Minneapolis - Relocation, Transit, Schools, Income Taxes (St. Paul, St. Louis Park: real estate, apartment)

[GA777]

Hi Everyone,

I am considering on relocating to Minneapolis, MN and I would like to receive your advice regarding the:

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car?

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states?

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax?

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies?

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home?

Areas to Live in the city - easy walking commute to and from, stores, restaurants, affordable housing, etc..

I hope some one out there who is already living in the city is able to help me with these important questions.

In advance, thank you and I appreciate all of your help, assistance, and your informative knowledge!!!

[Jaxx99]

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car? Yes, especially if you choose downtown or the Uptown area. You can also live along the Hiawatha corridor and have access to the Light Rail Line

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states? Better question for the empirical data... it varies by district. There is alot of info on the MN Dept of Education website, down to the test scores for every school in a district

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax? top rate is around 8%.. yeah, a little high, but our total tax burden isn't nearly as high. when you combine all the different state taxes (property, sales, income), I think we rank about 15th or 20th in the nation

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies? Yes, There is a "This Old House" tax break, but I don't know all the details

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home? I'll leave this one to Craigslist

Areas to Live in the city - easy walking commute to and from, stores, restaurants, affordable housing, etc.. I'd recommend Uptown, Linden Hills, Lake Harriett area, Highland in St. Paul

[GA777]

Originally Posted by Jaxx99

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car? Yes, especially if you choose downtown or the Uptown area. You can also live along the Hiawatha corridor and have access to the Light Rail Line

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states? Better question for the empirical data... it varies by district. There is alot of info on the MN Dept of Education website, down to the test scores for every school in a district

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax? top rate is around 8%.. yeah, a little high, but our total tax burden isn't nearly as high. when you combine all the different state taxes (property, sales, income), I think we rank about 15th or 20th in the nation

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies? Yes, There is a "This Old House" tax break, but I don't know all the details

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home? I'll leave this one to Craigslist

Areas to Live in the city - easy walking commute to and from, stores, restaurants, affordable housing, etc.. I'd recommend Uptown, Linden Hills, Lake Harriett area, Highland in St. Paul

Thanks so much for your thorough information - this helps alot!

[K-Luv]

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car?

-In Minneapolis it is very good, but going out to the suburbs can be a little more of a pain, if not downright inconvenient. Suburbanites around here tend to drive everywhere.

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states?

-Not sure about K-12, but I hear that it is amongst some of the best in the country. I have noticed some alternative type of schools. Not sure what their deal is, but there seems to be a lot of them. There are also tons of higher education schools. I don't think that I have ever seen so many colleges in one town.

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax?

-8% I believe for income, but Minnesota is one of the highest taxed states.

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies?

-Not sure about the eco updates. I had a friend who bought a turn-of-the-century home (uh, 1900's) and the city told him that he had five years to renovate it-and he was not allowed to live in it until renovation was complete.

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home?

-My personal experience is that rent in MPLS is pretty high. Expect to pay $900 to $2000 depending on neighborhood and whether is an apt, or condo. It's actually cheaper to rent in the suburbs then it is in the city.

Areas to Live in the city - easy walking commute to and from, stores, restaurants, affordable housing, etc..

-For convience-anything around Uptown, Downtown, Lake Harriet or on the MPLS-St. Louis Park border. MPLS neighborhoods are kind of strange....

[GA777]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car?

-In Minneapolis it is very good, but going out to the suburbs can be a little more of a pain, if not downright inconvenient. Suburbanites around here tend to drive everywhere.

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states?

-Not sure about K-12, but I hear that it is amongst some of the best in the country. I have noticed some alternative type of schools. Not sure what their deal is, but there seems to be a lot of them. There are also tons of higher education schools. I don't think that I have ever seen so many colleges in one town.

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax?

-8% I believe for income, but Minnesota is one of the highest taxed states.

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies?

-Not sure about the eco updates. I had a friend who bought a turn-of-the-century home (uh, 1900's) and the city told him that he had five years to renovate it-and he was not allowed to live in it until renovation was complete.

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home?

-My personal experience is that rent in MPLS is pretty high. Expect to pay $900 to $2000 depending on neighborhood and whether is an apt, or condo. It's actually cheaper to rent in the suburbs then it is in the city.

Areas to Live in the city - easy walking commute to and from, stores, restaurants, affordable housing, etc..

-For convience-anything around Uptown, Downtown, Lake Harriet or on the MPLS-St. Louis Park border. MPLS neighborhoods are kind of strange....

Thanks - I will look into the rental and real estate in the areas you listed above.

[kuan]

If you're gonna live without a car in the suburbs then St. Louis Park is probably your best bet.

The best thing about MPLS is the bike trail system. After a snow the commuter trails are usually cleared before the roads.