Potential Neighborhoods to Avoid (Minneapolis, Bloomington: apartment, lease, condo)

[kcitti]

...in Minneapolis....beisdes Near North and Phillips.

[uptown_urbanist]

Avoid for what? Buying? Renting? Visiting?

It's going to be pretty subjective, and to some extent is also going to depend on the context. People have different needs or wants, too, so there's going to be a difference between a 25-year-old single guy with no kids who wants to buy a place and a family who wants to live somewhere quiet and be surrounded by people with kids, just to use two examples.

[Slig]

I've mentioned in other posts that I commonly walk with my wife and dog in the Phillips neighborhood (it's actually one of my favorite places to walk). Also, my dentist is there, the Midtown Global Market is there, a great dollar store on Franklin, lots of cool restaurants like Maria's cafe and the Nepalese restaurant on Franklin, Little Cesars, Piñeda Tacos on Lake, etc. The greatest bike path in the metro area runs through it (Midtown Greenway). Let it be heard, We DON'T avoid Phillips. I've also mentioned that I would consider living there, I'd just be a little cautious about finding a quieter better maintained block with some other owner occupied homes. For instance, my life would probably be alot more interesting, but I'd probably pass on buying a house next to the Super America on Bloomington and 25th. The same goes for the Cedar Food and Grill on Cedar Ave and 26th St.

From my experiences you have to kind of pick and choose when you're looking in the modest neighborhoods. In my neighborhood unless I got a really good deal I probably wouldn't buy a house directly across the street from South High School for instance. I have neighbors who do and they're constantly picking up litter on their sidewalk (although people a block away don't seem to be affected by it). I also wouldn't buy a single family home on a busy road like Cedar Ave. A condo or quad-plex would be a different story of course, I find those more attractive when they're on busy streets because they're usually closer to bus stops/light rail stations and local businesses, which makes them more convenient. Again, these are my personal preferences, it should all come down to what you're looking for and what you want to be close to and far away from.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Slig

I've mentioned in other posts that I commonly walk with my wife and dog in the Phillips neighborhood (it's actually one of my favorite places to walk). Also, my dentist is there, the Midtown Global Market is there, a great dollar store on Franklin, lots of cool restaurants like Maria's cafe and the Nepalese restaurant on Franklin, Little Cesars, Piñeda Tacos on Lake, etc. We DON'T avoid Phillips. I've also mentioned that I would consider living there, I'd just be a little cautious about finding a quieter better maintained block with some other owner occupied homes.

Slig's comments about Phillips could be virtually interchangeable with my own thoughts on the Near North area of Minneapolis- and there are some areas of Near North that I encourage people to take a close look at when seeking to buy (or rent) a home in the area or on the northside.

kcitti- I've appreciated your inquiries, but really at some point there's only so much help/insights you are going to be able to get from this board before realizing that you just need to visit areas and make a decision on what's best for you and your family and your comfort zone. Everyone's opinions are subjective to their own experience, and what someone hears about an area prior to visiting it can totally skew their perception of it (for the better or worse) when they actually do get there. This is especially true of Minneapolis where the housing stock in many neighborhood areas can be virtually indistinguishable from a neighborhood on the complete opposite side of town (or many sides of town), albeit some areas tend to be more well-maintained and/or have more or less crime than the average for the city (and you can find all crime stats online). What's left comes down to neighborhood demographics, % owners vs. renters, density, proximity to amenities (parks, trails, etc.), amount of businesses/walkability of a neighborhood, price, and/or schools. Your question would be more helpful if you say what areas you are targeting and what characteristics you are seeking/desiring in a neighborhood area which I think you've done on several ocassions already- if you've changed your mind and/or are seriously considering a neighborhood that wasn't talked about much already, I would encourage you to be more specific and state exactly that.

[kcitti]

I understand, however the predicament i'm in is that I won't be able to visit again prior to making a move. I am trying to secure an apartment without really having time to "drive/walk around" and see what the neighborhood is like.

Because of this, I am making generalizations in saying to avoid NN and Phillips...not because I am ruling them out in the future, but because my situation does not allow me to explore in enough depth to determine if i'd be happy there.

Basically, I see addresses on craigslist, I google map them, and then if I'm not familiar with the area at all from this board, rule them out. I'm just wondering if I am eliminating options automatically because of this.

[Slig]

There are actually several fancy brand new condo/apartment buildings in Phillips that are more impressive than many buildings in Uptown and some of the other "nicer" areas. Generalizations are only going to inhibit your search and potentially prevent you from getting the best place possible given all of your search criteria, requirements and preferences.

[Camden Northsider]

My advice would be to use the "Search this Forum" tool here on city data and enter the neighborhood's name - I'm not sure how many neighborhoods have never been talked about, but I would assume it's not too many. Also, when you google something, I believe the neighborhood names are all listed on there now, but if you're unsure or need more of a reference point you could check out the city's maps here: Standard Maps. Other options: use this thread (vs creating another) to ask about specific n'hoods as you are looking at them, and/or use your knowledge of which areas us 'regulars' are most famliar with and Direct Message one of us with a question- I'm sure most people would be happy to respond.

Other things that may be helpful: Google the neighborhood (or area) name and look at the results that come up, and/or Google Images search it as this can be helpful. Also, community newspapers can be a great source of information, and to my knowledge, just about every quadrant of the city has a community newspaper where you can possibly learn more about an area and its activities/ level of community engagement. Also, the vast majority of neighborhoods in Minneapolis have neighborhood associations that are staffed- call the local association for whichever neighborhood you are looking at and ask more questions about the neighborhood and living there- they'll likely be happy to help you out and, although might lean towards promoting the neighborhood, likely also don't want to provide falsehoods that would cause someone to move there when it might not be a good fit. Cross-reference the above with the responses you are getting here and I think you will be fine.

Luckily, you really don't have to worry much about most areas of Minneapolis- although it's not without problems/ issues, overall there is a pretty high quality of life and standard of living here comparative to other urban cities/ metropolitan areas of this size.

[nick is rulz]

Phillips isnt bad anymore, but I would probably avoid most of Bloomington Ave. I wouldnt buy or live in Jordan, Hawthorne, Willard-Hay north of Plymouth, and most blocks around Lowry Ave.

[shizzy]

I moved out of Phillips about 3-4 years ago. since the Midtown market and all the improvements on Lake stree has anyone noticed an improvement of the surrounding areas? I know that many times when yo umake an area look better, the bad element tends to find someplace else to cause trouble.

with that being said, I agree with the good and bad blocks. HOWEVER, someone new to the area might not want to put themselves in to a situation

[DinerCoffee]

Huh. I have been spending a lot of time in Phillips without realizing that it was Phillips.

It's not that bad.

However, since you have to pick your apartment from another state, I'd say just pick from a neighborhood that you're able to get a lot of positive info about and cross your fingers. Maybe see if you can get a 6 month lease or rent from somebody who is renting out a room in their house and will agree to have a tenant for less than a year. This way you'll have a chance to form your own impressions about the city before committing yourself to an apartment for the long term.