Thoughts on Roseville area? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: crime, house, buy)

[pzrOrange]

my parents live close to Arden Hills. its a very nice area with all the ammenities you can imagine.

[dravogadro]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

My friend lived in Roseville and I spent a lot of time there in high school hanging out in the area. Roseville came off to me as very family-friendly (tons of kids everywhere!), a bit sprawly, amazingly located and accessible, somewhat middle class, and safe. My friend is Chinese and I spent just about all of my time meeting his other Asian friends and I always thought of Roseville as somewhat moderately Asian influenced, but that may just be because that's who I hung out with.

Hope that helps.

My hypothesis about this is that many of these families live in the graduate student co-op on the St Paul campus and their kids already attend schools in Roseville. Once the students finish, they try to find jobs in Minnesota and move to the northern suburbs to not disrupt their kids out of the area.

Roseville is a nice place and it is fairly easy to bike around, with the exception of the Rosedale Mall area which is doable but stressful. Not all of their housing areas have sidewalks which is strange to me but normal to others. I think they've just renovated their library, have access to multiple very nice parks (including the under-the-radar Reservoir Woods) and have any retail store you can think of.

[Globe199]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

Not all of their housing areas have sidewalks which is strange to me but normal to others.

It's because the majority of the city was built in the 50s and 60s when sidewalks were discouraged. Honestly, I prefer it. I do believe that it has an effect on "neighborly interaction" and so forth, but I'd still rather have no sidewalks.

[1stpontiac]

Yeah, not having sidewalks everywhere is a bummer to me, but such is one of the trade-offs you make for more space and less cost in the suburbs.

I also just realized that they have three swimming beaches (some might actually be in Arden Hills or Shoreview, but close enough), which would explain why I haven't been able to find anything about swimming pools.

[Pisces69]

Originally Posted by 1stpontiac

Yeah, not having sidewalks everywhere is a bummer to me, but such is one of the trade-offs you make for more space and less cost in the suburbs.

I also just realized that they have three swimming beaches (some might actually be in Arden Hills or Shoreview, but close enough), which would explain why I haven't been able to find anything about swimming pools.

The nearest pools I believe would be Como Pool and Shoreview Community Center. There's also an indoor pool at Concordia and Oxford in Saint Paul at the community center there.

They did recently add a sidewalk along Roselawn through Falcon Heights / Roseville. But the rest of the town doesn't have them.

[uptown_urbanist]

I don't know much about the area and am not up on recent developments, but if sidewalks are something that you want to learn more about you could try contacting the suburbs in question directly to ask if they have any information on upcoming sidewalk projects -- I know a number of Twin Cities suburbs have been trying to add sidewalks (at least in places) and more and more of them seem to be publishing pedestrian master plans. The ones I've read are all full of really useful information about pedestrian safety in various areas and laying out plans for the future. If you have any urban planning/policy wonk leanings at all, these can be fascinating reading. (some are available online) Sometimes they're joint bicycle-pedestrian plans. You could also try contacting the county; Ramsey County was doing some work at the county level, too, and were coordinating efforts with local governments.

(even if sidewalks are not a make-or-break issue for you, some of the information could be helpful. And I think the good news is that these days so many Twin Cities suburbs are working hard to attempt to make improvements where needed and add in infrastructure to make it easier and safer for their residents to get around via foot or bike.)

[1stpontiac]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I don't know much about the area and am not up on recent developments, but if sidewalks are something that you want to learn more about you could try contacting the suburbs in question directly to ask if they have any information on upcoming sidewalk projects -- I know a number of Twin Cities suburbs have been trying to add sidewalks (at least in places) and more and more of them seem to be publishing pedestrian master plans. The ones I've read are all full of really useful information about pedestrian safety in various areas and laying out plans for the future. If you have any urban planning/policy wonk leanings at all, these can be fascinating reading. (some are available online) Sometimes they're joint bicycle-pedestrian plans. You could also try contacting the county; Ramsey County was doing some work at the county level, too, and were coordinating efforts with local governments.

