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Ann Arbor is awesome if you can get past all the **** poor timed traffic lights, people who drive like idiots and painting of bike lanes that nobody uses.
Much colder in the winter.
Not as snowy.
Much cloudier in the winter.
Much hotter in the summer.
Much more humid.
Less rain.
The weather in the midwest is worse in every measurable way than New England
Boston is in USDA zone 6b - minimum daily temperature of 0 to -5F
Ann Arbor is in zone 6a - min temp of -10F to -5F
Growing up, we had school canceled for a week due to the cold. It was down into the -20s.
In the last 6 years here, the coldest I've seen is -3F. And in 5 winters it hasn't gotten below zero.
On the other hand, the driest of these winters was two years ago (15-16) when we got only 48" of snow in Worcester. That's an average winter in Ann Arbor. The 120" we got the year before would have crippled the area
Weather wise, neither Boston nor Ann Arbor are exactly San Diego (though I do like my four seasons). Both Boston and Ann Arbor have longer winters and fewer sunny days per year than the U.S. average. Looking at the city-data.com weather data… Boston winters may be just a tad shorter than Ann Arbor’s. I’m basing winter length somewhat arbitrarily on months/year with average daily lows below 30 F. Boston’s winters are sunnier (about U.S. average), though as you move inland from the ocean (e.g. Worcester) the winter climate quickly becomes colder and less sunny.
I sometimes wish that winters were snowier in SE Michigan, but we do get significantly more snow than the national average. The flip side of the snow coin is that there’s only so much time and energy I want to spend shoveling the sidewalk anyhow. If there’s a significant snow-less stretch, I can always drive an hour or two north or west (into the lake effect) and generally find enough snow to satisfy me.
One consideration I haven’t seen mentioned yet on this forum is that Michigan is much further west in the eastern time zone than Boston. Being at similar latitudes, total day length is similar in both places, but the sunset in Ann Arbor is nearly an hour later than it is in Boston. Most of the winter, the Boston sunset is right at the time most people get off work (5 pm). Even if you get off work earlier, the sunset timing means that you’ll have more time to enjoy daylight in Ann Arbor. A sunny day isn’t worth much if you’re stuck in an office, and while not the rule, there are definitely some sunny days to enjoy in SE Michigan winters.
Many may not agree with me on this point, but I really enjoy the few days (generally 5 or less) a year that we get bitter cold temps and school/work cancellations. The outside world becomes peaceful and still, and I rest my soul by the fire.
All the above being said, if winter is really getting you down then you can always buy a SAD lamp, take a trip to Florida, or spend some time in the tropical plant conservatory at U of M’s Matthaei Botanical Garden (free admission).
As for summers… SE Michigan is a bit hotter and more humid than Boston. Having lived for a stretch in the Southeastern U.S., it seems pretty absurd to me to refer to Michigan summers as hot or humid, per se. In comparison to Boston, though, the Michigan summer heat offers a great opportunity to enjoy the state’s beautiful rivers, lakes, and beaches. As for humidity, it’s always 100% when you’re swimming
In summary, I personally wouldn’t consider climate to be a major factor when comparing SE Michigan with Boston.
the worst thing about Ann Arbor is the heavy amount of rainfall when it's cold. I would prefer snow. It's raining for the kids on Halloween and then it's still a cold rain for Easter some years. Spring and Fall are cold rain. Winter rains. Summer is amazing but during summer most people want to leave and go to lake houses and "up north." the entire state is amazing in summer. there are tons of NY plates here going to the beaches I've noticed, is the secret out?
The best thing about Ann Arbor is that its a city of 120k people but still feels like a small town - you will run into people you know everywhere, coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, festivals, street fairs. There is always some seasonal activity being planned for families and the community. it has become a vibrant family community full of homes with nice yards, sidewalked neighborhoods for the kids to walk to school (in the summer when it's not raining, when they are not in school). the homes are all old and need tons of repair. if you are a family with good old fashioned family values, wanting to spend a good chunk of money on maintaining your home through all of the seasons and elements, while also taking the kids to tons of activities and great schools, then this is a good place for you. To me, that's why so many families love it. If you have lived in NYC, San Fran, LA, other big metro areas, what I think of as more real cities, you might first feel like this is a suburban paradise, or a relief, it might feel like an oasis, everything is so easy, so efficient, the birds are chirping, kids are riding bikes, families are pulling each other around in wagons to get ice cream on a hot summer evening, sometimes even a real live ice cream truck drives by ringing a bell, you have to remember is 2020 not 1940, however, even if you are a professor, doctor, a career reason to be anchored to the university and campus, you may begin to slowly get bored. boredom and bubble are the two words I've heard a lot of people use when they decide to leave Ann Arbor, and other people think it's perfect when they move here, and offers enough to stay. If you have medical issues that need long term care and treatment, the hospital is top ten in mostly everything, and within ten miles of mostly anywhere you can live in Ann Arbor. that's another detail I'll add, you can live your entire life here without ever going on the highway. to some people, maybe with epilepsy, or driving issues, that is a major draw. to others, that might be incredibly monotonous. To me, if Ann Arbor was on the lake, or in the mountains, or if we could move it to a tropical island, it would be ideal. the majority of people here also have their PhD, like the guy who comes to paint your house probably has a PhD in classical literature and figured out that working for himself painting homes is better money and allows him more time to read literature than tied to a tenure track rat race or white collar desk job - Ann Arbor is very intelligent in unique ways.
Ann Arbor downtown is a nice place to go to for hanging out on the weekends and has a very lively atmosphere, but if you have a family, I’d rather live in a place like Canton or Plymouth and commute unless you are a university student.
