Neighborhoods for a young family? (Minneapolis, Robbinsdale: renting, condos, crime)

[Danfix99]

Hello,

My wife, son, and I are considering a move to Minneapolis from Nebraska, and I was wondering which neighborhoods we should consider. We are interested in the public Montessori schools, so we don't want to be in the suburbs. We are in our late 20's, with a 1-year old, and more children likely on the way.

We would love to live somewhere near parks, farmer's markets, and other interesting places to shop and eat. My wife would love to find some play groups/parenting groups with people who are very liberal, organic, and green. We could probably afford a house in the 150-200k range, and safety is a huge priority.

From what I have read on this board, I have the following opinions:

Longfellow: Nice area, very liberal and green (probably my wife's favorite)
Nokomis: Nice area, although airport noise is annoying
Powderhorn: So-so, neat old houses, but some crime issues
Phillips: Bad area, don't live here
Southwest: Good, safe area, maybe too expensive
Uptown: Very interesting, less residential, maybe too expensive
Camden: Not a very good area, except Victory, which everyone loves
Near North: Bad area, don't live here
Central: Bad area, don't live here
Northeast: Not bad, very laid-back

If anyone has anything to add or correct on this list, please respond. Thanks.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Think your wife is making a good call on this one.

[Camden Northsider]

I disagree with your summation of Camden - there are many very nice areas throughout Camden, not just in Victory. There are new luxury townhomes on the borders of Shingle Creek/ Lind Bohanon (Humboldt Greenway) which are both very safe neighborhoods with primarily post-war ranch/ story and a half homes....there are beautiful older homes by Webber Park and Patrick Henry High in Webber-Camden, and Cleveland has some nice areas as well. Are you set on looking for an older home? - one nice thing about Camden is the diversity in housing stock - you can find homes built from the early 1900s to 2007 here.

But as you mentioned Victory, and it happens to be where I live, I can give some more info for you. This year Victory started a farmer's market every Thursday afternoon/ eve from spring to fall in the parking lot of the Warren (gallery/ home of Workhouse Theatre Co. on Osseo Road/ 44th) - was a very successful 1st year and is planned for next year as well. People here tend to be pretty liberal with a few exceptions (I was surprised to see a number of Republican signs in Victory during election season - Camden as a whole is as liberal if not moreso). There are a handful of good locally owned restaurants here in the neighborhood but it's pretty residential so not really much for shops (but very close to suburban shopping in Robbinsdale & Brookdale and easy drive to Uptown/ downtown). The neighborhood's safe and surrounded by park space. When out on walks, I tend to see more families/ kids playing outside in the western half of the neighborhood (but I live in this section also so might just be that I'm over here more).

Our neighborhood's local school (Loring Community School) has a community garden that is integrated into most aspects of its curriculum... it, along with two active local residents, were featured in the Star Tribune today (http://www.startribune.com/local/34775204.html?page=1&c=y - broken link) (I think the author's a little guilty of editorializing in the 1st couple of paragraphs, but that's just my own opinion).

[Camden Northsider]

Forgot to add for the record - I also think there are not-so-bad and getting to be good areas in Near North and Central (but I'm not sure they have the vibe you're looking for which is why I didn't comment).

And you can cross both "maybe"s off of your list next to Uptown and Southwest...(and Uptown is very dense so might not be as family-friendly as what you're looking for).

[Cruz Azul Guy]

For people who live in Minneapolis it makes very little sense to generalize each community. Central bad? Yes, there is crime there but that's because it is downtown, and human traffic is very high. Alot of the housing in central is 300k-$2 mil condos. I wouldn't say where the Carlylse is located on the Mississippi River is a bad area unless you are afraid of bumping elbows with millionaires. That's just one simple example. I live in Powderhorn and I would describe my neighborhood as very green, very liberal, diverse, above average property crime but I haven't heard of much else since moving here. Your generalizations aren't going to help your cause. Take it more block to block, see who is living on the block and what kind of condition the yards and houses are in. Talk to the neighbors. That's how you'll get a more accurate feel for the neighborhood.

