Midtown

6 Blocks to Downtown Ypsilanti.  It takes us 7 minutes to walk to Bombadill's our favorite coffee shop which happens to be owned by a neighbor.

1 Block to EMU's main campus.  We take classes occasionally, go to plays on campus, use the state of the art library, attend sporting events and art shows.  That's just the tip of the iceberg!

8-10 blocks to Riverside Park, Frog Island Park and Depot Town.  Ypsilanti has more festivals than any other city in the State of Michigan, and 114 N. Normal is just blocks away!  It's unending summer fun plus unparalleled shopping and dining opportunities in Depot Town!

About the same distance in the other direction is one of our favorite destinations... in the summer, we like to walk to the Hollywood Video, rent a movie and stop at Dom's Bakery for the BEST donuts around  on the way home (I bet you'll see at least one police officer there!)

The house is also only 4 blocks from Recreation Park, a summer destination for its swimming pool, basketball court and baseball fields, and a winter destination for its new ice skating rink!

Midtown is a neighborhood that has grown tremendously in the past 5 years with the development of the Midtown Neighborhood Association (check out the website at www.midtown.ypsi.com).  The Midtown NA has worked hard and successfully completed projects including a community garden (near the corner of Normal and Congress), a neighborhood walking group, annual block parties, a garage sale fundraiser (scheduled for June 3, 2006), and more.

The Midtown NA has also successfully petitioned the City to rezone the area to R1a, an effort to preserve single family houses and make it easier for families to own and live in houses in Midtown.

Another thing we love about Midtown is that people bond quickly over home improvement projects and watching the neighborhood develop and grow.  There's always somebody who is restoring a home in Midtown and it's fun to watch!  Plus, people can share advice and occasionally help with projects!

Finally, people in this neighborhood are very supportive of each other.  Even as close to the University as the house is, you will find that the same rules govern this neighborhood that govern others:  People will treat you as you treat them.  For us, this worked well because we got along great with our neighbors.  In fact, the neighbors on our right even made us cookies for the holidays!  And our neighbor across the street has visited for dinner and we've been invited for a glass of wine!  We're really sad to leave our neighbors behind (I even cried when I announced it at the Association meeting!) and we hope that whoever buys our house will be a good neighbor, too.  Midtown deserves it!