Law school in St. Paul - coming from PA (Minneapolis: relocating, apartments)

[pounder105]

Hi, my fiancee and I are relocating to MN in August. I will be attending law school in St. Paul and he will be working in his home office based out of Eden Prairie.

Can anyone suggest a nice neighborhood that is between these two areas? We've lived in the city for practically all of our lives, but I think we are looking to move into a townhouse, or something... maybe with a yard?? We'll look into apartment buildings, but we would like to explore our options.

Also, can anyone point me towards a good webpage about MN, parks, activity, etc.?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[K-Luv]

By home office, do you mean the main branch office of the company that your husband works for, or a home office in his home in Eden Prairie?

I think you mean the former, but I am not to sure

Are you going to be living on-campus?

[Minnehahapolitan]

Hamline or Wm. Mitchell? How much are you looking to spend?

[pounder105]

Sorry, my original post was a bit awkward!

He is working at the main branch of the company so he will be commuting there daily.

I will be attending William Mitchell part time and commuting to St. Paul in the evening. We are trying to decide whether we should:
1- live close to campus and I will have an easy walk/commute and he can drive to his office.
2- live somewhere in the middle so both of us have a drive.
3- live in an area like Woodbury, or another area where we can rent a nice townhome/apartment.

I'm not sure how the traffic is up there during rush hour, etc. I'm from Pittsburgh so this is a big move for me!

[pounder105]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

Hamline or Wm. Mitchell? How much are you looking to spend?

I'll be attending William Mitchell.

I think we are fairly comfortable with paying $1000-1500 for rent + utilities. We are not looking to buy yet. I'm just going off of what I know from our rent the past few years. I know cost of living is higher up there.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by pounder105

Sorry, my original post was a bit awkward!

He is working at the main branch of the company so he will be commuting there daily.

I will be attending William Mitchell part time and commuting to St. Paul in the evening. We are trying to decide whether we should:
1- live close to campus and I will have an easy walk/commute and he can drive to his office.
2- live somewhere in the middle so both of us have a drive.
3- live in an area like Woodbury, or another area where we can rent a nice townhome/apartment.

I'm not sure how the traffic is up there during rush hour, etc. I'm from Pittsburgh so this is a big move for me!

Well, I'm biased towards St Paul and living in the Grand Ave/Highland/Merriam Park areas, but you might have difficulty renting a townhome or house for that amount. Certainly you'd be in a nice residential, older neighbourhood with access to Uptown area of St Paul. However, getting to Eden Prairie from there might not be all that easy. Woodbury might be too far east so perhaps something more in the middle like Eagan, Bloomington or even Nokomis? Nokomis is closer to Hwy 62 and 52 for getting to Minneapolis and EP. Again, price might be a problem but you could do a little searching, say, in Craigslist to see what's available.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Since your husband will be driving anyways, I don't know why you would both want to drive. $1000 to $1500 can get you a very good apartment, there are alot of options around Wm. Mitchell. There are alot of older single-family homes that would have yards in that area also. Grand Avenue is a main street with alot on it. You would have a very nice commute and your husband's wouldn't kill him.

[logflume]

I'm moving to MN for law school as well, though will be going to UST. Anyhow, me and my GF found a great place in a building called 110 Grant (Marquette Place and OneTen Grant Apartments). We're from NYC, so we found the rent to be a bargain, though Minnesotans will tell you it's expensive - I guess it's all relative.

Anyhow, it's around $1200 a month and includes all utilities (that includes cable and internet as well as electric, heat and hot water)...though parking is extra, as is PET RENT. WTF? We have to pay $150 a month for our dog. Crazy.

Best of luck with everything!

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by logflume

I'm moving to MN for law school as well, though will be going to UST. Anyhow, me and my GF found a great place in a building called 110 Grant (Marquette Place and OneTen Grant Apartments). We're from NYC, so we found the rent to be a bargain, though Minnesotans will tell you it's expensive - I guess it's all relative.

Anyhow, it's around $1200 a month and includes all utilities (that includes cable and internet as well as electric, heat and hot water)...though parking is extra, as is PET RENT. WTF? We have to pay $150 a month for our dog. Crazy.

Best of luck with everything!

I always thought that 110 Grant was a retirement community?

Pet 'rent' is pretty common everywhere outside of New York.

Glad that you find the rent to be a bargain. When you see the difference in salaries you'll understand.

[golfgal]

I would also pick one of the cities or the other so only one person has a commute. I would try to find an apartment right on Summit Ave for a very easy commute for you and a not so bad one for him. Although, if you are going to school at night it would make more sense to live near Eden Prairie then neither of you would have to worry about traffic.