Overview of Ann Arbor

Full Ann Arbor Travel Guide »    Ann Arbor Interactive Map »    Print This Article »

Looking across S. University Street at the outside of the Law Quadrangle

Ann Arbor is centered around the University of Michigan www.umich.edu. The U-M campus intermingles with downtown, and the whole area is walkable, though day buses run between the campuses and the central business district. Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Thomson, Google, Domino's, and Borders Group have a major presence in the area. The University is well known for its medical school complex.

Farther out, the city fades into urban sprawl (a mall and business parks in the south), then countryside dotted with towns, and to the east, Detroit suburbs. Buses beyond the city limits, except in the direction of Ypsilanti, are sparse or nonexistent; you'll want a car unless you have several hours to spare. On some autumn Saturdays, transport is difficult as 100,000-odd people pour in for university football games.

Ann Arbor, or Tree town, is, as one might expect, full of trees; they line the streets, and in summer from the air, or year-round in Google Earth, all that can be seen is a green swath with a few buildings sticking out. (In the early 20th century, after having leveled the forest that once occupied the area, the city instituted an aggressive tree-planting program that's since borne fruit.)

Like most of Michigan, summers can be hot and humid, with temperatures occasionally hitting 90 degrees, but averaging in the mid 80s. Winters are fairly normal for the lower Great Lakes region, which enjoys 4 seasons. It starts to be chilly in late October and it begins to warm up again in mid-March (but the occasional early April snowfall is not unheard of!). Average winter temperatures are generally in the range of 30°F and in January temps can dip below 20°F, or even lower if it's windy. Summers can get quite hot; in mid-July it can hit high into the 90's with high humidity.

Downtown is a solid block of restaurants and art galleries. The university hosts cultural events, and venues such as the Michigan Theater host first-run independent films and high-profile music groups. The original Borders bookstore is also here, as are several good independent bookshops, and the Ann Arbor Art Fair draws over half a million visitors each summer.

• Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau, 120 W Huron Street, ☎ +1 734 995-7281 or +1 800 888-9487, www.annarbor.org.

• Duderstadt Center, 3 km (2 miles)

• Washtenong Memorial Park, 5 km (3 miles)

• www.umich.edu
• www.annarbor.org