Salary-challenged and facing relocation--can I afford to live here?

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Because the houses you can buy in St. Paul in that price range are not going to be in nice neighborhoods where as in these other communities you can find a nice home in a nice, safe neighborhood and have the amenities that the OP wants. Also, the routes from the neighborhoods where you will be able to buy houses at these prices are not all that direct to Eagan, and they carry heavy traffic. Taking Pilot Knob up to Eagan from Farmington or 55 from Hastings to Eagan are MUCH easier commutes then taking 94 to 52 to 494 from the East Side.

Are you BillWallace? HELLLOOOOO. I wasn't talking to you.

You ever consider taking 35E from St. Paul to Eagan? I did it this morning and there is very little traffic going southbound beings as it is going opposite of rush hour traffic. Very very convenient. You can't be serious with the 94 to 52 to 494 route.....

As far as the east side neighborhoods go, I'm not really familiar with the area but I'd much rather hear about them from somebody who lives there. It's a pretty large area and I'm sure there are plenty of good blocks and stretches to be found, as is the case with every other urban area in the Twin Cities.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Slig

Are you BillWallace? HELLLOOOOO. I wasn't talking to you.

You ever consider taking 35E from St. Paul to Eagan? I did it this morning and there is very little traffic going southbound beings as it is going opposite of rush hour traffic. Very very convenient. You can't be serious with the 94 to 52 to 494 route.....

As far as the east side neighborhoods go, I'm not really familiar with the area but I'd much rather hear about them from somebody who lives there. It's a pretty large area and I'm sure there are plenty of good blocks and stretches to be found, as is the case with every other urban area in the Twin Cities.

Yes, I have taken 35 E but from the east side you still have to go through Spaghetti junction to get there. 52 is actually the easier route. I have a lot of family that lives on the East side and has for 60+ years, I am very familiar with the area and one block is great, the next block is a total dump. It is very hit or miss there and is slowly getting to the point where it is hard to find a nice neighborhood there any more.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Yes, I have taken 35 E but from the east side you still have to go through Spaghetti junction to get there. 52 is actually the easier route. I have a lot of family that lives on the East side and has for 60+ years, I am very familiar with the area and one block is great, the next block is a total dump. It is very hit or miss there and is slowly getting to the point where it is hard to find a nice neighborhood there any more.

If you're familiar with the east side than I'm assuming you know about By More Taqueria on Payne Ave? I've been told by native Mexicans that By More has the most delicious tacos in the Twin Cities....which in my opinion is reason enough to live over there

[Camden Northsider]

I get the impression the couple seems to want more of an urban or city-dweller feel than a place like Hastings, MN (Hastings is basically like a good sized town separated from the actual Twin Cities Metro by some sparsely populated suburbs and country areas). And, based on what the OP said, they don't seem like the type of couple that is easily scared off by areas that primarily see nuisance-level/ nonviolent crime more than anything, which is what most of the crime in the Twin Cities generally is (that's not to say that there isn't violent crime in some areas, it's just not a very widespread phenomenon, geographically or otherwise, and someone could easily decipher whether its a concern or not by posting the intersection address of a home and asking feedback on here). As such, I'm sure there are areas of East St. Paul that would be pretty similar to the area of Rochester, NY that she described- nice, quiet, tree-lined streets but pretty affordable as they abut and/or reside in areas considered less desirable- but still within pretty affordable ranges (although i agree that under $100K is tough unless you are targeting foreclosures or very small homes).

I know a number of folks that live on the Eastside of St. Paul and enjoy raising families there. And like others have said, there are places like South St. Paul (a fairly blue-collar suburban area) that could be options as well. I'm not sure how affordable West St. Paul or St. Paul's West Side are, but I've enjoyed the feel of both of these areas myself in the past. And if you don't have any luck with the above-mentioned areas, I believe you could find an area in Minneapolis proper where you would have luck finding a small home in your price range in both transitional and pretty stable areas as well (although you'd be upping your commute time a fair amount as mentioned already, but not any moreso than what a lot of suburban dwellers do each day).

