Ann Arbor Apartments and Rentals

When you picture the perfect college town, you'd do well to think of Ann Arbor. This city is home to the prestigious University of Michigan, which lends the city a stately, pedestrian-friendly appeal. It also makes Ann Arbor an out-sized contender when it comes to attracting touring acts, creative chefs, and budding sports stars. So if you're one of the tens of thousands ready to cheer on the Wolverines, it might be time to find an Ann Arbor apartment.

Back in 1824, this area was first registered with Wayne County as "Annsarbour." It may be named after the Anns who were married to the two key land speculators. In 1837, the town lost its bid to be named state capital, but won the University of Michigan instead. Immigration and those seeking an education helped grow the settlement to city size. Soon, the U of M and Ann Arbor were inseparably intertwined. During the 1960s and '70s, the city served as an organizing area for civil-rights, anti-war, and student activism. This liberal attitude remains today, even as Ann Arbor continues to grow in size, population, and popularity.

If you're not familiar with Ann Arbor, there are a few different parts of town to get to know. In the center, student-oriented residences and buildings surround the campus of the University of Michigan. North Campus is where the College of Engineering and a few other programs are located. South Campus is all about sports and there you'll find the stadiums and arenas. There are quite a few commercial districts beyond the University area as well, such as Kerrytown.

Both for work and for study, Ann Arbor's powerhouse is the University of Michigan. The institution employs around 30,000 people and enrolls over 40,000 students. Other businesses have gravitated to the city in the school's wake, including high tech, health services, and biotechnology firms. There are automobile manufacturers in the Ann Arbor area as well. Other employers headquartered in the city include Arbor Networks, Google AdWords, Lotus Engineering, General Dynamics, and Domino's Pizza.

If you're not taking advantage of student housing (or living in one of the fraternities, sororities, or co-ops near campus), you'll find Ann Arbor to be slightly more expensive then the national average. Five percent of residential property in town is vacant at any given time, but expect more turnover at the end of semesters as students come and go. A one-bedroom Ann Arbor apartment rents for between $825 and $1,159 a month.

Like any active college town, Ann Arbor is rich in restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, and shopping. The University of Michigan Wolverines play to packed crowds, whether you're talking football, basketball, hockey, or most any other sport. There's plenty of public art around the city, or you can head to one of the many museums. There's the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, the Museum of Art, the Cobblestone Farm Museum, and Leslie Science Center to name a few. For some fresh air, Nichols Arboretum is 123 acres of woodland along the Huron River. You can also catch a film at the Michigan Theater, a concert at the Ark, or just people watch on the University's main quadrangle, known as the Diag.

Ann Arbor's social calendar hardly takes a break. There's the Ann Arbor Film Festival in late March for independent and experimental films. The Hash Bash takes over the Diag in April in support of marijuana law reform. There's the Ann Arbor Book Festival in May, the African American Downtown Festival in June, and during football season, Wolverines games if you can get a ticket. They always sell out, particularly when rivals Michigan State and Ohio State come to town.

To get settled in your new Ann Arbor apartment, begin by searching the listings here on Rent.com®. We're happy to help you out in your hunt for the just-right rental.