Thinking of moving to Canton, MI. Anyone from the area?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Greetings everyone.</p>

<p>S will be attending UMich and I will be the only one remaining in the ‘rented nest’ until my husband joins me, hopefully next year. I am currently unemployed and have no reason to continue at the current place. So, conditions are favorable for a relocation. I am considering moving to Michigan and Canton seems closer to Ann Arbor. That will save a lot in rent for me and air travel expenses for him and may be help establish residency.</p>

<p>So, any one from the area who can give me a better understanding of the area? Also, can anyone recommend a good (and inexpensive) apartment? I looked at Meadowood online and seems okay. Has anyone had any experience with them? Comments/advice?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>Ikea is there!!! And Detroit Metro airport is only a few miles away (could be a plus or negative depending on the air traffic patterns).</p>

<p>I am from southern Michigan but have lived for years in Northern Ohio close to the MI border. I adore Ann Arbor and we have actually considered moving to AA2 surburbia - we like the Chelsea area.</p>

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<p>Canton is a very “busy” area. You may like it. I live in the lakes area, which is farther north (about 45 from AA). I prefer it to the Canton/Plymouth/Novi area, but there is nothing wrong with that area … just preference (less traffic, more open land where I am). I am not familiar with Meadowood but definitely suggest you visit any complex you are considering. Everything you could possibly want/need would be close to you, so that is a plus. It’s near the airport, near a good mall (12 Oaks), near all the big box stores. In addition, Plymouth and Northville have very nice downtown areas. The overall area is very suburban & spread out though … not sure what it is like where you live, so don’t know how it compares. Also not sure the cost of living where you are, so don’t know what “inexpensive” means to you.</p>

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<p>ME!!! I grew up in canton, moved to Ann Arbor to attend umich, and am currently getting set up s o that I can move to my own place in Canton. I love it! The traffic on Ford road can get bad, but it’s still only <em>suburban</em> bad, and there are ways to get around it and you get used to it quickly-- it’s that damned Ikea. Being in Ann Arbor now, I am going to miss not having to drive everywhere when I move back to Canton since Canton is a spread out suburb, BUT no errand will ever take you more than ten minutes. You have like five different grocery stores, every fast food joint there is, at least a half dozen restaurants, kohls, penneys, meijer, walmart, target, several strip malls ALL on the same like 2 mile strech of road on Ford. And a block down on Cherry Hill there’s TONS of stuff too, and we have a great library that’s nearby. I grew up right in that part of town and now I can’t imagine living anyplace else. Tons of parks, tons of community centers, GREAT people, low crime, Canton is really a GREAT place to live. And our movie theater is so cheap! That’s my favorite part, I can see a movie for like $4. I would struggle to find a single criticism of Canton. If I tried really hard, I guess there’s not a lot for teenagers to do if they aren’t the type to get involved at one of the community centers or make use of the parks and bike trails, and if you’re used to something a little more country it may seem busy to you. The heavier traffic is pretty much contained to Ford Rd between 275 and Lilley (my backyard, basically-- go figure) and I really don’t think it’s that bad. I am a big sissy when it comes to heavy traffic and noise and Canton is my safehaven, so personally I don’t think it’s that bad but you’ll have to decide for yourself. Plymouth is nearby and a little bit quieter, but more expensive-- though I did see some inexpensive apartment options there, I think they must just be older buildings.</p>

<p>I have been apartment hunting myself. I tried looking on apartmentratings.com but ALL of the apartments got uniformly bad reviews, including meadowwood, and I KNOW they’re not all that bad because my friends have lived in bunches of them and I’ve been there. So I would be skeptical of what you read online and try and find some more personal ways to investigate if you can. I am going to be visiting the apartments I am considering in person, talking to residents if I can, and talking with the canton police department about any crime issues in the complex to get a feel for where I’d like to be. There are tons of options so I am sure you will find something great. Meadowwood is out of my price range so I don’t have anything specific for you there, but we have a /ton/ of great, modestly priced apartment complexes so you’ll find something great, I just know it.</p>

<p>Just to add, the airport is far enough away that that is NO bother whatsoever. You are close to 12 oaks. There’s westland mall too, which is small and not a great mall, but they have some basic shops and it’s even closer than 12 oaks-- and there’s briarwood mall in ann arbor, too. The Ann Arbor area is very accessible, only about a 20 minute drive from Canton, very easy to manage.</p>

