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Thanks all for education me about twin cities. I am looking forward to it.
OKe ..so highland park and groveland sounds good. I need to look there. Well my kids are 5 and 7 years old and they can speak very little English. We r moving to MN for 3 to 5 years on L1B visa. We have not looked for any place to live yet but we will get 1 months extended hotel stay. Unfortunately I can't apply for Nova academy at least for now I guess . Without ssn u can't.
Thanks all for education me about twin cities. I am looking forward to it.
OKe ..so highland park and groveland sounds good. I need to look there. Well my kids are 5 and 7 years old and they can speak very little English. We r moving to MN for 3 to 5 years on L1B visa. We have not looked for any place to live yet but we will get 1 months extended hotel stay. Unfortunately I can't apply for Nova academy at least for now I guess . Without ssn u can't.
If your husband is working in St. Paul you should look at something like Woodbury/Stillwater/Hudson, WI area if he wants a better commute. The suburbs you mentioned are all great areas but the drive for him would be awful everyday.
Hi there, we are also a family of four and just moved to the state. After much research we chose Woodbury, which is just east of St. Paul. Originally looked at Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Apple Valley. Those are good, but loved this one the most! (FYI: many would agree that Edina is snobby and an elitist community, if you like that type of environment). As for Woodbury, we love this area already!!! No train access that I know of, but lots of biking and walking trails. Not to mention it has all the great shops but doesn't feel overcrowded. Drive-in movie is fun! Lots to do and just really beautiful with lots of unspoiled areas. I think your hubby would really grow weary of the long drive (traffic) from Eden Prairie and Plymouth to St Paul.
I need to mention that I have never lived in a state (specifically the twin cities and surrounding areas) where there are so many cops regulating speed daily. Have to use cruise control to remind myself not to speed, but hoping it is keeping number of accidents down.
The weather has been great so far!!! Feels sooooo good to be back in the Midwest
Glad to hear this because I just posted asking about Woodbury! We liked it a lot when we scouted, if you have any info on schools in Woodbury please post! TIA!
Our kids are zoned for Stillwater High because we are at the northern tip of Wodbury. It has a great score, but is not as diverse as I was hoping. Would have rather they start this fall at Eastridge, but we'll see! Just moved last month from NC.
I'm just piling on here, but I beg you to forget about the Western suburbs of Edina/Eden Prairie/Plymouth. Living in those places is SO unnecessary & you will regret the decision everyday as you battle traffic.
If you're dead set on the suburbs, look towards St Paul suburbs. Roseville is 5 minutes from where the job. It's not as affluent as Edina or Eden Prairie, but very on par with Plymouth. It's safe, has good schools, shopping and is VERY close to the job. Arden Hills & Shoreview are very nice suburbs, on par with Edina & Eden Prairie in my opinion. They're probably 10 minutes from the new job & have outstanding schools. Woodbury is further away, but would still be easier than the Western suburbs of Minneapolis.
Echoing what others have said, I highly recommend you look inside the St Paul city limits:
- Start with St Anthony Park. It is right next to work, is very walkable, very safe and has one of the best public grade schools in the state St Anthony Park Elementary St. Anthony Park Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. It's where many University of Minnesota professors and their families live. They have an amazing park (Langford), great sports teams (soccer!) and relaxed main street where you can sit at cafes, eat lunch, browse books, etc. It's not cheap, but with your budget this is very possible.
- Also look at the Western side of Lake Como in the Como Park neighborhood. Como Park is also low crime, especially the Western side of Lake Como. They have a little nook with a restaurant/cafe, etc. but mostly it's quiet. What you get with the Como Park neighborhood is how close it is to work. You could just walk. You also get the lake itself, where many people like to go and walk/run after work, you can watch movies in the Summer at their lakeside pavilion, McMurray Field soccer complex (always games going on) they have a public golf course, a brand new outdoor swimming pool/water park, Comotown Amusement Park (for smaller kids like yours), they have skiing and snowboarding in the Winter & overall it's just a very nice, quiet family neighborhood. They local grade school is Chelsea Heights which is a good school Chelsea Heights Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. You'd be a fool not to at least consider Como Park.
