Why NOT Edina??? (Minneapolis, Richfield: appointed, best suburbs, homes)

[tri40]

I'm from Chicago and am moving to the Twin Cities with my family (school age kids) for a new job. I'm focusing my house-hunting on the southwest corridor of Minneapolis (near work.) In reading the posts about best school districts and best suburbs, people don't really say too much about Edina. What's the deal with Edina? On paper the schools are the best (academic and extracurr. offerings, test scores, class size, school size...), and housing costs, though high, are not much different than south minneapolis or high-end pockets of west suburbs. What's more, it's about as close as you can get to Minneapolis and all its activities without actually living within the city limits.

Is there any down side to living in Edina? Why not Edina??

[lalife]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Edina. There are not any downsides IMO and you are right. It is a highly desirable area IMO because of it's proximity to Minneapolis. Move there, you won't regret it.

[Haver]

Agreed. Unless you're looking for three acre lots, its pretty close to perfect. I'll be moving there myself in a few months (crosses fingers) to the Centennial Lakes area.

One thing: the area around Southdale is listed as being part of the Richfield school district, which is still excellent (or it was when I went there), but just isn't as prestigious as Edina's. From what you said, though, it looks like you'll be firmly rooted in an area that is part of Edina school district. The only real downside is Hwy 62 is going through a massive rework for the next 3 years, so any eastbound commute is going to be slower than expected, but not nightmarish.

The place to shop, by the way, is the Galleria. Southdale has been mired with being owned by a holding company that isn't doing so hot financially and it shows - it screams 90's at the moment and hasn't fully recovered from the Mall of America opening.

[BarbaraMN]

I'm in Southwest Minneapolis--almost on the border of Edina.

Edina is a wonderful area--although, like anywhere else, it varies as far as the feel of the community. No bad spots, just some ugly ones. There is quite a bit of variation in housing so there is much from which to choose.

[K-Luv]

Edina has a reputation of being uppity, even though there are portions of it that are just a typical suburb.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by tri40

Is there any down side to living in Edina? Why not Edina??

In Edina they make you wear funny Willard hats and eat cake for breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[jessez]

My mother in law just moved to MN with her daughter (14yo) and chose Edina based upon the schools - it was a great choice for her. We live in South Minneapolis and wouldn't live anywhere else in MN. The only down sides are 1. if you are looking for more than a typical city lot you'll be disappointed and 2. some areas are being over developed or more accurately re-developed. The homes from the 50's were being purchased and torn down to make room for McMansions.

[Thinner_Me]

I'll be honest. The only reason our family held back from looking to settle in Edina was concern for our children to be accepted by their peers in the Edina schools. I cannot tell you how many times I was warned that it could (stress the "could") be difficult for our daughters to get drawn into a group of friends. It was hard enough for our daughters to move across the country to MN (leaving their friends behind). High school is a great time for a teenager and we didn't want to take the chance that our daughter would seriously struggle trying to find a way to be accepted by the supposed tight cliques.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Thinner_Me

I'll be honest. The only reason our family held back from looking to settle in Edina was concern for our children to be accepted by their peers in the Edina schools. I cannot tell you how many times I was warned that it could (stress the "could") be difficult for our daughters to get drawn into a group of friends. It was hard enough for our daughters to move across the country to MN (leaving their friends behind). High school is a great time for a teenager and we didn't want to take the chance that our daughter would seriously struggle trying to find a way to be accepted by the supposed tight cliques.

Why was this a concern?

[Thinner_Me]

Hmmmm, why is it concern to us that our daughters might not be accepted by new classmates? And this after moving out of state? I don't think I am even going to bother explaining!