Rochester or Eagan (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Apple Valley: estate, job, special needs)

[sirhc1]

I have read some information about Rochester and Eagan. In comparison, which area would be the more desirable to live?

Looking for more information on Rochester. Specifically, schools, community and the higher-end housing areas. Who are good builders in the Rochester area? What is the area like in general? Younger families? mostly doctors? is it a very transient area? What are the public and private schools like? I have researched the Rochester schools and am not seeing Blue Ribbon awards as in the Eagan school district. Where are the most upscale area in the Rochester and Minneapolis areas?

Would like the same information on Eagan (schools public and private, community, and housing). What is the commute like between Rochester and Eagan.

We have a young family and it is very important to us to live where the BEST schools are. Also, looking to live in higher-end housing market. What is the community makeup in these areas? We currently live in suburbs of Chicago area where there is a lot to do, good schools, short commutes, very family oriented area. How does MN compare? Thanks for any information you can provide.

[golfgal]

I think you will find that the schools in MN are probably even better then what you have in Chicago. I gather from your post that you are working in Rochester. The schools there are good. Yes, the 196 (Rosemount, Apple Valley, Eagan) schools top the state and are some of the best in the nation but Rochester isn't that far behind. There are a lot of schools to chose from in MN that are top notch.

Commuting from Eagan to Rochester, it will be an hour commute each way. It isn't worth it just to go to the Eagan Schools. If you want to be in the 196 schools, look a bit further south in Rosemount or Apple Valley, shaving off about 20 minutes of your commute. My boss's husband commutes from Cobblestone in Apple Valley to Rochester and it is a 40 minute drive one way. Cobblestone is on the far south side of Apple Valley bordering Rosemount (Diamond Path and 160th street if you are looking on a map). It is a pretty upscale neighborhood.

Rochester is a very professional town. IBM is also headquartered there so combined with the Mayo system you are in good shape. I know that there are a few people here that can give you more insight to the actual schools in Rochester but overall they are good schools. It is a good community with a lot to do.

[sirhc1]

Thanks. I can see that Eagan has blue ribbon award winning schools from their websites. I don't see that for Rochester. What makes the Rochester school district as good?

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by sirhc1

Thanks. I can see that Eagan has blue ribbon award winning schools from their websites. I don't see that for Rochester. What makes the Rochester school district as good?

Honestly, what makes them good is that they are in Minnesota. The standards here are pretty high. I live in the 196 schools and I do agree that they are the best schools I have ever been a part of but even that wouldn't induce me to commute and hour one way for a job. I am making up these numbers for illustration purposes but say the 196 schools score 98 on what ever ranking, most of the other suburban schools probably scored a 96 or 97. I would rank Rochester in with the suburban schools and probably in that 96-97 range too. What makes them such good schools is that they are in a very professional community that values education.

[youngurbanprofessional]

I am from Eagan and graduated from Eagan High School.

Eagan is a great school academically, as all those schools in the 196 district. I can vouch for golfgal on this that all the schools in MN for the most part are very good overall, including Rochester. It would not be worth the commute to live in Eagan and drive to Rochester just for the Eagan school.

One thing you may want to consider about Eagan is that school is pretty crowded. It was crowded when I was there in 2001, and I'm sure it's even more so now. It has many and excellent sports and extra-curicular activities, but they are VERY competitive. Your children may have to choose one activity and focus on that to be able to excell in it and stay in it. They have teams that make national tournaments like their debate team. Baseball was my sport and I was lucky to play Varsity in my senior year. I alone played with 4 players who were drafted to the majors out of high school, fighting for playing time wasn't easy. Rochester is almost just as good but friends I know from there were able to get involved in a wider range of activities because it's not as crowded. They just opened a new high school there not too long ago, "Century" I believe. Rochester has the Mayo clinic which is nice, and IBM has a strong presence there, although they are HQ'd out of Armonk, NY. Many people from Rochester seem to love it there.

It's hard to say what the schools you've noticed in Chicago suburbs compare to Minnesota's because you didn't specify which area you are from. Chicagoland is a HUGE area (about 3 times the size of the TC metro area) and there are a LOT of school, most of them pretty good, some areas still need work. The good of Chicagoland won't fall too far behind Minnesota schooling, if it falls behind at all. There are a lot of good schools in many suburbs there, very comparable to Minnesota, especially the northern suburbs (Evanston, Skokie, Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Schaumburgh, Hoffman Estates). If you're moving simply for the schools you may want to do a little more research to see if it is really worth all the hassle. The moving process is always tough on children, I still hold a slight grudge against my parents for it :-).

