best minneapolis suburbs for family with kids (St. Paul, Minnetonka: real estate, new house)

[MNboundmommy]

Hi everyone! My name is Jen and I am a mother to 2 beautiful baby girls, a current military wife, and a working mom. My life is about to change! My husband and I are moving the family back to our roots...MN!! We are both taking jobs in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and although we are both originally from MN, we're not from the Twin Cities. I'm looking for help choosing a SAFE, kid friendly, and affordable suburb with not too far of a commute to work. I'm a terrible driver, so the shorter commute, the better for everyone! I'm huge on education, so quality schools play a HUGE factor in the suburb we choose. We're looking for a small town feeling.
Since my husband and I were both formerly in the military, we will be starting at the bottom of the "civilian job" totem pole...which is going to be a challenge to find a house that suits our needs for a reasonable price. Our range is going to be around $210,000. Can anyone offer any advice on where to start looking for our new "dream suburb?" Thanks to all! We're excited to get back to MN!

[sugarbeet]

I couldn't tell from your post where you'll be working. Since you want a short commute, that will matter!

[Lillietta]

You can get a 3-bedroom house with about 1,500 square feet for $210k in a very nice suburb but only because of the housing market slump. I know because I have been looking around lately for a friend.

[indyhockeygal]

Hi Jen - we recently moved back to MN, and spent a ton of time looking at houses, school districts, safety, etc. etc. We're still trying to get over the 'sticker-shock' of the price of houses (even with the real estate "slump")! Overall - we have been most 'impressed' with Lakeville. - It seems to have a reputation of being an extremely affluent suburb; however - there are a lot of homes in really great neighborhoods that are pretty affordable (i.e. under 300k). The school district is one of the best in the state, and we were really suprised to find that the property taxes were less than surrounding suburbs. Having said that, Rosemount is a great 'family-friendly' community with another amazing school system. However - the property taxes are steep, and the housing $$ seem to be a bit high. Apple Valley is in the same school district (196) and is very accessible to both minneapolis and st. paul - a good mix of 'older' homes (i.e = more affordable) and newer homes / developments. We're in temporary housing here (closing on our new house in Farmington next week!), and we absolutely LOVE the location to EVERYTHING!

And, if I may recommend an absolutely *amazing* Realtor for you ... he has worked his tail off for us, even when we were still living in Indiana. Please email me if you would like his information. He's not 'pushy' or 'slick' ... my 3-1/2 year old calls him 'Grampa Tim' --- too cute! mod cut

good luck to you & your family! Welcome home!

[golfgal]

I would have to disagree with Indyhockeygal about the price/tax differences between Lakeville/Rosemount. If you compare square footage and neighborhoods from Lakeville/Rosemount you will find that Rosemount housing is less then Lakeville and the taxes are about the same per valuation.

Both areas are great but it will all come down to where you are working. If you are working in Maple Grove you don't want to live in Lakeville. There are great suburbs that will give you what you want all over the metro area.

Minnesota is different then most states in that you can pretty much pick any district and have top notch schools. There are only a handful of districts around the metro that aren't as good as the others but even those are better then most of the top districts in other parts of the country.

[MNboundmommy]

I'm not exactly sure where we will work yet. All I know 100% at this point is that we are looking in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Thank you to ALL! It's such a hard decision, but I feel more informed thanks to your feedback! Keep it coming!

[lakal]

Ramsey County -- easy commutes with a wide variety of housing prices...schools generally good

[Camden Northsider]

if you're looking for short commute times, living in a close-in suburb, and affordability, I would suggest golden valley, robbinsdale, or brooklyn center for working in minneapolis (these will be 0 - 10 minutes to get into Minneapolis). There are many areas of minneapolis proper that have the feeling of an older suburb that you might want to check out as well.

[nick is rulz]

Golden Valley

[MarkS01]

I'd like to pose a similar question to the group. We'll be working in the Golden Valley/Minnetonka area. We have the same criteria as noted in the above discussion thread: great schools, good family centered community, lots of activity for kids, bike trails, community rec centers, and small town or country feeling. I'm hoping to keep my commute time to under 30-35 minutes. Relatively flexible on home prices. Hoping to get 4 bedrooms, 2700+ squarefeet, 1/4-1/2 acre, about $350k-$450k.
Many Thanks!