Moving to Twin Cities area (Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie: lease, student loan, buying a house)

[chels533]

My husband and I and our will be 2 year old daughter are moving to the Twin Cities area sometime next spring to start our career/internship. We want to find a nice safe family friendly neighborhood near or in a good school district. We will be renting or lease to own for a few years while working on paying off student loands. My husband is from the northern part of the cities and really like that area. Any suggestions for us?
-Adam and Chelsea-

[MiSS WlCKED]

What area of the northern part is he from? Just to make sure, becaue I would like to know what part of minnesota you want to be living in!

[shizzy]

do you plan on moving to Mpls / saint paul proper or a suburb? its very hard to pin one city or even neighborhood.

I would do some looking here http://www.city-data.com/city/Minnesota.html

I currently live in Roseville and love it here. I uset to live in the Mcalester/ groveland neighborhood in ST paul and really liked that as well. it had a small town feel to it.

[chels533]

He is from Forest Lake. We would like to move to a northern suburb if possible.

[golfgal]

Where will you be working. You will want to decide where to live based on that. You don't want to end up with an hour+ commute each way.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree with golfgal. You already have it narrowed down to a general part of the metro area (northern suburbs) where you'd like to live if possible; realistically your job - and your budget - are going to narrow it down even more. Concentrate your job search in that area, and ideally at least one of you will have a job before you move. (it could be hard to find a place to live if not, anyway)

The Twin Cities are different from some areas of the country in that most school districts are pretty good. I've lived in other places where almost no one sent their kids to the public schools - it's not like that in the Twin Cities (there are, of course, private options, but there's not the pressure that you "have" to go the private route). You shouldn't have any trouble finding a family-friendly neighborhood with decent schools, so if you have the chance definitely find the job first and then the home. I think you're smart to rent first, too; that will give you a better chance to learn the area yourself (and for your husband to learn the area as a father - I think being a parent often gives you a different perspective on things) Since your daughter will still be young you won't have to worry about pulling her out of one school district and into another if you end up buying a house in two or three years that's in the next-over suburb from wherever you end up now.

If you want more specific targeted suggestions as to where to start investigating now, then it would be helpful if you could provide some additional information. What kind of housing do you want? Older home? Newer place? Is walkability important? How about diversity? Specific types of businesses/parks/etc. that would be of interest?

[jmgg]

I would move right back to Forest Lake. Even though it's on the edge of the twin cities, this town doesn't "feel" like a big city subburb such as a Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie, or Woodbury. To me it seems like a town from outside the metro area.

I used to have a customer there, and went there a couple times a year. Very nice town.