Moving to MNPLS/ST Paul....working in Minnetonka (Minneapolis, St. Paul: for sale, real estate)

[kcitti]

Yeah I appreciate it. Would you be able to expand on any other areas mentioned above? Minnetonka is out of the question- sounds far too suburban. I want a place with character

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by kcitti

Yeah I appreciate it. Would you be able to expand on any other areas mentioned above? Minnetonka is out of the question- sounds far too suburban. I want a place with character

It would be helpful if you better defined what your view of "urban" is as different people have very different definitions of this- there are a wide variety of urban neighborhoods in Minneapolis, some that are very dense/ built up and others that actually feel somewhat suburban in nature (e.g. very residential, tree lined streets, etc. but still a city neighborhood where you can find some local businesses close by). How much diversity do you want (be it socioeconomic, ethnic, lifestyle, etc.)? And what do you mean when you say character? Most of the housing stock in Minneapolis proper is older (generally early 1900s through 40s and 50s, some newer homes depending on the neighborhood), but what else qualifies as "character" in your mind?

[Slig]

I recommend looking at the neighborhood profiles on this link to get more information on individual neighborhoods -

Minneapolis Neighborhood Profiles

Neighborhoods included in each of the communities I mentioned:
Powderhorn:
Central
Powderhorn Park
Corcoran
Bryant
Bancroft
Standish
Whittier
Lyndale

Phillips
Ventura Village
Phillips West
Midtown Phillips
East Phillips

Nokomis
Regina
Field
Northrop
Hale
Page
Diamond Lake
Ericson
Minnehaha
Keewaydin
Wenonah
Morris Park

Longfellow
Seward
Longfellow
Cooper
Howe
Hiawatha

Northeast
Columbia Park
Waite Park
Audobon Park
Windom Park
Marshall Terrace
Holland
Bottineau
Logan Park
Northeast Park
St. Anthony East
St. Anthony West
Beltrami
Sheridan

Camden
Cleveland
Folwell
McKinley
Webber-Camden
Victory
Lind-Bohanon
Shingle Creek

Near North
Willard-Hay
Jordan
Hawthorne
Near-North
Harrison
Sumner-Glenwood

-From a commute standpoint I'd say you'd be fine in all areas with the only border-line annoying area being Northeast.

-The most "urban feeling" areas of the list in my opinion are Near North, Phillips, Powderhorn, the Seward neighborhood in Longfellow and the Northeast neighborhoods closer to downtown (St. Anthony east and west, Sheridan, Beltrami, Logan Park).

-Although crime is way down in Minneapolis going on two consecutive years and overall the city is very safe, crime obviously does exist here. Statistically, there is higher crime in Near North, Phillips, Powderhorn and Camden...probably in that order. I live in a Powderhorn neighborhood and feel very safe though and I know Camden Northsider has had very good experiences in his Camden neighborhood from a safety perspective.

-Nokomis, although a very nice, quiet area does have issues with airport noise. It's also one of the less-urban feeling areas of the city.

[kcitti]

I guess what I'm looking for is an area has independent businesses/restuarants as well as a mix of SF homes, apartments and multifamily buildings. I do not want an area that has been commercialized - i don't want to even see an applebees. I like a hipster/liberal/arty area. At the same time, an area that might be undergoing the beginnings of a rebirth rather than an area on the decline would be nice.

Not even seeing the area, it sounds like the area with the old mills being renovated into condo/apts sounds awesome, but like I said, I would rather a single family. I imagine that an area surrounding the university would fit the bill too.

I would love to have easy access to the LRT.

I don't mind being surrounded by a diverse neighbors, be it socio-economic or otherwise- I just don't want to feel like I am in the worst of ghettos.

[kcitti]

Originally Posted by Slig

I recommend looking at the neighborhood profiles on this link to get more information on individual neighborhoods -

Minneapolis Neighborhood Profiles

Neighborhoods included in each of the communities I mentioned:
Powderhorn:
Central
Powderhorn Park
Corcoran
Bryant
Bancroft
Standish
Whittier
Lyndale

Phillips
Ventura Village
Phillips West
Midtown Phillips
East Phillips

Nokomis
Regina
Field
Northrop
Hale
Page
Diamond Lake
Ericson
Minnehaha
Keewaydin
Wenonah
Morris Park

Longfellow
Seward
Longfellow
Cooper
Howe
Hiawatha

Northeast
Columbia Park
Waite Park
Audobon Park
Windom Park
Marshall Terrace
Holland
Bottineau
Logan Park
Northeast Park
St. Anthony East
St. Anthony West
Beltrami
Sheridan

Camden
Cleveland
Folwell
McKinley
Webber-Camden
Victory
Lind-Bohanon
Shingle Creek

Near North
Willard-Hay
Jordan
Hawthorne
Near-North
Harrison
Sumner-Glenwood

-From a commute standpoint I'd say you'd be fine in all areas with the only border-line annoying area being Northeast.

-The most "urban feeling" areas of the list in my opinion are Near North, Phillips, Powderhorn, the Seward neighborhood in Longfellow and the Northeast neighborhoods closer to downtown (St. Anthony east and west, Sheridan, Beltrami, Logan Park).

