Moving to Rochester, MN from San Francisco, CA (Minneapolis, Eagan: appointed, fit in)

[JayWilson344]

Hi everyone!
My significant other and I are planning on moving to Rochester, MN from the San Francisco Bay Area sometime over the next year or so. Once both of us start working (assuming we get the positions we are going for) we will be looking to buy a house going for 300-350k. The problem is we have no idea what areas are bad/good, or where we would fit in (if anywhere). We are a conservative couple with a military background and are leaving California because of the high crime rate and far-left political demographic. We get along with mid-west liberals just fine for the most part, but here they seem to be on a whole different level that is just giving us constant headaches. We are aware Minnesota is a liberal state but we are also aware it has been rated the best place to raise a family a couple years in a row, which is ultimately what we're looking for - good schools, friendly neighbors, safe neighborhood, your stereotypical poster community where the kids on the block go outside and play together without parents having to worry.
We aren't from Rochester (obviously) but did drive through it last year and it seemed like a nice place. We attended "Irish-fest" and ate at the "best burgers in Rochester" place.
Are there any areas we should be looking at specifically? Any areas we should avoid? Tips?
Thanks!

[wamer27]

I don't think a lot of people from Rochester are on this forum? I know nothing of the town, sorry I can't help.

[Thorondor]

I grew up in Rochester but don't live there anymore, so unfortunately my advice is somewhat limited. Olmsted county has historically voted Republican, only recently swinging the other way. It should definitely fit most of your criteria. Rochester has fairly low crime overall, with the worst neighborhoods historically in the SE quadrant. That said, many areas in SE Rochester are very safe. Best of luck planning your move!

[my54ford]

Rochester is a pretty good town. For that money you can move just about anywhere. I personally don't like the east and south sides. The schools I think are better north and west.....What kind of job are you looking for? (I'm hiring right now)
P.S. Moved here from San Jose Stationed at Moffett for 16yrs....

[JayWilson344]

Originally Posted by wamer27

I don't think a lot of people from Rochester are on this forum? I know nothing of the town, sorry I can't help.

That's okay, thanks for your response. I see you're from Roseville. What do you think about the Eagan/Apple Valley/Rosemount area? We are moving there (Eagan) first around July to finish a PsyD program at Argosy. When we visited last year we explored Minneapolis and the Mall of America. Personally, I was not a fan because it still had a big city, crowded feel to it. I didn't see a lot of "Minnesota nice" either. My current goal is to move as far SE of Minneapolis as possible, maybe around the Lebanon Hills for running/hiking. However, I am from an area where you can run and hike year round with no issues, so I'm trying to keep the Minnesota winter in mind as well!

[JayWilson344]

Originally Posted by Thorondor

I grew up in Rochester but don't live there anymore, so unfortunately my advice is somewhat limited. Olmsted county has historically voted Republican, only recently swinging the other way. It should definitely fit most of your criteria. Rochester has fairly low crime overall, with the worst neighborhoods historically in the SE quadrant. That said, many areas in SE Rochester are very safe. Best of luck planning your move!

Yeah, it seems to be pretty balanced but a little more democratic now. Politico shows Olmsted county voted 45.0 percent for Trump and 45.7 percent for Clinton in 2016. So there's about 500 more people that voted for her than him, which is fine because I don't need my neighbors to love one over the other, just not to be a crazy Hillary praising, extreme-leftist radical feminist. I'm just sick of my commute to work getting extended by 4 hours because of another backwards protest, sick of making the most money I'll ever make in my life and having ALL of it go to rent even while living in a high crime area, and constantly being on high alert in public because everyone looks like a criminal which they likely are (THIS being my number one issue). I've heard a few times to avoid the SE so it sounds like I'll be doing that, thanks for the confirmation!

[JayWilson344]

Originally Posted by my54ford

Rochester is a pretty good town. For that money you can move just about anywhere. I personally don't like the east and south sides. The schools I think are better north and west.....What kind of job are you looking for? (I'm hiring right now)
P.S. Moved here from San Jose Stationed at Moffett for 16yrs....

