Moving to Ann Arbor for a Google, U-M, or TR job

Markdown duplicate of /blog/moving-to-ann-arbor-for-work.

# Moving to Ann Arbor for a Google, U-M, or TR job

Relocating to Ann Arbor for Google, Michigan Medicine, or Thomson Reuters? Neighborhoods, rent ranges, and what to look for before you sign a lease.

- **Canonical page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/blog/moving-to-ann-arbor-for-work
- **Markdown page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/markdown/blog/moving-to-ann-arbor-for-work
- **Last modified:** 2026-06-02

## Article metadata

- **Published:** 2026-06-01
- **Updated:** 2026-06-02
- **Author:** Packard Row leasing
- **Category:** Moving to Ann Arbor
- **Audience:** Professionals relocating to Ann Arbor for jobs at Google, Michigan Medicine, or Thomson Reuters.
- **Reading time:** 7 minutes
- **Primary keyword:** moving to Ann Arbor for a job
Six weeks until you need to be somewhere in Ann Arbor. You've probably been once, for the interview. It's a small city, [around 123,000 people](https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2603000-ann-arbor-mi/), with one big university. The grid is learnable in a week. But the right neighborhood means a 10-minute commute. The wrong one means 30 minutes each way, which adds up to about ten working days a year stuck in a car.

This guide is aimed at people relocating for Google, University of Michigan Health System (Michigan Medicine), or Thomson Reuters. Three employers that bring in a steady wave of professional renters each year, most of whom are figuring out the local market for the first time.

## Where are Google, U-M Hospital, and Thomson Reuters located in Ann Arbor?

All three sit inside city limits. None of them are near each other.

Google runs one of its larger Midwest engineering offices here, mostly software engineers and PMs. Michigan Medicine occupies the U-M main campus and is [one of the country's largest academic medical centers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan_Medicine), pulling in physicians, nurses, researchers, and admin staff from everywhere. Thomson Reuters runs a legal research and tech operation; the people there are attorneys, data folks, and product staff.

The shared thread: you can reach all three from the Packard Street corridor via I-94 and US-23. One apartment, three commutes.

## Which Ann Arbor neighborhood puts you closest to all three employers?

Bryant Pattengill East, on the southeast side. About as close to a centroid as you'll find here.

Packard Street is a main arterial that runs from near the U-M main campus southeast to the I-94 on-ramp. Michigan Medicine is roughly 2 miles northwest of 2111 Packard Street, an 8-minute drive without traffic. We've broken down the actual route, including the cycling option and where staff park, in our [Michigan Medicine commute guide](/guides/commute-to-michigan-medicine). The highway on-ramp is three minutes away for anything Google or Thomson Reuters direction; the [Ann Arbor tech corridor commute guide](/guides/commute-to-ann-arbor-tech-corridor) lays out each office's drive time end to end.

This isn't student housing territory. The neighborhood skews grad students, nurses, working professionals. People with jobs.

The address isn't flashy. Coming from Chicago or Boston, the quiet takes some getting used to. Most people adjust within a few months. For more on the area, see our [Bryant-Pattengill East neighborhood guide](/blog/bryant-pattengill-east-neighborhood-guide).

## What is Bryant Pattengill East actually like day-to-day?

Quiet. That's the honest answer, and for most people who moved here for work, it turns out fine.

No bar strip. Instead you get [County Farm Park](https://www.a2gov.org/departments/Parks-Recreation/parks-places/Pages/CountyFarm.aspx), 141 acres of trails, tennis courts, and open grass, the largest green space on this side of the city. Plus a stretch of Packard with actual destinations: [YORK Food and Drink](https://yorkannarbor.com/), [The Drip House Coffee](https://thedriphouse.com/), a Trader Joe's nearby, and Briarwood Mall about 10 minutes south for everything else.

Michigan Stadium is close enough that you can hear the crowd in the fall. (It's the [biggest football stadium in the country by capacity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Stadium), 107,601 seats, if you care about that.) The U-M Golf Course runs along the neighborhood's edge.

