Privacy hedge dilemma - Northern Michigan

Hello Everyone.
In just six months my new neighbors have turned their house and yard into a landfill. No enforced blight ordinance here, so all I can really do is hide their mess behind a fence or a hedge. Cost of fencing (8 feet high, 70 feet long) is out of reach for me - maybe a "living fence" instead? The challenge: once in leaf, my yard is in total shade of mature maple trees, so anything I plant has to grow (tall, dense, and quickly!) in shade; and because of all the maples, several close to the property line, I have big old roots that I absolutely do not want to damage. When I searched for "shade tolerant" shrubs, hedges, etc, what popped up was shade trees, pages and pages of big shade trees - and I already have plenty of those, thanks. :) All I have ever planted is spring bulbs and herbs in pots, so I have no idea where to begin. Someone suggested arbor vitae (not my fave) and juniper (intriguing, for medicinal uses). Anyone have some wonderful ideas?
Thanks for your help,
CL

Have you looked at rhododendrons? Many are evergreen and offer beautiful flowers in the bargain. Being evergreen would help hide your neighbors unsightly mess year-round and they should grow well in your zone.

If you can keep them watered, use Thuja occidentalis or Swamp Cedar. These grow in full shade, have nice, lush, leathery evergreen leaves. They'll quickly grow into a thick hedge and are very cheap!

Search online for "hedge cedars" or "hedging cedar" in your area and I bet you'll find an old retiree, farmer, or young guy digging them out of a bushlot and selling them for 10 bucks apiece...the larger the better, obviously, but you can expect 1-2' of height growth per year. Get the biggest ones you can afford. If you know of any bush areas and are allowed to dig, you can even get them for free (albeit you'd need to transport them yourself - not necessarily an easy or convenient task! you could pay an enterprising young person to do it for you.)

Maples produce what's known as "Maple shade" or "dry shade" - they suck so much moisture out of the soil and shade the area so much that nothing but dirt seems to thrive under them! However if you can keep their feet wet, these cedars will provide a great screen that lasts through the winter.

oops! I didnt see you had mentioned arborvitae! sorry! I should have read your initial posting more carefully!
If you don't like the "swamp cedar," there are also some very nice cultivars - Emerald Cedar is a little nicer-looking and will give a 'spired' look to the top of your hedge. However, the cost for 8' emerald cedars would be 200 apiece or more.

For a partial screen, a row of clump-type serviceberries are very nice and attract wildlife. Sometimes the berries persist all winter.

Taxus or Yew will also work well and takes well to being sheared as a hedge, but are very slow-growing.

What about putting up some sturdy trellis (cheaper than fencing) and planting a nice woody evergreen vine? English ivy will take over pretty quickly (3 yrs or so.) Wisteria is very beautiful and fairly aggressive where you live. Clematis works well, as does boston ivy and virginia creeper.

Hello again, and thank you for your responses.
Just wanted to follow up to tell you what I have chosen to do - basically, everything you suggested. :)
The reason I didn't want to go with arborvitae is because it's so... common. But it has become clear to me why this is the case: it's pretty, hardy, dependable, and cheap. What's not to like? So I bought and planted five six-footers, and I plan to buy ten more. Between my groups-of-five arborvitae trees I plan to build single "fence" panels with 4X4s and privacy lattice, 8 feet tall, and put plantings underneath them for further screening, as well as vines to creep up them. For those planting areas I am going with yew in the shade, juniper near the street where there is more sun, and some rhodies too, if I can find some that are very cold-tolerant. Haven't decided on the vines yet. I love clematis, but I have had three failed attempts with it (no idea what I'm doing wrong). Wisteria is gorgeous - I didn't know it was hardy enough for northern Michigan. I have chosen single fence panels for two reasons: I think that alternating them with arborvitae will make my yard look landscaped rather than barricaded; and because it isn't an actual fence I don't have to deal with permits or zoning.
Thanks again!
Lynn