good places for young adult near u of m? (apartments, rent)

[jamesvanbeek]

hey everyone!

there is a good chance i might be transferring to the u of m soon, and i had a few questions about where to look for a place to live.

i'm in my late-20s, so i'm looking for somewhere that would be good for a young adult to live -- near bars, restaurants, record stores, that kind of thing.

i grew up in the midwest and have been to the twin cities many times, so i'm aware of what the city is like in general and what to expect as far as weather and life there. however, i haven't been there in many years, so i don't really remember which neighborhoods fit what i'm looking for.

from searching through these forums, it seems marcy-holmes might be what i'm looking for? can anyone provide more specifics on that? i'd like to be somewhere within walking or at the least biking distance from the u, but also near the aforementioned amenities. i'm also a few years older than most college-age students, so i don't really want to be in the middle of frat-house orgy central, which if i remember correctly is pretty much all of dinkytown, correct? i have no problem with people being loud or drinking or any of that (i generally stay up pretty late, and i drink as well), i just don't want to be smack-dab in the middle of the drunken-mating jungle.

does marcy-holmes sound like the best bet here? any suggestions on specific cross-streets or anything? am i correct on dinkytown? i've only been there a couple of times.

are there cool apartments to be found? like old, dungeon-style brick buildings or converted nunneries, or anything like that would be awesome.

are there other areas i should look into? i'd really like to be close enough to walk or bike. thanks so much for any help you can provide! these forums have been amazingly helpful.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree that Marcy-Holmes would be a good fit, and that you probably want to avoid central Dinkytown. I lived in a fabulous old building, almost dungeon-style brick, but it was run by a slum-lord and I wouldn't recommend it. If you're looking at places in person before you rent (which I highly suggest) you could just walk around the neighborhood and see if there are signs out (or if no sign, call the management number if listed on the building). Marcy-Holmes has some really interesting old buildings, so you should be able to find something to your taste. It's a great neighborhood, and does sound like it's the perfect match for what you're looking for.

[msdelila]

Are there even "record stores" anymore? I thought that everyone had an ipod by now. lol

[Minnehahapolitan]

Marcy-Holmes is nice, but its a student ghetto. If you want a more diverse mix of people, but want an area where students are still common, try looking towards Cedar-Riverside and the West Bank. More bars, more bohemian, more rough around the edges, more urban.
Umm...there are tons of great record stores still around. If I'm going to have to pay $12 for an electronic copy of a CD off iTunes, I'm going to pay $15 and get the actual copy.