Ann Arbor Real Estate Market

Ann Arbor is Michigan's seventh largest real estate market, and the largest in Washtenaw County, with a population of around 115,000. The city of Ann Arbor offers excellent quality-of-life, ranking #10 on the BestJobsUSA list of the Best Places to Live and Work in America. It also ranked #3 among small cities on Ladies' Home Journal's 2002 list of the Best Cities for Women.

The Ann Arbor housing market is located in southeastern Michigan on the Huron River, about 40 miles west of Detroit and 45 miles east of Lansing. The city spans 27.8 square miles. Ann Arbor is also located just 25 miles west of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which handles most domestic and international flights to and from Michigan.

Ann Arbor is an upbeat college town with an energetic outdoor scene and one of the youngest populations (28 years median age) among major cities. The city is also the hometown of former president Gerald Ford.

Home to the University of Michigan's 47,000 students, the neighborhood is loaded with hip bars, coffee houses, and places to hear live music. Washington and Main Streets are among the city's favorite hotspots for a night out.

If you're in the Ann Arbor community, it's hard to ignore the team spirit when it comes to college football. One of the most well-known Division A teams in the entire country is the University of Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines host the largest outdoor stadium in the country with seating capacity over 107,500. Every game has the potential of setting a new capacity record at Michigan Stadium, also known as "The Big House."

The largest employer in the Ann Arbor real estate market is none other than the University of Michigan. The University is recognized across the country for its educational standards and highly-regarded medical school. Ann Arbor is also an important medical center, home to a large pharmaceutical research facility and several high tech research and development firms. Other major employers include St. Joseph Mercy Health Systems, Pfizer global research & development, and Bell & Howell Information and Learning. Domino's Pizza's corporate headquarters are located in Ann Arbor as well. In addition, Google has recently brought a substantial amount of jobs to Ann Arbor neighborhoods.

Ann Arbor Neighborhood Highlights

We could write books on what to do in Ann Arbor. Instead, we'll highlight just a few things.

  • University of Michigan Sports:
    Football is the most popular sport at UofM, but if you're not interested in watching football with 100,000 other people, you still have plenty of UofM options including hockey, baseball, and volleyball.
  • Main Street:
    Voted one of "America's 15 Favorite Main Streets" by Travel and Leisure Magazine, you'll find nightclubs, galleries, historic buildings, and much more here!
  • UofM Museum of Natural History and Planetarium:
    So much fun that your kids won't even realize they're learning. There are four floors of exhibits which include the largest display of dinosaurs in Michigan, Michigan wildlife, anthropology, geology, and more!
  • Ann Arbor Art Fairs:
    From Ann Arbor's Summer Art Fair in July to the Ann Arbor Street Fair in the fall, hundreds of vendors can be found selling everything from soft pretzels and smoothies to original artwork, clothes, jewelry, trinkets, and more!
  • Farmer's Market:
    For over 90 years, locals have flocked to the weekly farmer's market in order to pick up the freshest fruits and vegetables from local farmers.

Ann Arbor Historical Facts

There are many different stories that try to explain the origin of the community's name, however the most popular stems from the founders John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. The two gentlemen founded the city in 1824, naming it after their spouses, both named Ann. The "Arbor" comes from the over 33,000 trees on the 640 acres they settled upon.

Ann Arbor Geographical Location

  • Detroit Metropolitan Airport - 30 minutes away
  • Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park or Detroit Lions at Ford Field - 45 minutes away
  • Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena - 45 minutes away
  • Lansing - 1 hour away
  • Boyne Mountain Ski Resort - 3.5 hours away
  • Golf Courses - 10 courses within 20 minutes

Ann Arbor City Information

  • City Hall
    Address: 301 E Huron Street
    Ann Arbor, MI 48107
    (734) 994-2700
  • Police Department
    Address: 301 E Huron Street
    Ann Arbor, MI 48107
    Phone (non-emergency): (734) 994-2911
  • Fire Department
    Address: 111 N 5th Avenue
    Ann Arbor, MI 48104
    Phone (non-emergency): (734) 994-4958
  • Meri Lou Murray Recreational Center
    Address: 2960 Washtenaw Avenue
    Ann Arbor, MI 48104
    Phone: (734) 971-6355
  • Ann Arbor Community Center
    Address: 625 North Main Street
    Ann Arbor, MI 48105
    Phone: (734) 662-3128
  • Ann Arbor School District
    Address: 2555 S State Street
    Ann Arbor, MI 48104
    Phone: (734) 994-2200
 
 

Ann Arbor Transportation

  • By Bus
    Ann Arbor has a robust public transportation system with plenty of buses moving in and around the city limits and all throughout campus. There is also Megabus, a clean and convenient way to travel to Chicago, Cleveland, Toledo, or Pittsburgh, with fare specials as low as $1.
  • By Train
    The Greyhound Train Station helps residents get across the state to cities such as Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and Nils, as well as to Chicago.
  • By Plane
    Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) is located just a half hour away and is one of Delta Airlines' hubs. This international airport has 145 gates, saw over 32 million travelers in 2012, and was ranked the 18th best airport by its passengers.

Ann Arbor Demographics

  • Population: 114,000
  • Average Age: 27.3 years (over 25% of the population is between 18-24)
  • Median Household Income: $46,299
  • Median Sale Price for a Home: $264,500
  • Average Highest Temperature in the Year: 83 degrees in July
  • Average Lowest Temperature in the Year: 31 degrees in January
  • 5th largest city in Michigan
  • Livability.com ranked Ann Arbor as the 13th best place to live in the country
  • Forbes ranked the University of Michigan as the 5th best public college
  • The Daily Beast awarded 5th Place to Ann Arbor for "Happiest City in America"

Ann Arbor Local Businesses

Some of the state's largest employers and biggest businesses happily call Ann Arbor their home. The University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Medical Center proudly employ over 28,000 people! Domino's Pizza has been headquartered in Ann Arbor since its founding and Trinity Health ranks in the Top 4 biggest employers in the city. Most recently Google decided to build a presence in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor Real Estate Agents

Buying or selling a home in Ann Arbor? Let our team of Ann Arbor real estate agents help you through the purchase of your new Ann Arbor property or the sale of your current home. As local Ann Arbor real estate experts, we have expert insider knowledge of the market dynamics unique to the Ann Arbor real estate market. We're here to work with you today!

Contact the Mark Z home selling team to get more information about buyer or seller representation in Ann Arbor. Planning to get involved in the Ann Arbor real estate market? Review our CMA (comparative market analysis) form to quickly see your Ann Arbor property value estimate within minutes.

Ann Arbor Local Resources