Neighborhood/ suburb suggestions for mixed-race professional family (Minneapolis, St. Paul: real estate, crimes)

[mommamimi]

Originally Posted by Ursicinus

Honestly, while the recent events are tragic, they could seriously happen anywhere in the US, so I'd say the real question is whether you really want to move back to the States from abroad.

As for your question about Twin Cities neighborhoods, your preferred price-point for homes pretty much leaves you open to living almost anywhere, and as Mr Roboto said above, if you don't like the schools in that area, you can also go private (Blake and Breck are great options in Minneapolis, as are St. Paul Academy and Nova Classical in St. Paul). Without knowing much else about your preferences, I can only say that if I had your budget, I'd be looking at Lowry Hill and Linden Hills (both in Mpls), in that order. As you might imagine, areas really close to the U are usually pretty student-heavy, with all that that entails. If you wanted to save a little money, Northeast neighborhood in Mpls could give you great bang for your buck without getting anywhere near your upper limit, though I confess I don't know anything about schools up there.

Unfortunately--and I feel bad for saying this, but--the one area you really do probably want to avoid if you're just moving to the area is North Minneapolis, (very) roughly north of 394 and west of 94, as this is a higher-poverty area with the crime issues that unfortunately tend to go along with that (including fairly regular shootings, both by criminals and police; just last week a couple of little kids were shot in a vehicle at a stoplight, and this is also where the Jamar Clark killing/protests were). Of course that said, this area's a little out of the way if you were planning to commute to the U for work, anyway.

As far as other posters' comments about MN being an inherently racist place... I would present the caveat that the whole country really is, and use that as your starting point. With that as the case, I don't see the Twin Cities as being any worse, and in a lot of ways could be considered much better. There are tons of mixed-race relationships, especially among the so-called "millennials" crowd, which is pretty great. Around the U, in downtown/uptown, the lakes, etc. etc., nobody will give you a second glance for being a mixed-race couple, and--I don't think I can say this enough--when it comes to racist policing, the Twin Cities are really no worse than the American average.

Thank you for your response and suggestions, but I doubt we could afford private school for 3 kids and then still have anything saved for college. The house budget is substantial, because we were lucky to sell our previous home at a good time before we moved here. Maybe open enrollment or a charter school would be an option if the local schools don't work out though.

[mommamimi]

Originally Posted by pvoyd

I wish your family a successful move to the Twin Cities or wherever you choose to relocate. Most of the neighborhoods listed above should work fine, barring an occasional bad neighbor or schoolteacher. I would stay away from the outer suburbs, as they may not be racist, but tend to be quite conservative, by Minnesota measures.

It does seem, however, based on your comment - "Due to the ... growing acceptance of openly racist rhetoric and behavior worldwide" - that you may be arriving with a shoulder chip of a considerable size, perhaps justified, and a negative attitude.

Thank you for your reply. We are tending toward the city and inner suburbs, because they seem to fit the lifestyle we want better than outer suburbs.

No chip, just disappointment and pragmatism. I thought outside of a few enclaves society had mostly moved beyond these hateful attitudes.

[Ursicinus]

Originally Posted by mommamimi

Thank you for your response and suggestions, but I doubt we could afford private school for 3 kids and then still have anything saved for college. The house budget is substantial, because we were lucky to sell our previous home at a good time before we moved here. Maybe open enrollment or a charter school would be an option if the local schools don't work out though.

Nova Classical is actually a public charter school, and there are a ton of other good ones in the metro area, so that's definitely something to look into. The only caveat is that since you can't just "buy your way in", you're on a blind waiting list and may or may not get in for any given year. But they do tend to bend over backwards to help kids with various needs.

As far as public schools, again I don't know too much specifically about Minneapolis, only that Southwest High School is the best one and the rest have a very mixed reputation. Again, this would be Linden Hills territory. You can find pretty decent houses down there in the 400k range, which is still only about half of your stated budget, and you'd definitely be right in the most walkable, family-friendly part of the city.

