What is bloomington like? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: for sale, trip , rental)

[blueandpink]

Hi! We're considering a move to Minneapolis. We would be working in the Bloomington. We currently live in burbs in Philadelphia. Our commute here is such a bear, we want to be closer to work in Minn..What is Bloomington like? I see the housing is much more affordable that Philly. I see the homes are older, but nice. What are the schools like? Crime? Taxes? family friendly? Thanks!

[Minnehahapolitan]

There are, unofficially, two Bloomingtons. West and East. (East generally is on gridded streets, West isn't) East Bloomington is a fairly old suburb. 50's ramblers and bungalows. (East) is Well kept, safe, pretty good schools (not as good as other suburbs or West, but perfectly good) Some basic shopping laid out on the main streets, which are extensions of major Mpls. streets (Penn, Lyndale, Nicollet, Portland) Family friendly, but an older population. The area is pretty diverse for Mpls. There are some great Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants. Home to Mall of America. Light rail between Mall, Airport and Downtown. Tons of jobs along 494. No crime to be worried about. A nice area overall. West Bloomington is more suburban. Houses mainly from the 70's and 80's. Better schools. More families. More expensive. A great area.

[blueandpink]

Thank you so much! I spoke a with realtor on the phone was really pushing going towards Pllymouth and Lakeville.

Also can I ask you: what about St. Paul? Better than Minnp. side? Any areas to recommend?

[punkerdunker]

Originally Posted by blueandpink

Thank you so much! I spoke a with realtor on the phone was really pushing going towards Pllymouth and Lakeville.

Also can I ask you: what about St. Paul? Better than Minnp. side? Any areas to recommend?

I commuted regularly from St. Paul to Bloomington about 2 years ago- it's a very easy quick trip up HWY 5 to 494. Took about 12 minutes each way from door to door, maybe 20 if traffic was bad (it's never really too bad). I can't really speak about commuting from Minneapolis.

If you're interested in St. Paul, the fastest commute up HWY 5 would be from Highland park or the West 7th neighborhood, but pretty much anywhere south of 94 and west of downtown would be easy. I would be happy to recommend other parts of St. Paul to you, but what are you looking for in a house/neighborhood?

[blueandpink]

Old or new doesn't matter. Small home, family friendly neighbor, safe, good school district. No more than 220,000. Is this possible? Thanks!

[punkerdunker]

St. Paul public schools are open-enrollment, meaning you can pick any one you want, but you may not get your first choice. You also may need to arrange transportation if you choose a neighborhood school in a different neighborhood than you live in. "Magnet" schools will bus your kids from anywhere in St. Paul. There's alot to choose from, including charter schools. Many are excellent, others not as good.

For safe & family friendly, Highland Park or Macalester-Groveland are the best choices. However, they're spendy. $220 can get you a very small house in Mac Groveland - I sold mine there 3 years ago for $190,000, and it was only 700 square feet. I'm thinking you could get up to 1200 sq. ft. there for under $220 in reasonably good condition. The housing market here is a buyer's market right now. The homes are older, usually 1920's to 1940's, but well maintained.
Highland Park would be even harder for that price, but still possible. Also an excellent neighborhood, slightly newer and more sought-after.

The West 7th neighborhood is where I live now. It doesn't have the reputation or amenities that MacGrove or Highland Park have, and its not as affluent - more blue-collar, more rental, OLD houses - mine is 100 years old, but its still rock-solid. There are good bike trails along the river and decent parks and playgrounds. You can get alot more house for your money in this neighborhood, and it seems to be an up and coming area, but you never know. Alot hinges on a few big re-development projects in the works.

So theres my advice for what it's worth - If I had your commute and your price-range and criteria, those are the neighborhoods I'd most consider in St. Paul.

[golfgal]

Where in Bloomington is the job? If it is closer to Highway 100, St. Paul won't be the best choice--I would look to the western side of the cities if you are over there to avoid 494 between Cedar and 100. If you are by the Mall of America, any place from 94 to Cedar would be ok. West Bloomington is a very nice area, good schools, etc. Stay away from East Bloomington, however. (Minnehahapolitan has it backwards but the information is good-East Bloomington puts you around the Mall of America, west Bloomington by Highway 100).

We are in Rosemount and my Dh commutes to Bloomington, it is about a 15-20 minute commute that is pretty easy. The northern side of Rosemount is a 10-15 minute commute to Bloomington. The 196 schools are the top rated schools in the state, Lakeville is also one of the top districts. You will find that the suburban schools in Minnesota are all excellent. The schools in St. Paul and Minneapolis are going to be like the big city schools everywhere.

Finding a house in the $220,000 or less range is going to be difficult though, in most of the suburbs. Personally I would not live in the West 7th area in St. Paul. It is just too hit or miss if you are going to end up with good neighbors, to be polite. You aren't going to find a house in the 220 range in Highland Park.

Farmington might be an option in that price range. You might be able to find a smaller house that needs some work in Rosemount for that price as well. If you don't mind townhouses though, there are some pretty nice ones available for under $220K.

[blueandpink]

Golfgal: My husband is would be working near the mall. He wants me to ask you:
What if we went a bit further out. Can you find a nice place in the 220k range?
Reason we said that price is, we got our house in Philly for that price 8 years ago before the big boom. We're spoiled having a low mortage. 300k and up is not an option for us with 2 kids. So any other areas would be appericated. I guess my husband will have to do the commute again.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by blueandpink

Golfgal: My husband is would be working near the mall. He wants me to ask you:
What if we went a bit further out. Can you find a nice place in the 220k range?
Reason we said that price is, we got our house in Philly for that price 8 years ago before the big boom. We're spoiled having a low mortage. 300k and up is not an option for us with 2 kids. So any other areas would be appericated. I guess my husband will have to do the commute again.

I guess it really depends on what you want in a house. There are some houses for sale in our town that are around $250,000 but they are small and need some pretty major updating. I think they are probably in good shape just 70's decorating updating for the most part. Hastings might be an option. I haven't looked at housing prices there but it tends to be a bit less expensive there. Lakeville is pretty much not an option in the $220K range. South St. Paul would be a great commute location and you can find a pretty nice house there however it isn't the best school system. West St. Paul MIGHT have something small in your range--NOT the west SIDE of St. Paul though (your realtor will know the difference).