College town ranks among nation's best

On a typical Ann Arbor evening, the city is milling with families taking walks, students going out for dinner and maybe even a row of motorcycles parked on Main Street.

A group of bikers gathered around a table outside Espresso Royale Cafe to chat over coffee one evening this past spring. The sight of burly men having civilized conversation may strike some as surprising, but in Ann Arbor it is not an unusual scene.

Money magazine ranks cities across the United States each year and although the rankings fluctuate greatly, Ann Arbor has received high rankings in recent years. In 1997, Ann Arbor was ranked as the 68th best place to live and in 1996 it was ranked the fifth best city in which to live. The rankings are based on numerous categories, including economy, health care, crime, housing, and the arts.

STEVE GERTZ/Daily The State Theatre, one of the enduring symbols of Ann Arbor and its surroundings, is located on State Street just as Central Campus merges with the city. Just one year ago, Ann Arbor was ranked as the nation's fifth-best city in which to live.

Money has consistently given Ann Arbor high rankings in health care and economy, stating that the economy is "fueled by its hometown college, the 36,000-student University of Michigan."

The city of Ann Arbor has a population of 109,608 people according to the last census taken in 1990. Approximately 36,000 of those residents are students.

But many of the people found in Ann Arbor are from surrounding towns and come to wine and dine, see a movie or play, or just to hang out.

"There aren't many places in the metro Detroit area where you can sit down at a cafe," explained area resident Bob Kiessel, a motorcyclist who visits Ann Arbor with friends for coffee.

Kiessel received both his Masters degree and his MBA from the University.

"Now my daughter goes to school here," he said. "This isn't a place where I'd want to raise a family, but it's a great place to go to school."

Also biking through the city was Matt Schwartz, who said he enjoys Ann Arbor "because it is so culturally diverse, not just racially diverse.

"In a normal town it becomes cliché after a while (but here) you could talk to a skater and he could be an intellectual," Schwartz said.

Many people said they find Ann Arbor is a good place to go out and get away from their hectic schedules.

Bill and Mary Stockwell said they usually come to Ann Arbor during weeknights for dinner and people watching. They added that they share an appreciation for the many different activities available in the city.

"We love the diversity, we love the restaurants, and we really like the activity," said the Stockwells, who are Chelsea residents. "We've gone to different plays ... the bookstores are great ... it's a great strolling city."

Ann Arbor not only has many different places and events, but they are usually within walking distance because of the comfortable five-mile city radius.

"We live close to town and that's nice ... we can walk to everything," said resident Annri Vroom.

Vroom's three-year old son, Koji, said the Ann Arbor library is one of his favorite places. "There's a tank that has big puffer fish - a big one and a little one," he said.

For graduate students Matthew and Tricia Jones, Ann Arbor has been home for a few years.

"We're both still in grad school and working," said Matthew Jones.

The Jones' and their seven and a half month old son, Caleb, especially enjoy spending quiet evenings in the park.

"Caleb and I take walks frequently," Matthew said."

The Jones' also recently sold a car because they "like the ability to walk places," Tricia said.

Many Ann Arbor residents said Ann Arbor has become home to them over the years, although they had never planned to settle permanently in the city.

Ann Arbor resident Jack Miller has lived in the city since 1950.

"It's a very pleasant place to live," Miller said.

Miller said that although he has worked in California and Boston, he will always come back to Ann Arbor.

"I think I'll retire here," Miller said.

In contrast, resident Hank Townsend said he has only lived in Ann Arbor for seven years, "but I've been coming to Ann Arbor for over 25 years," said Townsend, who teaches at Washtenaw Community College.

"like downtown because it's so alive seven days a week. People are still out wandering around," Townsend said.

Ann Arbor is also populated with many younger residents, owing in part to its excellence in public schooling.

Ten-year old DaMira Anderson said she enjoys eating ice cream outside Washtenaw Dairy with Townsend and her mother.

"I like Ann Arbor because they have nicer houses. It's nice and calm and there's not so many robberies," DaMira Anderson said.

DaMira's mother, Glynis Anderson, runs a nonprofit organization in the Ann Arbor area and said she thinks these organizations are important to making the city better for those less fortunate.

"I think we have pretty good volunteerism," Anderson said. "I think students put in good effort, which tells me that they care about the community."

It's common for Ann Arborites to fall in love with the town after calling it home for a while.

"I think it's a great city. It has a big-city feel to it without the inconveniences of the big city," said Ann Arbor resident Melissa Thun, who is originally from New York.

"All this place needs is an ocean or mountains," Thun said.

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