Another possible transplant mid 30's single professional, would be working in Eden Prairie, where to live? (Minneapolis: real estate, rentals)

[UH2L]

So I'd be moving from the Detroit area where I'm not sure when I'll sell my house. Until I do, I would want to rent a place with 2 bedrooms, maybe 2 bathrooms and at least one garage spot to house one of my two cars. Since I still have a mortgage payment, I'm hoping not to have to pay more than $1,000 per month and it would be nice if I could keep my commute to 20 minutes or less.

I'm looking for a diverse, progressive, yuppieish (without the attitude ), liberal area with lots of ethnic restaurants and cafes.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Atul

[nick is rulz]

Linden Hills is pretty yuppieish but not snooty.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Linden Hills is more bucolic, but convenient to everything and a very safe and progressive area. Uptown is more gentrified and has alot more to do in it. (restaurants, theaters, shops, et cetera). You will find cheaper rents in Uptown, but parking is harder.
You also may want to look into Hopkins. It is a little less diverse, but a great combination of Linden Hills and Uptown (to do my best at characterization). It has alot of inexpensive rentals, a great Main Street with all the necessities. It is closer to Eden Prairie.
Besides that, there don't seem to be too many other options for you. Maybe Excelsior?

[JenLee]

What about Edina and Bloomington? Not exactly neighborhoods that you could walk around in for the ethnic restaurants and cafes (unless you are around 50th and France in Edina), but they are safe suburbs and close to everything.

[UH2L]

Thanks for all the tips. I did do research on the suggestions you gave me and luckily, my prospective employer offers relocation assistance. It looks like if I want to keep both of my cars, I'll have to live in the burbs, but downtown does look appealing. I'm spoiled by the Detroit area's cheap real estate though. The rents approach my mortgage payment! There goes part of the increase in salary I would get :-)

Atul

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by UH2L

Thanks for all the tips. I did do research on the suggestions you gave me and luckily, my prospective employer offers relocation assistance. It looks like if I want to keep both of my cars, I'll have to live in the burbs, but downtown does look appealing. I'm spoiled by the Detroit area's cheap real estate though. The rents approach my mortgage payment! There goes part of the increase in salary I would get :-)

Atul

You won't need two cars here. In the Twin Cities, we all just drive one at a time.

[EssAndDee]

I just found this forum and am so thankful for it, as we are contemplating a move - from Detroit too! Atul, I'm not sure in what part of Metro Detroit you live, but I certainly don't consider Oakland County "cheap real estate" by any means...

Getting back to my situation, I'm in the very preliminary stages of considering a move to MSP. I will be in the area in a few weeks and would like an idea of towns or neighborhoods to visit.

We're mid-30's marrieds, DINKs, two dogs. Prefer being close to a downtown area with a main street (non-chain restaurants and independent boutiques, maybe an art house theater) but don't need to live right in an urban neighborhood - we're doing that right now and want more of a back yard for the pooches, and enough space that we don't hear our neighbors at their grill.

We really dislike subdivisions/planned developments with houses that all look the same. Don't want to spend my time in traffic on a three-lane road fronting strip mall after strip mall. My husband, if he has his way, would love to be out in the country, but I need to be remotely close to a sushi restaurant and, ideally, a Trader Joes . We obviously have a bit of clarifying of our priorities before finding our home!

My job would be in Woodbury. I need to keep the commute down to 15-20 minutes. Is there such a thing as a reverse commute in the TC?

Thank you for your suggestions!

[BreaOC]

I always liked St Louis Park. It's an inner ring suburb so its not so cookie cutter, but it's not run down like "inner ring suburb" would imply. There's numerous cute little neighborhoods, and, more importantly, there's a Trader Joe's there

[Minneapolitan]

If your'e going to be working in Eden Prairie, then live in Eden Prairie. Having lived in EP, the traffic down there is off the scales, and I've driven in some of the worst traffic cities in the country (Chicago, Miami, Seattle, DC/Baltimore). Trust me, the absence of daily, neverending aggrivation and commute time saved alone will be well worth the decision. I remember spending THIRTY minutes *DAILY* on 212 between 494 and Anderson Lakes pkwy INSIDE the city limits of EP (it's about 2 miles). Although if you choose to live there, you'd have to flush the "diverse, progressive, yuppieish (without the attitude), liberal area with lots of ethnic restaurants and cafes. . ." down the toilet. Tough choice...

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by EssAndDee

I just found this forum and am so thankful for it, as we are contemplating a move - from Detroit too! Atul, I'm not sure in what part of Metro Detroit you live, but I certainly don't consider Oakland County "cheap real estate" by any means...

Getting back to my situation, I'm in the very preliminary stages of considering a move to MSP. I will be in the area in a few weeks and would like an idea of towns or neighborhoods to visit.

We're mid-30's marrieds, DINKs, two dogs. Prefer being close to a downtown area with a main street (non-chain restaurants and independent boutiques, maybe an art house theater) but don't need to live right in an urban neighborhood - we're doing that right now and want more of a back yard for the pooches, and enough space that we don't hear our neighbors at their grill.

We really dislike subdivisions/planned developments with houses that all look the same. Don't want to spend my time in traffic on a three-lane road fronting strip mall after strip mall. My husband, if he has his way, would love to be out in the country, but I need to be remotely close to a sushi restaurant and, ideally, a Trader Joes . We obviously have a bit of clarifying of our priorities before finding our home!

My job would be in Woodbury. I need to keep the commute down to 15-20 minutes. Is there such a thing as a reverse commute in the TC?

Thank you for your suggestions!

One place for you to look would be Stillwater. It was an independent smaller town, it still has a downtown area but the cities have moved closer to Stillwater. It is pretty much right next door to Woodbury so for the commute it would be good. It is still and easy hop into the cities for nighttime entertainment but Stillwater has most of what you are looking for--it has a Co-op vs Trader Joes--but their is one in Woodbury. You could live between Stillwater and Woodbury and be in the country too.

Otherwise you could do a reverse commute from either St. Paul or Minneapolis to Woodbury and be fine.