[reidcr]

I am a 23-year-old college student about to graduate and start a job. I grew up in Rochester, MN and my parents still live there. I am currently living in Boulder, CO and will move to Colorado Springs in about a month and a half.

Anyway I wanted to advise you that Rochester is known among young people as being very lacking in terms of activities. In fact, I left for Colorado to go to school soon after I graduated and to this day am amazed that I didn't go insane from a lack of things to do. If you're grown up and have a full time job, go to church, are involved in community activities like Boy Scouts or theater, then I'm sure you will be fine. I don't know how old your children are but their perception of Rochester will almost definitely depend on their age. As they go through elementary and middle school, I'm sure they will have no problem finding things to do because there are many things for young kids to do. However as they get into high school, they may find that it gets harder and harder to find things to do. Of course, kids sometimes get themselves into trouble when they can't keep themselves busy. This is all relative of course; if your kids play a lot of sports or are very heavily involved in church or other organizations, it will be much easier for them to keep busy. The main issue is that Rochester is more of a professional city (Mayo Clinic, IBM) and not so much a college town. In fact, it was only recently that the U of M even had a campus here. But hopefully as the U of M Rochester campus develops, then the city will become more youth oriented and it will become easier for young people to keep themselves busy.

But all in all, you need to consider exactly what your interests are as well as your educational desires. If you are the big city type, then go with Eagan. It's very close to Minneapolis and St. Paul so you'll have no problem finding things to do. But if you don't mind living in a place that has a small-town feel, then go with Rochester. Also if your job is in Rochester, then try to live here. I've heard about people commuting from smaller towns in the area but never from Twin Cities suburbs. It is about an hour between Rochester and Eagan.

As far as schools are concerned, I don't think I'm the best person to sway you one way or the other. However, my parents chose to stay in Rochester after my dad finished his post-doc because of the schools here. I was born with a profound hearing loss and thus had special needs as far as my education was concerned. Minnesota's educational laws allowed me to be educated in a mainstream setting which was very important to my parents. I don't know how Eagan compares to Rochester in this aspect, but the schools in Rochester are still pretty damn good in my opinion. Don't let the lack of Blue Ribbon awards (whatever those are, never even heard of them) be the deciding factor. What's important is that you choose the education that's best for your children.

[Kay1234]

I have had the experience of my kids going through the Rochester School District. I have to tell you the experience of my son going through Junior High and High School was a huge disappointment. My daughter goes to Elementry School here and I have been pleased with them but we are moving out of Rochester before she gets to Junior High becuase we don't want her going to Junior High School here.

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by Kay1234

I have had the experience of my kids going through the Rochester School District. I have to tell you the experience of my son going through Junior High and High School was a huge disappointment. My daughter goes to Elementry School here and I have been pleased with them but we are moving out of Rochester before she gets to Junior High becuase we don't want her going to Junior High School here.

I've never heard a disparaging think about Rochester schools. What was the problem?

[ME-Evergreen]

Originally Posted by ozzie679

I've never heard a disparaging think about Rochester schools. What was the problem?

I also have never heard anything negative about the school system in Rochester. If I had a problem with it, I guess I would move too. Schools are vital!

[fromupthere]

I currently live in Rochester and also have a child in elementary school. I am pleased with his school, but have heard that the high school in our boundaries does not score high on testing. If you are looking at the Rochester area, I'd say look into Stewartville. I have heard the schools there are excellent. It is about 5 miles from Rochester, perhaps 10 miles to downtown. Rochester is a growing city - 3rd largest in the state. There have been a couple of recent incidences of gang violence, though. There is a lot of diversity here too. In general, I don't think it is a very transient city. We've been here for over 2 years now and I think almost everyone we have met is either from the area originally or has moved here and plans to stay here. We'd like to get into one of the smaller towns, though.

There are choice schools here and those schools get excellent ratings. I do not know how easy it is to get into them though. I believe they are just elementary and middle school grades. There are Catholic and Lutheran schools as well.

There are parts of Rochester (SE/SW) where there is the option of going to Rochester or Stewartville schools. There are lots of higher end developments throughout the city. All your realestate property needs in the Rochester Minnesota Area and Southeast Minnesota That is the ReMax site. You can search Rochester, Stewartville and all the surrounding cities.

Good luck! I hope I gave you some helpful information.