Where is cheaper life in Minneapolis or Portland, ME (St. Paul: homes, find a job)

[Swede in CA]

Numerous calculator contradict each other. Help

[Swede in CA]

I hate myself. I drive myself crazy. We are moving from CA, and we considered many states and places. We looked at AK, MN, ME, VT, WA.

We talked to thousands of people. Many times we were close to make a decision. We see good thing and bad things in all of these places.

What matters:

good schools (younger kid is still in elementary)
well built home
calm life
safe place
cultural things
Universities.

When I put the list together, MN is the winner. Have been in CA for many years, I am afraid how we will adjust to a very long winter....We crave for four seasons, but afraid extremes.....
I turned down many offers..

Salary:
the largest for my job is in AK and MN
the smallest by 8-10K is in VT and ME.

ME attracts by "big water" and seafood, secluded life, forest.
MN attracts by interesting job, similar heritage, quality of schools and life.

HELP HELP HELP ! Where could we live well if I make a little over $100k and my hubby's salary depends on the location we go from 80K to 40K? Money is not everything, of course.

[uptown_urbanist]

You could live well in Minnesota with that salary. Minneapolis costs more than the smaller cities/towns, but salaries are higher, too. You can certainly get far more for your money than you can in most of California (or at least CA's urban areas). Assuming you don't have a huge amount of debt (and are able to find a job - the job situation in MN is better than in CA, but that doesn't mean much right now) then you will have have many options to choose from. You'll survive the winter; I hate the cold, too, but you learn do deal with it. The change of seasons is great, though.

It sounds like you're looking at Minneapolis (and suburbs, too?) - are you looking for specifc neighborhood or city recommendations at this point?

A great neighborhood for families is Linden Hills in SW Minneapolis; there's a great core commercial district with both useful and "fun" businesses (toy store, great children's bookstore, bakery, library, hardware store, etc.), it has a nice park, is near some great schools, and borders beautiful Lake Harriet.

Depending on what you're looking for in a neighborhood there are plenty of other nice, safe, interesting neighborhoods in the Twin Cities that may be of interest. There are also some great family-friendly neighborhoods near the University of Minnesota campuses (both Mpls and St. Paul) as well as near some of the St. Paul colleges.

I agree that Minneapolis offers a lot of amenities and a great quality of life for less than it would cost in many other cities.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

ME attracts by "big water" and seafood, secluded life, forest.
MN attracts by interesting job, similar heritage, quality of schools and life.

Keep in mind that the north shore of Lake Superior is actually used sometimes in movies to represent the coast in Maine.

With the income you described, you will be more than fine in the Twin Cities or just about anywhere in the state of MN.

[Swede in CA]

Thanks for everyone. Schools and safety are primary for us. Golfgal told me that 196 District and Eden Prairie are the best. My older one will go to her last year this September. She is seriously into debate and speech (10 top in CA) So, I have heard Eastview High in Apple Valley has a good program. The younger one likes acting and sports.

We are from Sweden and like 4 seasons, but it was a long time ago. We want a well built home, not so large, no more than 2,400 sq f.

My new office would be in Bloomington,...

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

Thanks for everyone. Schools and safety are primary for us. Golfgal told me that 196 District and Eden Prairie are the best.

Golfgal's assertion is at best debatable. Most of the SW suburbs (Minnetonka, Hopkins, Edina, Wayzata, Bloomington, St. Louis Park, etc.) have schools which are comparable to Eden Prairie and the 196 district, and some are arguably better. Edina is the metro school which tends to routinely sit on top of various academic lists, for example, and I'm saying that as someone who grew up rather disliking Edina (I grew up in the Hopkins school district, and we weren't that fond of either Edina East or Edina West [since consolidated]).

I used to live in Eden Prairie, too.

For what it's worth, "safety" isn't really an issue in most of the Twin Cities metro area. Compared to my new stomping grounds down here in the Atlanta metro, the entire Twin Cities is a giant safe zone. Not that Atlanta is bad as such, but there are questionable areas here that simply don't have equivalents in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Golfgal's assertion is at best debatable. Most of the SW suburbs (Minnetonka, Hopkins, Edina, Wayzata, Bloomington, St. Louis Park, etc.) have schools which are comparable to Eden Prairie and the 196 district, and some are arguably better. Edina is the metro school which tends to routinely sit on top of various academic lists, for example, and I'm saying that as someone who grew up rather disliking Edina (I grew up in the Hopkins school district, and we weren't that fond of either Edina East or Edina West [since consolidated]).

I used to live in Eden Prairie, too.

For what it's worth, "safety" isn't really an issue in most of the Twin Cities metro area. Compared to my new stomping grounds down here in the Atlanta metro, the entire Twin Cities is a giant safe zone. Not that Atlanta is bad as such, but there are questionable areas here that simply don't have equivalents in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

I completely agree with this - keep in mind that Golfgal's opinion is just that - opinion. (as are every posting on this site.) Not that Eden Prairie isn't right for you, but do be aware that many people don't agree that EP is the "best." You'll find plenty of other safe options with equally good educational opportunities, so no need to limit your search to EP based strictly on those parameters. And for what it's worth, keep in mind that some of the "best" suburban schools have their own sorts of problems - in some cases a wealthier student base has translated into higher than average drug use levels, for example, maybe because they can afford it. I'm by no means trying to bash wealthier suburban school districts, just pointing out that no school is perfect.

I'd go with Edina before Eden Prairie, personally, as the schools are still considered the "best," it's safe, and you'll be able to find plenty of well-built homes. Plus, if you're going to go with a suburb I think parts of Edina are far more interesting and have more character than much of Eden Prairie.

[Clifford63]

Just to clarify. Golfgal is pumping ISD 196 (Rosemount). I have nothing bad about 196 to say either. It is a good district.

There are many good alternatives in close proximity to Bloomington. The thing people out of state need to take under consideration is we have some very good schools and people here will drill down to very minute details in regards to what district is better. In a certian sense, pride is a great thing when it comes to schools. At some point it gets down to school A has cinnimon toast, and school B has caramel rolls because they both have very solid programs with similar test scores, facilities etc.

If it were me moving for a job in Bloomington, Edina would be very high on my list, particularly Morningside area. You have a great location for shopping and services, close to downtown, very well maintained community. Since it is a little older than some outter burbs, you see sidewalks, traditional city sized lots, and homes that are not gigantic, well not all of them anyway. You can find some castles in Edina if you look. The north and east parts of Edina feel very similar to SW Minneapolis. Interestinly, Edina was developed before some of the SW corner of Minneapolis Proper, so there are some old charming homes, some homes built in the 50s and some homes built in the last 10 years. A real interesting mix, but at the sametime it does not seem helter skelter.

As far as cost here vs. Maine. I would guess it is more expensive to live in the MSP metro, but it would be comparing apples to oranges. It really sounds like you need to make up your mind on what your top needs are for a new location and start rulling things out.

[Swede in CA]

Thanks Clifford63. You are right about my mind.... Edina sounds interesting. I will explore the area. Presence of character in the community and sidewalks is desirable.

[Aylalou]

Eden Prairie, to me, seems like no man's land compared to the other places. But that's only how I myself see it.