Your opinions of Woodbury, Eagan & Mendota Heights (Minneapolis, St. Paul: cul-de-sac, section 8)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by HKB

Thanks to all that replied here. We just rented a single family home in Woodbury near Radio Drive/Bailey (across from the hockey rink & the new high school). The houses do seem a bit cookie cutter (you'd better like beige houses, because that's all you see for blocks!), but we love the location. With the real estate market still plummeting with no bottom in sight, we're going to wait it out for awhile to see how far prices drop. Maybe in a year or two we will be able to afford something that might otherwise have been out of our price range.

GolfGal... I sincerely appreciate your input, but I've always wondered why you consider some school districts to be inferior to ISD 196? Do you have any data to support this?

You have looked at all the data-test scores or whatever you like. There are intangible things that can't be measured that make the 196 schools the best I have ever been involved with either as a student, teacher or parent. The quality of the administration, the financial health of the district the attitude of the teachers, the attitude of the students make for a wonderful atmosphere and make the schools what they are. As a result we have high test scores, high college entrance exam average scores, a high graduation rate, a high percentage of students going on to college. When you go to the high school parent teacher conferences and get 95% attendance rate and talk to the teachers who simply LOVE their jobs and are thrilled to be there speaks volumes for the overall quality of the schools.

[Explorer John]

I attended K-12 in District 833 and am completely satisfied with my education. Maybe not my favorite place to live, but good schools. I'll be curious to see how the new high school performs.

[Anneee]

I've lived all over the Twin Cities and my family has been most happy in Woodbury. It's very well-maintained, has an incredibly low crime-rate and a strong local economy. But what's impressed me most are the schools. My experience has been that they're well-funded and there's a lot of respect for the students as individuals, which I think is rare. I've also been happy with the quality of the teachers and the number of elective classes that are offered. Another thing that stands out for me is that the people in Woodbury are very pleasant. I know that sounds a little odd, but I noticed it right away. I'd suggest visiting Tamarack Mall to get an idea of what I mean.

[kipkip12]

district 196 schools are very clean, well structured and it seems to have a pretty good community involvement. also gives students the opportunity to take classes at a School of Environmental Studies, which is a big booster for lots of the people who go to the school. Some of those who go to the Environmental Studies school go on about it even for years after attending it.

[BJBoxcars]

HKB,

It's interesting to see all the opinions. You're mostly going to get responses that reflect where people live; most people love where they live and are very chavinistic (not a bad thing).

Your initial post spoke about several things....not only school districts...which is what most people addressed. I personally think Woodbury, Mendota and Eagan all have pretty decent schools.....some things better at one versus another but all fairly good educations. And how well your kids do IMHO is more driven by what happens at home, all other things being equal.

Being 20 minutes from work for you and your spouse was important. One thing to consider is the possibility of having or wanting to change jobs. What then?

If commute time is important, living in Woodbury and limiting your commute to ~20 minutes limits your area of employment should you need to change. Living in Mendota Hts or the northern Eagan area gives you more opportunities for employment: 20 minutes or less to either downtown, to the Bloomington area, etc. is a real plus.

As for property taxes, as of 2 or 3 years ago, Mendota Hts had the 3rd lowest mil rate in the state. You can probably check that out online.

Prices in Mendota are probably higher than Woodbury and Eagan for a similar sq footage home however. You don't say how large a family you have (or might have) and that might make a difference with regard to affording a home of the size you need. I believe homes in Woodbury and Eagan are a little more affordable when only comparing living space.

If you can truly buy a 3,000+ sq ft new home in Woodbury today for $320k (as suggested above), that's great; you won't find that price in Mendota Hts.

Good luck in your decision.

[redbarrister]

I too have lived in Woodbury for the past 13 years, but also lived in Mpls, Burnsville also. I am currently researching mpls schools and attempting to compare to district 833 where my children attend. There is no comparison. Based on what the mpls schools are facing in the district (closing of magnets, realigning attendance boundaries), district 833 has done a superior job keeping their financial health strong.

My children attend Valley Crossing Community School. Mulitage classes, outstanding teachers, outstanding curriculum.

My stepson started kindergarten at Hale Elementary in mpls this past fall and I am astounded at how that school and district are run. He has to repeat kindergarten because that school teaches to the stellar student, NOT students that need a little extra help. Not like his teacher would have time to provide extra help, she has 27 kids in her class! Unbelievable. I don't get why people are in love with this school or that district....can anyone shed light?

[DaPerpKazoo]

Growing up I had quite a few friends who attended Hale/Field and went on into either Washburn or the IB program at Southwest. None of them ever had any problems at all, perhaps it's your stepson or that individual teacher. It's tough to judge an entire district off of one year- especially when it's the kid's first year of school. You say he needed extra help- who's to say he would have done much better in a different district?
I'm not trying to say anything bad about your stepson, but judging a school based on one child's one year experience, their first year, is likely to yeild an inaccurate judgement.

[HKB]

Originally Posted by BJBoxcars

Prices in Mendota are probably higher than Woodbury and Eagan for a similar sq footage home however. You don't say how large a family you have (or might have) and that might make a difference with regard to affording a home of the size you need. I believe homes in Woodbury and Eagan are a little more affordable when only comparing living space.

Thanks for the informative response.

I'm not going to rule anything out, but I'm thinking Mendota Heights is a distant third between the three cities I inquired about. I like the location, but from what I've been able to gather, it's most likely out of our price range.

I really like Eagan's central location and the good reputation of the school district, but with our current jobs the commute would be longer for both of us. Looking at homes online, most of the houses in our target price range (<$275k) tend to be 1970's or 80's split levels... a style I'm not particularly fond of. We'll definitely be looking there when we start our search though. You never know what you'll find.

Wife and I both like the layout of Woodbury the best. It's the closest to our jobs, and the prices seem reasonable for the most part. I do worry that it would be too far east if either of us were to ever change jobs. A big reason we're moving is to shorten our commutes.

[Andrew T.]

Personally, I live in Eagan, and granted I am in a very very different place in life than you & your wife, (I'm single and 22, and I also rent. But I'm a good renter - I stay in one place and don't cause trouble). Anyway, I personally know Eagan homes to be very spendy if you're looking for something nicer. I live on the "older", Minneapolis side of Eagan, south of the Mall of America. There are a lot of older homes on this side, but people seem to take very very good care of them. I would suggest the community because its safe (I've never had a single strange or unsafe feeling encounter), close to BOTH cities, and nice. The OTHER side of Eagan, closer to 35E, and east of that, is FILLED with very expensive, large, newer homes. I know little to nothing about this part of town, because I usually do what I do over here, or in Bloomington/Edina/Eden Prairie, because of my close proximity.

My best friend lives in Woodbury, and it reminds me a lot of the other side of Eagan. Large, large homes, and it seems as if you're paying for the quietness, and of course, status of living in the "deep suburbs".

I know little to nothing about Mendota Heights, however from what I have heard, it is a lot of older, large, very nice homes, that do not go up for sale very much, and are very expensive. That one I would have to look more into.

Good Luck!

[BJBoxcars]

HKB,

Sounds like you might already be working w/a realtor, but the hyperlink below allows you to look at what's on the market in specific cities or areas, limiting that search any way you wish. Check it out.

http://www.mlsfinder.com/mn_rmls/mnwi/index.cfm

click on county/city to make your search easy