relocation advice

[Camden Northsider]

What do you mean when you say "small town feel"? - Do you mean this in a literal sense (e.g. you want things to feel rural vs. you want a strong-knit community but it's okay if it's in a highly developed area)?

If small town feel is what you are after, in addition to some of the towns that have already been mentioned, there are a lot of nice little towns up along Hwy 12 that still are pretty small towns. Delano and Buffalo (not on 12) are small mini-cities in the area, and Waverly and other towns close by are all small towns- these areas are all much more affordable exurbs than the very expensive suburban areas along 12, so your commute will be longer (with low traffic/ non-rush hour it's 30-40 minutes to downtown, M.G. or E.P. would likely be shorter), but it's a beautiful area w/ nice people (albeit tends to be fairly conservative in nature, like most outer suburbs/ exurbs here).

However, I think you'll be surprised to find that much of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area will probably feel a lot like Fargo - I'm originally from Sioux Falls, SD and I would say my N. Minneapolis (inside city limits) neighborhood feels more "like a small town" than the n'hood I grew up in in Sioux Falls.

[Joestoes]

Thanks Northsider for helping me define "small town feel". It isn't rural I want, it's the close knit, respect your neighbor, community, don't have to worry about crime, that I like which Fargo offers. I lived in a semi-rural area in California and there wasn't any community and I do not want that. I like things to be convenient so there isn't too much driving so living further out wouldn't make sense. I'm feeling better about our move thanks to all of you on this forum. Could I ask what the zip code is of the area you live in is so I can check it out on realtor.com?

[Joestoes]

This is still a big if but the possible locations right now are Hamline Ave N. St. Paul and Arden Hills.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Joestoes

This is still a big if but the possible locations right now are Hamline Ave N. St. Paul and Arden Hills.

With those addresses I would start looking at Stillwater, Mahtomedi and Mounds View areas. The commutes would be easy, great communities and excellent schools. Crime is pretty much non-existent in those areas as well.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Joestoes

Could I ask what the zip code is of the area you live in is so I can check it out on realtor.com?

My neighborhood can be found here on realtor.com. However, we are in the NW corner of Minneapolis, so if the job prospects are in St. Paul, I would recommend looking in areas in and around St. Paul- a lot of areas in and around St. Paul do have a small town feel to them. Also, although crime is low in my neighborhood, I wouldn't qualify it as something that we never have to worry about.