Moving from Phoenix to Minneapolis (St. Paul, Bloomington: fit in, apartment complexes, crime rate)

[golfgal]

It will be tough to get a house in either Minnetonka or Mendota Heights for $325K but there might be some. Mendota Heights is very convenient to the VA, just over the Mendota Bridge from the VA. Mendota Heights is and 'older' community so you will have an easy time finding other retirees there. I am not sure why you settled on those towns in particular but some other suggestions would be Stillwater and Northfield. Both are great towns to retire in. You will be able to find something very nice in your price range in Northfield, Stillwater is more expensive but you will be able to find something in your price range easily.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Did a little snooping for you to see what you can get for 325,000
Stillwater - A 3 bedroom, 1880 Victorian. 2200 feet, quarter acre.
Northfield - 1908 Foursquare with 4 bedrooms.
- An 1865 Farmstead with original barn on 9 acres just outside the city
Minnetonka - A good selection of mid-century ramblers. Some have updated kitchens, some are more original. Usually between 1900 and 2200 feet. One I saw had an acre.
Mendota - A 2200 sq. ft. two story with a half-acre. Built 1957.
(Even I was surprised by the farmstead, that thing is amazing)

[betsi100]

Ok, enough of the petty potshots. The reason for this board is for people to get insight on what is the city like. I stand by my opinion. Jut fire up the popcorn, warm up the DVD and watch "Fargo" . There is a reason why that movie was made in MN. Locations are real. Names are real. Home is real. They just put out cameras and started filming. What you see is what you get. Do they really talk like that here? You betcha! It's the real deal! I think Minneahahapoltin should work for the Chamber of Commerce - already got the cheerleader skirt! Geography check - Northfield is 1 hour outside 494 where the jobs are - let's be serious. If it snows, October to April, your commute is 2 hours.

[lukeache]

I lived in Phoenix before moving to Minneapolis and I hated it! Phoenix is without a doubt one city I would NEVER move back to, I am considering moving back to Texas, but Arizona NEVER. Phoenix is the most souless, cultureless city in the nation. Gosh, I have never seen a city with so much white trash, white supremacists, gang members, like some say, Phoenix is truly a "crap magnet". If you go to the "upscale" parts of town like Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, it is nothing but fake 30K millionaires with leased BMW's, trying to impress you with their mindless talk..It is a great city if you want to be a gang member, stripper, 30 K millionaire or meth addict. Everything is fake there! Minneapolis anytime!

[santos]

I live in Phoenix and am moving to Minnesota when my house sells, and I don't care if that's in January. It is expensive to live here, it's dirty, dusty, over-developed and the illegals will no longer do the jobs Americans will not do (joke). There is affordable housing in Minneapolis, and in decent neighborhoods--two years ago that wasn't true--but housing is coming down. I check the real estate sites frequently and am familiar enough with the neigborhoods to know this.

[betsi100]

Thank God we have the Somalians here to do those jobs! Immigants? Just drive 45 miles south and you will see what Green Giant left behind. Who do you think works at the turkey factories? FYI White trash is alive and well in Minnesota too. Check out the meth in Carver county - it is one of the biggest growing areas. Fake millionaires? They have to be wealthy here as the taxes are double of AZ and someone has to pay for it. And don't forget to check out the posers at Fletchers driving Daddy's mercedes. I think I heard "crap magnets" in jr. high - can we stick to the facts?

[Minnehahapolitan]

