Pick the best town . . . . (Brooklyn Park, St. Louis Park: real estate, house, neighborhoods)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Slig

Google maps suggests taking 77 N to 62 W to 35W N. During rush hour that route would be AWFUL. If it's not during rush hour it wouldn't be bad.

And we all know that Google is all knowing. There are many other options to get to the U of M other then this route and quite honestly, having driven that route in rush hour many, many times, it isn't that bad.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

And we all know that Google is all knowing. There are many other options to get to the U of M other then this route and quite honestly, having driven that route in rush hour many, many times, it isn't that bad.

It's a subjective statement, if you enjoy making that commute than knock yourself out. I value my time too much to bother.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think someone coming from Des Moines might think a commute from Apple Valley or Eden Prairie to the U is pretty bad. Presumably he'll be going at rush hour, so wouldn't it be something like at LEAST 45 minutes in good weather? He could knock a little time off by catching a commuter bus (especially since he'd have to factor in time to park if he were to drive). No, we're not talking hours here, but long enough that it would discourage me, at least, especially since there are so many good options that are so close.

[Globe199]

Everytime we get a major snowstorm (or hell, even two flakes of snow), it reaffirms my decision to buy in Roseville. The compromise between convenience and quality is hard to beat. Edina is almost undoubtedly better in terms of houses, but the price is outrageous for what you get. Eden Prairie is nice, but too far (and too much "deep suburbia" for me).

[MN55]

Originally Posted by CamdenNorthsider

Blue collar suburban sprawl, outside of areas on the lake generally pretty ugly in appearance with shoddy housing stock, long and crappy commute (in other words, like a lot of outer suburbs in the area).

I've lived in White Bear recently, although for a very short time (about 9 months) so I have some knowledge of the area:

Blue Collar- Definitely. This is why I liked it. You don't have many of the stuck-ups that you have in Woodbury and Eden Praire. There is a really good, down-to-earth sense in the community with a really good "small-town" feel. Probably the most community pride I have seen from a suburb in the Cities. Some money along the lakes, but overall pretty average Americans that work hard live in White Bear. Also it's a very "outdoorsy" town as many residents hunt and fish.

Suburban Sprawl: What suburb, except for a select few, isn't?

Ugly In Appearance: There may not be too many half-million dollar homes (except obviously on the lakes) but at least its better than the cookie-cutter, sub-division, 1990's McMansions that you find in most suburbs. Outside of the Hwy 61 auto-strip (which is terrible aesthetically), I would hardly call it ugly. The areas around White Bear Lake, Birch Lake, Otter Lake, and Bald Eagle Lake are very nice looking. The Southside (south of Goose Lake) is less appealing than the Northside.

Shoddy Housing Stock: Don't know where you pulled up this one. It's no worse than the housing stock in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and any other suburbs built in the same years. Obviously some houses are better kept up than others so you'd have to look at this by a case by case basis.

Long and Crappy Commute: To get to the U, it's better than Hastings, Eden Praire, and Apple Valley; all of which have been mentioned.

All in all, I think the OP should still seriosuly consider it. The best neighborhoods to look at are the downtown neighborhood (between Hwy 61 and White Bear Lake) and anything within walking distance of Bald Eagle Lake and Birch Lake. The area along the southshore of White Bear Lake is also very nice as is Birchwood Village which is a tiny seperate municipality along the southshore of White Bear Lake. The White Bear Beach neighborhood just north of the lake is decent, too. All areas in town are safe, although I would try to avoid the areas around the appartments on both sides of Hwy 61 along Cedar Avenue and anything near the Birch Lake Ave/Bald Eagle Ave Intersection.

If I had to move out of St. Paul, White Bear would be the first and only place I would go to. It's a great town.

BTW: You know you're in White bear if you begin to see a little polar bear statue in every other front yard.

[MotownLowdown]

Hi--

I grew up in White Bear Lake, though I don't think I was the WBL regular that used to frequent this board.

It is a nice suburb, and has some character and a lot of community pride. It has a mix of home types, and people with differing backgrounds. I agree, it is not as snooty as some of the newer, faster-growing burbs can be.

I lived on the south side of White Bear, south of Goose Lake. I wouldn't necessarily call it less appealing. The housing stock is mostly rambler/ranch homes. It is the older part of town, but most of the homes have been kept up nicely. The north side-- north of Hwy. 96 is newer and has grown a lot in the past 20 years.

Downtown WBL has improved a lot. It used to be kind of run down. But, they have improved it quite a bit and has kind of cute character to it now. The homes in that area can be quite expensive.
The actual lake (White Bear Lake) is kind of the focal point for the town. Lots of opportunities to boat, swim. It is a very outdoorsy place.

Schools are good. I thought I got a decent education in White Bear schools. Hockey is a huge deal there. The high school is split between 2 campuses. 9-10 goes to North Campus, 11-12 goes to South Campus. There are pluses and minuses, but I thought it worked rather well.

If you are looking for an easy commute, that might be tough. Best route is probably 694/35E to Highway 36 to 280 to the University exit. Rush hour could take 45 minutes.

