Moving to Minnesota (St. Paul, Eagan, Eden Prairie: apartments, rentals, condominium)

[rdilipk]

Howdy Friends

It looks like my wife and I will be moving to Minnesota in the next couple of weeks to take up a new job. I live in Texas right now (and yeah I know Minnesota is freakin' cold!). My work place is going to be in downtown St. Paul.

I was wondering if some of you could suggest some decent cities in and around St. Paul that one can live in? We are going to rent an apartment. It would be nice if the city is decent, livable with low crime rate. I don't want to live in old run-down apartments. Since I will make sufficient amount of money I can afford to be a little choosy here. Most posts in these forums seem to point to Maplewood and Eden Prairie. Are they among the best? Also how far are they from St. Paul?

And if you stay, say, 30 mins away from your workplace does driving become utterly impossible during peak winter season?

Can any of you help?

[golfgal]

Inver Grove Heights is a great place to look for an EASY commute to downtown St. Paul. West St. Paul (not the west SIDE of St. Paul) and Mendota Heights are also options. If you want more of an urban setting and don't have kids, Highland Park in St. Paul is great too.

Eden Prairie would be a tough commute into St. Paul-probably an hour where as these other towns you are looking at under 15 minutes.

[Robert P Stewart]

Hello rdilipk,

I work in downtown St. Paul too. If you're looking to live in St. Paul proper, we've got several *nice* condominium projects which are coming available in the next month or two, but it really depends on what you're looking for.

Rental opportunities abound, and I just partnered with a couple of wonderful gals that do nothing except rent-to-own. They've really allowed us to corner the rental market here in the Twin Cities.

Let us know what you're looking for -

Robert

[Jaxx99]

You'll have alot to choose from. As has been mentioned, Highland Park in St. Paul is a great little area with shops, restaurants, parks, etc. It is similar to that SMU area of Dallas. Nice, older homes, but a few affordable rentals scattered here and there.

You probably know the Uptown area of Dallas, near McKinney Ave. St. Paul's equivalent of that is Grand Ave, a long stretch of trendy shops, great restaurants, and the like. Lots of older but nice rentals around there, too. It is actually more walkable than Uptown in Dallas, however.

As for outer suburbs, Eagan has lots to choose from and is a very safe area, close to St. Paul.

As you might be able to tell, I spent time living in Dallas before eventually ending up here. For the record, I officially like the Twin Cities more than I liked Dallas!!

You have a wealth of information on Craigslist website, as well as in the Twin Cities' urban newspaper, CityPages. Both can give you a good idea of the market before you even step foot in town!

[rdilipk]

Thanks a ton guys! So, to summarize, it would be a good idea to look at:

Inver Grove Heights
Mendota Heights
Highland Park
Eagan

I have a baby on the way so I need to live in a relatively safe neighborhood and preferably urban (I am not being snobbish here -- just a harmless preference!).

I am planning to put up in some kind of motel for a day or 2 while I hunt for apartments. With any luck I hope I can find something to move in right away.

Jaxx99: I don't exactly live in the Dallas (I live more towards Fort Worth) area proper but I recognize the places you are talking about. Eagan and Highland Park in MN are topping my list now!

[Robert P Stewart]

I've got a potential place in mind for you in Eagan - let me know if you're interested.

Robert

[cinnamon_toast]

St. Paul has lots of great neighborhoods if you like urban. I would add Mac/Groveland and Como to your St. Paul list. If you want something with a historic feel and older homes and its own downtown, Stillwater is fabulous and REALLY family friendly. Eagan is not urban at all. Be aware that some areas in Mendota Heights get noise from MSP airport.

[Jaxx99]

Compared to the sprawl of Dallas, I bet they will feel right at home in any of the places listed. The St. Paul area is downright compact to the Texan idea of city planning.

Based on what you know, I would highly recommend craigslist or CityPages to begin familiarizing yourself with rents and areas. Then, when you begin actually talking with people, you'll be armed with some basic information on location and reasonable pricing. But of course, there is no substitute for getting here and walking around.

Wish you were here this weekend. Crystal blue skies and nice, dry temperatures.

[Lindenin]

Quote: "I live in Texas right now (and yeah I know Minnesota is freakin' cold!)...

And if you stay, say, 30 mins away from your workplace does driving become utterly impossible during peak winter season?"

Don't get hung up on the winters. Let me put it this way. Yes, it will get cold, but its not like you will have to sit inside all winter. I run outside all year long, and I think there are probably 5-8 days total during the winter when I decide it is just too cold. The other 357 days, it is enjoyable (sometimes with an extra layer or two).

As for commutes, you'll get a rush hour snowstorm here and there. And employers normally will let people hit the road early to not get stuck in traffic. But we're talking 1-2 per winter. Coming from Texas, it is no worse than the T-Storms that roll through in the summer and making driving impossible for an afternoon.

If I were working in St. Paul, I'd keep my search to the east of Hwy 35W. However, if you have flexible hours (i.e. not commuting during rush hour) then you can broaden your search to places like Eden Prairie.

Eagan, St. Paul, and Woodbury all seem like sensible places for you to look.

[JenLee]

I'd also say don't write off Maplewood or other northern suburbs just yet. The commute is very easy from here; less than 20 minutes even during rush hour.