Relocating for job in Eagan, MN (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartment, rentals, townhouses)

[amt107]

Hi, I am really hoping some of you great posters can help me out. I have been digging through the forums for about 2 weeks trying to find info and just can't find quite what I need. My husband just accepted a job in Eagan, MN and we will be moving there in 2 WEEKS! We are very excited but we have NO knowledge of Minneapolis-St. Paul area and are trying to figure out where to live.

We are fine with suburbs or city as long as it isn't too far from his workplace, is affordable, and accepts our dog (she is a pitbull mix of 50lbs and even though she is the epitome of a perfect dog, we are having issues finding places that accept her).

Is Burnsville decent? I seem to find mixed reviews on the area.

Please help! What suburbs etc should I look in? We have one daughter who I homeschool so schools aren't an issue. Our budget is around $1200 per month and we are fine with apartment or house/townhouse.

Just feeling lost as we don't know what commute times are like from different areas and what the areas themselves are like.

My daughter and I like to stay busy and find things to do, we are outdoors people for sure, but also love having museums, theaters, activities to go to as well.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can give!!

[Rhody2Mn]

I would look right in Eagan - it's a great community and your husband would have a perfect commute. Ideally, I'd try to stay in the area that is served by District 196 schools which are very well-ranked. This district incorporates a chunk of Eagan but there is another portion of the city in the Burnsville district which isn't quite as good. (I know you home school your daughter, but you might consider living in the better district for home value purposes).

Apple Valley or Rosemount are other good towns to consider (they both border Eagan) and are also part of District 196. All of these communities are in a great location as the airport, Mall of America, and Minnesota Zoo are minutes away, and it's very easy in non rush-hour to go to either Minneapolis or St. Paul to take in a museum or other cultural attraction - the drive is only about 15-25 minutes depending where you end up. There's also an abundance of parks and outdoor recreational opportunities in any of these locations.

Burnsville has decent spots but I don't think overall it's as nice as the other nearby suburbs.

Congratulations to your husband on his job and welcome to the Twin Cities.

[ellysbelly]

We moved here sight unseen a little over a year ago and we also have a dog that's on the "banned breed" list-- your best, and possibly only, option is to rent a privately owned house (or townhouse or apartment, assuming that the homeowner's association or covenants don't ban pit bulls or mixes-- which they very well might)-- but houses, particularly ones being rented directly by the owners themselves and not one of the large rental management companies. I even found that when I spoke (via email) to owners that weren't keen on dogs (or at least didn't allow them in the list)-- when I mentioned that my dogs weren't puppies-- and therefore not destructive and fully potty trained-- and that I could furnish "references" from my vet and his staff that my dogs were excellent canine citizens, they were much more willing to consider us-- a bit of friendliness goes a long way.

Use padmapper to look for options that fit your criteria (i.e. under $1200, 2 or more bedrooms and dog friendly)-- it sources from multiple sites, including craigslist, and maps them-- which made it MUCH easier as someone new to the area to determine proximity to the area(s) we were looking to be close to (and be sure to use padmapper on a laptop or desktop, as it doesn't play nice with mobile).

I live in the western suburbs, so while I can't help you about commutes from specific areas-- but my understanding is that Eagan itself is considered to be quite nice-- so, unless there's a reason to look elsewhere (budget, etc), then I'd start with Eagan and work your way out from there-- it's likely going to be a bit challenging to find a place to accept your dog, but keep reminding yourself that you only need ONE place to live, not dozens.

Another option, should you not find a place to lease sight unseen (or you aren't comfortable doing so) is to check airbnb.com or vrbo.com to find a very short term rental to stay in while you house hunt.

Best of luck!

[amt107]

Thank you Rhody2MN and ellysbelly! That all is tremendously helpful! Gives me some direction at least.this isn't our first time moving somewhere neither of us have been, but the area is just so massive I quickly get lost looking online.

[ellysbelly]

Oh, and to answer your question about Burnsville-- from what I understand, there are some nice areas of Burnsville but there are some areas that are less desirable-- Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount seem to be almost universally recommended as nice, family friendly places to live.

[amt107]

I was wondering if someone could help me clear something up add we are having trouble finding a rental in time in Eagan or Apple Valley. Is Bloomington a nice, safe area? What would the commute be like to Eagan? He would be going in to work around 5:00am and leaning around 3:00pm if that helps.

Also I have read other posts saying that there are areas on the West side of Eagan to avoid, is this still the case?

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[Arne Bjornson]

Bloomington to Eagan is not too far but it can be one of the most clogged routes in the metro area. Morning commute at 5am won't be a problem but 3pm might. For some reason rush hour here seems to start about an hour earlier than in most areas.

I don't know if Bloomington is a nice place to live as I've never lived there, but it's definitely the most generically 'suburban' part of the metro area, if that is what you are looking for.

[MidwestRedux]

Most of Bloomington is quite safe and some of it (particularly West Bloomington) is quite nice. If you are looking at specific areas, I'm sure someone will be able to give you more detailed advice.

At that those times of day, the commute should be pretty easy. I would guess you could get from most parts of Blooming to most parts of Eagan within 20 minutes.

You may also want to add Lakeville to your list. It has quite a few townhouses and as a result, seems to have a little more rental stock than some of the neighboring towns.

Of course you will find even more rentals in South Minneapolis or St. Paul, but that will give you a longer commute.

[BillWallace]

The additional cities I might add include - Mendota Heights, Inver Grove Heights and Farmington.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by BillWallace

The additional cities I might add include - Mendota Heights, Inver Grove Heights and Farmington.

^^ these and Hastings.