Possible Move to Minneapolis: Great Schools & Youth Hockey Centric Location (Plymouth: high school, to live in)

[golfgal]

You really have to work hard to find an area in MN that doesn't have pretty good hockey. You will have access to a lot of teams in the metro area pretty much anywhere you live. Edina is a long time powerhouse but they have been down the past decade or so. Yes, they just won the state tournament this month but it's been a while. Also, by the time his kids are old enough, Edina might be in some slump years again.

Where will you be working? That might help focus the search.

Based on what you are saying though, south metro seems like a good fit for finding larger yards/acreage, having great access to walking trails, etc., several off-leash dog parks as well. You are close to shopping and the various towns have a good variety of places to eat from small mom and pop type places to your usual chains. The south metro was also very well represented in the most recent tournament as well as in years past. Eagan, Eastview and Lakeville schools would be a good place to look into. Eastview (same district as Eagan-196 district) will have fewer choices for the house style but there will be some.

We also have the open enrollment option so if you move to say, Farmington, where housing costs are reasonable, good chance of larger lots, etc. but end up wanting to send your kids to Lakeville down the road you can apply to do that (although much of Farmington is in other districts).

Stillwater and Mahtomedi would be places to consider as well. Between the two towns are a lot of areas with 2+ acre lots and both schools have very respectable hockey programs as well as very good schools. Stillwater actually fits your wants to a T but if you work in say Eden Prairie-not a fun commute at all.

As for scholarships....MN certainly gets a lot of looks for kids in hockey. The caliber of hockey here is just that much better than other parts of the country that is for sure.

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by golfgal

You really have to work hard to find an area in MN that doesn't have pretty good hockey. You will have access to a lot of teams in the metro area pretty much anywhere you live. Edina is a long time powerhouse but they have been down the past decade or so. Yes, they just won the state tournament this month but it's been a while. Also, by the time his kids are old enough, Edina might be in some slump years again.

Where will you be working? That might help focus the search.

Based on what you are saying though, south metro seems like a good fit for finding larger yards/acreage, having great access to walking trails, etc., several off-leash dog parks as well. You are close to shopping and the various towns have a good variety of places to eat from small mom and pop type places to your usual chains. The south metro was also very well represented in the most recent tournament as well as in years past. Eagan, Eastview and Lakeville schools would be a good place to look into. Eastview (same district as Eagan-196 district) will have fewer choices for the house style but there will be some.

We also have the open enrollment option so if you move to say, Farmington, where housing costs are reasonable, good chance of larger lots, etc. but end up wanting to send your kids to Lakeville down the road you can apply to do that (although much of Farmington is in other districts).

Stillwater and Mahtomedi would be places to consider as well. Between the two towns are a lot of areas with 2+ acre lots and both schools have very respectable hockey programs as well as very good schools. Stillwater actually fits your wants to a T but if you work in say Eden Prairie-not a fun commute at all.

As for scholarships....MN certainly gets a lot of looks for kids in hockey. The caliber of hockey here is just that much better than other parts of the country that is for sure.

They also won it last year 2013 & in 2010. Only at Edina is 3 of the past 5 State Championships a slump.

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by AboveTheIce

Mason,

Wow, I don't think you could have responded to my post in a more thorough way. Thank so much for addressing everything and answering most of my questions I really appreciate it. Really appreciate your insight on Edina, I don't think that would be the place for us besides we prefer to be a little 'further out' of the fray. Plymouth seems really intriguing and the idea of possible getting a place with lake access makes it even more interesting.

Do you know how usable the local lakes are? I saw some pics online of Minnetonka Beach but that seems a bit further South.

Elk River has not even come accross our radar, but when we visit in June to look around It's on the list of places to investigate. Is this a place far enough out where you can use a snowmobile in and around town in the winter?

You mentioned going to the NHL; even where we currently live (My sons play in a youth program attached to a pro team) everyone thinks their kids are going. I don't have any illusions of grandeur on that.

My philosophy on that is simple: Work hard, have fun, push the limits, give my sons access to good coaches and good competition and late fate decide the rest. Hockey is a marathon not a sprint and some of the top squirts in the US may not be the top Batam's in the future. Heck, I think a college scholarship would be just as good.

