European family of 4 moving to Minneapolis - St .Paul, advise please (St. Paul: apartment, rental)

[Emblayrg]

Hi.

We´re a family of 4, that is two children aged 4 and 2 1/2 and planning to move to Minneapolis - St.Paul next christmas for about 2 years. Can you give us any advise please, on where to live and some good pre-schools for the children?
The reason for us moving is ph.D study in the University of Minnesota... perhaps somewhere close to the university, or what do you think?
We would like a 3 bedroom house/apartment, in a save place, pre-school near by preferably...

Best regards, Embla.

[golfgal]

What is your budget?

[Emblayrg]

Hi golfgal,

We don´t really have a budget :/
One room for the children is good, one for parents and one for guests/grandparents when visiting. It doesn´t have to be big. Just want a nice place, secure, well situated, and near a good pre-scool/kindergarten... I will be spending a lot of time alone with the children, since my husband will be working in Iceland most of the time.
I will be studying at the school of nursing, so anywhere close to that area? The major thing is a good school for the children (any ideas???? 4 and 2 1/2 years old) and me not spending too much time going from home, to kindergarten, to University and back, since I will be taking the kids to/from school most of the time. I´ve never visited Minnesota, I´ve only went to NY and Boston for a vacation, so I´m clueless really...

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Emblayrg

Hi golfgal,

We don´t really have a budget :/
One room for the children is good, one for parents and one for guests/grandparents when visiting. It doesn´t have to be big. Just want a nice place, secure, well situated, and near a good pre-scool/kindergarten... I will be spending a lot of time alone with the children, since my husband will be working in Iceland most of the time.
I will be studying at the school of nursing, so anywhere close to that area? The major thing is a good school for the children (any ideas???? 4 and 2 1/2 years old) and me not spending too much time going from home, to kindergarten, to University and back, since I will be taking the kids to/from school most of the time. I´ve never visited Minnesota, I´ve only went to NY and Boston for a vacation, so I´m clueless really...

Well, your rent can range from $1500-6000+ depending on where you live so it really just depends on what you want to spend and how you want to get back and forth between school and home. Are you also studying at the U of MN or at one of the other colleges?

The easiest would be housing around the U of MN itself. It's not that nice of an area though and the schools are marginal but should be fine for K-2nd grade or so. Finding a 3 bedroom apartment is going to be very difficult--there just aren't that many of them so they don't open up very often. Finding a 3 bedroom house near the U of MN is going to put you in student housing...and that's not very family friendly.

With the exception of a few schools, most of the schools in MN are top notch so that won't really be an issue. You need to come up with a budget to spend for housing so we can narrow down areas for you.

I just re-read your post--are you moving here alone with your kids? If that is the case, maybe married student housing would be your best bet. It would be a good option to help with some child care back and forth with other families???

[Emblayrg]

Hi again and thank you for your reply.

I would think aprox 3000$ or so for rent.
I will be studying at the U of MN (ph.D.) and will be spending aprox 50% af the time alone with the children (husband moving between countries working). We would probably have a car but it would be nice to be able to walk/bike between home-kindergarten-University...

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Emblayrg

Hi again and thank you for your reply.

I would think aprox 3000$ or so for rent.
I will be studying at the U of MN (ph.D.) and will be spending aprox 50% af the time alone with the children (husband moving between countries working). We would probably have a car but it would be nice to be able to walk/bike between home-kindergarten-University...

I think married student housing might be the way to go. It's not $3000 nice but I think the benefits of having other student families around will be a huge plus with sharing child care, rides/transportation to school, etc.

[xandrex]

I agree with golfgal...student housing is the way to go. I have family members who have used it. It was a smaller 2-unit place, but they might have larger options. It was well-situated on the St. Paul campus, within walking distance to the elementary school (and from what I've heard of my family that lived there, the reputation of the elementary school is pretty good), and you're right on the bus that goes to the Minneapolis campus.

Plus that neighborhood is pretty great. It's pretty solidly middle class and even upper-middle class, lots of green space and a giant park behind the school, a cute commercial node, etc.

[MarcyHolmesMaven]

I'd explore some of the Minneapolis and St. Paul schools in neighborhoods fairly close to the University (e.g., Marcy-Holmes, Prospect Park, Seward, St. Anthony Park) and get in touch with the community liaisons at the schools you are interested in. In my experience, they know their neighborhoods very well and would be a good source for information about rental possibilities. Most neighborhoods in Minneapolis also have neighborhood administrators and web sites; they can also be a good source for information about housing options. Here's another site that's helpful specifically for the University area: Live Near Work

In my opinion, you can find more pleasant living quarters than what married student housing provides. As far as preschools, my kids went to the Shirley G. Moore Lab School at the University and it is outstanding, though not cheap these days. Shirley G Moore Laboratory School - University of Minnesota. The preschool for University employees is also very highly regarded.

For elementary schools, Marcy Open School is a very popular choice that is just blocks from the University. Seward Montessori is also well-regarded and reasonably close.

Good luck with your search!

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Emblayrg

Hi.

We´re a family of 4, that is two children aged 4 and 2 1/2 and planning to move to Minneapolis - St.Paul next christmas for about 2 years. Can you give us any advise please, on where to live and some good pre-schools for the children?
The reason for us moving is ph.D study in the University of Minnesota... perhaps somewhere close to the university, or what do you think?
We would like a 3 bedroom house/apartment, in a save place, pre-school near by preferably...

Best regards, Embla.

Family student housing is the way to go! It's cheap, convenient to campus, and they have so many resources for your entire family. I've heard lots of good things about the U of MN family housing. It's very international, with families from all over the world, and they host a lot of community activities. Think of it as built-in friends for you and your children. I think the family housing in St. Paul may even have a preschool on the premises.

If you decide you don't want student housing, I agree with MarcyHolmesMaven's suggestions.

Another nice option would be somewhere in Uptown along Hennepin Avenue; you could easily catch the 114 express bus to the University (lots of grad students live along the route), and you could easily afford a nice 3-BR with your budget. For specific neighborhood name, look at East Isles -- that's the neighborhood north of Lake Street and between Hennepin Avenue and Lake of the Isles. It's a nice neighborhood for kids, and Grace Neighborhood Nursery School on 28th Street is very popular.

[dravogadro]

Hi Embla --

Please check out the graduate student housing at the University of Minnesota for 3 bedroom housing: https://www.umnctc.org/housing.html
They have lots of activities for parents staying at home with kids.

There is excellent childcare right on the student housing campus: CCCC - About Community Child Care Center

The waiting list is very long for both places so the sooner you contact them, the better.

This housing is on the St. Paul campus and I think nursing is on Minneapolis campus? You will have access to a free U of M shuttle to get you to Minneapolis (only 15-20 minute bus ride). You can also take the a city bus (3) to Minneapolis if needed. You can also ride your bike on the route that the bus takes (it is a restricted road to bikes and U of M buses only).