West Bloomington

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by BRMan

Wanted to weigh in on this as an out of stater: I've visited Minneapolis twice. When we explored the area due south (and slightly east) of the MOA, I found older houses that were decently maintained. Is this what you're referring to as "East Bloomington" ? Plus, the area south of the Sofitel seemed to be pretty nice.

Yup, though "east Bloomington" stretches quite a bit west from the MoA as well. Bloomington itself goes all the way west to 169, and it's Eden Prairie over on the other side. :-)

I wonder where the east/west Bloomington boundary is considered to be, though? Penn? 35W?

[nolangal]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

That is a really good question and point. I too recently moved to Minneapolis (last year), I have yet to find what I consider an actual ghetto in Minneapolis, I can't say that I've been all over town, but I think if there was a world class bonafide ghetto here, I would have seen it by now.

And for those that wanna say otherwise, I know what a real ghetto looks like, being a native Detroiter of 32 years.

The only thing I can say about that is that to Minnesotans "the ghetto" are places that are more run down and not taken care of as well as the rest of the areas. Of course Minnesota doesn't have the ghettos that Detroit or NYC has, but that is good thing. The fact that what we think of as ghettos aren't as bad as other ghettos in America makes Minnesota a pretty great place to live.

To address other comments, some people have standards and would want to be warned of areas to stay away from when they move here. I would assume most people who go in this forum and are moving here are researching it because they have a choice as to where they want to live because they have money that lets them make that choice. Most people who have that flexibility will not want to live in areas that are rundown. It just so happens that many times rundown areas have residents who "look different", and there is a reason for that. Many people who "look different" came here to start a new life in America and of course they don't have as much money as others. Yet. That doesn't mean people don't want to live with other people who "look different". It still just means they want a nice area to live that isn't rundown. Now if you want to see real racism, look to the south.

[nolangal]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Yup, though "east Bloomington" stretches quite a bit west from the MoA as well. Bloomington itself goes all the way west to 169, and it's Eden Prairie over on the other side. :-)

I wonder where the east/west Bloomington boundary is considered to be, though? Penn? 35W?

I think that the area between 35-W and Normandale are regular, middle class older homes. From Normandale to 169 you can see multi million dollar homes, especially around Bush Lake and on the bluffs overlooking the Minnesota River.

[Midwesterns45]

the roads around the hyland park system are great areas, west of Nesbit. the neighborhood is quiet and you dont here the cars from loud normandale blvd

[MNNative]

East and West Bloomington get their division simply because the school district is separated in two. West of France/Xerxes v east of France/Xerxes.

I have heard countless times from people who have sent or are sending their children through the schools on the east side how worse they are than the west's. I've been told by a mother who has her last child at Kennedy (I think she's a junior this year) that if she had smaller children they would be looking for a new school district because she wouldn't think to put them through those schools.

Even while I attended Richfield schools (which probably match east Bloomington schools) we thought of ourselves as better than Kennedy.

I don't know if it's racial prejudice and that's why more diverse areas are less desirable...I think it may just lie on society's desire for status. Manicured lawns, sparkling windows, BMW's in the drive, etc just aren't that common in certain neighborhoods.

To the OP:

The area you are referring to is great. You should be very comfortable there. There truly are some beautiful areas of east Bloomington, don't get me wrong, but I think given your concerns you'd be able to rest easier just living on the west side of town.

[Texy]

lukeache:

I have lived in West Bloomington for nearly 25 years and find it to be a very safe area. I do not think you have any concerns.
Texy

Originally Posted by lukeache

Hi all:

We are considering moving out of Eagan next year and downgrading to a cheaper, smaller place only for a year, since we are probably moving out of MN. I am considering an apt complex in West Bloomington, the location is by France and Old Shakopee Rd, just a few blocks from Normandale CC. I have driven around that area many times and It looks like an OK area. Any concerns about that area? I don't care to downgrade a bit, just do not want to live in a crime area (seems like most crime and run down apts are in East Bloomington anyways, correct?). Any help is appreciated.