Ypsilanti Apartment Renter's Guide
Ypsilanti Apartment Renter's Guide
Overview
“I’m going back to Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti where I’m from / Back to Ypsilanti to have some fun” (– Lee Osler, “Back to Ypsilanti")
If Ann Arbor is the home for educated hippies, Ypsilanti is the cooler, hipper next-door neighbor
“I’m going back to Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti where I’m from / Back to Ypsilanti to have some fun” (– Lee Osler, “Back to Ypsilanti")
If Ann Arbor is the home for educated hippies, Ypsilanti is the cooler, hipper next-door neighbor. Ypsilanti is known as just “Ypsi” by the locals, pronounced like ipsi. If you pronounce it like yipsi, you’ll instantly stand out as someone who just doesn’t get it. Ypsilanti is just 8 miles away from Ann Arbor, so anything you could want in Ann Arbor isn’t too far away. Like Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti is also a college town, home to Eastern Michigan University.
Living in Ypsilanti
The culture in Ypsilanti is a lot more edgy than Ann Arbor. Where Ann Arbor talks about social change from ivory towers, Ypsi puts it into action. Ypsi was the first city in Michigan to elect a Muslim to office way back in the 1970s, and the first city in Michigan to pass a living wage ordinance in the 1990s. The city also passed an extremely broad ban on discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation, body weight and gender identity/transgender status, and defended it twice against repeal efforts. This is a city that welcomes everyone and wants you to know it.
Moving to Hip Ypsilanti
So if you’ve decided that Ypsi is where you want to be, let’s just say congratulations. You’ve made a good choice. Now you need to start looking for an apartment to rent in Ypsilanti. Fortunately, Ypsi is the much cheaper alternative to Ann Arbor, so this is a better place to look if you have any challenging situations like bruised credit or irregular employment.
If you do have good rental history references and a decent job history, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding a good apartment in Ypsilanti. If you do have any special circumstances, such as needing to bring pets or to be close to public transportation routes, you might want to check with an apartment locator to get their help in helping you find what you’re looking for. Yes, pet-friendly apartments in Ypsilanti are even available! You might have to pay an extra security deposit or slightly increased monthly rent, but there’s probably no need to leave your furry friend behind. You may even be able to find all bills paid apartments in Ypsilanti, because there's a pretty wide variety of housing.
Getting Around This Cool Town
Many people can choose to get by without a car in the Ypsilanti area. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, or The Ride, offers fixed-route buses, van pools, door-to-door service and express buses between and through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A lot of locals also choose to walk and ride bikes, especially during the times of year when there isn’t a lot of snow on the ground.
It’s pretty rare that the cooler neighborhoods are also the cheaper ones, but Ypsilanti happens to be that exceptional community.