Article about big companies relocating back to cities from the suburbs (Minneapolis: neighborhoods, construction)

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by rzzz

I feel like young people in Minnesota choose the suburbs because:

1. houses in good city neighborhoods are already too expensive
2. Minneapolis and St. Paul aren't really "urban living" like how one would define it most places in the world. One still needs a car, so it combines the headaches of the city with the headaches of the suburbs.
3. The job they have is in the suburbs

I don't know. I think #1 was the case at one time -- #1 is why my ex and I bought a place in Eagan, for example -- but in the past several years, decent homes in good neighborhoods have become a lot more affordable.

#3 is true for some people I know, though.

[rzzz]

Originally Posted by QuietBlue

I don't know. I think #1 was the case at one time -- #1 is why my ex and I bought a place in Eagan, for example -- but in the past several years, decent homes in good neighborhoods have become a lot more affordable.

If you have any tips on affordable houses in Linden Hills, let me know.

Also, the point I left off is that people in Minnesota just prefer suburbs. It seems like a hard wired thing. My parents are relocating to the metro after years of living in the north woods. They would choose the worst suburb before the best neighborhood in the city, simply because it was a "suburb" not "the city." An attitude I just don't understand, but have come to accept. After a few years up north, I was ready to relocate to Hong Kong...

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by tvdxer

A lot of people from my high school graduating class (2005...certainly in the "Millennial" range) who have moved to the Twin Cities (or other large Midwestern cities, such as Chicago). Most of them live in the suburbs. I occasionally have asked them in the past if they would want to live in the actual Cities. The answer has always been a "No".

Personally, I thought "new urbanism" was the coolest thing when I was in high school, especially being from the rural outskirts of town where you absolutely needed a car to get anywhere. However, I don't think many other people shared my views, or even saw anything wrong with the suburban lifestyle and auto dependency.

So it might be a certain subset of millennials that prefers the urban lifestyle, or those on the Coasts maybe, or maybe those that have grown up in sterile subdivisions. But as for Minnesota, I see a lot of my generation continuing to live (or try attaining) the "suburban dream", much like they lived as children.

It's true that it's slow here. But part of it is that many people who move in from outside the metro often choose the suburbs because they're more manageable and seem more like their homes. I know several people from my high school near Duluth are here and in the burbs. Although some did it because they found good cheap places and often a suburban job (mixed with parents who fear "the city"). At the same time, I know a lot of former suburban kids and lots of college grads from elsewhere who have happily settled in neighborhoods ranging from near the U to Uptown to Stevens Square, with some commuting out.

This process won't happen overnight. If your job is in the suburbs and you can find nearby housing and you are comfortable, then that's fine. But plenty of people are choosing the city as well.

[queenswake]

I think suburbs are still attractive to young people mostly because of cost. Few young people in the Twin Cities 5-10 years out of college can afford a nice place in the city. In other cities, you can progress faster career-wise so that you can afford to live in closer. The other thing is that it seems like in the Twin Cities, everyone wants that single-family home with the yard, two-car garage, etc. In other cities, people settle for a townhouse or condo as their first home in order to stay in the city. Also, people in MN seem to settle down and get into family raising mode quickly after college. So they want their first home to be that family-raising home and don't want to move again. So they skip a step or two that many others in other cities go through before finally settling down.

But when I'm around the millenials down in uptown, in NE, around the U, etc, I can't help but think that this generation is going to be different. This is the generation where constant connectivity and relationships is so important. Biking everywhere, green this and that. I think if they do end up the burbs, they are going to end up very bored. On the whole, they are not interested in cars and the other toys that their parents were into. Their interests aren't compatible with the suburban lifestyle.

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by queenswake

I think suburbs are still attractive to young people mostly because of cost. Few young people in the Twin Cities 5-10 years out of college can afford a nice place in the city. In other cities, you can progress faster career-wise so that you can afford to live in closer. The other thing is that it seems like in the Twin Cities, everyone wants that single-family home with the yard, two-car garage, etc. In other cities, people settle for a townhouse or condo as their first home in order to stay in the city. Also, people in MN seem to settle down and get into family raising mode quickly after college. So they want their first home to be that family-raising home and don't want to move again. So they skip a step or two that many others in other cities go through before finally settling down.

