Edina (Minneapolis, Bloomington, Eden Prairie: condo, townhouse, neighborhoods)

[Signora]

Hello,

My husband has a job opportunity in Edina among other places and I have been online doing some research on the cost of housing... etc. OUCH!!!! Are there nice areas that are not too far away... but less expensive?

[ozzie679]

nm edit post

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by Signora

Hello,

My husband has a job opportunity in Edina among other places and I have been online doing some research on the cost of housing... etc. OUCH!!!! Are there nice areas that are not too far away... but less expensive?

Edina is not cheap, but there are several cities that are more affordable bordering Edina. What type of housing are you looking for. Newer/older single family, townhouse, condo....

[Slig]

Yeah, if you'd like to find a less expensive location but still nearby you should check out St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minneapolis and Richfield.

[Signora]

Well,
Right now we are in a 4 BDR house with about an acre. I have two young children and one big dog... so we really need a yard. We were really lucky to find our present home (right place right time) and the prices are much lower in WI where we are now. I noticed some places in Savage.... Is that a nice area? How about the schools?

Thanks!

[Haver]

Savage is good but will ding you transit-wise if you have to fight traffic through Eden Prairie. I don't know about the schools. You really can't go wrong with anything west-metro: Bloomington, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka all have exceptional schools. If you want a more multicultural experience for your kids and will settle for a good school instead of a great school then go to west Richfield or (I think ... not sure) Golden Valley/Robbinsdale/Crystal. Even Edina has affordable areas so you should not rule that out, and on my drive home from work I see a lot of young kids along what I call my "Charlie Brown" route home from work (Along a stress-free 54th Street from France and then eastbound - it's easy to imagine this as being where the Peanuts characters live). In all of these cities, however, you're not going to get an acre of land. Also, don't overlook Minneapolis itself, it has some great schools and neighborhoods, although you'll have to do some homework to find them.

[Sarah Maske]

Hello!

Savage is quite a hike. You will do better for resale in the city also. Nothing against Savage, but with gas prices, whooo weee!

What is your price range? . True regarding the post above about the West Metro. It's very affordable -

[Signora]

I have been scanning the realty sites and things look pretty expensive. Right now we have a home that offers a ton of privacy... but is in a wonderful neighborhood. My husband and I aren't really crazy about the cookie cutter neighborhoods that are popping up everywhere. Are there areas that are not too bad commute-wise for Edina that have a little land? Maybe westward? We also have kids... so schools are important.

By the way... how is transportation in Edina? Are there decent buses or must one be car dependent? Is it a burb or does it have a little town center with shops? I know that a lot of these questions will be answered when we go to interview there... but I like to get opinions ahead of time so that I can ask useful questions.

Thank you for the input!

[Haver]

Might be something with land in the Chaska/Shakopee area, with the new freeway connection (312) that area's been building out a lot more. Schools aren't as good as in Eden Prarie or Edina, however. You'll want to avoid crossing a river for transit times. I'm not 100% on the above so if someone contradicts what I said, go with their advice. Golfgal will have the definitive word on schools in that area.

Metro Transit's website is Metro Transit. Southwest Metro Transit is a pretty good service and very popular (background info: suburbs can "opt out" of Metro Transit and have their own service which intergrates with Metro Transit).

Minnesotans are pretty good about respecting your privacy.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Signora

I have been scanning the realty sites and things look pretty expensive. Right now we have a home that offers a ton of privacy... but is in a wonderful neighborhood. My husband and I aren't really crazy about the cookie cutter neighborhoods that are popping up everywhere. Are there areas that are not too bad commute-wise for Edina that have a little land? Maybe westward? We also have kids... so schools are important.

By the way... how is transportation in Edina? Are there decent buses or must one be car dependent? Is it a burb or does it have a little town center with shops? I know that a lot of these questions will be answered when we go to interview there... but I like to get opinions ahead of time so that I can ask useful questions.

Thank you for the input!

I would look into Chaska. It is still fairly rural in some parts so you might be able to find an acre or two lot. Schools are good too so that is a plus. Shakopee is closer but the schools aren't as good. What is the furthest you would want to commute?

As far as transportation, most of Edina is going to be a car-dependent place. There is a downtown area but most of Edina isn't walking distance to that, especially for a house like you want.