Young Couple Potentially Moving to MN (Minneapolis, St. Paul: lofts, house, buy)

[grace1202]

politikally - Did you leave Eagan and Apple Valley off the "best schools" list because the towns are larger and wouldn't fit the overall criteria? I'm just curious as we'll be moving to the Eagan/Apple Valley/Rosemount area within the next 1 1/2 years. Thanks for the great info!

[politikally]

Originally Posted by TheLastMove

politikally - Did you leave Eagan and Apple Valley off the "best schools" list because the towns are larger and wouldn't fit the overall criteria? I'm just curious as we'll be moving to the Eagan/Apple Valley/Rosemount area within the next 1 1/2 years. Thanks for the great info!

No not purposefully ISD 196 is a great district that includes Apple Valley, Eagan, Rosemount and portions of Burnsville. Apple Valley is close in size to Burnsville (60k) - Rosemount is much smaller. Eagan on the other hand is the biggest of them all.

I think you picked a good area though. Be prepared for some horrendus housing prices though!

[grace1202]

Thanks for your feedback. We've been watching real estate in that area for about 6 months so some of the shock has worn off - but not completely. What makes housing so expensive in the Twin Cities metro area?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by TheLastMove

Thanks for your feedback. We've been watching real estate in that area for about 6 months so some of the shock has worn off - but not completely. What makes housing so expensive in the Twin Cities metro area?

I may be a good 1,200 miles or so away here on the East Coast, but I'll chime in with this one. I've often toyed with the idea of moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul after college graduation, as I hear that the population is very literate, well-cultured, and most importantly, open-minded towards alternative lifestyles. Comparing this to my current area of Scranton, PA, where the population is vastly illiterate, undercultured, and racist/homophobic, the Twin Cities sounds like an idyllic paradise to me! The housing stock is likely so expensive in the Twin Cities because the secret is out---Minnesota, to many people, has the reputation of being the best, cleanest, most beautiful state in the MidWest! Nothing sounds better to me than being able to cross-country ski to work from my home in western St. Paul to Downtown Minneapolis! If you cultivate a desirable place to live, your housing prices will rise accordingly with the accompanying rise in demand for housing from people who are "wooed" into the area by the positive images they have.

Unfortunately, I'll probably be staying here in Scranton for the rest of my life. I'm not thrilled that the locals overall are such white-trash rednecks, but this area just feels like "home" to me, and I love being just two hours from Manhattan and Philadelphia for arts, culture, fashion, and gay-friendly nightlife. I also enjoy the low cost-of-living we have here, and our beautiful scenery. I'm sure I could be just as happy living in Minnesota, but I'm a bit turned off by many portrayals of the Twin Cities as being basically a "never-ending sprawled-out mess!" I detest urban sprawl with a passion, and I wouldn't be happy living in an area where I'd have to look out my bedroom window at mile after mile of vinyl-sided McMansions, two-car garages, traffic congestion, Wal-Marts, and cul-de-sacs! BLECH!

Housing prices are so high just because people WANT to live in the area! A higher demand for housing pushes housing prices higher and higher and higher (until that real estate bubble finally bursts, as is starting to happen here in the Tri-State area around NYC).

[nemaroller]

Originally Posted by snowlandcook

Anytime between 7-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. traffic crawls at best.

Which coincidently is about the same time the car pool lane is active. Perhaps if they got rid of that restriction, that entire lane would be open and relieve congestion.

[wasthere]

I am new to this and am not sure what makes for good posting manners, but
I hope that I can be of some help in your search. You may want to consider the town of Hutchinson. I used to live there but have been transfered to another Minnesota town further west.

Hutchinson is roughly 65 miles west the the Mall of America. My wife and I traveled highway 7 on a regular basis all year long. The population is around 14,000. It is the home of Hutchinson Technologies Inc. and 3M. The school is great, the hospital is fantastic. The town is growing. A good number of people commute into the twin cities.

Moderator cut: advertising

As I mentioned, I have been transfered to a town 90 miles west of Hutchinson. cut This was our dream home for 17 years. We raised our family there. People have looked at it for a B & B.

Hutchinson is a great place to live! You should check it out even if you have your heart set on a house no older than 25 years. That is what I was looking for before I set foot in this house.

[oshwega]

Check some of the towns around Red Wing, MN (about 60 miles from Mlps?St. Paul). This may be at the very limit of the one hour range from St. Paul, but the area is nice.
And there is also the possibility of working/driving top Rochester, which is much less hassle than the Twin Cities.

[M TYPE X]

Is the traffic in Minneapolis any better or worse than that in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, or Indianapolis?

[politikally]

Originally Posted by M TYPE X

Is the traffic in Minneapolis any better or worse than that in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, or Indianapolis?

I only have experience with Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit.

I think traffic is MUCH better in Minneapolis than Chicago or Detroit. I would suspect it's better than Celveland as well. Couldn't guess on Indy.

As with anything else it's all where you live. Traffic is much worse on the west side of the twin cities than in the east, IMO.

[Yorkie_Mom]

I live in a town of about 1900, we are 100 miles away from the cities, 60 miles from Rochester, and just above the Iowa border. You can find a nice house it that price range here. We have a beautiful town that is growing.
If you want to check into it the town is Albert Lea, we also have very good schools, friendly people and it would be easy to fit in and find your way around town with no troubles. We are at the I90 and I35 crossroads, so it is easy to jump on the interstate and go where you want to go. You also have a choice in going down to Mason City Iowa where they also have a lot more shopping stores there. It is just another place you can check out.