Well then I'll be steering clear of the east and south, definitely heard about that a few times now. I'm looking to join the police department and she's looking to become a Psychologist. We're actually moving to the Eagan area first so she can complete her PsyD program, meanwhile I'll be working on getting Minnesota POST certified. While I'm doing that, however, I'll definitely need to be working but am not finding anything great as of yet. Quick background timeline: Volunteer with the Los Angeles Fire Department, Marine Corps Infantry, Security Manager, and for the last two years I've been doing Executive Protection in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Right now it looks like the only things popping up on Indeed that even remotely fall under my background are armed security supervisor and construction laborer, which are both a huge step backwards for me. But unfortunately it looks like I might just have to take what I can get. With the work I'm doing now, and being the director of a large security team at a multi-billion dollar property before that, I doubt I'll find any part time (Monday-Thursday) work that fits my liking.

[TurquoiseSky]

Originally Posted by JayWilson344

Well then I'll be steering clear of the east and south, definitely heard about that a few times now. I'm looking to join the police department and she's looking to become a Psychologist. We're actually moving to the Eagan area first so she can complete her PsyD program, meanwhile I'll be working on getting Minnesota POST certified. While I'm doing that, however, I'll definitely need to be working but am not finding anything great as of yet. Quick background timeline: Volunteer with the Los Angeles Fire Department, Marine Corps Infantry, Security Manager, and for the last two years I've been doing Executive Protection in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Right now it looks like the only things popping up on Indeed that even remotely fall under my background are armed security supervisor and construction laborer, which are both a huge step backwards for me. But unfortunately it looks like I might just have to take what I can get. With the work I'm doing now, and being the director of a large security team at a multi-billion dollar property before that, I doubt I'll find any part time (Monday-Thursday) work that fits my liking.

I lived in Rochester last year. There's lots of Muslims. Something tells me you won't like that...

[JayWilson344]

Originally Posted by TurquoiseSky

I lived in Rochester last year. There's lots of Muslims. Something tells me you won't like that...

Haha, well as long as they're anti-ISIS and pro-America I'm sure it will be just fine.

[Friendly Face]

You should be able to find a very nice home in Rochester in your price range. Although home prices have been increasing, it is still FAR below anything in California. If you enjoy outdoor activities, Rochester has a range of options. I live in Rochester, and there are very few areas where I would feel uncomfortable walking by myself even later in the evening. For better or worse, it still has a bit of a small town feel; some people like that and others get frustrated and bored with the perceived lack of things to do.

I would say Rochester is fairly moderate politically as a whole. Due to pretty low unemployment rates, though, there isn't much, if any, protesting in the streets here. People are just busy going about their business.

I would definitely recommend looking into the Destination Medical Center concept that is being touted here; ostensibly it will be bringing in more jobs in a variety of fields and increase opportunities in Rochester in the next few years.

I would say, though, if you're looking for that stereotypical "kids playing in the streets" type of atmosphere, it might be difficult to find here. I don't have kids, but it's my impression that most people meet other people with kids through the wide variety of sporting events here and/or activities.

Overall, if you are interested in a career in some type of medical industry, Rochester has a lot of jobs to offer, including those associated with the business part of running a hospital (finance, IT, security, etc.).

Outdoor sports? Having grown up in the northern Midwest, I've learned to develop some winter sports, like x-c skiing and ice skating. Unfortunately, in SE MN, we don't generally get the "stereotypical" Minnesota winter. Yes, there are brutally cold days and some heavy snows, but overall there seems to be a pattern of gray skies, light snow, ice, and sunshine and melting a few days later (press repeat!), so if you really want to practice some winter sports, you may be a little disappointed! This has probably been my biggest disappointment here; I don't get to take out my skis and snowshoes as much as I would like.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have about Rochester. I hope I covered some of your questions here.