- Merriam Park. It's the exact same thing as Mac-Groveland basically. I think of it as a sub-neighborhood of Mac-Groveland. It has a great train store for boys (choo-choo Bob's) and Izzy's Ice Cream (has been on many TV shows as one of the best ice cream parlors in the United states). The kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary & use Merriam Park (the actual park and recreation center) for sports & activities.
- Summit-University also runs along Grand Ave, but also has the Selby-Dale area which is particularly walkable and probably the hottest restaurant destination in St Paul these days. This is where the original barons of St Paul built their mansions. The architecture of the old brownstone apartment buildings here will remind you a bit of Europe as well. Some kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary, but many find their way into Capital Hill Magnet Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
- Highland Park is a little further away from work, but still an easy commute. They have a nice, walkable area called "highland village", a nice park with many activities, a newly remodeled library, lot's of families and Horace Mann Elementary Horace Mann School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
* One thing that's important to understand about the Greatschools.org 1-10 rankings is that what they're really telling you is how many low income, Black students attend the school. Students with activated parents of ALL colors are doing well, at ALL the St Paul schools I listed. Sadly, the poor Black students are doing so poorly that their numbers drag down the overall ranking and give the appearance of it not being as good of a school. My point is not to demonize the poor Black students, who're doing the best they can, rather to point out that students with involved, educated parents are doing every bit as well at the schools I listed as the kids at Edina, Eden Prairie or any other suburban school.
I'm just piling on here, but I beg you to forget about the Western suburbs of Edina/Eden Prairie/Plymouth. Living in those places is SO unnecessary & you will regret the decision everyday as you battle traffic.
If you're dead set on the suburbs, look towards St Paul suburbs. Roseville is 5 minutes from where the job. It's not as affluent as Edina or Eden Prairie, but very on par with Plymouth. It's safe, has good schools, shopping and is VERY close to the job. Arden Hills & Shoreview are very nice suburbs, on par with Edina & Eden Prairie in my opinion. They're probably 10 minutes from the new job & have outstanding schools. Woodbury is further away, but would still be easier than the Western suburbs of Minneapolis.
Echoing what others have said, I highly recommend you look inside the St Paul city limits:
- Start with St Anthony Park. It is right next to work, is very walkable, very safe and has one of the best public grade schools in the state St Anthony Park Elementary St. Anthony Park Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. It's where many University of Minnesota professors and their families live. They have an amazing park (Langford), great sports teams (soccer!) and relaxed main street where you can sit at cafes, eat lunch, browse books, etc. It's not cheap, but with your budget this is very possible.
- Also look at the Western side of Lake Como in the Como Park neighborhood. Como Park is also low crime, especially the Western side of Lake Como. They have a little nook with a restaurant/cafe, etc. but mostly it's quiet. What you get with the Como Park neighborhood is how close it is to work. You could just walk. You also get the lake itself, where many people like to go and walk/run after work, you can watch movies in the Summer at their lakeside pavilion, McMurray Field soccer complex (always games going on) they have a public golf course, a brand new outdoor swimming pool/water park, Comotown Amusement Park (for smaller kids like yours), they have skiing and snowboarding in the Winter & overall it's just a very nice, quiet family neighborhood. They local grade school is Chelsea Heights which is a good school Chelsea Heights Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. You'd be a fool not to at least consider Como Park.
- Merriam Park. It's the exact same thing as Mac-Groveland basically. I think of it as a sub-neighborhood of Mac-Groveland. It has a great train store for boys (choo-choo Bob's) and Izzy's Ice Cream (has been on many TV shows as one of the best ice cream parlors in the United states). The kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary & use Merriam Park (the actual park and recreation center) for sports & activities.
- Summit-University also runs along Grand Ave, but also has the Selby-Dale area which is particularly walkable and probably the hottest restaurant destination in St Paul these days. This is where the original barons of St Paul built their mansions. The architecture of the old brownstone apartment buildings here will remind you a bit of Europe as well. Some kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary, but many find their way into Capital Hill Magnet Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
- Highland Park is a little further away from work, but still an easy commute. They have a nice, walkable area called "highland village", a nice park with many activities, a newly remodeled library, lot's of families and Horace Mann Elementary Horace Mann School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
* One thing that's important to understand about the Greatschools.org 1-10 rankings is that what they're really telling you is how many low income, Black students attend the school. Students with activated parents of ALL colors are doing well, at ALL the St Paul schools I listed. Sadly, the poor Black students are doing so poorly that their numbers drag down the overall ranking and give the appearance of it not being as good of a school. My point is not to demonize the poor Black students, who're doing the best they can, rather to point out that students with involved, educated parents are doing every bit as well at the schools I listed as the kids at Edina, Eden Prairie or any other suburban school.
