<p>I've always wanted to go to college in a college town and Ann Arbour sounds perfect. And I've also always wanted this place to be near a big city and Detroit sounded fine. But recently I've been hearing a lot of horror stories about the place. I want a place where I'd feel comfortable staying out till 2-3 in the morning. </p>
<p>How often do Ann Arbour students go to Detroit? Is there any substance in the stories?</p>
<p>Woops, apologies for the double post. My internet was lagging.</p>
<p>First of all, Ann Arbor is far away from Detroit. I do not know why any Michigan students would want to go to Detroit, but if you were, for whatever reason, the Downtown area is relatively safe at night. You still have to be cautious, however. Other than Downtown and parts of the Wayne State campus, Detroit is NOT safe to travel at night (from midnight to the ams). It can be a dangerous city if you are not street smart or are not familiar with the area. I know this because I live in the outskirts of Detroit (less than a mile away) and work at a convenience store on the southwest side. Yes, some of those horror stories are probably true but exaggerated. I’ve had a few problems myself but for the most part, I’m as “safe as I am smart” and that’s why I still find it in my heart to love my city. But again, as a student at University of Michigan (which I hope to be), you will not find Detroit, being so far away, a problem unless you go out of your way to make it one. And if you day, make stay in the safety of the downtown area.</p>
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Well said.</p>
<p>It takes about an hour to drive from Ann Arbor to Detroit. It is not typical for Michigan students to leave Ann Arbor to go there. There are plenty of things to do in Ann Arbor. The horror stories are exaggerated. Detroit has problems but most are similar to other large urban areas in the United States.</p>
<p>I have gone with a group of students to Detroit once, for a hockey game-- we took a bus that the university set up for us. I have no problem doing that sort of thing, there are tons of people and a good police presence. Would I just go to Detroit to hang out? Probably not. My boyfriend lives there during the summer and I don’t even go to his house because there are holes blown in all his neighbors houses, the ones that aren’t burnt down, and I had to call 911 once to stop a suicide attempt and it took the police an hour and a half to show up. I am not a Detroit hater, but unless I have red wings tickets I do not make it a point to venture in that direction.</p>
<p>Welcome to Detroit City</p>
<p>If you really want to go visit Detroit - go ahead. However, if you want to go to a big city, there are plenty of more safer and nicer cities in suburban Detroit. Consider Royal Oak, Rochester, and Birmingham.</p>
<p>I went to the UM Detroit Center for a Growing Allies Retreat, and that was fine (although we pretty much stayed in the center the whole time). That’s the only time I’ve been in Detroit though. One of my best friends is from Detroit and says all the horror stories are much exaggerated; it’s as safe as any other large urban area.</p>
<p>With all that Ann Arbor has to offer, you really probably would not need/want to go to Detroit at night for anything other than attending a pro sport event. And unfortunately, given how the pro teams have been doing, most out of staters usually only go when their own home team or a team they really want to see plays there.</p>