Local Government |
Neighborhoods in Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti.
By zip code:
48104
DDA
Downtown residential
Campus area
Elementary Schools
- Allen Elementary School
- Angell Elementary School
- Burns Park Elementary School
- Dicken Elementary School
- Pittsfield Elementary School
- Pattengill Elementary School
- Wines Elementary School
Subdivisions and neighborhoods
- Ann Arbor Hills
- Ann Arbor Woods
- Chalmers Road
- Forestbrooke
- Geddes Heights
- Georgetown
- Glacier Highlands
- Ives Woods
- Geddes - Arb
- Kimberly Hills
- Lower Burns Park
- North Burns Park
- Near North
- North Central
- Orchard Hills
- Old Fourth Ward
- Oxbridge
- Turnberry
- Woodcreek
Apartment complexes
Condominiums
Shopping centers
In Ann Arbor, outside.in has the following:
- Kerrytown
- Old West Side
- Downtown
- Abbot
- Allen
- Angells (yes, Angells; associated with Angell School
- Bryant Pattengill East
- Bryant Pattengill West
- Burns Park
- Carpenter
- Central Area
- Dicken
- Eberwhite
- Haisley
- King
- Lakewood
- Lawton
- Logan
- Mitchell
- Northeast Area
- Northside
- Pittsfield
- Southeast Area
- Southwest Area
- Thurston
- Wines Lower Town is the area just north of the Broadway Bridge.
History
Lower Town was one of the first-settled neighborhoods of Ann Arbor. Originally a separate village (becoming incorporated into Ann Arbor in 1867), it contains some of the oldest structures in Ann Arbor, including the Anson Brown Building, which dates to 1832, and currently houses the Saint Vincent DePaul Store. Mills and other industrial buildings located in the areas around the river and railroads, and the area has long been one of the city's more working class neighborhoods.
Lower Town has not fared well over the recent decades - the University of Michigan in particular has razed large portions of the neighborhood for its buildings and for parking, and currently has plans to build two new parking structures on Wall Street, holding 600 plus cars each, to serve the Medical Campus. A large portion of the commercial area was redeveloped in a suburban strip style, with attendant large parking lots; Kroger had a store here that closed about two years after its Plymouth Road location opened; the Lower Town building was briefly a CVS location, but stood empty for several years before it was demolished in 2008. Currently, the only evening uses in the area are the Broadway Party Store and a delivery oriented Cottage Inn Pizza location, giving Lower Town a desolate feel after the evening commuter rush from the Medical Campus.
The University's parking structures aside, there are some plans for new construction and re-use of existing structures in the area. The Strathmore Company's Broadway Village proposal, which would replace most of the strip development with a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented area, includes seven two- to six-story buildings, a plaza, replanting the Traver Creek edge, and the remediation of soil contamination from an old laundrymat with dry cleaning machines. The University health system was on board as an anchor tenant, but pulled out of the project to locate their facilities outside the freeway ring, stalling the project. Involved parties have not yet finalized a major tenant, and their financing remains pending.
Some smaller projects are in the works as well: the old Suzuki Tech Center building, on Pontiac Trail behind the party store, was purchased in early 2005, and converted into lofts in 2006 (see photo).
There are plans to restore the Anson Brown Building and move the Northside Grill into the ground floor space, freeing the Northside's current location to be redeveloped along with the vacant lot next to it. These plans have been discussed for many years, although funding has not been available.
In reponse to strong neighborhood support, on April 21, 2008, City Council established the Broadway Historic District. This district includes properties on Moore, Traver, Broadway, Jones, and Cedar Bend.
Residential Neighborhoods
The area just north of the University of Michigan Hospital contains apartment and condominium complexes. The disproportionately high population of medical students residing there, who often wear white coats, has earned it the nickname "The White Coat Ghetto." Apartment complexes include Island Drive and Medical Center Court. Condominiums complexes include Nielsen Square and Riverside Park Place. Single family homes mixed with rental units line Broadway and Jones in comfortable solidarity. Children play along the tree-lined streets. Cats cross at the street humps, as do squirrels and the occasional deer herd. The small houses are surrounded by pleasant gardens and mature trees, making this hillside one of the most picturesque in the city. Houses here were built between the 1830s and 2006, with many examples of mid-19th century architecture remaining intact.
Pontiac Trail also contains a mix of rental and single family homes, although due to its busier traffic pattern is less likely to have friendly deer wandering the streets during the day. The neighborhood surrounding Pontiac Trail also contains many pleasant walks and leads to parks along the river.
Links
- oldfourthward.com's Tour of Lower Town
- Strathmore Development's Broadway Village project
- UM Arts of Citizenship Program Broadway Park project
- ArborWeb Neighborhood Guide page on Northside Neighborhood
- Northside Neighborhood Association Wiki