Moving to MNPLS/ST Paul....working in Minnetonka (Minneapolis, Jordan: 2009, crime)

[kcitti]

What is near north like? A lot of nicer homes in my price range there

[Slig]

Originally Posted by kcitti

What is near north like? A lot of nicer homes in my price range there

I have spent very little time and have no experience living there but I can tell you that statistically the Near North neighborhoods (Near-North, Jordan, Willard-Hay and Hawthorne) have the city's highest crime levels in pretty much every category as well as have the highest number of vacant and condemned properties of any part of the city. Whether or not these figures affect the quality of life there I obviously can't say. Beyond that you will find by far the cheapest real estate in the city and entire metro area there. The reputation of the area has caused home prices there to be extremely low, which definitely could be used to the advantage of a potential homebuyer with shallow pockets.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/insp...h249online.pdf

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/poli...me-statistics/

[kcitti]

ok then...guess i'll avoid that area

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Slig

...I can tell you that statistically the Near North neighborhoods (Near-North, Jordan, Willard-Hay and Hawthorne) have the city's highest crime levels in pretty much every category

I don't necessarily agree with that- there are several categories where Phillips is either right up there with Jordan/ Hawthorne (or Willard-Hay) or exceeds them in crime levels.

And keep in mind that there have been huge decreases in crime consecutively for a number of years now in North, and compared to where you might be coming from, Near North might be less worrisome than what you're used to- there's been what, 4 murders total in Minneapolis this year, 2 of which were on the northside, correct?

Also, there are some very nice pockets, as I've mentioned, in the Willard-Homewood ('officially' called "willard-hay") neighborhood, actually not pockets but rather entire stretches of this neighborhood. Also, Jordan and Hawthorne don't possess anything that makes me think there is a big livability difference between them and the Phillips neighborhood.

Furthermore, the Near North neighborhood itself (not the area, but the specific neighborhood) is filled with beautiful old Victorian homes in what is informally referred to as the Old Highland neighborhood- there are a number of rehabbers and professional singles/ families living in this neighborhood (in fact both a state senator and a US Rep lives in this area)- anytime I've visited homes in this area it's been a good vibe (this is also the area where my company is based where I've gone without incident for a number of years).

And Slig failed to mention both the Harrison neighborhood, which has less crime than many of the surrounding neighborhoods (except Bryn Mawr) and similarly is well on its way towards revitalization, not to mention Heritage Park- a neighborhood comprised of either luxury condominiums (IMS lofts) with $1M penthouses, or brand new mixed-use developments full of very nice apt buildings, midscale condos and SFHs (SFHs generally list around $200K on average from what I've seen)- very close by the new Twins stadium as well.

In terms of walkability it's not too great in Near North depending on what you are looking at. West Broadway is a major commercial corridor but it is in the somewhat initial (although a lot of progress has been made) stages of redevelopment/ revitalization- there's not really any sit-down restaurants on the strip (rumor has it this may be coming soon however), not a lot of entertainment options (although there are some great events throughout the year at the Capri Theatre), but there are some good Chinese and Chicken/Fish options on the strip, a nice coffee shop, and a cool cookie factory...outside of this, many of the businesses are nonprofits and human service providers, and then there are other businesses that are somewhat lacking in quality. It is one of the more unique/ colorful areas of Minneapolis, and depending on your perspective there is a great urban energy/ vibe to be found there as well. Also, if you want to be able to get to a bus stop and hop on a bus that will get you downtown in 5-10 minutes, then Near North is great- very close downtown proximity.

But it wouldn't be the first place that came to mind in your desire for urban walkability in a young, hip, very liberal neighborhood.

[uptown_urbanist]

I've heard very good things about Old Highland. It might not be urban enough for what you want (many areas of Minneapolis are "urban," of course, but still don't have a bustling local commercial core - it's more like small commercial nodes here and there) but my contacts in the real estate business say that Old Highland's housing stock tends to be of high quality, and I know that there are other professional people/couples/families buying in the area now. If you're looking for cheap with potential, somewhere north might be a good option to at least consider. Still, for bustling city urban, I think somewhere along Lake Street is one of your best options.

[kcitti]

I doubt that anywhere in Minneapolis is even close to the crime here in Cincinnati.

Uptown- "Somewhere along Lake Street" put me in what neighborhood?

[kcitti]

I really like the "granola" vibe i'm getting from my research of the Seward area. I'm interested in neighborhoods like that.

[Slig]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

I don't necessarily agree with that- there are several categories where Phillips is either right up there with Jordan/ Hawthorne (or Willard-Hay) or exceeds them in crime levels.

It depends on what numbers you're looking at. If you do a direct comparison of crimes/pop data with the entire Phillips community and individual Near-North neighborhoods I'm pretty sure Phillips is lower than Near-North, Hawthorne, Jordan and Willard-Hay. Harrison definitely has lower crime than Phillips though.

And Slig failed to mention both the Harrison neighborhood, which has less crime than many of the surrounding neighborhoods (except Bryn Mawr) and similarly is well on its way towards revitalization, not to mention Heritage Park- a neighborhood comprised of either luxury condominiums (IMS lofts) with $1M penthouses, or brand new mixed-use developments full of very nice apt buildings, midscale condos and SFHs (SFHs generally list around $200K on average from what I've seen)- very close by the new Twins stadium as well.

I forgot about Harrison. That would be the one Near-North neighborhood I'd consider due to affordability and proximity to downtown and parks Bryn Mawr Meadow,
Basset Creek Park and Theodore Wirth Park.

Originally Posted by kcitti

I doubt that anywhere in Minneapolis is even close to the crime here in Cincinnati.

Uptown- "Somewhere along Lake Street" put me in what neighborhood?

Bookmark this map:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/abou...ghborhoods.pdf

Uptown along Lake St would include the neighborhoods East Isles, ECCO, Carag and I'd also throw in Whittier and Lyndale. The problem would be finding a single family home there in your range...you may be able to pull it off in Whittier and Lyndale but you'd probably be looking at a fixer-upper.

Originally Posted by kcitti

I really like the "granola" vibe i'm getting from my research of the Seward area. I'm interested in neighborhoods like that.

The Seward area is right in the middle of everything geographically although it is also very isolated as it is seperated by Cedar Riverside/Downtown by 94, seperated by the University of Minnesota by the Mississippi river and seperated by Phillips by Hiawatha Ave. The Longfellow community is a solid and affordable part of the city though, although I think you'd be able to also find more house for your money on the other side of Hiawatha in East Phillips, Corcoran and Standish and that way you'd be on the light rail side of the highway which would improve ease of access to a nearby light rail station.

[kcitti]

So the highway literally makes it so you cant walk to the LRT from that side?

[Haver]

Not Nokomis or Longfellow. That's my commute, and taking Hiawatha in is a nightmare because of the light rail. The commute to work in the morning isn't so bad - half an hour - but the run home can be an hour in stop and go traffic along 394 and Hiawatha. Eastbound 394 narrows down to one lane of traffic because of the viaduct and 94 merging in. However, you can turn it into a pretty scenic drive home: pick up west river road and then Minnehaha parkway from downtown, or Wirth parkway winding around Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun and Linden Hills, picking up Minnehaha Parkway from the other side.