NEED LoTS oF HELP!!! (Minneapolis, Plymouth: section 8, apartments, rental)

[Hollywood.Rose]

I am 24/F moving to Minneapolis by myself come January (from Madison WI).

...I'm getting stressed, and freaking out.

I don't even know where to begin looking for a place to live.

I was really interested in Uptown, but then I started hearing about crime and what not, so that kind of freaked me out a bit considering I'm moving alone, and don't know much about the city.

So, now I'm lost, and have no idea where else to look, because as I said, I know nothing about this place.

Keep in mind I'm on a serious budget as far as apartments go...like $550 tops....

...but from what I can tell, I'll be living in a creepy neighborhood for that price.




Can you guys help me here? Is Uptown REALLY that bad.

What streets should I avoid?

WHat apartments are creepy?



This is getting stressful!

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Hollywood.Rose

I am 24/F moving to Minneapolis by myself come January (from Madison WI).

...I'm getting stressed, and freaking out.

I don't even know where to begin looking for a place to live.

I was really interested in Uptown, but then I started hearing about crime and what not, so that kind of freaked me out a bit considering I'm moving alone, and don't know much about the city.

So, now I'm lost, and have no idea where else to look, because as I said, I know nothing about this place.

Keep in mind I'm on a serious budget as far as apartments go...like $550 tops....

...but from what I can tell, I'll be living in a creepy neighborhood for that price.




Can you guys help me here? Is Uptown REALLY that bad.

What streets should I avoid?

WHat apartments are creepy?



This is getting stressful!

I used to have a 1 bedroom in Stevens Square facing the park for under that price and the area did not seem too bad after adjusting to living in the city vs the suburbs, but it was 1999 when I lived there. I think it was only $425? or $475? at the time. Stevens Square consists of a 1 block park surrounded on all sides by 3 1/2 story brick buildings built in 1912. It is only about 2 blocks out of downtown, 2-3 blocks from the minneapolis institute of arts, and probably around a mile from uptown. There was many mid-20's - early 30's aged people when I lived there, I don't know if this has changed at all. Somebody that still lives in the city might be able to comment more about the current state of this area.

[athorson710]

What up Rose - First off, welcome to the Twin Cities!! I'm 25 and moved to the Twin Cities from Milwaukee about 2 and a half years ago. I have had a great time here and I'm sure you will like it. In terms of places to live, I had a few friends live in Uptown but I forget what apartments they lived in. They all lived within 4-5 blocks both north and south of Hennepin (the main street going through uptown) and those areas seemed fine. I currently live in St. Louis Park (suburb 10 minutes west of downtown Minneapolis) and it's great here. There are some places here that would be in your price range. Check out rent.com or other rental sites and you should be able to find something. Let me know if you have any more questions about other things too, I can definitely help out. Good luck!

Adam

[Lillietta]

How about, as a start, looking for ads for roommates, at least for a time until you get to know the place. This person would be a good resource for you too.

[nick is rulz]

who exactly told you Uptown was this crime ridden dangerous community? Someone who lives 45 minutes outside of the city, Im guessing.

There was a murder there a few years back and it was huge news because there has not been anything of that calibur in the neighborhood for yeeeeeeeeears.

Crime Statistics Maps


research ecco, carag, lowry hill east, and east isles.

I lived in Carag for two years, which would be the most "dangerous" neighborhood in Uptown and it was very quiet.

East of Lyndale Ave gets slightly patchy, but its nothing too intense.

Streets to avoid:

Franklin Ave East of 94, Park Ave, Chicago Ave south of around the 36xx block. The blocks from Highway 55 north to Plymouth Ave are where it starts to get pretty bad, but it is very block to block there. The city is overall probably at its worst between the 26xx-36xx blocks of Aldrich to Sheridan Aves North. The cutoff for the most part is anything north of Dowling.

[Slig]

Uptown would be a good start for you. There are lots of people your age around that area.

[sushigirlie]

I do think that uptown is changing for the worse. It used to be safe. But then there were a couple of shootings in the last two years and I guess the place is turning wired.

I used to like it once upon a time. I would look elsewhere.

[think.reciprocity]

Originally Posted by Hollywood.Rose

I am 24/F moving to Minneapolis by myself come January (from Madison WI).

...I'm getting stressed, and freaking out.

I don't even know where to begin looking for a place to live.

I was really interested in Uptown, but then I started hearing about crime and what not, so that kind of freaked me out a bit considering I'm moving alone, and don't know much about the city.

So, now I'm lost, and have no idea where else to look, because as I said, I know nothing about this place.

Keep in mind I'm on a serious budget as far as apartments go...like $550 tops....

...but from what I can tell, I'll be living in a creepy neighborhood for that price.




Can you guys help me here? Is Uptown REALLY that bad.

What streets should I avoid?

WHat apartments are creepy?



This is getting stressful!

I'd contact the folks at "Sela Investments" and ask for Dara or Amy. They own properties in the Uptown area and St Louis Park (as well as other areas). Any of their properties in Uptown are in good areas. They are negotiators. If you know how to hold your own in getting a good price - you'll do fine. They have properties that can offer you a large studio or one bedroom for your price range. They accept pets (even if they initially say they don't - all things seem to be negotiable with them). They are sometimes difficult to deal with but overall have excellently maintained buildings. I believe all of their buildings have their own parking lots & the one I had lived at had some garages. They can steer you in the right direction.

Uptown is one of the best areas of the Twin Cities - not without trouble sometimes - but, having lived in practically every neighborhood in Minneapolis, I'd say I have felt the safest & most at home in Uptown. I would recommend it to anyone.

Stevens Square, as someone mentioned is a wonderful community within it's surrounding community. You will not find a 1 bdrm in your price range today, though. The other thing to note is that the area surrounding Stevens Square is a bit dicey at times. I considered moving there because it is a lovely community, but I really didn't want to be constantly walking through the surrounding madness to get to my home. Just MHO...

All the best to you...

[lvalencia]

uptown isnt that bad! its much better that way than over north or right in the southside. uptown is a pretty good community overall. there's crime everywhere, just depends on how much!

[music7lover]

Uptown would be a great location for you since you are young. Stay away from the Stevens Square apartments. While the rents are affordable, the neighborhood is NOT SAFE. Also, the buildings have Section 8. I have lived in Mpls for almost 25 years and know the city well. Also, someone suggested getting a roommate for a while. I think that is a great idea. I lived with roommates for a few years when I moved here. It will help you feel less isolated.

I think that if you live close to Calhoun Square, that you will love it. Lake Calhoun is the place to be in the summer, plus Uptown has alot of restaurants you can walk to and places to get a drink. One thing tho... if you have a car and need to park it on the street, Uptown is very crowded for street parking. Check into a place that has offstreet parking or at least rent on a street that isn't so crowded.

You will love Minneapolis. I came here from Green Bay and never once regretted it. Tons of stuff to do and there are jobs everywhere. Very open minded city.