Moving to MNPLS/ST Paul....working in Minnetonka (Minneapolis, St. Paul: condo, loan)

[kcitti]

I'm considering a move to the twin cities, and have a strong job lead in Minnetonka.

My question is this, having never been to the area-

Where should I live? I like an urban environment and have little interest in the suburbs. That being said, I'd like a single family house with a small yard. I'm a YP so it's important for there to be "things to do" nearby.


How bad would a commute be from minneapolis to minnetonka? Would public transportation even be possible?

[MplsTodd]

The commute from Minneapolis to Minnetonka is not bad. It does depend on what part of Minnetonka: The area around Ridgedale Mall is a straight shot west of downtown along I-394. During non-rush hour this is about a 12 minute drive from the west edge of downtown, probably less than double that during rush hour (because you're essentially going against the traffic flow).
But there's also a lot of employment in southern Minnetonka in the Opus II corporate park. This would be further from the city, but also not a bad commute.

Regarding places to live for SF homes with a small yard, I'd suggest South Minneapolis (a wide range of neighborhoods depending on what you want to pay--the closer to the lakes, the more expensive). I'd also consider Hopkins, which is next to Minnetonka and was a town in its own right, with a small but decent main street. St. Louis Park is another community to consider.

There certainly is bus service available, but it depends what part of Minnetonka you'd be working in--its a fairly large suburb! There should be LRT available along the SW Corridor by 2015 (if everything happens per schedule).

[Slig]

Originally Posted by kcitti

I'm considering a move to the twin cities, and have a strong job lead in Minnetonka.

My question is this, having never been to the area-

Where should I live? I like an urban environment and have little interest in the suburbs. That being said, I'd like a single family house with a small yard. I'm a YP so it's important for there to be "things to do" nearby.


How bad would a commute be from minneapolis to minnetonka? Would public transportation even be possible?

You'd be going opposite of rush hour traffic so the commute wouldn't be that bad. I'm also a young professional with a job in a suburb (Eagan) and I like urban environments. I think you'd be making a great decision to buy a single family home in Minneapolis. It's been about a year since I bought my house in South Minneapolis and I love it here. You can buy the same house in the city now for about 10-15K less than a year ago and there is a ton of free money for you if you're a first time homeowner and buy in certain neighborhoods. My neighborhood is offering a 10k forgiveable loan...add that to the Obama gift and you're looking at 18k of free money just to buy a house! I'm kicking myself for not waiting a year....ah well.

[snowluver]

You are better off living and buying in Eden Prairie, right next to Minnetonka. The traffic is almost nil compared to driving into the city. All your major arteries experience slow drive times along with plenty of construction during warmer months. Stay west of Minneapolis as far as buying a house and there is plenty to do. Unless you love the city life and can afford a condo right in the heart of the city. Then you have the skywalk to get around and plenty of biking and other recreational areas to see and do.

[uptown_urbanist]

Anyone with "little interest in the suburbs" would be miserable in Eden Prairie.

I agree with either Minneapolis or Hopkins, probably going with Minneapolis even if it meant a bit more of a commute. The commute itself won't be bad going that direction.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by kcitti

I'm considering a move to the twin cities, and have a strong job lead in Minnetonka.

My question is this, having never been to the area-

Where should I live? I like an urban environment and have little interest in the suburbs. That being said, I'd like a single family house with a small yard. I'm a YP so it's important for there to be "things to do" nearby.


How bad would a commute be from minneapolis to minnetonka? Would public transportation even be possible?

Most people think of 394/ridgedale, but there are many jobs down towards 62/494 like Cargill.

62 is a mess at the moment, but not so bad from Penn Ave going west. I would say South or SouthWest Minneaolis would be a pretty good commute with southwest giving better access to 62. Better in the morning, more unpredictable in the evening. I lived close to 50th and France and used 62 to get in and out of Minnetonka for about 2 years. I would say SW and parts of south minneapolis are more suburban than some people expect in terms of things being very residential with retail in small clusters here and there along main routes. When you get into uptown/lynlakes it does get your classic urban feel.

394 route is not so bad, but getting on and off could be somewhat of a hassle. You could snake around cedar lake and grab it at Penn. You do want to avoid the 94 to 394 route. The area west of Hennepin is a little tricky, but worth the effort to figure out to avoid the 94 to 394 corridor.

[kcitti]

Im used to living in a medium sized city in the urban core and walking to work. If i take a job in Minnetonka, clearly this won't be possible. So I would like to get as much urban feel with as little commute as possible.

I'm not necessarily interested in a condo, i have one now, but it lacks the small yard I would like.

That being said - ideally I would like to find a SF home in a "urban" area with a small yard, or very close to downtown, for under $175. Is that possible in the TC?

[Slig]

Originally Posted by kcitti

Im used to living in a medium sized city in the urban core and walking to work. If i take a job in Minnetonka, clearly this won't be possible. So I would like to get as much urban feel with as little commute as possible.

I'm not necessarily interested in a condo, i have one now, but it lacks the small yard I would like.

That being said - ideally I would like to find a SF home in a "urban" area with a small yard, or very close to downtown, for under $175. Is that possible in the TC?

Absolutely, you'll have no problem finding a decent selection of houses in Minneapolis in that range in the following areas:

Powderhorn
Phillips
Camden
Near North
North East
Nokomis
Longfellow

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Slig

Absolutely, you'll have no problem finding a decent selection of houses in Minneapolis in that range in the following areas:

Powderhorn
Phillips
Camden
Near North
North East
Nokomis
Longfellow

agreed. The commute will be more than 10 or 15 minutes, and I don't see a way around that if the urban experiance is required.

[Slig]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

agreed. The commute will be more than 10 or 15 minutes, and I don't see a way around that if the urban experiance is required.

Also, if he wanted to live close I don't think he'd have too much luck finding a house in Minnetonka in that price range. The cheapest housing in the metro area is in Minneapolis and St. Paul proper.