Glen Lake area of Minnetonka (Minneapolis, St. Louis Park: buying a house, neighborhoods, buying)

[catpchin]

What is this area like?

We are moving to Minneapolis from the UK and have considered a house there. We are looking for an area that will be easy to make friends with other people who have little ones.
All advice is welcome!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by catpchin

What is this area like?

We are moving to Minneapolis from the UK and have considered a house there. We are looking for an area that will be easy to make friends with other people who have little ones.
All advice is welcome!

It's an area of eastern Minnetonka maybe 1-2 miles south of where I grew up.

I think it's a very nice area, and it's part of the Hopkins school district, but of course my knowledge of the area isn't very recent.

[Glenfield]

Glen Lake is a very nice place to live. I lived there for a number of years and still have family in the area. On the positive side, the lots are very large and wooded. This part of Minnetonka has a very natural "up north" feel to it, with lots of woods and small lakes. You are very close to Lake Minnetonka if you enjoy boating, as well as a number of other regional and city parks and trails. The city of Minnetonka is very well managed financially and there are a number of amenities such as the city owned health club that residents can take advantage of. The Hopkins schools are quite good and there are several private schools as well as a Catholic school nearby, if you choose to go that way.

On the perhaps not so positive side, the housing stock varies quite a bit. In size, age, and original build quality. This was originally not the upscale part of Minnetonka. You'll just have to consider the specific house you look at carefully. I am not sure what it's like now, but when I lived the 10 years ago, there was not a lot of contact between neighbors. People were not unfriendly but the lots were very large, so that didn't promote a lot of contact, and most people had been in their homes for a number of years. That may have changed as those people might well be looking to downsize now as they're likely to be approaching retirement age. You just might check as to how many homes on your prospective block have changed hands in the last several years.

I hope this is helpful. We look forward to having you in the area.

[mnlife]

I grew up in the Glen Lake area, a few blocks from Gatewood Elementary. Hopkins schools have always been known for quality. Lots are large (half acre) and often with mature trees. Williston Blvd between Hwy 7 and Excelsior is a nice drive with rolling hills. Housing stock varies from 1950's ramblers, 1970's split-levels to upscale homes built since the 1980's. Prices vary quite a bit. There are homes from $200k through $1mil. I would recommend the area for raising a family.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by mnlife

I grew up in the Glen Lake area, a few blocks from Gatewood Elementary. Hopkins schools have always been known for quality. Lots are large (half acre) and often with mature trees. Williston Blvd between Hwy 7 and Excelsior is a nice drive with rolling hills. Housing stock varies from 1950's ramblers, 1970's split-levels to upscale homes built since the 1980's. Prices vary quite a bit. There are homes from $200k through $1mil. I would recommend the area for raising a family.

I went to Gatewood way back in the day (first 1st Grade class, I think, in 1968?), and my parents still live off Williston Road, but there are several other roads north of Excelsior Blvd that are decent. Highland Road and Woodhill Road are two of them.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I went to Gatewood way back in the day (first 1st Grade class, I think, in 1968?), and my parents still live off Williston Road, but there are several other roads north of Excelsior Blvd that are decent. Highland Road and Woodhill Road are two of them.

Very true. I think also that if you go a bit further west on Excelsior you will find some nice neighborhoods around Scenic Heights Elementary school. This will be in the Minnetonka School District and the area will be a bit more like 70-80s subdivisions. Some people prefer both.

[ocsid]

The Glen Lake area is really very nice. Pretty much upper middle class. A couple things I've found about Minnetonka, having worked here for many years, and having recently moved into the city.

1. We've found that it's in many ways an aging community. Many of the people in our neighborhood, as well as when we were looking for houses, have been here for decades - some are the original owners. I would expect to see a big turnover in housing in the city over the next decade.

2. Housing stock varies widely. Minnetonka is an older suburb. Not as old as St. Louis Park or Richfield, but most of the city was built up in the 1960's and 70's. The issue you might find, as we did, is that prices are high, yet the houses often need work. Unlike buying a house in SLP or S. Minneapolis that was built in the 1940's or older and have already had significant renovations and updates, many of the houses in Mtka are starting to just need some of those sorts of major repairs as they hit the 30-40 year old mark. (trust me on this one...)

Overall though, I'd highly recommend the area.

[catpchin]

Thank you so much for all of the feedback!! We are getting closer to an idea of where we want to live, and this info has been very helpful