<p>Let me know if I can help in any way. :slight_smile: I love Canton!</p>

<p>ETA: Oh, and the ONE big thing I thought we were missing, is now just about to open. We got a dog park. :D</p>

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<p>Thank you all. Very informative comments. I really don’t have any particular town in mind. Anything in Michigan within an a couple of hrs drive to UMich is fine by me.</p>

<p>abasket,
I looked online for apartments in chelsea area, couldn’t find much. Will keep looking.</p>

<p>kelsmom,
We currently live in a beautiful suburb with great school system, lots of open area, woods, less traffic, etc, which come with a price. We currently pay about $1400 + utilities. I am looking to cut it down to less than $600 if possible. S is my only child. With him on his way to college, school system is no longer a criteria. Also, I don’t shop much, if there are basic grocery stores nearby, that’s fine by me. I am sure there will be public library/post office/bank/park within 5-10 miles. </p>

<p>Emaheevul07,
Great information. I am assuming you are graduating this year. May I ask, have you found a job? Are there job prospects in Canton? If not, where would you suggest looking? Yes, I am used to country side, but at this point, I don’t mind anything. </p>

<p>I intend to continue look for a job, may be it’s time for a change of career. So I am considering attending a short term college course or gain some experience by volunteering. So Colleges/hospitals in the area would be nice. I know a lot of people moved out of Michigan for lack of jobs and that concerns me. I hope I will be able to find something, even if it is small.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone. Keep them coming. I appreciate it.</p>

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<p>From today’s Detroit News:</p>

<p>*Plymouth-Canton Community Schools voted Tuesday night to send layoff notices to 269 teachers as it works to fill an $18 million budget hole. </p>

<p>The notices will be issued to more teachers than the district expects to lay off, said district spokesman Frank Ruggirello. By contract, the district has to notify teachers by Saturday that they may not have a job for the next school year.* </p>

<p>Won’t affect you, but is a statement as to the financial well-being of the area.</p>

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<p>Personally, If I were to move to MI I would avoid Wayne County. Try to move to Oakland County. Especially if you’re considering community college. They have an excellent system. Four year Universities within an hour or two of Ann Arbor include Eastern (not recommended), Wayne State (urban but within driving distance of Oakland County) and Oakland University in Rochester. I would recommend that one. </p>

<p>I would suggest someplace like Troy or Rochester. You would pay much less than $1400 for an apartment there and it’s close to, or within driving distance of anyplace you’d want to go to in Michigan. About an hour from Ann Arbor.</p>

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<p>The community college where Canton residents have residency is Schoolcraft College in Livonia, which is really nice, affordable, and in a great area-- not sure why you’d avoid Wayne county. The Wayne County Community College system doesn’t thrill me but Canton residents usually don’t go there, I don’t even know where the nearest campus would be. I went to Scraft for two years and transferred to Michigan in 2009. And while Eastern isn’t my favorite school, as long as I didn’t have to live in Ypsilanti I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, especially depending on the program-- they have some really good ones. </p>

<p>Most people are not moving to Michigan for the jobs, on the contrary most people are leaving the state for that reason. The economy in metro-detroit is not good, or really anywhere else in MI. I only just started looking for a job, so my not finding one yet isn’t a cause for concern in and of itself, but I’d be reluctant to move anywhere in MI without a job offer arranged in advance if you need to work. I think Canton is doing pretty well, especially compared to other cities in the detroit metro area-- TONS of businesses are moving in and the city is being kept up well, but the state of Michigan as a whole has not been in good shape the last few years.</p>

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<p>Plymouth and Canton are both lovely communities, and school funding is going to be a mess no matter where you go in the state right now. Actually, the Plymouth-Canton school district is one of the more financially solvent systems.</p>

<p>People in western Wayne County also take classes at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor. It’s a really great school with some fantastic programs (especially in health-related fields) - and it’s about a 15- to 20-minute drive from Canton.</p>

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<p>I live in the area and teach at a couple local community colleges. One thing to be aware of is that only some of the suburbs are actual towns or small cities, with identifiable downtown areas that have stores and restaurants and are nice to walk around in. These would include places like Ann Arbor, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn, Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Birmingham. Other municipalities are just “there”…with some busy streets lined with stores and restaurants, but with no identifiable center, business district, or “downtown” area.</p>

<p>I know some people from out of state who moved to one of these latter type municipalities (Southfield, Canton, Troy, Novi, etc.) who had trouble adjusting to almost never walking in a busy pedestrian area.</p>