-Although crime is way down in Minneapolis going on two consecutive years and overall the city is very safe, crime obviously does exist here. Statistically, there is higher crime in Near North, Phillips, Powderhorn and Camden...probably in that order. I live in a Powderhorn neighborhood and feel very safe though and I know Camden Northsider has had very good experiences in his Camden neighborhood from a safety perspective.

-Nokomis, although a very nice, quiet area does have issues with airport noise. It's also one of the less-urban feeling areas of the city.

Thanks very much for the extensive list. Crime is not really too big of an issue in my book. Im coming from what is historically one of the most crime ridden and blighted areas of Cincinnati Oh, only now beginning to experience somewhat of a renaissance.

[Camden Northsider]

kcitti- you're my kind of people!

The neighborhoods sticking out in my mind in response to your post are the Seward neighborhood (in Longfellow) and possibly Willard-Hay or Harrison neighborhoods in Near North- Slig can follow up with Powderhorn recommendations which sounds like could be a good fit as well.

Seward- big mix of apartment buildings (including a couple of highrises) and SFHs, very liberal area, a lot of diversity, a fair amount of independent business, very close to downtown and other great areas for entertainment/ eating (Cedar Riverside nbrhd) and is really a unique balance of gentrification with upscale urban hipsters living alongside fairly low-income newer immigrants to the area/US- a very neat neighborhood that overall is pretty safe. LRT services the area.

Willard-Homewood- part of the Near North area, used to be home to the Jewish elite of the area prior to mass migration out to the suburbs around the 60s. Has had (and still does have) a fair amount of urban blight (foreclosures, crime, etc.) but the neighborhood does have a great little arts scene going for it and is marketing itself as a home for artists. The far western stretch, closest to Theo Wirth Park/ parkway (biggest park in Minneapolis), is still home to a concentration of large, beautifully maintained homes where you can find some amazing steals if you keep your eye out. Primarily a black neighborhood but but still has a relatively good mix of diversity in it, quick commute via bus/ car to downtown. downside: not much in the way of independent business outside of convenience stores and hair care shops.

Harrison- also in the Near North neighborhood, arguably well on its way towards gentrification with some fairly high-profile/ more upscale developments going into it, but still overall a lower-income area. Also not a ton of businesses within the neighborhood itself, but if you were to find a home in Harrison close to the border of the posh Bryn Mawr neighborhood, you would be walking distance to a lot of little upscale yupster independent businesses.

I would also recommend looking in Camden area- great people, diverse area, but a fair chunk of it might be quieter/ not as hipster as you are looking for, and with some exceptions, tends to be fairly residential. My Camden neighborhood (Victory) has a nice little small node of independent businesses, lots of park space, great n'hood association, and is very liberal area w/ a lot of young singles/ couples/ families flocking to the n'hood right now, but due to location in the NW corner of Minneapolis, does not have the greatest public transit service (despite it being convenient to anywhere in the metro, including downtown, via car).

One thing to note- another reason why I suggested Willard-Homewood and/or Camden n'hoods is that you would have easy access to Hwys 100/ 394 from here- getting to Minnetonka can be a lot faster from up here than anywhere in South Minneapolis as South tends to have a lot more traffic congestion.

[kcitti]

Taking the commute time to Minnetonka out of the equation, would you reccomend MPLS or St Paul areas for this type of urban living?

By the way Camden Northsider - thanks for the detailed response....glad I found this board!

[Slig]

The Minneapolis St. Paul debate is never-ending. For me it comes down to personal preference. I looked at neighborhoods in both cities but ultimately chose Minneapolis because it was a more convenient commute to work and school. If you want to look in St. Paul, the North End, East Side, Westside, Midway and West 7th areas are all in your price range. Coming from Minneapolis will be a slightly better commute than St. Paul.

You mentioned proximity to the light rail. I live blocks away from the Midtown/Lake St station and it was a huge reason why I bought there. I love not having to worry about parking and driving downtown, to the airport or the Mall of America. If you do decide to buy close to a light rail stop I recommend buying on the west side of Hiawatha Ave as you won't have to worry about crossing a busy highway to get to the station. This would have you looking for housing in East Phillips, Corcoran, Standish, Ericsson, and Minnehaha.

[kcitti]

Thanks also to you Slig.

You both have provided a ton to consider.

[Slig]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

One thing to note- another reason why I suggested Willard-Homewood and/or Camden n'hoods is that you would have easy access to Hwys 100/ 394 from here- getting to Minnetonka can be a lot faster from up here than anywhere in South Minneapolis as South tends to have a lot more traffic congestion.

This is a really good point. I like where I'm at in South Minneapolis because I can just hop on Cedar Ave and be at the U of M West Bank in a few minutes and I can go south on Cedar Ave or Hiawatha and go against traffic and get to work in Eagan in about 15 minutes. However, if I was commuting to Minnetonka from where I am it would get a little ugly. I'd either take Cedar Ave south to 62 or take 94 to 394...both routes are pretty congested right now, especially with 62 under construction. The point of all of this is that the commute would undoubtedly be smoother from the Near North and Camden areas.