I'm just piling on here, but I beg you to forget about the Western suburbs of Edina/Eden Prairie/Plymouth. Living in those places is SO unnecessary & you will regret the decision everyday as you battle traffic.
If you're dead set on the suburbs, look towards St Paul suburbs. Roseville is 5 minutes from where the job. It's not as affluent as Edina or Eden Prairie, but very on par with Plymouth. It's safe, has good schools, shopping and is VERY close to the job. Arden Hills & Shoreview are very nice suburbs, on par with Edina & Eden Prairie in my opinion. They're probably 10 minutes from the new job & have outstanding schools. Woodbury is further away, but would still be easier than the Western suburbs of Minneapolis.
Echoing what others have said, I highly recommend you look inside the St Paul city limits:
- Start with St Anthony Park. It is right next to work, is very walkable, very safe and has one of the best public grade schools in the state St Anthony Park Elementary St. Anthony Park Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. It's where many University of Minnesota professors and their families live. They have an amazing park (Langford), great sports teams (soccer!) and relaxed main street where you can sit at cafes, eat lunch, browse books, etc. It's not cheap, but with your budget this is very possible.
- Also look at the Western side of Lake Como in the Como Park neighborhood. Como Park is also low crime, especially the Western side of Lake Como. They have a little nook with a restaurant/cafe, etc. but mostly it's quiet. What you get with the Como Park neighborhood is how close it is to work. You could just walk. You also get the lake itself, where many people like to go and walk/run after work, you can watch movies in the Summer at their lakeside pavilion, McMurray Field soccer complex (always games going on) they have a public golf course, a brand new outdoor swimming pool/water park, Comotown Amusement Park (for smaller kids like yours), they have skiing and snowboarding in the Winter & overall it's just a very nice, quiet family neighborhood. They local grade school is Chelsea Heights which is a good school Chelsea Heights Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview. You'd be a fool not to at least consider Como Park.
- Merriam Park. It's the exact same thing as Mac-Groveland basically. I think of it as a sub-neighborhood of Mac-Groveland. It has a great train store for boys (choo-choo Bob's) and Izzy's Ice Cream (has been on many TV shows as one of the best ice cream parlors in the United states). The kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary & use Merriam Park (the actual park and recreation center) for sports & activities.
- Summit-University also runs along Grand Ave, but also has the Selby-Dale area which is particularly walkable and probably the hottest restaurant destination in St Paul these days. This is where the original barons of St Paul built their mansions. The architecture of the old brownstone apartment buildings here will remind you a bit of Europe as well. Some kids here go to Groveland Park Elementary, but many find their way into Capital Hill Magnet Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
- Highland Park is a little further away from work, but still an easy commute. They have a nice, walkable area called "highland village", a nice park with many activities, a newly remodeled library, lot's of families and Horace Mann Elementary Horace Mann School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview
* One thing that's important to understand about the Greatschools.org 1-10 rankings is that what they're really telling you is how many low income, Black students attend the school. Students with activated parents of ALL colors are doing well, at ALL the St Paul schools I listed. Sadly, the poor Black students are doing so poorly that their numbers drag down the overall ranking and give the appearance of it not being as good of a school. My point is not to demonize the poor Black students, who're doing the best they can, rather to point out that students with involved, educated parents are doing every bit as well at the schools I listed as the kids at Edina, Eden Prairie or any other suburban school.
Solid post, Mason.
Another school breakdown is the "Minnesota Report Card" on the Minnesota Department of Education site:
Enter the school and get the MDoE report card for the school - read the Minnesota Report Card Information Guide (linked on the entry page, above - it tells you lowdown on how the reports are complied, caveats to consider (such as the testing is based on the MCAs, which measures proficiency for a group and not accoutability and links to deeper info dives the MDoE has (such as school demographics or testing that measures accountability, for example).
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We just moved to the state last month...
