First, I would recommend that you get a soil test. My main concern is the pH of your soil. Wayne County frequently has alkaline soil (high pH). 

Bur oak does well in alkaline soil, but they grow to be massive trees. They are majestic, beautiful trees at maturity and can live for hundreds of years. But they are not suitable for a small city lot or the easement between the sidewalk and street. If you have the space for one, I would encourage you to plant one. 

Red oak trees are susceptible to oak wilt disease, so I would not recommend planting a red oak at this time. 

Red maples are great smaller trees, but they do not like alkaline soil. They will live, but their leaves often exhibit chlorosis because of nutrient deficiency from the high pH. 

When you say "wettish" soils, does that mean you have standing water at any time of the year? How much space do you have? Are there characteristics that you are looking for?

Smaller trees are less expensive and often grow more quickly than large trees. Studies have shown that trees that are larger than 3" caliper are often so stunted after they are planted that they sit for years trying to recover. A smaller tree, say 1" caliper, may surpass the 3" caliper tree in terms of growth in a few years. Of course, you have to plant and water that 1" caliper tree correctly for it to thrive and surpass the larger tree. A seedling, 1ft tall, is probably not going to surpass a 3" tree that is 10 feet tall in 3 years. 

If you plant a very small tree, say 1-5ft tall, make sure you put a cage around it to protect it from string trimmers, lawn mowers, and animals (woodchucks, rabbits, deer). 

Bare root trees are less expensive, but they are often harder to establish. For a novice looking for a smaller tree, I would go with a container grown tree. However, if container grown is not available, you can do bare root or B&B. Whenever you plant a tree, you want to make sure that the roots are not circling. You want to help direct the roots to grow outwards. Also, make sure you do not plant too deeply. The root flare should be at ground level. 

Here is a great link on selecting a high quality tree. 

How to plant a tree.