Best Neighborhood Options for Commute to 96th St. & James Ave (Minneapolis: apartments, townhomes) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

reticentwebdev · 02-21-2012, 04:35 PM

Hey everyone,

After some investigation, I've decided to accept a position in Bloomington, specifically near 96th and James Ave.

In looking for an apartment/rental home, I'm aiming to have a 25 minute or less commute. Call me a dreamer, but if it should happen to be via public transit, all the better.

We're from out of state, so I'm entirely unfamiliar with the traffic in the area. I'm wondering what neighborhoods would be best for a commute to that location. I'm currently assuming the following:

Live west of I35
Live south of I494
Live north of the river to avoid taking I35 or SR 77

Am I right on those assumptions? From what I've seen so far here in the forums, crossing I35 or I494 is going to add quite a bit of time to the commute. And with there only being a handful of connection points south of the river (35/494/77/169), I would suspect all of those roads would bottleneck around the crossing points.

I realize this kind of puts me squarely in looking for an apartment in Bloomington, but I'm hoping everyone will have some suggestions or guidance that might tell me otherwise.

Thanks!

golfgal · 02-21-2012, 05:26 PM

You are far enough south in Bloomington that you won't run into terrible traffic so really anything south of 494 is going to be pretty easy. Cedar to Old Shakopee will be pretty painless, anything up 35W to just before that exit will be fairly free flowing most days, that is the exit where things start to back up somewhat.

You would have to check the bus schedule for sure but possible bus transport from the Burnsville Transit Station to that general area. There are some great newer apartments pretty much across the street from the Burnsville Transit Station along with a nice grocery store, coffee shops, some restaurants, both chain and local, etc. FANTASTIC views of downtown Minneapolis too. It would be worth looking into. On a bad day you are looking at about 15 minutes max from that area (it is just under 5 miles from Burnsville Transit to that intersection).

If you can find something just north of the river in that same general area, all the better. There are a few areas there that you might have to watch out for but for the most part, you are just fine there. The not so nice areas are pretty easy to spot.

Above advice assuming you are single and no kids...

Ok-just checked the bus schedule. The closest you can get from Burnsville is about a mile from your office, walking that mile. Not a bad deal on a nice day. Probably the best you will do from any spot in the metro. The buses are equipped to hook a bike on the front so that would be an option for that last mile too.

reticentwebdev · 02-21-2012, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

Above advice assuming you are single and no kids...

I should have clarified that I am married, but we currently have no plans for kids.

That said, I'll take Burnsville into consideration. I just wasn't sure if I35 was going to be a bad bottleneck or not. But 15 minutes is trivial. And the transit station is an added bonus.

golfgal · 02-21-2012, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reticentwebdev

I should have clarified that I am married, but we currently have no plans for kids.

That said, I'll take Burnsville into consideration. I just wasn't sure if I35 was going to be a bad bottleneck or not. But 15 minutes is trivial. And the transit station is an added bonus.

Married would work too

The bus trip clocked out at 27 minutes and that included the mile walk. Driving there would take maybe 7 minutes (4.8 miles on a 70 mph road).

Min-Chi-Cbus · 02-22-2012, 07:25 AM

I consider that area in Bloomington (South of I-494, North of say, 90th St., and between Lyndale and France Ave) to be THE BEST location in the Twin Cities in terms of accessibility and center of magnitude. EVERYTHING is easy to get to and close! And yes, there is probably the MOST traffic in the metro area, mile for mile, in that area. If you live in Bloomington though, your commute should be fine.

An added bonus: Bloomington is currently constructing a new "towne centre" type of thing (that so many American suburbs try to do) called "Genesee, at Penn & American" that will have all kinds of new housing options, retail and more. You MAY want to look into that as well, or at least be wary of it as an additional amenity of living in that area.

*Edit: if you don't mind mass transit, you could also live in downtown Minneapolis and commute TO Bloomington, if you prefer urban living. Downtown Minneapolis is quickly becoming THE place to be in the metro area, and it's definitely a hot spot for young couples with no children. If you lived downtown, you'd also have access to the various transit options that take you to places like MOA, the airport, and soon, St. Paul -- without ever having to pay for parking or use your car. Something to consider as well, if I were you.....

Min-Chi-Cbus · 02-23-2012, 06:37 AM

Mn/DOT Traveler Information

Traffic cams, to track traffic during rush hour or whenever.

Beenhere4ever · 02-23-2012, 06:51 AM

For transit trips, go here and use trip planner: Metro Transit Mobile

Thegonagle · 02-23-2012, 02:39 PM

Anywhere in Bloomington would be fine. Except for American Blvd, Old Shakopee Road, and maybe Lyndale, the city streets don't really suffer from any significant congestion, and even those streets aren't very bad. People associate Bloomington with bad traffic because of 494, 77, and 35W, but for people who live and work there, traffic on the city streets is virtually a non-issue. Even the more "suburban" west side with its curvy streets is surprisingly well-planned and easy to navigate.

uptown_urbanist · 02-24-2012, 08:50 AM

What kind of neighborhood do you like? You'll have all kinds of options within that 25-minute commute window. If you don't require urban or bustling, how about just living within walking/biking distance of your work? There are a lot of options right around there. That stretch heading towards Southtown (also FYI, there is also the Bloomington Transit Station 82nd Street and James or Irving) has a lot of housing and some nice parks. Or (not sure if there's a direct bus route here) head over to the Edina/Bloomington border and get something nice along Centennial Lakes. TONS of nice apartments and townhomes, a very pleasant man-made lake with walking paths, summer concerts, ice skating in winter, etc., and very convenient to a lot of things. The BEE bus (think it stands for Bloomington Edina) has some bus lines that might very well connect you directly from that area to at or near your job, too. (or if you bike -- and people around here do year-round, despite the weather! -- it would be an easy bike ride)

Mdcastle · 02-24-2012, 06:16 PM

Another thing of note, I-35W has HOV/Toll lanes so if the traffic gets bad and you're willing to pay you can drive around it. Also buses use it so if you ride a bus from Burnsville you won't get stuck in traffic.

Bloomington resident here speaking: the neighborhoods right around where you're working may not have much flair but they are decent.