Southwest Versus Southeast Minneapolis (Windom, Starbuck: condo, house, neighborhood)

[MN55]

Yea we have kind of wierd names for areas like that. Just look up where the Westside of St Paul is. (hint, not on the west side of St Paul)

[Mason3000]

I went to Southwest High School & know the area very well. I currently live in Nokomis & frankly was surprised how much I love it. It's sleepy though. If you want to get out & visit coffee shops, pubs, coops, ride you bikes, etc I'd point you further South towards the Longfellow & Seward neighborhoods along the river from roughly Franklin Ave up to 42nd St. They're a little more "urban" & "young" than either SW or SE.

Here's a link to Longfellow pubs/bars, but there are many other nice cafes, restaurants, etc. not listed here. Bars and Cafes in the Longfellow Neighborhood of Minneapolis - Bars in Longfellow - Cafes in Longfellow

Here's a similar map of Seward area Bars Seward Minneapolis

As for schools Seward is a fine Montessori that runs K-8. Most kids then go on to South High which has a fantastic International Baccalaureate program.

[sandlapper]

My wife and I live in Windom (SW Minneapolis), we got our house in the price range you are looking for back in April. We too are in our early 30s with kids on the horizon and we love it here. We are just a few blocks from Minnehaha parkway, about a mile from Lake Harriet, and 2 miles from Nokomis, direct access to I-35 and the crosstown, and only a few miles to Uptown, Downtown, and the airport. We think its an ideal location. Kenny, and Armatage would be good choices as well. Good Luck!

[Cruz Azul Guy]

You could get a nice place in the Powderhorn neighborhoods in that price range. We live in Powderhorn in the Corcoran neighborhood and like it alot. Where we live there are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and little corner supermarkets plopped around to make the area very walkable. Although you won't be extremely close to any of the lakes or the river they are all within a short distance, and Powderhorn Park is solid. The Powderhorn area is more diverse and has a little more crime than SW, Nokomis and Longfellow but housing is much cheaper. Although not quite as highly regarded as Southwest Highschool, South Highschool actually has a pretty good reputation. I have some friends who studied there and have nothing but good things to say about it.

[MarcyHolmesMaven]

Two things regarding South High School: 1.) Need to amend Mason 3000's comment to note that South High is the one Minneapolis public high school that actually does not have an IB program, as the school elected instead to maintain its Liberal Arts, Open and All Nations programs. Students living in that part of the city who want an IB program can attend Roosevelt High. 2.) South has significantly more diversity (racial, ethnic, socioeconomic) than Southwest, which may explain its somewhat lower standardized test scores, but it is a school that students love (including my daughter) and it offers no end of academic and extra-curricular opportunities and challenges. I'm delighted to be able to send my kids there.

[lalife]

Originally Posted by SCate

Hello -

My husband and I are looking to buy a house and are wondering about the south Minneapolis neighborhoods. We are in our early 30's, with no kids, but will likely consider them soon. We want a neighborhood with some local food, a pub and coffee, a park, bike paths and some basic life without being totally residential. I know, we want it all!

I work downtown and my husband works in west Bloomington. Which is why we first started to consider South West Minneapolis. We really like the neighborhoods around Tangletown and Lynnhurst. We don't know a lot about anything east of 35W.

Anyone have any thoughts about the pros/cons of living in southwest minneapolis versus southeast, or vice versa. Any suggestions on pocket neighborhoods on the east side or west side? We'd love to be on the creek or a lake, but aren't looking to spend more than 200,000 - 250,000.


Thanks!

Since you want to have kids soon, definitely go with Southwest Mpls because of access to better schools. From what I hear, you don't want to send your kids to inner-Minneapolis schools. But then again, by the time your kids go to school, you may have sold your house and moved again by then anyway.

I live in near Southwest Mpls and LOVE it. Am about 2 miles from Lake Harriet and I go biking the trails to the lake all the time in summer. It is a great place to be in summer with nightly concerts at the bandshell etc.

I think you could find a really nice, but small house in the Linden Hills area for about $250,000. Back when I was thinking of buying a house, I did see some really nice little places in that neighborhood for that price. Plus the neighborhood is golden and you ALWAYS be able to sell if you need to over there.

By the way, I live in Tangletown. Safe neighborhood. Lots of big houses here, but then there are a mix of affordable houses in the $250,000 range too. Be mindful of not buying under a flight path tho.

[SCate]

Originally Posted by sandlapper

My wife and I live in Windom (SW Minneapolis), we got our house in the price range you are looking for back in April. We too are in our early 30s with kids on the horizon and we love it here. We are just a few blocks from Minnehaha parkway, about a mile from Lake Harriet, and 2 miles from Nokomis, direct access to I-35 and the crosstown, and only a few miles to Uptown, Downtown, and the airport. We think its an ideal location. Kenny, and Armatage would be good choices as well. Good Luck!

Thanks for the suggestion. We've looking at the Windom/Kenny/Armatage neighborhoods, but we were wondering about the access to restaurants, pubs, coffee in those neighborhoods. They seem to be more bedroom communities than 50th & France, Tangletown, etc. Do you have walking access to these types of things? Are there any pocket neighborhoods/cross streets you can suggest that we should check out?

[SCate]

Also, does anyone have any thoughts about east Kingfeld area? Houses seem to get A LOT cheaper by Nicocollet than they are by Lyndale. Is that a bad neighborhood? Specifically around MLK park.

[uptown_urbanist]

Lyndale is a lot closer to the lake, has less crime, and definitely comes at a higher price. By MLK it's less upscale, but still very nice. I'd give it serious consideration; Kingfield has steadily become a nicer and nicer place to live, and Nicollet in particular has really improved over the years. There's been a lot of positive redevelopment along that stretch, both new places and businesses that have been there forever. The park is a real plus, too. It's definitely not a bad neighborhood, but I think it's going to get more and more desirable in years to come, so my guess would be that it will also be a good investment. It's also a nice place to live already.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

One note about Southwest MPLS and its schools. I grew up in the Kenny neighborhood right next to Kenny Park and had I lived there through highschool I would have attended Washburn, not Southwest. Washburn, from what I've heard, is not an ideal school. I know you can technically "open enroll" anywhere, but realistically you're probably going to wind up in the school that is assigned to your district, so take careful note of that if schools are important to you. Also, since the school in Kenny where I lived was supposedly also terrible, we were bused all the way up to Jefferson Elementary near Uptown, 4 miles away (as opposed to the other school which was in walking distance).