Royal Oak is a similar kind of place closer to the eastern suburbs of Detroit. Ann Arbor, Canton, and Plymouth are to the west. Traffic can get quite nasty during winter rush hour so choose your location based that as well. If some place takes 30 minutes to drive in summer without traffic, it can take up to twice as long in snowy weather with traffic.
Of course, weather wise you are pretty far up north so winters are going to be quite cold. But if you come from the northeast, upper midwest, or interior northwest, it shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust. I grew up in central New Jersey, and the weather doesn’t feel any different.
Lack of train service to the airport is something I’m a bit bummed about though. I wish there was a DTW train station. It would be a big benefit for people who arrive without a car and just need to get to the university area.
Last edited by FrozenI69; 07-21-2020 at 02:27 PM..
4th most popular way to get to the airport behind, in no particular order, ride from friend or loved one, drive yourself, take an Uber/Lyft.
I've ridden the Michigan Flyer on several occasions (though not in 2020) and enjoyed being able to read, work, meditate, etc. on the way to the airport. The bus also saves money and reduces fossil fuel consumption. Anyhow, I forgot to nest my initial comment under Frozen I69's as a direct reply to the 'Lack of train service to the airport' comment. Though not a train, the Michigan Flyer does offer public transportation to DTW.
Last edited by Gisador; 08-04-2020 at 04:09 PM..
Reason: Clarification
the worst thing about Ann Arbor is the heavy amount of rainfall when it's cold. I would prefer snow. It's raining for the kids on Halloween and then it's still a cold rain for Easter some years. Spring and Fall are cold rain. Winter rains. Summer is amazing but during summer most people want to leave and go to lake houses and "up north." the entire state is amazing in summer. there are tons of NY plates here going to the beaches I've noticed, is the secret out?
The best thing about Ann Arbor is that its a city of 120k people but still feels like a small town - you will run into people you know everywhere, coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, festivals, street fairs. There is always some seasonal activity being planned for families and the community. it has become a vibrant family community full of homes with nice yards, sidewalked neighborhoods for the kids to walk to school (in the summer when it's not raining, when they are not in school). the homes are all old and need tons of repair. if you are a family with good old fashioned family values, wanting to spend a good chunk of money on maintaining your home through all of the seasons and elements, while also taking the kids to tons of activities and great schools, then this is a good place for you. To me, that's why so many families love it. If you have lived in NYC, San Fran, LA, other big metro areas, what I think of as more real cities, you might first feel like this is a suburban paradise, or a relief, it might feel like an oasis, everything is so easy, so efficient, the birds are chirping, kids are riding bikes, families are pulling each other around in wagons to get ice cream on a hot summer evening, sometimes even a real live ice cream truck drives by ringing a bell, you have to remember is 2020 not 1940, however, even if you are a professor, doctor, a career reason to be anchored to the university and campus, you may begin to slowly get bored. boredom and bubble are the two words I've heard a lot of people use when they decide to leave Ann Arbor, and other people think it's perfect when they move here, and offers enough to stay. If you have medical issues that need long term care and treatment, the hospital is top ten in mostly everything, and within ten miles of mostly anywhere you can live in Ann Arbor. that's another detail I'll add, you can live your entire life here without ever going on the highway. to some people, maybe with epilepsy, or driving issues, that is a major draw. to others, that might be incredibly monotonous. To me, if Ann Arbor was on the lake, or in the mountains, or if we could move it to a tropical island, it would be ideal. the majority of people here also have their PhD, like the guy who comes to paint your house probably has a PhD in classical literature and figured out that working for himself painting homes is better money and allows him more time to read literature than tied to a tenure track rat race or white collar desk job - Ann Arbor is very intelligent in unique ways.
It's true that there's more cold rain in SE Michigan than in many parts of the country. That said, looking at city-data.com weather data, it appears that Ann Arbor gets less cold rain than the mid-Atlantic, northeastern, or northwestern United States. For starters, Ann Arbor gets less precipitation than those areas in general. As for rain distribution throughout the year, both DC and Boston (and most likely the cities in between) have higher precipitation than Ann Arbor for all twelve months (though April, July and August are close calls). Continuing the line of thought… there are about 5 months of the year in, say Washington DC, where average daily highs are 60 or below. While it’s a subjective definition, I'd personally consider any non-snow precipitation when it’s 60 or below to be cold rain. Ann Arbor gets about 6 months/year with average daily highs of 60 or below (though it does get considerably more snow in that period than DC). Boston has higher precipitation year-round than Ann Arbor and similar amounts of above freezing yet chilly days, so it stands to reason that Boston gets more cold rain (though it does get a bit more snow than Ann Arbor). Of course, the picture looks substantially worse for places like Portland, OR and Seattle that get most of their precipitation in the winter yet have many cold but above-freezing days within that period.
4th most popular way to get to the airport behind, in no particular order, ride from friend or loved one, drive yourself, take an Uber/Lyft.
I used to use Michigan Flyer fairly frequently when they had the Briarwood area stop. Very convenient if you live in communities south and west of Ann Arbor (I'm in Saline) due to the easy on/off highway access. I still don't understand why they took away that stop.
Great people watching. Including great people listening. Go downtown and listen to liberal extremists trying to out liberal each other. It is amusing and they have it honed to a science in Ann Arbor. (If they accost you, just agree with whatever they say, but let them win. they are the only true progressive and you are a right wing racists cad (it does nto matter what your actual beliefs are, they must prove everyone but them is insufficiently liberal) - doing anything else might be dangerous).
Downsides: crazy excessive uber aggressive liberalism - fun to watch, but can be a problem if you become a target.
Good grief.
The above quoted may actually reveal more ABOUT YOU than the people of A2.
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