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Old 05-02-2010, 10:01 PM
 
6 posts, read 13,540 times
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Hello Minneapolitans and St. Paulians,

I am a 27-year-old woman from South Dakota, and I just moved to the Twin Cities this past week. I'm staying in the suburbs temporarily, but I want to get up to the Cities soon. I did a search for some topics to make sure they hadn't been covered, so sorry if they have been, but here are a few things I'd really appreciate some input on:

1) I'm looking for a dog-friendly, one-bedroom apartment for around $650 a month (not much more than that, preferably) in a relatively quiet, and safe neighborhood with off-street parking and (wish list here) hardwood floors on an upper level. I like what I've read about the ECCO/CARAG areas in Minneapolis...any specific places you could recommend that come close to this description

2) For women, is Uptown as safe as/safer than St. Paul?

Thank you!
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Old 05-02-2010, 10:59 PM
 
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What area of St Paul are you talking about?

And if you're looking to get a 1BR in Uptown (especially with having to pay for a dog) $650 isn't enough. That might get you a cheap studio.
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Old 05-02-2010, 11:46 PM
 
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I think my brother is paying $695 now for a one BR in ECCO with wood floors. I don't think his building takes dogs, though. I agree that you'll most likely have to either go up on rent or settle for a studio. The good news is that (assuming you can find a dog-friendly building -- not sure how easy that will be) there are some pretty spacious studios in many of the older Uptown buildings; some have alcoves or large closets that can work to hide your bed.

ECCO and CARAG are safe -- far safer than some St. Paul neighborhoods, and maybe less safe than some. ECCO is generally a little quieter and safer than CARAG, but also usually more expensive (closer to the lake). Both are nice, though.

If you want safe and quiet and don't mind being a little farther (but not too far) from the center of the Uptown action you could check out the buildings heading south into the East Harriet neighborhood; some are pretty expensive, but there are some deals to be found. Similarly, heading towards Excelsior and St. Louis Park might bring you some expanded options.

As far as parking goes, most of the blocks in CARAG and ECCO don't have parking issues (at least not nearly as bad as you find in the Wedge, which is the neighborhood just to the north of CARAG); there are a couple of blocks where it is tight, but in general you should be able to find parking very close to your place. If you find a building you like in your price range that takes pets you might want to reconsider putting up with street parking. If it's a quieter block (as many, although not all, of them are) you could be fairly confident of almost always getting a spot very close to your front door (if that's the concern), and not having to worry about finding a spot on those days when there are winter plowing restrictions in place.
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Old 05-03-2010, 07:18 AM
 
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gweilo845: Thanks for the input about the Uptown apartment prices--it helps to have a starting estimate to work with.As far as St. Paul, I've driven down Grand Ave. and around the St. Thomas/St. Kate's area and it seems pretty livable, but a little "college-y" for me--a place with a super young population wouldn't be my first choice, but I still want to be near where things are going on but able to walk to my car at night feeling relatively safe.

uptown-urbanist: Thanks for all your detailed input...I will definitely expand my search to Excelsior/St. Louis Park and East Harriet. I would definitely consider a larger studio. It's also good to know that ECCO is slightly safer than CARAG. Coming from South Dakota, I know I'm going to have to adjust a little, but since I'll be living alone, any local input I can get about safety is greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-03-2010, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
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Hey fellow South Dakotan! It should be fairly easy to find a one bedroom (or at least a studio) for $650 or less in the cities. I know of studios that are renting for $500. Have you considered getting a roommate? You get twice as much home for less money in rent too. I also know of some 2 bedrooms that are going for less than $1000. Most of them are near the river or along Grand Avenue and Summit Avenue in Saint Paul.

Currently I live in Saint Paul on Marshall Avenue and River Blvd. and I never have any trouble with safety, crime, or parking my car anywhere that I feel unsure about. I'm also very close to Minneapolis (in fact, cross the river and you're there).

So whereabouts in South Dakota are you from? I grew up in Rapid City.
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Old 05-03-2010, 08:48 AM
 
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DannyBanany--I'm from Rapid too! Crazy...do you find the Cities a huge culture shock, or fairly easy to adjust to?

Thanks for the suggestions! I don't think I want a roommate if I can avoid it, but I would like to get a small dog...but studios going for around $500 sounds great, if I can find them.
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Old 05-03-2010, 09:02 AM
 
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Just to clarify: by saying ECCO was slightly safer than CARAG I didn't mean to imply that CARAG isn't safe (it is), so don't write off CARAG for safety reasons alone. You're also far more likely to find a place in CARAG than you are in ECCO, since ECCO is right next to the lake (i.e. can charge more), has fewer apartments (some very nice condo buildings, but some don't allow owners to rent and/or are going to charge more than $650/month).

I would agree that you can probably get more for your money in St. Paul, if that's somewhere you're considering. Somewhere near Grand sounds like it would be a very good fit -- safe, quieter, still within close proximity to restaurants and shops, etc., and from what my friends have paid in rent, anyway, it seems like rents are generally cheaper over there than in Uptown.
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Old 05-04-2010, 05:16 PM
 
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
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I visited larger cities so much when I was growing up that when I moved up here, the Twin Cities really weren't much of a shock to me. They took a lot of getting used to, and there were negatives along with the positives, but all in all it was a good choice and there is so much more opportunity here compared to Rapid City. The only things I miss are no traffic, the beautiful Black Hills, and my mom's cooking!

Places in Uptown tend to be more expensive, but as a trade you get to walk just about everywhere. I live near Grand Avenue and it's cheaper than Uptown and also very walkable.

I know of a couple nice studios near Grand Avenue that run for $600 and less so DM me if you'd like to know more!
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Old 05-05-2010, 05:08 PM
 
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uptown-urbanist: I appreciate the clarification about CARAG, and the plug for an area near Grand...St. Paul just seems so far from the action...but that could be my inexperience with the area. You can't have it all, I guess.

DannyBanany: Yes, definitely more opportunities here...the Black Hills are a great place to grow up/retire, but in between then...yeah. Best to go elsewhere.

I will DM you about those places.
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