But when I'm around the millenials down in uptown, in NE, around the U, etc, I can't help but think that this generation is going to be different. This is the generation where constant connectivity and relationships is so important. Biking everywhere, green this and that. I think if they do end up the burbs, they are going to end up very bored. On the whole, they are not interested in cars and the other toys that their parents were into. Their interests aren't compatible with the suburban lifestyle.

The real estate bubble has messed things up. My wife and I bought in the city in 1993 for $77,000. Now even with the retrenchment of values, it is way out of hand. There are two new houses in my block and their prices are in the $400,000 range. To me, that's ridiculous. But banks didn't think so.

[northsub]

Reasons I moved to the suburbs as a young person:

1) Cost. Houses were far cheaper in the suburbs than the city when we bought. This seems to not be as much the case anymore in the areas we were looking. Restaurants/bars also seem to be far cheaper in the suburbs. Most stores also seem to cater to a lower price point, which is more suitable for me.
2) Bus times are actually faster to the U of M (and downtown Minneapolis) thanks to express buses. I was a bit shocked when I figured out it's something like half an hour by bus between Uptown and the U. Suburban buses tend to not run all of the day, but I just drive in on days when I need more flexibility.
3) Parks and trails. I'm much more into parks/trails that feel at least vaguely natural. The lakes and trails in Minneapolis have always felt pretty manicured/sterilized to me. I'd much rather run/bike where there's a pretty good chance you'll see some wildlife most times out. The trails also seem to be much less crowded and more numerous.
4) Proximity to everyday shopping. The kinds of stores I tend to go to the most (Target, Cub, Rainbow, Walmart, Menards, Home Depot, etc.) seem to be much easier to get to quickly in the suburbs. There are more coffee shops in many city locations, but I'm happy if you give me one coffee shop that's at all nearby.
5) Proximity to a job in the suburbs.
6) Crime. I seem to remember the break-in rate being something like 10 times higher in the Minneapolis neighborhoods we considered than most suburbs when we were looking to move.

[1stpontiac]

Originally Posted by rzzz

I feel like young people in Minnesota choose the suburbs because:

1. houses in good city neighborhoods are already too expensive
2. Minneapolis and St. Paul aren't really "urban living" like how one would define it most places in the world. One still needs a car, so it combines the headaches of the city with the headaches of the suburbs.
3. The job they have is in the suburbs

That said, a big reason to have businesses downtown is that it is a central location. If people want to live in Anoka or Chanhassen, it takes about the same amount of time to get downtown. If a business relocates to Bloomington, it's ok for the Chanhassen person but a headache for the person in Anoka.

This is a pretty good, concise list to me.

Northsub makes some good points, too, regarding the different types of parks that exist in the suburbs, and the speed of commuting via express routes.

[Beenhere4ever]

Suburbs are great for animal lovers. The birdwatching is much better than in town. And the Minnesota Zoo is out there, too. I've never lived in a suburb, but living in the city has taught me a few things where suburbs have something to offer.

Right NOW, suburbs offer an escape from the taxes that are paying for the Vikings stadium.

[ManBearPig1]

Originally Posted by northsub

Reasons I moved to the suburbs as a young person:

. . .

Bus times are actually faster to the U of M (and downtown Minneapolis) thanks to express buses. I was a bit shocked when I figured out it's something like half an hour by bus between Uptown and the U. Suburban buses tend to not run all of the day, but I just drive in on days when I need more flexibility.

The 114 gets you to the U from uptown in 15 minutes

[northsub]

Originally Posted by ManBearPig1

The 114 gets you to the U from uptown in 15 minutes

I was thinking about what those who lived there told me their actual bus travel times were. My experience with those buses was that they generally took longer than the time on the schedule. Even so, the schedule seems to state that it is 19-21 minutes inbound from the Uptown Transit Station to University and 15th. Outbound the schedule states that it is 25-28 minutes from Ridder Arena to the Uptown Transit Station.