Relocation help! (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington: salons, high crime, house)

[2blessed2stress]

In a nutshell ~ Minneapolis is not diverse. I must admit I am not familiar with St Paul at all. Yes, there are areas in Mpls 'burbs that may be more 'mixed' but Mpls is not a very diverse place at all. As a interracial couple, I doubt you'll face too many obstacles as Mpls is pretty big on interracial dating. However, as a Black woman, eesh. But then & again, it depends on the type of background that you are used to.

As for schools, there are still some very good districts, however, as a whole, Mpls is declining quickly in this area.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by 2blessed2stress

In a nutshell ~ Minneapolis is not diverse. I must admit I am not familiar with St Paul at all. Yes, there are areas in Mpls 'burbs that may be more 'mixed' but Mpls is not a very diverse place at all.

Mpls not diverse? It's 18% black, 8% Hispanic, 4% Asian and 3% American Indian. How is that not diverse? BTW, St. Paul is 12% black, 8% Hispanic and 10% Asian.

What do you consider diverse?

[Minnehahapolitan]

Mpls. is diverse in comparison to the remainder of the midwest. But as far as major US cities go, we tie Seattle for the whitest. Think of San Francisco, Boston, Miami, Chicago, et. cetera. Even Milwaukee has twice as many Blacks. I'm not saying that Mpls. isn't diverse, but there is a big difference. (Esp. for outsiders)

[2blessed2stress]

Uhmmm, no. Mpls is not diverse. LOL! Based on 2005 Census data (Hispanic is considered Hispanic, any race:

Mpls is 17% Black, 6%Asian, 11% Hispanic
St Paul is 13% Black, 14% Asian, 9% Hispanic

Chicago is 35% Black, 5% Asian, 29% Hispanic
Milwaukee is 40% Black, 4% Asian, 15% Hispanic
Kansas City is 30% Black, 3% Asian, 8% Hispanic

So as I said, Mpls is not very diverse. We're not as bad as say...Sioux Falls who is like 92% White but, I would never consider Mpls to be a diverse midwestern city

The original poster is a Black woman coming from Columbus which is 26% Black, and the entire state of MN is 4% black vs OH at 12% - then no, Mpls won't feel very "diverse" to her! I grew up in Chicago, moving to Mpls was culture shock...

[BeckyS]

There are many great neighborhoods in Saint Paul; the problem is affording the housing there! I live in the suburbs only because I can't afford what I deem to be a neighborhood "safe" for raising my family in the city.

Highland Park, Merriam Park, Como Park, Ramsey Hill, Mac-Groveland, St. Anthony - all very nice mostly diverse neighborhoods with active communities. IMO, the suburbs lack a sense of community and they are not very inclusive or friendly. You may be buddies with your neighbor right next door but you're less likely to know someone two blocks over.

Plus the education opportunities for your kids are so much better in the city. Only in Saint Paul and Minneapolis public schools can your daughter take IB classes from elementary all the way through high school. You also have Montessori options, year round school options, magnet programs with focuses on everything from art to math to aerospace, and truly diverse classmates and staff. Don't sacrifice your neighborhood desires based on the perception that city schools are worse - academically they aren't. Kids with involved parents will succeed no matter what school they attend.

disclaimer: I work for a public school system so I am biased but it is true that there are more opportunities in the public school and someone may wave about an overall test result that shows an urban school district performing lower than, say, Stillwater, but when you compare like socioeconomic groups side-by-side, the urban school almost always comes out ahead. It's easy to make progress when most all of your students speak English, have two parents, a stable place to live and food to eat. And education is far more than test scores.

[Minnehahapolitan]

/\ Nicely put Becky

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by 2blessed2stress

Uhmmm, no. Mpls is not diverse. LOL! Based on 2005 Census data (Hispanic is considered Hispanic, any race:

Mpls is 17% Black, 6%Asian, 11% Hispanic
St Paul is 13% Black, 14% Asian, 9% Hispanic

Chicago is 35% Black, 5% Asian, 29% Hispanic
Milwaukee is 40% Black, 4% Asian, 15% Hispanic
Kansas City is 30% Black, 3% Asian, 8% Hispanic

So as I said, Mpls is not very diverse. We're not as bad as say...Sioux Falls who is like 92% White but, I would never consider Mpls to be a diverse midwestern city

The original poster is a Black woman coming from Columbus which is 26% Black, and the entire state of MN is 4% black vs OH at 12% - then no, Mpls won't feel very "diverse" to her! I grew up in Chicago, moving to Mpls was culture shock...

