ann arbor is overrated.

The Old Fourth Ward Association’s archived newsletters provide a look at the neighborhood group’s activities over the years (as well as 1980s Printshop graphics as rendered on a dot-matrix printer.)

• 1988: equating would-be OFW homeowners deterred by ads promoting rentals with the victims of racist lending policies.

  “Whatever old habits or attitudes have contributed to such undesirable OFW advertising, the end result is still the same: REDLINING…An increasing number of singles, couples and families wish to live in the downtown area, and it appears as though they are routinely steered away from this neighborhood.” And then there’s this priceless anecdote: “Someone even said to me recently, ‘I didn’t know people resided there (The Old Fourth Ward.) I thought there were only students.’”

• 1991: opposing mixed-use development — not just in particular cases, but as a concept.

  “Mixed-use zoning sounds like a great innovation for creating an urban ambiance…There is, however, one problem: It doesn’t work…Creeping commercialization destabilizes neighborhoods. People can’t predict what the nature of their streets will be, the prospect of maintaining the residential character becomes increasingly weaker, and the whole street becomes commercial.”

• 1992: taking a stand against buses.

  “Bus Route Removed from Ann Street at Our Request…The AATA was very responsive to our concerns and in April re-routed the Number 4 bus line to Huron Street…At present only the Number 3 bus line to Ypsilanti is using Ann Street. Are OFW residents happy with this situation or would you rather have NO bus routes on Ann Street (or Catherine for that matter)?”