As long as they play for the love of the game and want to be on the ice, I will make sure it happens.

If all else fails we can pack up and move to Bemidji and skate on the Hammitt rink.

Have you seen that?

Anyway, thanks again for your awesome insight!

Not sure if you can ride your snowmobile into town in Elk River but I guarantee there are a TON of snowmobiles enthusiasts in the area & the town revolves around their high school teams, specifically hockey.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

They also won it last year 2013 & in 2010. Only at Edina is 3 of the past 5 State Championships a slump.

look back further though....not that they aren't good but they were "down" for a while pre-2010

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by golfgal

look back further though....not that they aren't good but they were "down" for a while pre-2010

What are your thoughts on Elk River for the OP?

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

What are your thoughts on Elk River for the OP?

I like Elk River....not so sure the OP will...it's a little more "blue-collar" that he seems to want.

[AboveTheIce]

Thanks again everyone. Golfgal, great info on the South Metro, we will look into it for sure as it sounds like it could fit some of our parameters as well.

Have to ask you how many months are golf possible there (assuming you are golfer)?

We are probably like a lot of other people I suspect in that we want our cake and we want to eat it to (in terms of ideal location). We want the amenities (mostly food/ quality restaurant variety) yet we would like some space or at least be backing up to some open space/ woods. That's why when Mason mentioned some areas of Plymouth and east of Maple Grove in intrigued me. It seems if we could find a place on the fringes of Wayzata that would still feed into that HS it might be ideal.

Does anyone have a take on the lake activity scene in the spring/ summer there?

BTW not sure if you guys/ gals are big into hockey, but that outdoor Rink that Bryan Hammitt built in Bemidji is awesome.

Not sure if we are supposed to post links here, but here is a link to a Youtube video of it:


Backyard Hockey "The Hammitt Rink" 2012 - YouTube

[wamer27]

There's tons of outdoor rinks in every city within the parks. St Paul has two rinks that have refrigeration systems, so ice is just like indoor ice with all the temp changes. Another St Paul park rink has a full size zamboni that was donated to it. The John Rose Oval in Roseville is a an outdoor football sized refridgerated rink that's great in fall and spring when it's warmer and is always the first rink to open and last to close each season.

[golfgal]

I think there are 4 or 5 rinks like that in our town . You will be hard pressed NOT to find an outdoor rink. Growing up my Dad used to build a rink in our back yards-no boards, just used snow for the edges. Used tennis balls or soft pucks though.

Golf--usually courses are opening by the end of March and close middle of November. Depends on how hardy you are for some of that but temps are generally mid 50's on both extremes. Not sure if courses will be open much before May this year though .

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

They also won it last year 2013 & in 2010. Only at Edina is 3 of the past 5 State Championships a slump.

Haha, yeah...and even in their slump years, Edina isn't exactly a chump team. I know some people who were on the Edina hockey team during one of their said "slumps". Yeah, they didn't make it to state every time, but many of those kids were still top notch and were recruited by some of the best colleges in the country.

The real problem with Edina that I've heard is that you really have to absolutely double down on absolutely living and breathing hockey. The people I knew from there faced a lot of pressure and sacrificed for hockey. Not that you don't have to sacrifice elsewhere. Hockey isn't a sport in Minnesota...it's a religion and lifestyle choice.

If the OP weren't focused on the the Twin Cities, I'd say to look north. I grew up just outside of Duluth, and many of the hockey programs there are top notch, but have the added bonus of a much greater chance of getting on a team (the chances of getting on EP, Edina, or any other powerhouse team has odds similar to playing slots at Mystic Lake). I played hockey for years up there. I was a decent player, but was always relegated to the "B" team (largely thanks to the politics of northern Minnesota hockey, but I digress). Still, had I stuck with it past my ninth grade--the last year I played bantams--I would have easily made the JV team, and even perhaps had a shot at the varsity after a year. I went with downhill skiing instead...it was just starting up at our school, but the team was tight knit and I ended up being a captain by my senior year, so I had no complaints.