Good luck with your search, I think you guys would like the Twin Cities, and you could probably find an affordable place to rent while you get a feel for different neighborhood areas during your first year here.

P.S.- Eagan is very suburban, but it's a nice suburb and becoming more interesting and diverse it seems. I have a friend whose parents purchased a foreclosed townhome there for under $100K this past year, so it's doable!

[golfgal]

Actually she said that they live where they do because that is what they could afford and that they were not opposed to looking in the suburbs or more rural areas and she wanted to live in a safer area but didn't think she could afford it. Hastings has all the amenities she wants, more so than most places on the East Side and West Side actually because of the proximity to downtown. The majority of the East Side is not within walking distance of stores, coffee shops, etc. unless you want to live in the Phalen area, worst area in St. Paul or along Suburban Ave-which really isn't a nice area either.

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Also, the routes from the neighborhoods where you will be able to buy houses at these prices are not all that direct to Eagan, and they carry heavy traffic. Taking Pilot Knob up to Eagan from Farmington or 55 from Hastings to Eagan are MUCH easier commutes then taking 94 to 52 to 494 from the East Side.

Funny, I was down in Farmington yesterday for my daughter's track meet at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. The daughter (a city girl thru and thru) told me, "I'd hate to live out here in Farmville. The houses are so boring, and they're all the same. The only thing you can do is go to the malls in Apple Valley." I needed to remind her that "Farmville" is a game, not a real town.

I kind of liked the area around Farmington, it's nice to see open country occasionally. But I wouldn't want to live there...

I've got friends living in South St Paul, it's very pretty, with lots of old homes, and it's pretty affordable by the riverbanks.

[StanleyVegas]

One area of St. Paul you might consider is the West 7th/Fort Rd. area - southwest of downtown and pretty convenient to Eagan on the 35E. Lots of shopping along West 7th (it's a long road), and convenient to the airport. Not as as affordable as the East Side, but you might be able to find something in the stock of mostly older homes.

Also West Side (Riverview/Cherokee) is a low-priced area with a stock of old homes. It's actually south of downtown, across the river on the west bank, hence the name. Beyond that suburb of West St. Paul, also an option.

All of the lower-priced areas of SP (East Side, Riverview/Cherokee, North End, etc.) have some run-down properties and sketchy areas - sounds like similar issues where the OP lives now. These were areas we looked at when we house-hunted last year. We ended up in the North End, but I wouldn't write off any of these neighborhoods.

[Drewcifer]

I grew up in Utica, New York and lived on the east side of St Paul for over a decade (and my sister lives in Rochester, NY).

The east side is the closest thing you will find to an upstate NY city neighborhood in Minnesota, although it has less decay and is probably safer than most "sketchy" areas in upstate NY. If you had no problem living in an inner city area of Rochester nothing in St Paul should worry you. Beyond that I would add that the Twin Cities are better than upstate NY in every way except pizza, history and natural scenery (IMO), they are a great place to live.

Originally Posted by Lake Affected

My husband loves to go running and we both love the woods and nature. We also love cheap restaurants and used book stores. We have two pussycats so that is an issue when it comes to condos or townhouses. My husband is English and loves to be able to walk places rather than drive, but he enjoys the countryside as well. It's probably worth mentioning that his attire and appearance, while normal for Camden Town outside London, probably wouldn't go over well in a neighborhood that was ultra-conservative or suspicious of anyone not wearing Dockers.

Minneapolis and St Paul proper are very eccentricity tolerent places, or to put it bluntly both cities are full of freaks so nobody will be negatively judging either of you based on how you dress. St Paul is full of cheap SE Asian restaurants and also good used bookstores, my favorite is Midway Books.

[10,000Lakes]

To the origianl poster: are you getting a job here too?

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by 10,000Lakes

To the origianl poster: are you getting a job here too?

Wasn't that answered in the original post?

Originally Posted by Lake Affected

I'm probably going to be asked very soon whether I'm "willing to relocate," and in this case the relocation is to the Twin Cities.

The company I work for is in Eagan, so it would be nice not to have an hour-long morning commute.