Apartments for Rent in East Lansing, MI
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Renter's guide to East Lansing, MI

East Lansing, Michigan is perhaps best known for being the home of Michigan State University. But it's a great place to live for non-college students too. According to NerdWallet, East Lansing is the 25^th Best City in Michigan for young families, based on factors like family friendliness, quality of education, prosperity and growth, and home affordability. Wallethub also named it the 41^st Safest City in Michigan.

The city is 14 square miles, which is three times smaller than Lansing, the state capital. Speaking of Lansing, it's just 5 miles away, while Ann Arbor is 64 miles, Grand Rapids is 71 miles, and Detroit is 89 miles. 

The weather in East Lansing is a little chilly, to say the least. Average winter snowfall is 36 inches, a full 10 inches more than the national average. But things warm up a bit in the summer, with average highs of 82°F in July.

Tips for renting in East Lansing, MI

Things to do in East Lansing, MI

Between the local MSU campus and the city's proximity to the capital, there are plenty of things to keep you busy here.

Wallethub.com named East Lansing the 5^th-best city for football fans, mostly due to the town’s ravenous love for the Michigan State Spartans. There's also another premier college football team just an hour away in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Wolverines.

But even if you’re not a sports fan, you'll still find tons of entertainment options.

Annual events, like the East Lansing Film Festival, make the city come alive. You'll definitely want to check out the two-day Summer Solstice Jazz Festival, a summertime celebration of national and local jazz musicians.

For those cold winter days, head indoors to Pinball Pete’s ten thousand square-feet of pinball games, or take in a MSU Spartans hockey game at Munn Ice Arena.

There's fun to be had in some of the neighboring cities too, like the Potter Park Zoo and Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing. Or take a short road trip to Detroit and catch a pro sports game, whether it's the Detroit Pistons, Red Wings, or Tigers.

Culture is a big part of any college town, but especially so in East Lansing. The Wharton Center for Performing Arts brings dance, music, and theatrical performances to the city. Or you can take in the talents of Community Music School students during recitals at the College of Music, then get a glimpse of contemporary art at the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum.

Then there's the annual Great Lakes Folk Festival, three days of music, culture, and dance hosted in conjunction with the Michigan State University Museum and its Michigan Traditional Arts Program. If you have room on your calendar, be sure to make it to the East Lansing Art Festival as well, the best-selling art fair held every year before Memorial Day.

East Lansing, MI employment & economy

MSU is key to the area's economy, providing a large number of jobs in education-related fields.  Tech jobs are also in demand in East Lansing, due to places like the university’s National Superconducting Cycolotron Laboratory, which is a hub for acceleration tech. In fact, MSU plays a big role in making Michigan the 4^th-largest tech employer in the nation.

Michigan State’s Supply Chain Management program is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the 2^nd-best program of its kind in the country. Nearby Lansing is home to the General Motors’ Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant, making the region a fertile ground for automotive jobs.

Education in East Lansing, MI

MSU is a big draw in East Lansing. In fact, it’s the largest education institution in the state, and the 7^th-largest in the country. But nearby Lansing also has the country’s largest law school, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, as well as Davenport University and Lansing Community College.

The East Lansing Public Schools district includes six elementary schools, one middle school, and East Lansing High School, which U.S. News & World Report ranked as the 17^th-best high school in the state.