YORK is genuinely good. The kind of restaurant that belongs in a city twice Ann Arbor's size. The Drip House is the independent coffee version of that: serious about the product, not precious about it. If you're moving from a bigger city and worried there'll be nowhere worth going within a mile of your apartment, this stretch of Packard handles that.

## What do apartments cost near these employers in Ann Arbor?

For new construction near Packard Street: $2,200 to $2,500 for a one-bedroom, $2,500 to $3,015 for a two-bedroom depending on size.

A concrete number. [Packard Row](/) at 2111 Packard Street opened in May 2025 with one-bedrooms at $2,250/month (608 sq ft) and [two-bedrooms from $2,500 to $3,015](/floorplans) across floor plans between 838 and 1,022 sq ft. Brand-new construction matters more here than in some markets. A lot of Ann Arbor's rental stock is old, and older buildings come with real trade-offs.

Older buildings on Packard and nearby streets run $1,400 to $1,700/month for a one-bedroom. You're trading in-unit laundry, EV charging, and reliable HVAC for the savings. Whether that math works depends on you.

Rents are high for a mid-sized Midwestern city. The city is wrapped in [protected greenbelt land](https://www.a2gov.org/departments/systems-planning/programs/Pages/Ann-Arbor-Greenbelt.aspx), nearly 8,000 acres under conservation easements, which keeps developable supply tight. The university adds demand that doesn't drop in recessions. Those are structural conditions, and they aren't going anywhere.

Ypsilanti, just east, has lower rents. If Thomson Reuters is your destination, it might be worth pricing out the commute. For Michigan Medicine or Google daily, it usually doesn't pencil.

## What should I look for in an apartment if I'm relocating for work?

Four things most people don't ask about until they're locked into a lease.

- In-unit washer/dryer. Ann Arbor winters are real. Snow, cold, late November through March. Hauling laundry to a shared room in February in snow boots gets old fast. Most new buildings have in-unit. Older ones often don't, and listings won't always make this clear.
- Off-street parking. If you're driving, and most people here do, confirm this before you sign. Bryant Pattengill East doesn't have a parking crisis. Street parking gets harder in winter when snowplows need clearance.
- Pet policy specifics. If you have a dog, ask about the weight limit before you fall in love with a floor plan. A 25 to 35 lb cap is common in older buildings. Packard Row allows dogs up to 50 lbs, two pets max, with a $250 one-time fee per pet and $50/month per pet in rent. That's on the more permissive end of this part of the market.
- Internet setup. If you're working hybrid even two days a week, ask which ISPs are wired to the building and whether the building runs its own infrastructure. "High-speed internet available" has been a meaningless phrase in apartment listings since about 2010. Ask specifically.

## Is Ann Arbor a good city to live in as a young professional?

Yes, with a few caveats.

The food scene is real. [Zingerman's Delicatessen](https://www.zingermansdeli.com/) has been a national institution since 1982, and the reputation is earned. Beyond that, there are maybe 15 or 20 restaurants worth visiting regularly. For a city of 123,000, that's a strong ratio.

Arts and culture run through the university, which means access to lectures, theater, and film year-round at a level that costs a lot more in a bigger city. The [Ann Arbor Folk Festival](https://www.theark.org/folkfestival) in January and the [Ann Arbor Art Fair](https://www.artfairannarbor.org/) in July pull real crowds, not locals doing civic duty.

The winters are cold and long. Lake effect doesn't pound Ann Arbor the way it pounds the west side of the state, but expect real snow from late November through March and stretches where the temperature won't crack 20°F. If you're coming from California or Texas, plan for it. First winter catches a lot of people off guard.

Walkable in pockets, not across the board. Downtown and the U-M campus are walkable. The Packard corridor is decent for biking, and the city has invested in infrastructure along it. You'll want a car for most daily errands. That's just this part of Michigan.

