If money is not an issue where would you live and why? (Minneapolis: real estate, home)

[efex101]

Also, which area is more "central", meaning IF I was to change hospitals which area would put me kind of close to both Minneapolis and St. Paul? me thinks Edina but not sure.

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by efex101

When you guys mention "whopping commutes" what is that time wise? are we talking hours or less than one hour? thanks.

This is the Twin Cities we're talking about here, not Manhattan. There are no "multiple hour commutes" though you could spend an hour in either direction coming from an outer ring suburb, depending on where you are headed.

Maybe a better question is how much of your life do you want to spend in a car? Just because you're accustomed to an absurdly long commute somewhere else doesn't mean there is anything to gain by having one here.

It should also be pointed out that weather here, particularly in the winter, can quickly turn a 40 minute commute into a 2+ hour nightmare.

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by efex101

Also, which area is more "central", meaning IF I was to change hospitals which area would put me kind of close to both Minneapolis and St. Paul? me thinks Edina but not sure.

Again, Edina is NOT close to St. Paul. As far as the western 'burbs, Edina or St. Louis Park would be the better options but they aren't close to St. Paul, they're entirely on the opposite side of Minneapolis.

City lakes, as suggested multiple times, would be the best combination of centralized location, nice homes in nice neighborhoods, and easier commutes in any direction. You might also consider the Lake Nokomis area, particularly along the creek.

[efex101]

I do not want to spend a long time in the car but to me and my husband 30-45 minutes each way is not bad at all. I realize the winter issue, as we now live in Rochester and I commute to La Crosse every day, not optimal but it is what it is.

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by efex101

I do not want to spend a long time in the car but to me and my husband 30-45 minutes each way is not bad at all. I realize the winter issue, as we now live in Rochester and I commute to La Crosse every day, not optimal but it is what it is.

It's a different kind of commute than you're accustomed to living in Rochester. It isn't highway speed, it's mostly 0-30mph bumper to bumper grind. It's draining. Rochester to La Crosse isn't a rush hour commute, it's just a drive. That's what I mean by "soul sucking commute". You're not driving, mostly you're just crawling along at snail speed.

[efex101]

Yup, I can see where that would suck the life out of you.

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by efex101

Yup, I can see where that would suck the life out of you.

It gets extremely old after a while. Again, it isn't Chicago or Los Angeles or NYC metro, but I'd be looking for ways to live as close to work as is possible, not ways to live as far away as possible. There are just so many outstanding neighborhoods in the TC that are convenient to what you're after that I can't fathom why anyone working in STP would want to live in Wayzata, of all places.

Edina really could be a decent option but I'd suggest taking a look at traffic reports and congestion maps come 8:45 Tuesday morning (lots of people have tomorrow off). Take a look at 100 north from Edina to 394, at 394 coming east towards 100 and downtown, and any road between Edina and St. Paul and you'll see what I mean.

The problem with the suburbs around (and including) Robbinsdale is that they're sketchy and sort of run down in places, with pockets of higher crime and relatively high rental rates.

[efex101]

I have heard the same about re suburbs around Robbinsdale. My commute would be early in the AM around 0700 and same for hubby....

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by efex101

I have heard the same about re suburbs around Robbinsdale. My commute would be early in the AM around 0700 and same for hubby....

That would be better than 8:00-9:00 by a good margin, but the return commute is generally the bad one, again depending on where you live. Traffic is odd too as is comes in spurts in the morning. It's always much heavier in the last half of each hour (6:30 to 7:00 versus 6 to 6:30 as an example). The evening commute is just consistently nasty from about 4:00-6:00 no matter where you are.

If money is not an object and you like the western burbs, I can't say enough good about Edina, particularly the areas inside of 62 and 100 and along the creek. If there is one place where a house is guaranteed to hold its value and/or gain value, Edina is it. And it isn't cookie cutter compared with 2nd and 3rd ring suburbs, most homes were built between 1950 and into the 1970s so there is at least some character and some variation between neighborhoods.

[efex101]

Anything good on the eastern side? grant/white bear lake/etc. I see some beautiful areas there (looking on realtor.com) but not sure how well property values would hold.