan Stadium, which locals call “The Big House,” is also the largest football stadium in the country. About 40% of the city’s population attends U of M, and the college employs over 30,000 people, including employees at the school’s hospital. It’s the largest employer in Washtenaw County and the third largest in Michigan. “I’ve heard it called the Ivy League of the Midwest,” Anderson says. “And because people are always going to want to go to school here and people always need healthcare, Ann Arbor’s economy is incredibly secure.” In addition to U of M, the nearby Trinity Health Hospital and the Ann Arbor public school system are other major employers. Washtenaw County is known for its automotive manufacturing, and Ann Arbor has a growing tech sector that includes markets ranging from biotechnology to clean energy. The average home price in Ann Arbor is just around $560,000. Prices and property taxes are significantly higher than both national and state averages. Houses spend an average of 24 days on the market, and it’s extremely competitive to snag a property. “The lower end of the price spectrum in Ann Arbor is $400,000 to $500,000, and those homes move quickly,” Anderson says. “I see a lot of buyers who have piles of cash, so they are usually going to win the offer against a buyer with a large loan.” Mary Vandewiele, a Realtor with Reinhart Realtors with over 14 years of experience in the area, says, “You can't expect to find a house that's a bargain if you're in Ann Arbor city limits.” To meet the growing demand for housing, the city is constructing an increasing number of apartments and condo complexes all over the city—some of which have low-income restrictions to make the city more accessible. In general, homes get older and more expensive the closer they are to downtown Ann Arbor. Homebuyers looking for historic charm often turn to the Old West Side, which has restrictions in place to preserve its late 1800s architecture. Communities around elementary schools, notably Burns Park, are popular choices for families. North of the Huron River, neighborhoods tend to be quieter and a bit more affordable. And the sprawling Ann Arbor Hills has some of the city’s biggest homes, typically exceeding $1 million. Niche awards Ann Arbor Public Schools an A-plus score, ranking it the top district in Washtenaw County. The district serves 12,000 students, and the city plans to renovate or rebuild every elementary school by 2030. Standout schools include King Elementary, which was named a National Blue Ribbons School in 2024. Community High School also won that distinction in 2019 and is known for its student-led curriculum and top-rated college preparatory programs. This magnet school’s unique spirit can be seen in its unofficial mascot, the rainbow-colored zebra. Huron High offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and both Skyline and Pioneer High have an AP curriculum. Though there is specific school zoning, a district-wide lottery system allows students to apply to schools of their choosing. According to the Trust for Public Land, 90% of Ann Arbor locals live within walking distance of a park. With 162 parks, including 15 indoor facilities and 1,200 acres of preserved natural land, Ann Arbor lives up to its nickname “Tree Town.” Gallup Park offers trails that crisscross along the Huron River, and Veteran’s Memorial Park offers a summertime swimming pool and wintertime ice rink. The University of Michigan maintains the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, which draws crowds in the spring for its peonies. One of the largest upcoming developments is at Broadway Park West, a $20 million project to add a pedestrian bridge over the Huron River and new event space just north of downtown. Ann Arbor experiences four distinct seasons, influenced by the Great Lakes climate system, which causes increased cloudiness during fall and winter. Snowfall averages around 57 inches. Despite the cold and cloudy winters, Ann Arbor is an active community all year round. It won a gold award from the national organization Walk Friendly Communities, and the Ann Arbor Rec & Ed has a variety of fitness classes and sports leagues. “There’s a lot of biking, walking and running groups that go out no matter the weather,” Vandewiele says. “We have a triathlon and the Ann Arbor-Dexter half marathon. It’s definitely a young, healthy sort of community.” Ann Arbor’s walkable downtown covers several city blocks and is lined with clothing boutiques, independent bookstores and eclectic gift shops. Restaurants cater to a large crowd, from college dives to upscale cuisine. Miss Kim’s Korean food and Spencer’s locally sourced prix fixe menu both earned a James Beard nomination in 2024. Kerrytown Market & Shops is an indoor mall featuring only local businesses, and Argus Farm Stop is an independently owned grocery store with a commitment to paying farmers fairly. Zingerman’s Deli is a community staple known for its specialty sandwiches and deli offerings, which they now sell around the country. “Zingerman’s started because two guys from New York City attended college here and missed their hometown delis,” says Andy LeBarre, the Executive Vice President of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce. “And now they have expanded into this delicious empire. You hear a lot of stories like that. People come here for U of M and then decide this is the place to live out their dreams." The city's south side has more traditional big-box stores, like Target and Meijer. The Briarwood Mall is still home to over 80 shops, but its occupancy has been declining in recent years. In 2024, construction began to turn part of the mall into a mixed-use development, including apartment units, corporate office space and a new grocery store. Most of the city’s biggest festivals center around arts and culture. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is the largest juried art fair in the country, drawing in over 500,000 visitors and showcasing nearly 1,000 artists. The Ann Arbor Film Festival is over 100 years old and takes place at the historic Michigan Theater. In January, Ann Arbor Restaurant Week shows off the city’s diverse cuisine with prix fixe menus, live demonstrations and discounted prices. Some of the quirkier events include FoolMoon, a late-night, light-up block party, and HashBash, an annual U of M event that started as a countercultural movement to protest against the criminalization of marijuana in the 1970s. The city also has a year-round farmers market, regular summer concerts and holiday celebrations. And it’s not hard to find something to do, even if there isn’t an official event going on. “There’s a lot of culture here,” Vandewiele says. “We have our own symphony, several theaters and plenty of museums. You can even audit classes at the university.” Another of the city’s most beloved traditions is celebrating the U of M football team. On home-game Saturdays, Wolverines fans funnel into the city to fill more than 100,000 seats in The Big House stadium. There’s such a high level of visitors that Ann Arbor-Saline Road turns into a one-way street — going into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening. “The streets can get totally gridlocked, but once the game starts, that’s the time to go out and do your shopping,” Anderson says. “It’s like the eye of the hurricane, so you have to keep listening to the score on the radio to make sure you get back in time.” Improving transportation is a priority for Ann Arbor. The city’s Vision Zero Transportation Plan aims to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as reach carbon neutrality in public transportation by 2030. The city also introduced updated bus routes in 2024, including a commuter bus to Ypsilanti. “The city really wants downtown to be bus-friendly,” Vandewiele says. “I think public transportation has been lagging a bit, and we are more of a walking community. It’s something they're really working on because all of the new high-rises and condos going in have eaten up all the downtown parking spaces.” Interstate 94 and Highway 23 are the city’s main transit corridors, forming a wide circle around the region. “You’re probably going to hear some traffic in Ann Arbor because you're either near downtown or out near the beltways that go all around the city,” Anderson says. The city has an Amtrak station for direct train rides to Detroit or Chicago. Detroit is 45 miles away, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is about a 30-mile trip. The major airport services 128 non-stop destinations across the world. Learn more on the Ann Arbor city guide.