## How fast do Ann Arbor apartments lease, and when should I start looking?

Fast. Good units in newer buildings often go before or within weeks of opening. If your start date is August or September (U-M's fall semester start) you're competing with roughly 10,000 students searching at the same time.

Start looking the moment you have a signed offer letter. Not after you've given notice. Not once you've figured out where to put your furniture. The moment the offer is signed.

For a September start date, that means May or June. Four months feels early until you're in July watching available units disappear every few days.

## Questions people ask

How far is 2111 Packard Street from Michigan Medicine?

About 2 miles northwest. By car, roughly 8 minutes without traffic. By bike along the Packard corridor, 15 to 20 minutes depending on your route.

Do any apartments near Packard Street have EV charging?

[Packard Row](/) at 2111 Packard has [EV charging on-site](/guides/ev-charging-at-packard-row), plus rooftop solar panels. Both are uncommon in Ann Arbor's rental stock, which skews older. If EV charging is on your list, the field narrows quickly around here.

Is Ann Arbor more expensive than Detroit?

For new-construction apartments, yes. Detroit's revitalized neighborhoods (Midtown, Corktown, New Center) have seen real rent increases since 2019, but Ann Arbor's constrained supply keeps prices higher for equivalent product. Ypsilanti is cheaper. Whether the commute trade makes sense depends on your employer.

What neighborhoods do Google employees typically live in?

Bryant Pattengill East and the Packard corridor come up often, especially for people who want newer buildings without downtown premiums. Burns Park, just north of Packard, is another option. Older stock, established residential, solid walkability to U-M campus.

When should I start apartment hunting for a September move-in?

May or June. The fall market is tied to U-M's academic calendar. New construction units in well-located buildings are often gone by mid-July.

Do Ann Arbor apartments allow large dogs?

Many do, with restrictions. A 25 to 35 lb cap is common in older buildings. Packard Row allows dogs up to 50 lbs, two pets max, with a $250 one-time fee per pet and $50/month pet rent. On the more permissive end for this part of the market.

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*Relocating soon? Start with a tour. Packard Row's leasing team works with relocating professionals every week. Send your start date and employer and we'll line up a tour that fits your visit, plus a backup virtual walkthrough if you can't get to Ann Arbor before signing. [Contact leasing](/contact).*

## FAQ

### How far is 2111 Packard Street from Michigan Medicine?

About 2 miles northwest. By car, roughly 8 minutes without traffic. By bike along the Packard corridor, 15–20 minutes depending on how you route it.

### Do any apartments near Packard Street have EV charging?

Packard Row at 2111 Packard has EV charging on-site, plus rooftop solar panels. Both are uncommon in Ann Arbor's rental stock, which skews older. If EV charging is on your list, the field narrows quickly in this part of the city.

### Is Ann Arbor more expensive than Detroit?

For new-construction apartments, yes. Detroit's revitalized neighborhoods (Midtown, Corktown, New Center) have seen real rent increases since 2019, but Ann Arbor's constrained supply keeps prices higher for equivalent product. Ypsilanti is cheaper.

### What neighborhoods do Google employees typically live in?

Bryant Pattengill East and the Packard corridor come up often, especially for people who want newer buildings without paying downtown premiums. Burns Park, just north of Packard, is another option — older stock, but an established residential neighborhood with solid walkability to the U-M campus.

### When should I start apartment hunting for a September move-in?

May or June. The fall market is tied to U-M's academic calendar. New construction units in well-located buildings are often gone by mid-July.

### Do Ann Arbor apartments allow large dogs?

Many do, with restrictions. A 25–35 lb cap is common in older buildings. Packard Row allows dogs up to 50 lbs, two pets maximum, with a $250 one-time fee per pet and $50/month pet rent. That's on the more permissive end for this part of the market.
## Related posts

- [bryant-pattengill-east-neighborhood-guide](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/blog/bryant-pattengill-east-neighborhood-guide)