[MN55]

Yea, I'd say the commute is about 20 w/o traffic and 45 minutes with.

Actually the Northside is older than the Southside, it's just that the Southside filled up around thirty years ago and now new development is popping up around the periphery of the Old Northside, especially along Hwy 61 and up near Otter Lake.

BTW hockey is a HUGE deal in White Bear, although it must be depressing to be a Bears fan right now, having lost to Hill-Murray the last twelve times (gonna be 13 in two weeks, Go Pioneers!) Everyone who lives in White Bear LOVES White Bear, and anyone who doesn't kind of hates the town becasue the hockey fans can be, well, less than polite.

Originally Posted by CamdenNorthsider

Yeah, admittedly most of my experience has actually been car-shopping there, and test-driving there, and finding places to eat by the lake while car-shopping, so my experience and judgment are skewed and limited.

Really, most people have only seen the areas along Hwy 61 and Hwy 96 which really doesn't do the town justice. The Car dealerships may be ugly, but they are vital to the town's economy. If there's some kind of big even going on in WBL, it's a safe bet it's sponsered by one of the dealerships.

[MotownLowdown]

[quote=MN55;12981676]

BTW hockey is a HUGE deal in White Bear, although it must be depressing to be a Bears fan right now, having lost to Hill-Murray the last twelve times (gonna be 13 in two weeks, Go Pioneers!) Everyone who lives in White Bear LOVES White Bear, and anyone who doesn't kind of hates the town becasue the hockey fans can be, well, less than polite.


Now those are fighting words! Hill-Murray can eat it. Bunch of snobby private school jerks...

OK-- now that I've proved the point about WBL hockey fans... I would agree about the car dealerships. EVERYONE knows Tousley Ford.

[MN55]

I found this link of a good previous topic on White Bear:
White Bear Lake: what's it like?

Anyways, here's some pics I dug up:

Downtown:

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs163.snc3/19074_247707183493_247344178493_3416371_7418519_n. jpg (broken link)

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs163.snc3/19074_247707163493_247344178493_3416370_83652_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs196.snc1/6615_105634592583_88214782583_2243641_3465278_n.jp g (broken link)

Downtown During Marketfest (Every Thursday during the Summer):

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_101366652583_88214782583_2176398_2928908_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs125.snc1/5375_101366637583_88214782583_2176395_6056449_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs125.snc1/5375_101366812583_88214782583_2176427_3848676_n.jp g (broken link)

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs193.snc1/6495_109386162583_88214782583_2292214_1564136_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs125.snc1/5375_98164807583_88214782583_2124096_2609117_n.jpg (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs176.snc1/6615_105634497583_88214782583_2243626_4631878_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs176.snc1/6615_105634487583_88214782583_2243624_5569624_n.jp g (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs196.snc1/6615_105634712583_88214782583_2243657_3102778_n.jp g (broken link)

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs115.snc1/4844_93455942583_88214782583_2049805_4505930_n.jpg (broken link)

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs145.snc1/5375_102750762583_88214782583_2194539_4384026_n.jp g (broken link)

A High School Hockey Game:

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs079.snc3/14669_204748698715_659428715_3133765_7308723_n.jpg (broken link)

[nrogers1122]

I think Hastngs seems to be about the farthest away that I would consider, although still within the bubble. My commute now ranges from 20 minutes in the summer to 1 hour 30 mins in the winter (although usually around 45 minutes on an average winter day).

WBL seems to be intriguing. It seems a lot like Waukee. I don't want to sound short-sided, but in many areas of Des Moines the crime seems to follow the blue collar neighborhoods. It seems this isn't the case in TC, though. This is encouraging. The pictures are great! Reminds me a lot like the MN version f Waukee! I'm not really too concerned about living near a bunch of car dealerships so long as its safe from crime and there is an appropriate place for my kid to play (i.e. not in a salvage yard, busy 4 lane road, or other attractive nuissance/blight). I'm keeping in mind that the average income for the private-sector UMN Law Grad is pretty high, and after a few years post-law school I'll probably renovate and move out to bigger accomodations as we have more kids. As far as the hockey thing goes, I've never actually watched a game. Not really sure all of the rules. In Iowa, its just not that big of a deal like Baseball, Basketball, or Football. Comparative to IA, EVERYWHERE in MN seems to be big on hockey. I wouldn't mind getting into it, though. Seems like a good time.

Two new phoenomenons that are odd though, and maybe someone could shed some light. . .

In St. Anthony last week there were over a dozen seemingly good homes for sale. Now, there are hardly any. I'm sure that Re-Max could have been undergoing website updating, but its almost as if the listings just disappeared en-masse. Did something happen to spike demand all of a sudden?

In Brooklyn Park there seem to be a HUGE amount of listings that are apparently really high quality for the 120k price range. This seems odd. I have read earlier on this thread that Brooklyn Park is a nice area that has seen rapid decline. The question is 2 fold - 1) Why would economic slowdown affect one isolated pocket area more than the region as a whole. 2) What is wrong with Brooklyn Park that is making it experience a mass exodus driving down home values?