Accepted Position in Downtown Minneapolis good Suburbs to move to? (St. Louis Park: foreclosure, crime rates)

[Minneapolis Guy]

I would avoid Robinnsdale completely. You dont want to be anywhere near west broadway. I grew up near that area, trust me, its not safe. Don't beleive me, check out home prices in Robbinsdale vs. St. Louis Park, you will pay a lot less to live in Robbinsdale.

St. Louis Park is an awesome area to live in. Really close to the Minneapolis and is safe. But you will have to spend close to $1,200 or higher to get in a new apartment complex in this area. $800 gets you a really old one bedroom in SLP.

Plymouth or Minnetonka, which is a little farther away offers a lot more bang for the buck. Also another thing to consider is whether or not you bbq. You cant have a grill in a lot of cities(SLP and Plymouth included) around here but you can in Minnetonka at a lot of the apartments. In Minnetonka it depends how big the decks are.

Edit* On a side note Edina is a really nice as well. Kind of a small town feel within a big city in some parts of Edina.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Minneapolis Guy

I would avoid Robinnsdale completely. You dont want to be anywhere near west broadway. I grew up near that area, trust me, its not safe. Don't beleive me, check out home prices in Robbinsdale vs. St. Louis Park, you will pay a lot less to live in Robbinsdale.

Ridiculousness- I live 2 blocks from Robbinsdale just off Victory Memorial Parkway; 4-5 blocks from Crystal Lake, and this area is beautiful, serene, and peaceful- much like my own nbrhd. And W. Broadway is a very long street spanning the entire northside, robbinsdale, crystal, and other suburban areas- to not refer to an intersection of it to stay away from is grossly generalizing. Plus W Broadway/ 81 in Robbinsdale is fine (actually nice for the most part) - there is a great charm about Robbinsdale's downtown- we frequent Hackenmueller's Meats (old butcher store/ meat market), Wuollet's, the DQ, and a lot of restaurants there frequently. I get really bothered by people thinking that the price of neighborhoods/ areas determines how nice of a place they are to live- it's similar to people thinking that name brand jeans at exorbitant prices are way better clothes to "live in" than Levi's. Which, by the way, I don't even think your example is true for St. Louis Park vs Robbisndale prices. We have friends that bought a 3 bed/ 2ba home in St. Louis Park for $180K recently- at the time they bought it would have been very very hard to find anything equivalent in Robbinsdale for that low of a price. And I've seen some areas/ streets in SLP that I definitely wouldn't want to live in.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree with Camden - I know many people who have moved to Robbinsdale in recent years, many of them younger people who either have children or plan on it in the next few years. They're attracted to the downtown, the sense of community, and the price.

[mplsgirl]

JBourne-

Not sure why you are set on renting in the burbs when you're working downtown- a commute, no matter what time, is still a PITA. Also, renting?! In this market?! You would definitely be able to buy a two bedroom house in a great Minneapolis neighborhood (and some suburbs) for monthly payments around $1,200.

However, if you're are absolutely set on renting in the suburbs, I would have to recommend Hopkins. I'm guessing downtown to downtown is right around 10 miles. It's a great family-friendly town and would offer a really active community life. On Mainstreet there are a number of shops and restaurants, and a movie theater and an arts center. It's totally Pleasantville.

Honestly, I can't think of any "new" apartment buildings in Hopkins. There are a number of new condo developments that I would suspect are quickly turning into rentals, but I would recommend living as close to Mainstreet as possible. I would guess there would be some duplex options in the neighborhoods surrounding Mainstreet as well- in which case you would probably get a little more space for your price range.

Happy hunting. Let us know how things turn out.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I agree with Camden - I know many people who have moved to Robbinsdale in recent years, many of them younger people who either have children or plan on it in the next few years. They're attracted to the downtown, the sense of community, and the price.

It's funny you mention that as just this spring I've been commenting to my wife/ friends that people seem to be procreating like crazy around here lately (or maybe I just haven't taken too much note of it until now). All the young couples on my own block don't yet have children or are now just starting to, so as we walk throughout the neighborhood/ on the parkway I've been surprised to see the majority of people out and about have a stroller and/or toddlers in tow (in addition to the usual family dog...I think the making of "Marley and Me" may just have initiated the next baby boom).

