Ann Arbor, affectionately called A-squared by locals, is located within the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint combined statistical area, which totals a population of over 5,357,538, while Ann Arbor alone is home to 117,000. The Huron River flows through Ann Arbor, which is located 35 miles west of Detroit. Winters here are harsh, while summers are pleasantly warm.
More than 43,000 students were enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2014, meaning nearly one-third of the city’s population consists of students. The university also provides many of Ann Arbor’s jobs, with the top employers being the University of Michigan Medical Center and the University of Michigan. Other top employers include Trinity Health, General Motors Milford Proving Ground and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Many educated graduates also live and work here, with a whopping 70 percent of the adult population having earned a college or advanced degree.
Ann Arbor consists of a total of 44 neighborhoods, including Dicken in the Southwest with its concentration of parks and the historical Northside in Northeast Ann Arbor. Bryant Pattengill East is an industrial area with low-income housing, while Central Ann Arbor contains ’hoods like the family-friendly Eberwhite, picturesque Bach and Burns Park, close to UM and full of well-to-do college grads. The downtown area is very walkable, which is highly convenient for the area’s many students without cars. The Ride, a bus service operated by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, services the county with 1,500 stops.
From the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, there’s a lot to see and do in this thriving little city. A member of the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan has plenty of spectator sports like football, basketball and hockey. Also nicknamed Tree Town, Ann Arbor is lush with forests and parks perfect for nature lovers.
