Family of 3 considering relocating from SF (Minneapolis, St. Paul: house, job market, established neighborhood)

[Fata Morgana]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping you can help. We are in our early 40s with a soon to be 5 yo in special ed (mild-moderate ASD) who will start Kinder next year. Dh is a software engineer and we currently live in SF, CA. After 8 long years here, we are looking at getting out and are considering what our options are. I'm originally from Chicago, so winters are not a problem, but Chicago itself may be a bit too dense for me at this point, not to mention the school situation.

We're looking for a lower COL city that is more peaceful, less dense, has nature as well as an IT job market and decent schools. Love older homes with character and neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and some charm and/or quirk.

Would Minneapolis be a good fit? And if so, which areas/neighborhoods?

Thank you!

[MidwestRedux]

Minneapolis may prove to be a perfect alternative if you're looking to escape the high cost and chaos associated with living in one of the uber desirable metro areas like the Bay Area.

You can still have most big city amenities at your disposal, without the high cost of housing and everything else, traffic etc. There are good public schools in the majority of suburbs and in parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul itself.

If you are looking for more of an urban experience, much of South or Northeast Minneapolis may fit the bill. The neighborhoods in these areas range from vibrant and dense to almost suburban in feel. There are parks, lakes and trails everywhere. There are also a few nearby suburbs that have older housing stock and established neighborhoods.

For more specific recommendations, please tell us more about your budget and expectations.

[mr roboto]

City vs Suburbs would be a good place to start. There are some nice inner-ring suburbs (Edina, St Louis Park). But just to give you scale, some of the outer-ring suburbs ( Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Plymouth) which have great schools and newer housing (10-40 years old) are relatively close to Minneapolis (10-20 miles). Coming from Chicago myself I was shocked at people who complained about a 20-30 minute commute. Everything is closer and there are no mountains or oceans defining commuting patters in the Twin Cities.

[BryaninMSP]

My brother excelled in the special ed program in the Mounds View school district, and I've heard great things about the special ed programs in Edina and Wayzata. As you're originally from Chicago, the housing in those districts would remind you of Wheaton, Oak Brook, etc. Price per square foot in each of them would rarely top $250, so would be a welcome change from the Bay Area (and around here, those are considered the high-end communities). They all have plenty of older homes with character, and plenty of nature (North Oaks, for example, has great walking and cross-country skiing trails, and Edina and St. Louis Park boast great parks nearby).

I have spent a lot of time in both Chicago and the Bay Area (in my former life I had clients in San Jose, Napa and Sacramento) and can tell you from experience that you will have a bit of culture shock (you'll wonder where all the crowds are), but the quality of life around Minneapolis-St. Paul is hard to beat.

As far as the job market, Minnesota is second in the nation for Fortune 500 companies per capita, and I know there are plenty of IT opportunities here (a friend who is an IT recruiter is constantly busy, if that's a good indication).

[Fata Morgana]

Thanks, all. Budget-wise we would be looking at 425K or under for a 3 bdrm. Prefer older, established neighborhoods/communities with character as opposed to cookie cutter and strip malls. Quiet, peaceful but not sterile.

Sounds like it could work, though we would prob have to wait some time for a relocation offer if that is even possible outside the major tech cities?

[ellysbelly]

Once you've narrowed down a few areas of interest-- based on cost, location, etc-- my best advice is to reach out directly to the individual school districts that you're considering; virtually all school districts have a "Welcome Center" and I found them to be unbelievably helpful when we were considering a few different options before we moved here. They'll happily get you in touch with the special ed coordinator who will let you know of the different options and programming that they have in place for your child's unique needs-- and you'd likely be able to tour individual schools once you've narrowed down your search even further (which I'd recommend that you do while school's in session, if that's possible).

While I haven't lived in SF, many of my friends and colleagues do-- MSP is not only extremely affordable, but also has a strong job market and an educated populace-- as well as a great restaurant scene, cultural options, and-- most importantly to me-- a very down to Earth vibe. There's seemingly a whole less materialism and snobbery, at least in the circles that I've run in, here than I've found in any other major city.

[ellysbelly]

We posted at the same time-- $425K will get you a 3 bedroom with charm in a number of areas. I'm only familiar with the western suburbs, I'd suggest that you check out St Louis Park, Edina, Wayzata, Hopkins and parts of Minnetonka-- that's in no way an exhaustive list, as there are likely some suburbs in the south metro and north metro, as well as areas in both Minneapolis and St Paul that would more than suffice.

From what I'm aware, tech jobs seem to be concentrated in the area in and around Eden Prairie (often referred to as EP), which is in the south western suburbs and is easily commutable from any of the 'burbs listed. I have a few friends that are tech recruiters here in Minneapolis, feel free to PM me if you'd like their contact info, I'm sure that they can give you a much better overview of the state of the current job market, as well as whether relo packages are the norm.

[BryaninMSP]

I ran a quick MLS search for you - 400-430k in the Edina district for 3 or more bedrooms pulled up four very nice homes (mid-century modern ranches for the most part). That's not to say there won't be more when you're looking, but homes around 425 tend to run small in the Edina district. In the Wayzata district, same criteria, there are 17 currently listed - everything from mid-century ranches (we call them ramblers here) to a recently renovated 3,800 square foot, 6 bed, 3 bath place in pretty good condition. In the Mounds View district, same criteria, I found five. I found six properties in the Eden Prairie district with the same criteria (one of them is 4,400 square feet and features a Viking range and Sub-zero fridge).

In other words, your budget will get you quite a bit here.

As for a relo package, that might be the hardest part to find. The talent pool is deep here (however my experience is limited to the field my wife is in — public relations — I can't speak with authority on whether there are opportunities for relo in IT around here).

Best of luck.

[uptown_urbanist]

We moved to Minneapolis (although from here originally) from San Francisco. What kind of neighborhood do you like? I don't think you'll like any suburban neighborhoods, and are most likely going to find what you want within city limits. There may be a few (very few) Edina neighborhoods that fit the bill, but not sure you can find something in those areas in your budget. You'll have no problem finding a nice house in your budget in an established neighborhood with a good zoned school in Minneapolis.

The SW Minneapolis neighborhoods will have some options and are certainly kid-friendly. Linden Hills reminds me a bit of Noe Valley (although much less dense), while Whittier (not a traditional kid neighborhood, though) reminds me of parts of the Richmond. Minneapolis in general seems to me to have more of an East Bay vibe, than anything you find in SF proper, though. Uptown is maybe a bit like Rockridge in Oakland (our family lives in Uptown and absolutely love it). A lot of SW and far south Minneapolis reminds of Alameda; community-minded, pretty architecture (although not the same variety), low-key and family-friendly.

St. Paul is also worth considering; I just have a Minneapolis bias because I'm not as familiar with the St. Paul neighborhoods. Some will, of course, depend on job location.

[Fata Morgana]

Wow, thank you, everyone! You have been so incredibly helpful! It sounds like there are options in both the city and surrounding suburbs (though would prefer the city if possible) with our budget and needs. We will have to figure out the relocation issue, of course, but now we at least know Minneapolis would be a good fit if we could work that part out.

I've only been to Minneapolis, so know even less about St Paul. Should it be considered as well (COL, schools, etc)? If most of the tech jobs are centered around Eden Prairie, would that put St Paul out of consideration?