Rosemount/Hastings/Woodbury (Bloomington, Lakeville, Cottage Grove: houses, established neighborhood, buying)

[hweinhan]

I am interested in some feedback regarding the above listed cities. I live in Lakeville and I really love it. I work in Bloomington. I was married last year and my husband works in Cottage Grove. We moved into my house and need to get into somehting bigger. I came to the marriage with a child who is now 12 years old. We just welcomed another baby girl. My husband would like to be closer to Cottage Grove for many reasons. One because of his line of work and the ability to be closer to his family while working. Secondly, because a lot of our friends live in that area and we rarely host events because we are so far from everyone. I am trying to keep an open mind but I honestly know nothing about that area. Currently we are looking at building, also open to existing homes but not a ton on the market currently. I am interested in the Falmoor Glen (Lennar) neighborhood in Rosemount. Looks like they have another one called Bella Vista, havent looked much into it yet. I know it isnt that much closer to Cottage Grove but it is a bit. Perhaps we can compromise. Prices for building the same house are much lower compared to say Woodbury or Lakeville. Next, we also found some lots in Wyndham Hills in Hastings. Again, more desirable to me than say Woodbury because you get more view and more yard for your money. Therefore, if we moved to Woodbury or stayed in Lakeville we would have to find an existing home with a decent price, building is less desirable to me with the prices in those cities. Honestly, I know nothing about Hastings, Rosemount or Woodbury. Give me some feedback if you know the area. Our 12 year old is into soccer and does well in school. A bit of diversity is important to me. I grew up in a very small town and so zero diversity scares me a bit. She does play in band but isn't super into it. She has a wonderful group of kids in our neighborhood that she hangs out with. So do we stay or do we go is a big question. Give some input about these cities/schools to think about.

[hweinhan]

Nothing? Nobody has anything?

[unnativeelpasoan]

Originally Posted by hweinhan

Nothing? Nobody has anything?

Try posting this thread in the Mpls-St Paul forum. I think you will get some good responses there.

[HKB]

I live in Woodbury and work in Cottage Grove. The commute is fantastic. 15-20 minutes, and I can just take the back roads, so no highway driving is necessary.

If you're looking at building or a newer house, than yes... Woodbury will probably be more expensive than Hastings or Rosemount. We have great schools, excellent parks and an extensive trail system. It's also close to all the retail you will ever need.

If you're not caught up on buying new, there are a few older, established neighborhoods in Woodbury that are much more affordable. I live in one near Woodbury HS. It's an older neighborhood (built in the '60's and '70's), but in my opinion the houses are of much higher quality than the junk that they are building today. People in my neighborhood also tend to keep up their houses and property much better than a lot of the neighborhoods that were built in the 1990's-early 2000's.

[hweinhan]

Thanks!

I will repost in Mpls/St Paul.

[Froggie Legs]

My sister and her family live in Woodbury, and love it. I think it's expensive, but I grew up in Cottage Grove and it was always more upscale in housing and amenities. I've lived in Hastings before too, but that was 16 years ago, so can't really say what it is like, except it has a lot of natural and historical beauty, especially with the river there.

If you want to know about Woodbury neighborhoods, you can message me, and I can answer more queries, as I visit them often. I also have a good friend living in Cottage Grove still.

Having Trader Joe's in Woodbury is definitely a plus (just saying <g>)!