FYI - The Midtown Farmer's Market is very nice, definitely a must if you choose a home on the southside.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by Slig

For people who live in Minneapolis it makes very little sense to generalize each community. Central bad? Yes, there is crime there but that's because it is downtown, and human traffic is very high. Alot of the housing in central is 300k-$2 mil condos. I wouldn't say where the Carlylse is located on the Mississippi River is a bad area unless you are afraid of bumping elbows with millionaires. That's just one simple example. I live in Powderhorn and I would describe my neighborhood as very green, very liberal, diverse, above average property crime but I haven't heard of much else since moving here. Your generalizations aren't going to help your cause. Take it more block to block, see who is living on the block and what kind of condition the yards and houses are in. Talk to the neighbors. That's how you'll get a more accurate feel for the neighborhood.

FYI - The Midtown Farmer's Market is very nice, definitely a must if you choose a home on the southside.

There is the Central community (downtown and surrounding neighborhoods) and the Central neighborhood (just south of Lake Street and nowhere near the Central community). You don't "bump elbows with millionaires" in the Central neighborhood.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

There is the Central community (downtown and surrounding neighborhoods) and the Central neighborhood (just south of Lake Street and nowhere near the Central community). You don't "bump elbows with millionaires" in the Central neighborhood.

Agreed. But you also don't classify the Central neighborhood in a list that includes Powderhorn, Longfellow, Northeast, Near-North, Camden, Nokomis and Southwest. Those are Minneapolis communities, not neighborhoods. I assumed that Central being thrown onto that list would referring to the Central community, AKA downtown. You're right though, the Central neighborhood within the Powderhorn community is currently very "millionaire-stricken."

[uptown_urbanist]

This is a bit old and you may have found what you need, but here goes, just in case:
1. How about adding Seward to the list? It's an interesting neighborhood (very liberal and very green) in a great location, and the local public school is home to one of the district's public montessori schools. (if you live within its limits you might be guaranteed a spot, although you'd have to confirm that elsewhere.) I don't know about prices, but it's cheaper than some areas on your list.
2. I disagree about Uptown being family friendly - not as many kids as in some neighborhoods, but it still offers plenty of family amenities. Housing prices are expensive, though (one of the area's biggest problems - young families are getting priced out) Might be cheaper in the adjacent Whittier neighborhood. Lots of interesting restaurants there, and you'd also be in walking distance to the Wedge Co-op. Not quite as safe as other areas, but not terrible, either.
3. I don't know Longfellow well, but what I've heard has been good. There are nice houses and it seems like a great place for a family.
4. Southwest: depends on the neighborhood. Safe, but some areas are kind of boring (and expensive). Linden Hills is fabulous and would fit all your criteria except for price.

[Chugga Chugga Choo Choo]

Where in Nebraska are you coming from. I moved here from the Dundee area of Omaha, which is old and sorta on the down slide. Longfellow is nice, but I fell in love with the Linden Hills area. It's kind of a little more ritzy and artsy areas. Closer to uptown, which is a nice area to hang out and near both Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. Probably a little spendier than the Longfellow area, but a nice inner city area.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

This is a bit old and you may have found what you need, but here goes, just in case:
1. How about adding Seward to the list? It's an interesting neighborhood (very liberal and very green) in a great location, and the local public school is home to one of the district's public montessori schools. (if you live within its limits you might be guaranteed a spot, although you'd have to confirm that elsewhere.) I don't know about prices, but it's cheaper than some areas on your list.
2. I disagree about Uptown being family friendly - not as many kids as in some neighborhoods, but it still offers plenty of family amenities. Housing prices are expensive, though (one of the area's biggest problems - young families are getting priced out) Might be cheaper in the adjacent Whittier neighborhood. Lots of interesting restaurants there, and you'd also be in walking distance to the Wedge Co-op. Not quite as safe as other areas, but not terrible, either.
3. I don't know Longfellow well, but what I've heard has been good. There are nice houses and it seems like a great place for a family.
4. Southwest: depends on the neighborhood. Safe, but some areas are kind of boring (and expensive). Linden Hills is fabulous and would fit all your criteria except for price.

I agree with this post. As a St Paulite, I'd urge you to alo consider St Paul, as there are neighborhoods in your price range that are = to or closer to downtown Mpls than some of the Mpls neighborhoods on your list. Specifically, there are homes >$200 in southern Highland Park, in eastern Mac-Groveland, in South St Anthony Park, and all over Merriam Park that fit your criteria.