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by Ursicinus

Nova Classical is actually a public charter school, and there are a ton of other good ones in the metro area, so that's definitely something to look into. The only caveat is that since you can't just "buy your way in", you're on a blind waiting list and may or may not get in for any given year. But they do tend to bend over backwards to help kids with various needs.

Good info on the charter schools - at least the ones I am familiar with.

[mommamimi]

^ Yes, thank you for the charter school information. We are looking at Nova Classical and some other specialized charters for my older daughter. Depending on how school visits go when we get there, we might end up putting her name in for several charter/ magnet options to increase the odds of her getting into one that's a good fit.

[Ursicinus]

Originally Posted by mommamimi

^ Yes, thank you for the charter school information. We are looking at Nova Classical and some other specialized charters for my older daughter. Depending on how school visits go when we get there, we might end up putting her name in for several charter/ magnet options to increase the odds of her getting into one that's a good fit.

I can tell you from experience that Nova is a great school. If you'd like, you can Direct Message me and I can give you further details. I will say though that the waiting list can be a bit daunting (even though it is a lottery), so you might just have to enroll your kids elsewhere and hope a spot opens up. I guess it'd be up to you though if moving your kids in the middle of the school year would be acceptable, though.

[uptown_urbanist]

Another good, walkable, urban family-friendly neighborhood would be Uptown; I know the reputation is that it's for young singles, but really, when you get into the single family blocks there are plenty of families. If you work on or near the U of MN campus you could take the express bus to/from work, otherwise it's not a terrible drive. You've got to pay attention to exact local school zoned, but most of the zoned public schools in the area are good, and there are also some excellent magnets. Our neighborhood park has twice-weekly music concerts in the summer, a bustling wading pool for the local kids, and a nice playground, plus fields for the older kids. On a nice summer night it's very diverse in all senses of the word - people of all different ages, different races, speaking different languages. You can walk to everything you need, including several lakes. It's not cheap, but well within your budget.

[erin2882]

Move to Highland in St. Paul! Seems to have a lot of what you are looking for and a ton of school options, including private and charter, that you'll probably find a good fit. Honestly, St. Anthony and Falcon Heights schools test well, and they sort of look walkable, but there isn't really a lot going on in either. We looked hard at both when moving a couple of months ago and wanted to love them, but found them just sort of uninspiring and maybe a bit rundown. The schools too, I expected a little more offering in the way of arts, music and extracurriculars. But I don't want to get too down on these areas, they are very close in, relatively dense and have some unique offerings (do you like the State Fair?) If I could afford it (and you can!) I'd live in Kenwood or the part of SLP east of 100. I love everything near Lake Harriet but you do have to be careful about plane noise, we moved from our beloved Nokomis neighborhood for that reason. You could also find something nice near the river in Longfellow, and in terms of diversity and general acceptance of anything (it's rather granola) that area would be very inviting.

I hope you feel comfortable wherever you end up. Half the couples I know are mixed race here, including in the inner ring suburbs, so I don't think you will look or feel out of place based on your appearance (of course I can't speak to how you might feel, or how it relates to what you are currently used to). I think the events of last week and the angrier rhetoric is a backslide and not representative of the Cities' general trajectory of understanding, respect and harmony (I hope).

[mommamimi]

^Thank you. Especially for the recent experience looking into St Anthony and Falcon Heights schools. Your in-person impression is confirms my own impression from reviewing school district and school review websites. I think we're going to focus on the city neighborhoods and schools mentioned by many here.

Did you have an in-person look at the Kenwood neighborhood school by any chance?

[cmb203]

We recently moved here from out of state and I am biracial, so mainly am mistaken for Hispanic
We are middle class and after an exhaustive examination, we chose Woodbury. I see diversity in the stores and in our church here. Love it so far!!! There is open enrollment here from what I am told as an option. Eastridge High here in Woodbury is highly rated. The area is absolutely gorgeous and all the great shops are here as well. I really like both greatschools.com and more so, schooldigger.com

I really wish we had move here about 15 years ago when the kids were younger.

Oh, and I notice ALOT of Biracial kids here in the twin cities, which is awesome!!!

Good luck!