Moving from Chicago to Minneapolis....

[music7lover]

South Minneapolis by Lake Harriet... Now that is a nice area. Especially during the summer.

[Baldwin]

Originally Posted by sugarbeet

Just curious which suburbs of Chicago you live in. Yes, many of the closer in suburbs are unique and interesting. But places like Hoffman Estates will be very similar to suburbs here.

We actually live in the city- the suburbs of chicago have a bad reputation with us city dwellers as well! We live in a little area within the city called Roscoe Village...

[The Icy River Vagabond]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

You cannot compare Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs to Chicago suburbs. There are no Oak Parks or Evanstons in that area. You have to have a completely different mentality when you move to Minnesota. Nice Minnesota houses are like houses in the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor area. They are not architectural gems. Sure it is hillier. Sure Minnesota has more lakes. They also have fewer weeks. Fewer weeks of warmth, that is. Fewer weeks to enjoy the lakes before they freeze over. If you are not a fan of sitting on a frozen lake and freezing your nuts off, Minnesota may not be for you. I can't believe you would even consider Minneapolis over Chicago. Is the pay raise that high? Stay in Chicago.

Benton Harbor and St. joeseph are 2 states away from Chicago... They are not suburbs...

[kg1701d]

If you want to live some where in Minneapolis kinda like Roscoe Village area, I'd look anywhere on s Hennepin, S Nicolett eat street area. nice places, lots of apts, fun neighborhood, pretty safe, young resident, that kinda stuff.

[Baldwin]

Thanks everyone for your responses! The thought of moving is a somewhat daunting one and I at least have more of an idea as to what some good neighborhoods are in and around Minneapolis. Although one of the first responses telling me to stay in chicago wasn't very comforting....

It sounds as though we shouldn't rule out the actual city, although I hear it's very expensive. And what about the school system in Minneapolis? Is it like chicago where it's rare to find a good public school?

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Baldwin

Thanks everyone for your responses! The thought of moving is a somewhat daunting one and I at least have more of an idea as to what some good neighborhoods are in and around Minneapolis. Although one of the first responses telling me to stay in chicago wasn't very comforting....

It sounds as though we shouldn't rule out the actual city, although I hear it's very expensive. And what about the school system in Minneapolis? Is it like chicago where it's rare to find a good public school?

No, not at all - I believe all of the Mpls high schools rank in the top 5% of the nation - a number have International Baccalaureate programs as well. And if you find a good community-based elementary school, these are often very good as well. The areas that I suggested in previous post are much more affordable than many areas in Minneapolis, and they're very good places to live. If you haven't done so already, this is a good website to check out Mpls neighborhoods stats: Minneapolis Neighborhood Profiles

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

You cannot compare Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs to Chicago suburbs. There are no Oak Parks or Evanstons in that area. You have to have a completely different mentality when you move to Minnesota. Nice Minnesota houses are like houses in the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor area. They are not architectural gems. Sure it is hillier. Sure Minnesota has more lakes. They also have fewer weeks. Fewer weeks of warmth, that is. Fewer weeks to enjoy the lakes before they freeze over. If you are not a fan of sitting on a frozen lake and freezing your nuts off, Minnesota may not be for you. I can't believe you would even consider Minneapolis over Chicago. Is the pay raise that high? Stay in Chicago.

The guy who alludes to cities in Michigan as Chicagoland probably hasn't a clue what he is talking about. The Cities are very cultured; even in comparison to much larger cities. There is more to Minneapolis than lakes. There are quite a few areas here a la Oak Park.
Schools are good in most areas, City of Mpls. included. Some are good, some are not. Good schools are very apparent. There are Int'l Bachalaurette programs, magnet schools, private schools, et. cetera. Southwest and South Highs are very well regarded. If you child is motivated, they will succeed in most public high schools; city or suburban.

[KristenDuLac]

You might enjoy the Linden Hills area in Minneapolis. Its close to 2 beautiful lakes and is filled with unique homes. There are many neighborhoods in the city that are close to a lake or the river where there are many bike trails and parks. The bike trails here are connected and go for several miles throughout the city and into the suburbs. Bryn Mawr is another area that is just north of downtown and close to Cedar Lake.



Kristen