relocation advice (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Eagan: low crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[Joestoes]

We are possibly relocating to the Minneapolis area. We have two kids ages 9 and 12. We live in Fargo now, really like it but probably have to relocate due to job. We like it here because it is family friendly, low crime, very clean, good neighbors, easy access to basic shopping, not much traffic, and our neighborhood is wonderful with big trees and lots of sidewalks. We've lived in large metro areas on the west coast and Denver; we're not looking forward to the big city again but we're hoping to find a suburb to settle into that would be appealing. We don't know where the job will be yet, possibly Eden Prairie, Maple Grove or St. Paul. Good schools are very important and looking for a small town feel if possible. Hoping to get advice from everyone who knows their way around Minneapolis and has a family.
Thanks so much.

[golfgal]

There are plenty of places in the metro that will meet your requirements. It is hard to offer suggestions until you pin down your job location, they are pretty spread out. If you end up in Eden Prairie I would look into Chaska or Jordan, St. Paul, depending on where in St. Paul, you could look at Stillwater or Rosemount. One thing with a "St. Paul" address is that it could be anywhere on the east or south metro as the Post office lists St. Paul for many addresses. Maple Grove I would look north to the Buffalo area.

[Kebinminn]

It is tough to narrow down based on the location, if you go for Maple Grove you may want to look north of there in one of the smaller outlaying towns. Corcoran, Camplin, and Ramsey come to mind. I'm not sure about the school situation there, I have heard mixed reviews on Anoka-Hennepin Schools.

If you end up working in Eden Prairie you need to go a little further to get the small town feel, you could look in the Savage area. I'm also not too sure of the commute time to any of the locations I mentioned. Victoria and Excelsior would be nice, those are on the higher end as far as cost of living I believe.

I don't know much about the St Paul side.

[Clifford63]

I believe you could find a small town feel that works near EP, MG, or St. Paul. That said it would be different for each of those areas if you want to keep the commute in the sane category.

For example Mahtomedi is 10-12 miles from downtown St. Paul, but it has about 7500 people and it truly is a small town feel. White Bear Lake, and Stillwater are farther but would fit with the small town feel but they are more in the 25K range for population.

EP and MG are on the west edge, so there are many options that would not require a long commute. For that matter, both EP and MG have good schools and might not be a bad choice.

You will likely pay a lot more in Metro MN for similar stock in Fargo. My guess is this could play into where you end up if you decide to move.

Best of luck

[Joestoes]

Thanks for all the help. I think I'm already overwhelmed by the size of Minneapolis based on your responses...right now my husband is focusing on a company in St. Paul. I think the top things on my list in order are the schools, neighborhoods that are conuducive to walking, riding bikes, parks for recreation and are quiet, and low crime.

[uptown_urbanist]

The St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul (located by the U of MN St. Paul campus) is very nice and sounds like it might fit very well with what you're looking for; a lot of other people think it's nice, too, though, so it's not the cheapest option. There are some beautiful homes, tree-lined streets (with sidewalks), parks, and plenty of small-town atmosphere. It's quiet and low-crime, but not quiet in a boring way (meaning low traffic but there's still people out walking their dogs, for example). The schools are part of the St. Paul public school district, and although I don't have personal experience with the St. Paul schools I think you'd be able to find some very good options for your children.

You'll have a much easier time narrowing down your decision once you know your final location; the different areas you've mentioned are fairly spread out, and I can understand why it's all rather overwhelming. If you do end up in St. Paul there are a number of other nice St. Paul neighborhoods or nearby suburban neighborhoods too, not all as expensive as St. Anthony Park. Prospect Park in Minneapolis is a quiet, leafy neighborhood with a nice sense of community; it's near the University of MN, by the border of St. Paul, and lots of staff and faculty seem to live there.

I think almost everywhere is going to be more expensive than Fargo, but should be a bargain to most big cities on the West Coast (not sure where you were living, but certainly a lot cheaper than the California big cities, at least)!

[rodhaenke]

Originally Posted by Joestoes

Thanks for all the help. I think I'm already overwhelmed by the size of Minneapolis based on your responses...right now my husband is focusing on a company in St. Paul. I think the top things on my list in order are the schools, neighborhoods that are conuducive to walking, riding bikes, parks for recreation and are quiet, and low crime.

Remember that many of us that live in the cities are people just like yourself, from smaller towns. If the job is in St. Paul, you can't go wrong with Eagan. Eagan has everything you want - good schools, lots of family friendly neighborhoods, lakes, trails (both road and mountain); and it is relatively close in - you can get to downtown St. Paul in less than 15 minutes.

[Joestoes]

Thank you Roadhanke, those are comforting words. We feel it is probably now going to be St. Paul or Maple Grove. I will investigate Eagan. Any other opinions and insights are helpful. A stessful commute is something we'd really like to avoid as we have dealt with this a lot on the west coast.

[uptown_urbanist]

Does Eagan have sidewalks? I don't think all neighborhoods there do, but admittedly it's been awhile since I've been there. I know you mention sidewalks as a plus - you should know that sidewalks are sort of hit or miss in local suburbs. Some have them, some don't, some have them in some areas and not in others. That might be something to factor in, as you may need to decide if the sidewalks are a "must" or just a "would be nice" part of your housing search.

In any case, you should be able to find something that meets your needs that doesn't involve a long commute. We've lived on the west coast, too, and it totally skewed my concept of what was "long," (or what "bad traffic" is like), while it's possible to have a long and stressful commute in the Twin Cities you'll really be coming in with the advantage of being able to select your housing choice based on your job.

Good luck with your move.

[golfgal]

Just south of Eagan is Rosemount. It adds about 5 minutes to your commute but it is an easy trip into St. Paul. Do you know where in St. Paul the company is? Rosemount has everything you want, including sidewalks or walking paths everywhere. Eagan for the most part does as well but it is larger. Some of the developments don't have sidewalks but then there isn't any traffic so you don't need them as much.