Ann Arbor native Lauren Sheridan received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from Indiana University in 2008. Choosing between the option of continuing on to grad school or starting her career, she moved to Chicago in October of 2008 to launch a career. After almost six years living in Chicago and after her last job as a senior program manager at the Illinois Technology Association, Lauren decided to move back to Ann Arbor to pursue her passions for growing businesses. In her spare time Lauren loves to be with her family, travel, play volleyball, brunch with friends, and spend as much time outdoors and on the water as possible.
Why I'm Moving Back to Michigan
Shortly after graduating from Indiana University in 2008, I moved to Chicago, like many of my friends. Stating the obvious, it was a less than ideal time to enter the workforce. As a native Michigander and Midwesterner, I wanted to stay in the Midwest as it was still close enough to home (Ann Arbor), the people are familiar and it had the big city appeal with far greater opportunities than Detroit. I remember taking family vacations to Chicago when I was younger and was awe-struck by its grandeur. I decided to make Chicago my new home.
Over the next five years, I wound my way through various employment opportunities. Navigating city living also came with a price. I moved almost every year I lived in Chicago for many justified and some unfortunate reasons. Among these were skyrocketing heating bills in the winter months at one of my apartments, a garden unit in Wicker Park, and another being a victim of a burglary in my third year. I wound up never feeling comfortable in this city and a bit like a nomadic Goldilocks in search of just the right apartment in a safe, ideal neighborhood.
Chicago appealed to me as a great place to launch my career, and that it was. However, over the last year I started to think about where I saw myself long term and the implications of long term for my life goals. For me, that means eventually owning property, having and affording a comfortable lifestyle, being close to my family and having a career in a place where I felt I could really make a difference. In Chicago, you might always feel like a small fish in a big pond and for some people that may suit them. I want to make a difference in my community and play more of an active role to help grow a thriving economy.
My best memories were of my childhood in Michigan with summers spent up north on the lake, endless hours playing outside with the neighborhood kids, Michigan football games, and skiing in the winter. My passion for Michigan lies in my roots. The spirit of the town of Ann Arbor holds something extra special for me.
However, the task of finding a place to live in Ann Arbor has been a bit arduous. Young professionals in the area like to stay near downtown without having too much crossover with the University of Michigan students. Being walking distance to nightlife, great restaurants and other amenities are important. High-rise buildings such as the Ann Arbor City Apartments already have a wait list and far exceed any price I paid for an apartment in Chicago. The demand for condos and apartments outweighs the supply by a staggering amount.
Searching for the right place to live in Ann Arbor is quite a different task from that of searching in Chicago. Each neighborhood in Chicago is clearly separated, and your decision on where you can choose to live is based on what appeals to you most and even the type of people you want to surround yourself by – and the choices are abundant. I chose Wicker Park because it was close to the blue line to get me to work, it's within walking distance of great boutiques, bars and restaurants, has access to parks, free street parking for my car, and the vibe reminded me a bit of home. All of these amenities are equally important. In Ann Arbor these options don't really apply.
Most young professionals want to be central to downtown, within close proximity to everything downtown has to offer. This doesn't leave much room for flexibility. Any apartment search is pretty similar, whether living in a larger city like Chicago or a smaller one. You ask friends and family where the best places are, research online and search the typical sites such as Craigslist to see if you can snag a hidden gem. Ann Arbor offers a lot of sublets (for summer students) or the prototypical college property that is a revolving door for students not living in the dorms anymore. None of these options are very appealing. Living in a high-rise type apartment complex would be a great way to meet new people and feel a sense of community, but these options are pretty slim and are well above what a single person is looking to pay. Such options have led me to consider buying a house where a mortgage payment for more space would be about the same as the rent in some of the apartments I have come across.
With my decision to move back to the mitten, I became more attentive to what was going on back in Michigan, and specifically in my hometown Ann Arbor. I took a vested interest in learning about the changes being made in Detroit and not stopping only to take in the bad press surrounding a city that has been struggling for decades. On a consistent basis I keep up with news sources of varying kinds about Michigan to stay in the loop. My Twitter feed consists of
Pure Michigan,
The Ann Arbor News,
OpportunityDetroit, and the like. I subscribe to MEDC Daily (the Michigan Economic Development Corporation) and Ann Arbor SPARK emails. These all contain news about economic and social opportunities around the city and state. It also helps that my dad,
Richard Sheridan, is an actively involved local entrepreneur and community advocate for everything Michigan. My personal connections, my family, and my love of Michigan and the people here are the reasons I have decided to move back.
Recently many of my friends have also started migrating back to Michigan. A common theme amongst them is that Ann Arbor is a unique and special place. To me, Ann Arbor has always been home. As Rick Snyder said, "If you want to make a difference, move to Detroit." While my immediate move will be to Ann Arbor, I do hope to have some impact on a city that so immediately needs support and hopefully more people feel the need to do the same.
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