Guess you came out of your shell there, huh? (or should I say You Betcha?). Fargo represents a parody of rural Minnesota. (Not that there is anything wrong with rural Minnesota, if you happen not to like it, there are 49 other states.) I don't judge Phoenix by the dirt hole I shat in near Nogales. As for my information on Northfield, I was taking the lead of GolfGal. First off, some people have no problem with that drive and could probably figure out that it would be rather long from a map. Secondly, there are jobs in Northfield that one can find.
Every place in America has immigrants (Usted betcha), Minneapolis is one of the whitest cities in America. (Fargo is even whiter, which is slightly hypocritical, eh?) Somalis represent a rather small overall population. Le Sueur County is not half Hispanic. And the meth in Carver County? Well, that beautiful drug was domesticated in California and Arizona. A majority of the drug is smuggled from Mexico into Southwestern states. And finally, the comment about Fletcher's, thats just funny (actually more naive, but still funny). There are rich, elitist bastards everywhere. In Minnesota, they are found on Lake Minnetonka. In New York, they strut down Fifth Avenue. In Phoenix they seem to like Scottsdale. (Never mind the fact that anyone who trully understood the culture depicted by the Cohen Brothers would know that Scandinavian blood is almost pathetically unmaterialistic and Puritanical. People tend not to flaunt their money here, but you were preoccupied with disdain to actually figure out the Minnesotan mindset, maybe thats why you couldn't acclimate. Let me know if I hit something.) Just want to stick to the facts.

[littlevnessa]

Alot of things factor into a move; weather, terrain, demographics, people, culture, yadda yadda yadda. I lived in Mn for 15 years and was uprooted to Tucson Az by my parents. I had a major culture and climate shock. I hated the 2 seasons in Tucson...Hot and Hotter. I also missed the change of seasons and the different way of life in Mn. Please consider that not everyone enjoys the never ending winter or cold while others love it. It is a huge temperature difference that only you can decide if you love, hate or can tolerate. After 6 1/2 years I packed my car and came back to Mn. I do not live in Minneapolis (I live 45 minutes south) but am familliar with "The Cities" as alot of us call it. There are many exciting events going on in The Cities and alot of culture and different races living there also. Overall, come up on vacation in both Winter and Summer. Look at suburbs as well as the Metro and make a sound decision on what you like and don't. Minnesota just might be for you.

[kandj48]

I think we should all get together. I'm having fun and learning a lot here. You guys have really gotten me excited about checking out the Minneapolis area for our retirement. Ahhhhh..........4 seasons. Green. Real lakes. Character. Away from dust, concrete, and a gazillion cookie cutter houses that are all painted the same color with a tile roof. Yes, they're ok, but really after seeing the first few thousand, it doesn't seem very creative or individualistic. Kinda like The Stepford Wives. I would like a simple rambler with wood floors and a fireplace. I'm particularly interested in Minnetonka and maybe the low rung of Edina for safety reasons. They both have low crime indexes (indices......not sure on spelling), and personal and property safety are at the top of our priority list since we're both in the law enforcement field. Just want to be able to keep my window open to get some fresh air. Can't do that here in Phoenix. Seriously, it is not advisable because you make yourself vulnerable. And I'm tired of always trying not to be a victim. I'm sure some horrific crimes occur in MN, but it has simply infiltrated the community here. I guess you can either live with it or leave. I want to leave and live in a "real" neighborhood with more than a 15 year history. It would no effect on me whatsoever if I never saw a Spanish-tiled roof again. Thank you all. I appreciate that Minnihahapolitan looked up some property for me. And someone turned me on to Northfield which I am now investigating. You guys are really something. Again, thank you. Of course, if you have any other burb suggestions, please let me know. Crime is top priority, of course along with affordability. Price range is between 275-325K. Don't want to go over the budget by one penny. Won't strangle over a mortgage and don't need to have the "right" address. No kids, so schools are not really an issue. Any recommendations are accepted with pleasure.

[golfgal]

Geography check, Fargo is in NORTH DAKOTA.

Northfield is NOT an hour from 494. It is about 30 minutes and surprisingly there are jobs to be had in Northfield. The other thing about Minnesota in the winter--it isn't like other areas, we have snow removal equipment and the major highways are cleared very quickly. It doesn't snow from Oct to April, heck, the past 15 years we haven't had any real snow at all. Even in a normal winter you MIGHT have a couple days of bad driving because of weather. Our cold winters aren't any worse then the 110° summers in AZ-just opposite ends of the spectrum.

If you don't like MN Besti, fine, but there are several million people that don't share your opinion.

Yes, taxes are high, but for that we have the top rated schools in the nation, great public services, etc. You get what you pay for. Having lived in low tax states I will GLADLY pay our higher taxes for what we get in return.