Who lives in Downtown St Paul? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: lease, lofts, crime)

[kellismelli]

It seems everyone here suggests to people moving in to the area to move to MPLS because St Paul is "dead" and for only the 55+ crowd- so I want to know before I move there (because everything I've read so far has led me to an awesome loft in downtown St. Paul, and away from MPLS) are there people who live in downtown St. Paul? And like it? Tell me about it.

We are a young family with 2 wee ones who are interested in walkability/use of mass transit. Everything I've seen in my extensive research shows me that we'll be better than alright..farmer's market, bus-stops, parks, library, river, zoo, etc all very close by. And anything that's not close is just a bus away.

So where are the DT St Paul folks trying to convince people to move there? All I see on this forum are people telling people to move to uptown.

(No offense to MPLS, just want to know if we'll be the only people under 55 in a "dead" city, or if there's a wee bit of exaggeration there. Is it *really* "dead"? Are the skyways literally "abandoned"? I just want some perspective from current downtown St. Paul residents.)

TIA!

[Aylalou]

St. Paul downtown is totally dead at night.

[kellismelli]

Is that what everyone means by "dead"? No bars? Do you mean late "night"? or evenings also? Consider that we've got toddlers and don't really need 'late night' entertainment.

Also, the building we want to buy our loft in also has a big bar/club in it. So... I'm confused.

[Aylalou]

Personally, I think Saint Paul is a great place to raise a family. I was trying to explain about the lack of nightlife in downtown Saint Paul, comparatively speaking.

[Slig]

Those wouldn't be the lofts on 10th and Robert across from Pedro's would they?

[kellismelli]

Yes, why?

[MplsTodd]

Although its not lively, I wouldn't call Lowertown a dead area. There's a few nice bars and restaurants, plus a fair number of Artist live-work studios in the Tilsner and Northern Warehouse Buildings, which adds a funky quality to the area.

[Explorer John]

I live downtown and really like it. There's a number of good restaurants and bars all within walking distance. If you want to drive a little bit there are tons of great places on the West Side, University and Grande Ave. The river provides some beautiful scenery and great walking/biking paths. You can walk across the river to Harriet Island and catch lots of events in the summer like concerts, Irish Festival, etc. Parade routes often run downtown like for the Winter Carnival and St. Patrick's Day. There's two main parks (Rice and Mears) that have various events, for example a three day music festival at Mears in the summer. There's also a playground around 4th and Jackson for the little ones and a New Horizons on Robert St. that seems fairly well known for their child care if that's something you'd need. You mentioned the farmer's market, which is always a good bet. There's other staples like the Science Museum, Children's Museum and MN History Center too. Also a number of theatres like the Lowry, Ordway, Fitzgerald, Park Square and Palace. The Xcel is also right here if you're into hockey/concerts/convention type things. The local music school (McNally Smith) also has tons of great events throughout the year that are typically quite cheap/free. I'm a bit of a political junky so I enjoy being right next to the State Capitol to attend events, and it's not unheard of to run into members of the legislature when you're out to lunch. Downtown is also a pretty major hub for buses. I take the 94 express bus (which runs at least every half hour) to Minneapolis at least once a week. The Central Cooridor LRT line will also eventually make its way downtown. It's bustling during weekdays and quiet on nights and weekends which some complain about. I personally enjoy the evenings for bike rides since you literally own the streets and can cruise all over downtown easily. Crime isn't too bad but does exist, and some of the bus stops have gotten a bad reputation as well. That being said I do feel safe. I've never experienced anything bad myself after living here for about seven months aside from a few bums. Like anywhere in any city, be aware of your surroundings and don't do stupid stuff that makes you a target. One thing I would take into consideration is parking. Does your building have a ramp? During the day it's obviously going to suck. I've also known two people that had their vehicles broken into and tools stolen when they parked on the street overnight.

On the downside we lack a major grocery store. You'll have to drive a few miles to find a Cub or Rainbow, although I believe a Lunds is coming sometime in the future. Also, stuff does close early here. The skyway system is also a little wonky. It's very difficult to tell where things are from the street. Maybe as a result, there's a fair amount of retail vacancy in the skyway, as well as street level.

Overall, downtown is a very liveable area. You won't have to drive too much and there is plenty to do and transportation to take you elsewhere. Just remember that St. Paul is not Minneapolis. They're two great and unique cities that each have their own flavor, and living in downtown St. Paul puts you in a good spot to experience both.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm 23 and know a lot of others my age that live here. I don't know any statistics but it seems to me that there is a higher concentration of younger people downtown vs. other parts of the city besides college neighborhoods and Grand Ave.

[Slig]

Originally Posted by kellismelli

Yes, why?

My brother used to live there. I believe the bar connected to the building is a gay bar, but I'm not positive. Anyways, I think his experience living there was overall pretty good but when given the option to buy when his lease was up he elected not to.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Explorer John

You'll have to drive a few miles to find a Cub or Rainbow, although I believe a Lunds is coming sometime in the future. Also, stuff does close early here.

LOL - don't hold your breath...when I lived in DT Mpls several years back I kept waiting for the Lund's to open (there was a big "Lund's Grocery coming soon" sign up on Hennepin) and you'll notice there's still no Lund's (or other grocer) in DT Mpls.

I really like DT St. Paul and I usually have more fun going to a bar or event there (which they seem to have pretty regularly) than anything I've found to date in DT Mpls - DT St. Paul looks a lot nicer as well. I hated living in DT Mpls, but my apt was street level with really bad property management so that had a lot to do with it. Good luck-