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East Lansing, Michigan is a college town in every sense, built around Michigan State University and the roughly 50,000 students who give the place its rhythm. The campus sprawls along the Red Cedar River with its famous tree-lined walkways, and student life spills straight into the surrounding streets. Grand River Avenue forms the spine of downtown, packed with student-facing storefronts, and neighborhoods like the Stadium District and the East Side put you within a short walk of class. For green space, the Red Cedar River trails, the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, and the wider Lansing River Trail keep you outside. Game days turn Spartan Stadium and its tailgates into the city's biggest event, and the Wharton Center anchors the arts calendar.
Hugging Grand River Avenue, downtown is the most walkable and the loudest, dense with apartments steps from the academic buildings.
Right by Spartan Stadium, the Stadium District puts you close to athletics and game-day energy without a long commute.
The classic house-share neighborhood, full of older homes split among roommates and a quick walk or bike to class.
Here's what you need to know about getting around East Lansing.
You can get around East Lansing without a car if you plan around campus. The Capital Area Transportation Authority, known as CATA, runs frequent routes along Grand River Avenue, Michigan Avenue, and through the campus ring roads, and Michigan State students ride free with a valid ID. That covers most off-campus neighborhoods and connects you into Lansing. The free CATA rides make transit the default for students close in.
Walkability is genuinely strong near campus: downtown East Lansing, the Stadium District, and the East Side all sit within a 10 to 20 minute walk of the academic buildings. Biking is popular too, helped by the flat terrain and the Lansing River Trail. The level streets make cycling easy and practical. Most daily needs near campus are covered on foot and bike.
If you live farther out toward Meridian Township, a car or a longer CATA ride helps, especially in winter, but most students close in skip it. Driving is most useful for trips beyond the campus core. Parking near campus is limited during the school year. Students living close in generally do not need a car.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
It depends on how close to campus you want to be and how many roommates you've got. Studios and one-bedrooms near Michigan State generally run $900 to $1,500 a month. Splitting a four-bedroom house, often a bit farther out or in Lansing, can bring your share down to roughly $400 to $700 per person. Downtown and the Stadium District sit at the higher end, while houses on the East Side and toward Lansing tend to be friendlier on the wallet.
Browse student housing near each East Lansing-area university.