Well how diverse does she need it? Is there some sort of threshhold a city must cross before it can be considered diverse? She said: "I'm educated, have lived in suburbs all my life, and want to find someplace where my husband and I can go to dinner or to the grocery store without being stared at, and where our daughter will be able to interact with people who look like her mommy as well as other racial and ethnic groups."

I can't speak for the suburbs because I live in the city, but here she and her husband wouldn't be "stared at", and her daughter would interact with lots of kids who looks like her mommy if she sends her to the same public schools my kids went to.

Honestly, I don't think she will find the Twin Cities to be full of local yokels who have never seen a non-white person!

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by BeckyS

There are many great neighborhoods in Saint Paul; the problem is affording the housing there! I live in the suburbs only because I can't afford what I deem to be a neighborhood "safe" for raising my family in the city.

Highland Park, Merriam Park, Como Park, Ramsey Hill, Mac-Groveland, St. Anthony - all very nice mostly diverse neighborhoods with active communities. IMO, the suburbs lack a sense of community and they are not very inclusive or friendly. You may be buddies with your neighbor right next door but you're less likely to know someone two blocks over.

Plus the education opportunities for your kids are so much better in the city. Only in Saint Paul and Minneapolis public schools can your daughter take IB classes from elementary all the way through high school. You also have Montessori options, year round school options, magnet programs with focuses on everything from art to math to aerospace, and truly diverse classmates and staff. Don't sacrifice your neighborhood desires based on the perception that city schools are worse - academically they aren't. Kids with involved parents will succeed no matter what school they attend.

disclaimer: I work for a public school system so I am biased but it is true that there are more opportunities in the public school and someone may wave about an overall test result that shows an urban school district performing lower than, say, Stillwater, but when you compare like socioeconomic groups side-by-side, the urban school almost always comes out ahead. It's easy to make progress when most all of your students speak English, have two parents, a stable place to live and food to eat. And education is far more than test scores.

Excellent post. Becky. We send both our kids to St Paul Public Schools, and they both did fine, thank you! You are so correct about the opportunities, the standardized test results mask so much in an urban district. My daughter, who took IB classes in HS, is attending a private, highly selective college from which she's been granted an $11,000 per year academic scholarship.

[hotbucki]

Originally Posted by 2blessed2stress

Uhmmm, no. Mpls is not diverse. LOL! Based on 2005 Census data (Hispanic is considered Hispanic, any race:

Mpls is 17% Black, 6%Asian, 11% Hispanic
St Paul is 13% Black, 14% Asian, 9% Hispanic


The original poster is a Black woman coming from Columbus which is 26% Black, and the entire state of MN is 4% black vs OH at 12% - then no, Mpls won't feel very "diverse" to her! I grew up in Chicago, moving to Mpls was culture shock...

Yes this was exactly my concern. I am used to living in a city where I see many African Americans. I read another thread on this website about Af. American professionals fleeing the Twin Cities because they cannot find resources that support their "lifestyles" (i.e., hair salons, nightclubs, churches, radio stations). I too am worried that I won't be able to find a hair salon that "does black hair", that I won't be able to continue attending an AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church, that I'll be the "only" when I go to the grocery store or to the gym (we belong to Lifetime Fitness here, glad to see there are many in the Twin Cities, not sure how diverse they'll be). When I say diversity, I think not only of skin color, but also of mindset. I want to expose my daughter to different races and nationalities, political viewpoints, foods, cultural customs, family compositions...I get that Mpls/SP has a decent immigrant population, and a tolerance for interracial relationships. But, on a day to day basis, I'm looking to find the best neighborhood to have a life, not just a home. I appreciate all of the posts I have read thusfar. I'm getting a clearer sense of the area, though I must say I'm still fearful of moving so far from home, friends and security.

[KITTYKATKAT]

I LIVE IN ROSEVILLE WHICH HAS EVERYTHING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AND IS ONLY 10-12 MINUTES FROM THE U. YOU WOULD NOT FEEL OUT OF PLACE. THE SCHOOLS ARE GREAT AND YOU HAVE A CHOICE FROM PRIVATE/ PUBLIC AND THE CHURCHES ARE PLENTY. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL LAKES TO CHOOSE FROM FOR SWIMMING/BOATING.Moderator cut: personal/off topic I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. ROSEVILLE, ARDEN HILLS,VADNAIS HEIGHTS, SHOREVIEW ARE ALL JUST NORTH OF THE CITY OF ST. PAUL.