A Chinese family relocating to Eagan looks for advice on areas to live (Minneapolis: houses)

[hi_michael]

Hello everyone,

I am moving from Beijing to Eagan in the coming few weeks and we will stay there for severl years. At this moment I have difficulty in deciding which area to search for houses. My company locates at the northern part of Eagan, west to 35E and south to 494. Ideally I would like to find a house that meet my requirement below:

1. Has a good school for my daughter that is 7 years old. By "good school" I mean a school that has both nice facilities and friendly teachers and classmates.
2. Close to a Chinese community so that it would be easier for my wife to make some new friends soon after we move over.
3. The traffic between the area and my office is good and shall take less than 30 minutes to commute.
4. The area is scenic and quiet, but still has easy access to shops, restaurants and theatres.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

regards,
Michael

[BryaninMSP]

You might enjoy Apple Valley — good schools (both school districts 194 and 196) are excellent, quiet neighborhoods, and a short commute to Eagan. Plenty of shopping on that side of town as well.

As for your questions on Chinese communities, I would start by getting in touch with the Hospitality Center for Chinese in St. Paul — hcchinese.org

Best of luck. I think you'll find Minnesota is a wonderful place.

[hi_michael]

Originally Posted by BryaninMSP

You might enjoy Apple Valley — good schools (both school districts 194 and 196) are excellent, quiet neighborhoods, and a short commute to Eagan. Plenty of shopping on that side of town as well.

As for your questions on Chinese communities, I would start by getting in touch with the Hospitality Center for Chinese in St. Paul — hcchinese.org

Best of luck. I think you'll find Minnesota is a wonderful place.

Thanks for the advice. I visited Eagan in last November and it is a beautiful place.

The information about Hospitality Center for Chinese is very helpful. I will visit their website and see what I find there.

A friend said that I might want to consider Edina, a city that is not too far away from Eagan, and is close to downtown Minneapolis. Is that a good option too? How is the traffic between Edina and Eagan during the rush hours?

[BryaninMSP]

Traffic between Edina and Eagan at rush hour would be heavy along 494. However, even "heavy" traffic in Minnesota might be light compared to what you're used to.

Edina is a lovely community, and great schools. Housing is significantly more expensive than places like Apple Valley and Eagan.