(even if sidewalks are not a make-or-break issue for you, some of the information could be helpful. And I think the good news is that these days so many Twin Cities suburbs are working hard to attempt to make improvements where needed and add in infrastructure to make it easier and safer for their residents to get around via foot or bike.)

Good call, Roseville's website has a couple master plans, both for paths (trails, sidewalks, etc) and for parks. Looks like at least $2 million worth of trails going in in the next 4 years.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

My hypothesis about this is that many of these families live in the graduate student co-op on the St Paul campus and their kids already attend schools in Roseville. Once the students finish, they try to find jobs in Minnesota and move to the northern suburbs to not disrupt their kids out of the area.

Roseville is a nice place and it is fairly easy to bike around, with the exception of the Rosedale Mall area which is doable but stressful. Not all of their housing areas have sidewalks which is strange to me but normal to others. I think they've just renovated their library, have access to multiple very nice parks (including the under-the-radar Reservoir Woods) and have any retail store you can think of.

We're mostly talking about SE Asians though, not Chinese or Japanese or Indians. Many/most SE Asians aren't rich enough to go to college and are usually also highly uneducated (the ones who immigrate here, at least -- not the kids who grow up here). So I'm not sure that's true, but I suppose I can't really refute it with facts either, and it's certainly a possibility.

[pannierpacker]

I live south of 36 in Roseville near all the regional retail. I like this area because it's relatively flat (makes it easier for getting around), almost every possible shopping errand is within walking distance, the library is close by, coffee/restaurants are close by, there are actually sidewalks here (except on Snelling), it's safe, it's central and comparitively convenient when it comes to driving/bussing to St. Paul or Minneapolis, which I typically only do on weeknights or weekends.

I do find most of my biking/walking in the southern part of the city to be utilitarian. I typically enjoy outdoor recreation more in the northern part of the city. Lake Josephine and Johanna are not too far away and have great beaches for hanging out or swimming. The walking trails around Langton Lake are really nice too. I also make it down to Resevoir Woods and the McCarrons area on the eastern side of the city sometimes, which is another nice spot.

The thing I've discovered about Roseville is that it's usually pretty laid back. People don't get that upset at you about anything unless it's related to politic conversations or an adolescent learning to grow up. People tend to wake up a little later, especially in the part of town where I live. At the same time, in most of the city it gets quiet by 10 pm every night. It is true that there is not much of a night life unless you are willing to expand your definition of night life. My part of town is pretty active with people play games at the Source pretty late, people lined up at the businesses along Snelling just to watch traffic, and people going to movies at Rosedale into the wee hours of the morning. The onsale liquor license restrictions have thankfully limited the number of watering holes in the city.

Also, Rosevillian's definately enjoy their escape from the city. Frequently on weekends traffic is lighter in the residential areas because people have left town. It's common for people to talk about camping trips and similar activities. The commercial areas on the other hand get very busy on the weekends. Most of the adults who live here and get outside are either married or in their younger 20s (just graduated highschool or college).

Originally Posted by 1stpontiac

Good call, Roseville's website has a couple master plans, both for paths (trails, sidewalks, etc) and for parks. Looks like at least $2 million worth of trails going in in the next 4 years.

This is true. Roseville has had a pathway master plan for years but hasn't had a dedicated funding source to build the sidewalks. That said, in the last 4 years they still have added 4.5 miles of sidewalk even without a dedicated funding source.

[NewOrleanianLA1]

I am considering Roseville as a place to live as a potential relocation to the Twin Cities. Since this thread is about Roseville, I happen to have a question regarding crime rate in a specific area since I do not know anything about Roseville.

Is North Victoria Street neighborhood in Roseville south of Highway 36 safe to live?

I would appreciate any comments about this area. Thanks!