Will be attending Hamline Law School in Fall - Need housing advice. (Minneapolis: 2009)

[Asmodai]

I will be attending Hamline Law School this Fall which is located on Hewitt Ave. in St. Paul. Though my wife and I have traveled across the country extensively, neither of us have ever set foot in the Twin Cities. We currently reside in NC. Our main concern right now is finding a place to rent within our budget ($1000/month max.) and in a safe neighborhood. Since we will only have one vehicle, it would be nice to find a place fairly close to Hamline, but not absolutely necessary. Is Hamline Law School located in a fairly nice part of town? I've read posts indicating that it is in a residential area and in a decent neighborhood. Those familiar with the school's location, how would you rate the neighborhood? Frankly, I've been reading with some concern that the Twin Cities rank poorly in terms of crime, especially property crimes (robberies, break ins, theft, etc.) What areas/neighborhoods should we be looking at? If we have to commute a reasonable distance to find an area that meets our criteria we are willing to do that. Thanks in advance for your help!

[uptown_urbanist]

I'm sure someone else with more personal experience with that particular area will chime in, but when we were considering buying a place in St. Paul the Midway/Hamline area was on our short-list. I've walked around over there and never had any problems. I think it would make a lot of sense to live there, rather than commuting in from elsewhere.

I think the crime problems are often over-hyped; yes, there is crime in the Twin Cities, but for most people and in most locations you'll be fine with basic common sense precautions. Depending on your own personal comfort level then I think living by Hamline would be fine. (and I'm only adding the personal comfort clause because there are some people who find anywhere in the city scary) Have you checked with the police department? I know in Minneapolis you can look up all sorts of statistics and reports online.

[Asmodai]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I'm sure someone else with more personal experience with that particular area will chime in, but when we were considering buying a place in St. Paul the Midway/Hamline area was on our short-list. I've walked around over there and never had any problems. I think it would make a lot of sense to live there, rather than commuting in from elsewhere.

I think the crime problems are often over-hyped; yes, there is crime in the Twin Cities, but for most people and in most locations you'll be fine with basic common sense precautions. Depending on your own personal comfort level then I think living by Hamline would be fine. (and I'm only adding the personal comfort clause because there are some people who find anywhere in the city scary) Have you checked with the police department? I know in Minneapolis you can look up all sorts of statistics and reports online.

Thanks for the response. I hadn't thought about checking online police reports for the area around Hamline but I will certainly do that.

[silverjet]

I used to live on Minnehaha Ave, a few blocks west of Snelling about four years ago. All of my roommates attended Hamline University. The neighborhood was pretty quiet and the houses were all nicely kept up. The neighbors seemed nice enough and I never encountered any problems or felt uncomfortable when I walked around. In general Midway is a decent area, but how "nice" the neighborhood appears seems to be on a block-by-block basis. Even so, I don't think crime would be a major concern.

[mnduck]

The Como area, just north of Hamline, is one of my favorite parts of St Paul- Como Park is great, it is on major bus lines, and would be more affordable (I think) than some of St Paul's more exclusive 'hoods to the west and south of I-94. Hamline-Midway, the area right around the university, would be fine; it has somewhat of a 'grittier' feel for me than other proximate parts of the city, but I've never lived there so I can't say definitively what it'd be like living there.

[dache1987]

The real question is whether going to law school at all in this economy is a good idea at all.

I would strongly suggest taking a look at the following:

The Forecast for Rising 2Ls: Pain - Law Blog - WSJ

Will BigLaw Slash Hiring by 90 Percent? - Law Blog - WSJ

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/09/24/...al-job-market/ (written before the recession began)

Law Firm Layoffs Hit 10K Mark; Thursdays Most Often Bring Bad News | ABA Journal - Law News Now

Above the Law - A Legal Tabloid - News, Gossip, and Colorful Commentary on Law Firms and the Legal Profession

www.jdunderground.com

[dma717]

Hi- I saw your post as I was preparing to list my house 2 blocks from Hamline Law School. Address is 717 Fry St. (you can mapquest to see how close it is to Hamline).
I am an attorney who used to live in the house and now rent it out, having had many Hamline students over the last 20 years.
The unit is a 1 BR, but located in a Double Bungalow house, which means it has half of the first floor and half of the basement of the house (lots of storage).
Fairly quiet neighborhood and 1 block from very popular coffeehouse (Gingkos).
Call or email if you wish more info. Avail Sept 1 rent $ 750.00 + Util.
Dave Anderson (952) 200-2460 dma@visi.com

Originally Posted by Asmodai

I will be attending Hamline Law School this Fall which is located on Hewitt Ave. in St. Paul. Though my wife and I have traveled across the country extensively, neither of us have ever set foot in the Twin Cities. We currently reside in NC. Our main concern right now is finding a place to rent within our budget ($1000/month max.) and in a safe neighborhood. Since we will only have one vehicle, it would be nice to find a place fairly close to Hamline, but not absolutely necessary. Is Hamline Law School located in a fairly nice part of town? I've read posts indicating that it is in a residential area and in a decent neighborhood. Those familiar with the school's location, how would you rate the neighborhood? Frankly, I've been reading with some concern that the Twin Cities rank poorly in terms of crime, especially property crimes (robberies, break ins, theft, etc.) What areas/neighborhoods should we be looking at? If we have to commute a reasonable distance to find an area that meets our criteria we are willing to do that. Thanks in advance for your help!

[nick is rulz]

Originally Posted by dache1987

The real question is whether going to law school at all in this economy is a good idea at all.

I would strongly suggest taking a look at the following:

The Forecast for Rising 2Ls: Pain - Law Blog - WSJ

Will BigLaw Slash Hiring by 90 Percent? - Law Blog - WSJ

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/09/24/...al-job-market/ (written before the recession began)

Law Firm Layoffs Hit 10K Mark; Thursdays Most Often Bring Bad News | ABA Journal - Law News Now

Above the Law - A Legal Tabloid - News, Gossip, and Colorful Commentary on Law Firms and the Legal Profession

www.jdunderground.com

this person was seeking housing advice, not your two cents on their career choice.

I would look around the Selby/Dale area or the Crocus Hill neighborhood.

[ChadE]

I have to second the St Paul-Como area. Very nice area with great homes. Also, Falcon Heights is a nice area. Falcon Heights is just down the road right across from the State Fair Grounds.