Good family neighborhood (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina: for sale, rent, townhouse)

[laura82erickson]

My husband and I have been contemplating a move to the TC area for awhile - and now it looks like we might actually make the move this summer! We will be moving from the Phoenix area, and will need to rent a home initially (trying to figure out what to do with our house here, since selling it isn't an option in this market!).

We are a fairly young family with a 2 year old child, and the most important aspect in choosing a neighborhood is the "community" feel. I want to be in a place where people hang out together, make playdates for the kids, and are welcoming to new people (us!). We obviously want a safe area, not too far from the "action" - but I don't need to be in the center of the city either. Good shopping and restaurants are a plus, and definitely needs to be affordable (it is going to be hard to be maintaining two homes for awhile). We want to be able to rent a 3 bdr home/townhome for under $1400.

My husband will be traveling around the cities, and I will find work no matter what neighborhood we are in - so we don't need to exclude any areas due to proximity to work. However, as an AZ native, I'm very anxious about driving in the snow, so I need to be close to grocery stores and other necessary places in case I don't want to go far during freezing winter days!

Thanks in advance for the help - I'm hoping that this move works out for us, so we can raise our child in an amazing city with great values - despite all that snow!

[golfgal]

You really have endless options as far as 'community' goes but finding a 3 bedroom townhome will be tough, especially in that price range. I love our town, Rosemount. It has a community feel, the town still goes to football games, basketball games, etc. The schools are excellent too!

One thing you will want to do as soon as you get to where ever you move is to sign up for the ECFE classes, Early Childhood Family Education. They are a GREAT way to meet families with kids the same age!!

[nick is rulz]

Golden Valley or St Louis Park would be good options.

[laura82erickson]

I guess I thought it would be easy to find a 3bdr in that price range... rents are really low in the Phx area, even though the housing prices seem to be the same or higher than Minneapolis/suburbs. Bummer! I have found a couple of homes online that seem like they fit the bill, but I have no idea what the neighborhoods are like... it is so tricky trying to move from out of state!

Thanks for the tip about the Early Childhood Education - as a former teacher, that stuff sounds great to me! I will definitely sign up for that.

[Slig]

what neighborhoods are those homes in?

[MNNative]

I just sent you a direct message with a link to a search I did. Hopefully it goes through all right and you can see the pages of townhomes and houses for rent at $1400 or below!

I'll ditto Slig's reply...I think if you shout out some cities, addresses, neighborhoods, etc we can put our heads together and give you some perspectives.

[Haver]

With the market the way it is, you might also be able to look at townhomes for sale and see if you can talk the seller into renting it out -- and if you like the place enough arrange to buy it later on. It'll save you the headache of moving again, and bail out some distressed homeowner. Additionally, if you're open to a mid-century rambler in an older 'burb like St. Louis Park or Richfield (you'll want to stay west of 35W in Richfield) you could get a house with a yard for the price of a townhouse. The housing stock tends to be pretty solid and well-maintained (although there are of course exceptions), so your main concern with an older rambler would be with updates and size. Of course since you're coming in from somewhere else you'd need to hook up with a realtor long distance who'd be willing to help out on this...gah, I'm not even sure I'm giving good advice or just babbling, sorry.

[laura82erickson]

Here are a couple addresses of ones I like so far -

556 Orleans St
Saint Paul, MN 55107

2107 Washburn Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

3711 Morgan Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55412

5937 Fairfax Ave
Edina, MN 55424

Any thoughts?

Thanks for all the help!

[nick is rulz]

Originally Posted by laura82erickson

Here are a couple addresses of ones I like so far -

2107 Washburn Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

3711 Morgan Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55412

Any thoughts?

Washburn and 21st is basically on the border of Golden Valley, but about four blocks towards Minneapolis (so Thomas or so) it gets pretty rough. This wouldnt be a bad spot on the Parkway, as Theo Wirth would be next to your house. I probably wouldnt recommend it as a family neighborhood.

37xx and Morgan basically the same. Ok there, but about 3 blocks south it gets pretty bad.

[Slig]

I'll let Camden and Nick handle the two North Minneapolis addresses as they are more familiar with the area. Just from looking at the street numbers I would probably cross them off my own personal list but don't take my word for it. The St. Paul address is on the westside very close to the Mississippi river which I personally find to be an attractive location. That is a highly Hispanic area so you might want to know a little Spanish if you decide on renting there. The Edina location is probably very nice but that area tends to attract wealthy people which for many would be attractive but definitely not for me.