Stillwater Area??? (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bayport: houses, neighborhoods, theater)

[Sunshinne]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are looking at relocating to the Stillwater area. We want to be in the Stillwater school district, but don't necessarily need to live in Stillwater (I think). We currently live in Phoenix, AZ, and know we are going to freeze our butts off in the winter. My husband grew up in Minnesota so it will be nothing new for him. I am looking for any and all information you may have about moving to that area. Do you think it is a good area to raise kids? Are there fun "grown up" things to do, ie good restaurants? Thanks!

[golfgal]

I grew up in Stillwater and it is a great town. Stillwater schools encompass Marine on the St. Croix, Bayport, Afton, Lakeland and areas around that. Each of those towns really has a different feel. They all have their own elementary school and then the kids go to one of two junior high schools and then they all go to the one high school.

There are your typical chain type places to eat there but there are some great local places in town as well. It is also a quick hop to St. Paul/Minneapolis for more variety but most of your day to day stuff is right in Stillwater.

Where will you or your husband be working? That would make a difference in where you want to live.

[TimtheGuy]

Stillwater is a great city. I would live right in town.

[Sunshinne]

Thanks guys! My husband works for the airlines and will be commuting to the airport. We would like to stay away from living on top of our neighbors like we do now in a subdivision with minimal space between houses. Are there any nice areas that have a little more land that won't cost a fortune, yet won't leave us isolated? And we can't exactly afford to spend a million on a house either. An older fixer upper would be fine if it was in a nice area. We would like to be close to recreational things to do too. We like golfing, we have a boat, and prefer local restaurants and pubs to chain places. Is it true there are a few wineries in the area? Is there a snow ski area near by?

[golfgal]

Stillwater is PERFECT for you. They have several golf courses both public and private, obviously there is the river for your boat, most of the older neighborhoods have nice sized yards so you will have some space--not average but space.

There are a couple wineries in the area including one right downtown.

Afton Alps isn't far for skiing and there are other places as well so that won't be an issue. You will also find many people in Stillwater with your same interests so meeting people will be easy. How old are your kids?

It is a town where your kids can walk to school or their friends house and you won't really have to worry. There really isn't a bad area of town but some areas are not as well kept up--you will be able to figure that out easily though, busy streets, etc.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Sunshinne

Thanks guys! My husband works for the airlines and will be commuting to the airport. We would like to stay away from living on top of our neighbors like we do now in a subdivision with minimal space between houses. Are there any nice areas that have a little more land that won't cost a fortune, yet won't leave us isolated? And we can't exactly afford to spend a million on a house either. An older fixer upper would be fine if it was in a nice area. We would like to be close to recreational things to do too. We like golfing, we have a boat, and prefer local restaurants and pubs to chain places. Is it true there are a few wineries in the area? Is there a snow ski area near by?

You are going to LOVE the St. Criox River. It runs right through Stillwater.

[Sunshinne]

Golfgal,
My two kids are in elementary school. Are there a lot of recreational things for them to do?

[golfgal]

They pretty much have a little of everything, sports, dance, theater, etc. You are not going to have a problem keeping them busy.

[Sunshinne]

Thanks, that is good to know. I was looking at a site today that ranked all 50 states from 1-50 regarding the quality of schools. Minnesota was ranked a 13 for the 06/07 school year while Arizona ranked 50! No brainer there which state to live in regarding that. Do you know what the classroom size typically is for elementary school kids in the Stillwater district? In AZ there is typically 28-32 kids per class with one teacher.

[golfgal]

What ranking did you look at? That really surprises me that we were 13th. We typically are in the top 3. I don't know specifically what the class sizes are for elementary students. Class sizes might be say, 30 kids BUT the student/teacher ratio might only be 8:1. They will have the teacher and a few aides in the classroom which is usually better then having 20 kids and one teacher anyway. Usually classes in MN stay under 25 kids but that can vary from year to year.

Honestly, I think you are going to find that any of the suburban districts in MN are better then what you have now, and quite a bit better. I have known many families to move in from out of state only to find that their kids have to do some quick catch up work to get to where their peers are--nothing too serious but even so.

One thing to keep in mind for the weather is that while we will have a week here and there of some really cold weather, like this week, for the most part you can be outside and doing in the winter vs having the extreme heat in AZ where you can't really be outside for weeks on end. You are trading one for the other.