Accepted Position in Downtown Minneapolis good Suburbs to move to?

[Camden Northsider]

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.

I think it would be smart for you to research Robbinsdale - take a look at the neighborhoods in and around Crystal Lake, check out the downtown area (w. broadway, not 81), look at some of the areas to the west of DT, etc. And actually, while you are at Crystal Lake, go a few blocks to the east and you will run into Victory Memorial Parkway. This is what separates Robbinsdale from Minneapolis (and Theo Wirth farther south). Drive around the neighborhoods adjacent to the parkway on the Minneapoli side- make sure to look around in the 3800 - 4400 blocks of Xerxes, Washburn, Vincent, etc. (and further) in Minneapolis- you might just find that being close to (or within) Minneapolis wasn't as scary as you originally thought.

And to be quite honest, I have found home values in Robbinsdale and SLP to in general be pretty similar- I can post some comps when I have some more time to do it, but I have within the past week seen comparable homes (e.g. same beds, baths, square footage, etc.) that sell for a fair amount more in Robbinsdale than in St. Louis Park - but this was in the mid to upper 300Ks+ range. The price differentiation you saw could have been any number of factors. Keep in mind that even within St. Louis Park, it is possible for comparable homes to have a 6 figure differentiation in price based on the location, desirability of neighborhood, quality of housing stock (and level of maintenance/ updates), and whether the home is a foreclosure or not, so I would caution for folks to not jump to conclusions about a suburb or neighborhood based on variations/ differentiations like these if you haven't physically seen the neighborhood or house itself- I think this is especially true when the market is in such turmoil.

And although I have never researched suburban stats at all, I would think that the crime rates would be highly similar. It is possible that Robbinsdale's is very slightly higher, but you would get better commutes in return. And I guess I don't have such a rosy view of St. Louis Park- while visiting a friend there once, somebody came bursting into the house, ran through it, and a few seconds later was followed by a cop (that similarly burst in and ran through the house). And the past few times we have been at the home of other friends (who live in a nicer neighborhood), the cops have strolled by shining their spotlights in at and between the houses on their street on both ocassions- this generally doesn't happen in my neighborhood, at least not often.

[Minneapolis Guy]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

I think it would be smart for you to research Robbinsdale - take a look at the neighborhoods in and around Crystal Lake, check out the downtown area (w. broadway, not 81), look at some of the areas to the west of DT, etc. And actually, while you are at Crystal Lake, go a few blocks to the east and you will run into Victory Memorial Parkway. This is what separates Robbinsdale from Minneapolis (and Theo Wirth farther south). Drive around the neighborhoods adjacent to the parkway on the Minneapoli side- make sure to look around in the 3800 - 4400 blocks of Xerxes, Washburn, Vincent, etc. (and further) in Minneapolis- you might just find that being close to (or within) Minneapolis wasn't as scary as you originally thought.

And to be quite honest, I have found home values in Robbinsdale and SLP to in general be pretty similar- I can post some comps when I have some more time to do it, but I have within the past week seen comparable homes (e.g. same beds, baths, square footage, etc.) that sell for a fair amount more in Robbinsdale than in St. Louis Park - but this was in the mid to upper 300Ks+ range. The price differentiation you saw could have been any number of factors. Keep in mind that even within St. Louis Park, it is possible for comparable homes to have a 6 figure differentiation in price based on the location, desirability of neighborhood, quality of housing stock (and level of maintenance/ updates), and whether the home is a foreclosure or not, so I would caution for folks to not jump to conclusions about a suburb or neighborhood based on variations/ differentiations like these if you haven't physically seen the neighborhood or house itself- I think this is especially true when the market is in such turmoil.

And although I have never researched suburban stats at all, I would think that the crime rates would be highly similar. It is possible that Robbinsdale's is very slightly higher, but you would get better commutes in return. And I guess I don't have such a rosy view of St. Louis Park- while visiting a friend there once, somebody came bursting into the house, ran through it, and a few seconds later was followed by a cop (that similarly burst in and ran through the house). And the past few times we have been at the home of other friends (who live in a nicer neighborhood), the cops have strolled by shining their spotlights in at and between the houses on their street on both ocassions- this generally doesn't happen in my neighborhood, at least not often.

Thanks for all the info. My wife is still holding out hope of moving to another state, but hopefully we will end up buying a home in the Minneapolis area soon.