[Minneapolis Guy]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Ridiculousness- I live 2 blocks from Robbinsdale just off Victory Memorial Parkway; 4-5 blocks from Crystal Lake, and this area is beautiful, serene, and peaceful- much like my own nbrhd. And W. Broadway is a very long street spanning the entire northside, robbinsdale, crystal, and other suburban areas- to not refer to an intersection of it to stay away from is grossly generalizing. Plus W Broadway/ 81 in Robbinsdale is fine (actually nice for the most part) - there is a great charm about Robbinsdale's downtown- we frequent Hackenmueller's Meats (old butcher store/ meat market), Wuollet's, the DQ, and a lot of restaurants there frequently. I get really bothered by people thinking that the price of neighborhoods/ areas determines how nice of a place they are to live- it's similar to people thinking that name brand jeans at exorbitant prices are way better clothes to "live in" than Levi's. Which, by the way, I don't even think your example is true for St. Louis Park vs Robbisndale prices. We have friends that bought a 3 bed/ 2ba home in St. Louis Park for $180K recently- at the time they bought it would have been very very hard to find anything equivalent in Robbinsdale for that low of a price. And I've seen some areas/ streets in SLP that I definitely wouldn't want to live in.

Well you do have a vested interest in saying the area is good since you live there. And I have to say that my view of it being a bad area may be due to the fact that is so close to the North Minneapolis broadway area.

You know the part of Minneapolis that is so bad that they deal drugs in broad daylight. There was even a story about this on the local news a few months ago. I have heard cops say it is worse then we know.

Anyways long story short, maybe I am wrong about Robbinsdale in particular, but it is too close to the bad area of North Minneapolis for my likeing. And yes, there are some bad areas of SLP as well. From my perspective they are not as bad, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Minneapolis Guy

Well you do have a vested interest in saying the area is good since you live there. And I have to say that my view of it being a bad area may be due to the fact that is so close to the North Minneapolis broadway area.

Anyways long story short, maybe I am wrong about Robbinsdale in particular, but it is too close to the bad area of North Minneapolis for my likeing.

So by your definition, no one should ever live anywhere in the entire suburbs of Robbinsdale and Golden Valley, and the following sections of Minneapolis (besides the entire northside of course): North Loop/ Warehouse District and other downtown areas, the Bryn Mawr neighborhood (which is in Cedar-Isles-Dean area, so maybe we should just go ahead and cross that whole section of Mpls off the list also?), and probably most neighborhoods in Northeast Minneapolis?

And FYI, by the time West Broadway hits Robbinsdale it is already north of Lowry Avenue and about a mile west of Penn Ave, which is not considered a "bad" area of the northside or camden at all. Even the areas south of West Broadway that border Golden Valley (and part of Robbinsdale) are generally not considered "the bad areas"- you know, the ones where if you walk cross the parkway into GV (or Bryn Mawr) for a few blocks you arrive upon communities w/ multiple million dollar homes?

Just where in Minneapolis is safe, Minneapolis Guy?

[mplsbruin]

With the bust in the downtown condo boom, there may be some really good rental possibilities. Downtown living can be awesome, depending on your taste and personal situation - guess having kids would not be a good fit.
We're retired and live downtown - really like it.

[Minneapolis Guy]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

So by your definition, no one should ever live anywhere in the entire suburbs of Robbinsdale and Golden Valley, and the following sections of Minneapolis (besides the entire northside of course): North Loop/ Warehouse District and other downtown areas, the Bryn Mawr neighborhood (which is in Cedar-Isles-Dean area, so maybe we should just go ahead and cross that whole section of Mpls off the list also?), and probably most neighborhoods in Northeast Minneapolis?

And FYI, by the time West Broadway hits Robbinsdale it is already north of Lowry Avenue and about a mile west of Penn Ave, which is not considered a "bad" area of the northside or camden at all. Even the areas south of West Broadway that border Golden Valley (and part of Robbinsdale) are generally not considered "the bad areas"- you know, the ones where if you walk cross the parkway into GV (or Bryn Mawr) for a few blocks you arrive upon communities w/ multiple million dollar homes?

Just where in Minneapolis is safe, Minneapolis Guy?

You clearly know the area better than I do. I wish I beleived the area was safe. I was looking online today and what you can get for $225,000 in Robbinsdale would cost you about $280,000 in SLP. My #1 concern as my wife and I begin start a family is safety.

I have to admit, I will be doing so more research into the Robbinsdale area now to see if my fears are well founded.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Minneapolis Guy

You clearly know the area better than I do. I wish I beleived the area was safe. I was looking online today and what you can get for $225,000 in Robbinsdale would cost you about $280,000 in SLP. My #1 concern as my wife and I begin start a family is safety.

I have to admit, I will be doing so more research into the Robbinsdale area now to see if my fears are well founded.

The whole issue of saftey is tough to sort out. There was a shotgun shooting in Maple Groove yesterday. That area is not genearlly considered to be bad, but it just shows you can never be sure. On the contrary, areas that some stigmatize may not be as bad as perceived. At the end of the day, what matters most is the safety of your own family.

Perception has much to do with price and desirablity of an area for the masses. If substantial numbers of people feel SLP is more desirable than Robbinsdale, then a comparable property will cost more in SLP.

You will get a lot of strong opinions from people on the board, and that is actually good. It tends to let people weigh different perspectives.

$55K is big difference in price. At a minimum it makes sense for people to investigate further and figure out if what will or will not work for them.