Minneapolis cost of living VS (salary) (St. Paul, St. Louis Park: wood floors, sale, affordable apartment)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by hhawkes

rcsteiner It's amazing what you can find on here. Thank you SO much! It's always great when you have someone who has lived in both cities. How long have you been in Atlanta, and do you miss home (minnesota?) I'd love to hear more about the differences and what you like and don't like! Thanks

I both miss the Twin Cities and don't miss them.

We couldn't afford our Mableton home in the Twin Cities, I don't believe.

However, I think the Twin Cities are a better place to raise a family, and I find the general "atmosphere" of the Twin Cities to be more positive.

This post starts to list some reasons why I miss the Twin Cities:

//www.city-data.com/forum/14493942-post2.html

Some threads you may find interesting:

//www.city-data.com/forum/city-...s-atlanta.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...t-atlanta.html

[hhawkes]

We are in Sandy Springs on the border of Dunwoody. Yea the heat is like this all summer long. When I first moved to Atlanta, around 2004-2005 the 90+ heat always started in May until October. It doesn't really get "cold" here until the end of November. The Humidity is the worst! That's what makes us really sick here.. Humidity = mold. Mold all year round. Plus it's so wet weatherd here all year round. I agree totally with you on crime. Why did you move out to GA? My husband is in the IT field so we are trying to move out to MN. Really it's a lifestyle day to day change. I've lived in a lot of places all up and down the east coast and I have to say Atlanta, GA has been the only one we really hate/ dislike.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by hhawkes

Well, I hope we make good friends there. It was really tough here.. I hope people are helpful there. One more question I forgot to ask. What is the weather like in Setpember and October.. ?Is it cold? If so how cold? Here in Atlanta it is still 75-80+ F. I miss the cold crisp fall air I used to get in Upstate NY.

September starts out warm and gradually cools off, especially in the evenings. You can still see warm temps into October but usually you will have your crisp, cool days. By Halloween it is usually in the 50's for highs. One October a few years back it was 80's through much of the month but you will eventually get your crisp fall days.

Given the information in your posts, start your search in Chaska. The commute to SLP would not be bad, it is more of a town on it's own than a suburb, pretty family oriented. Prior Lake would also be a consideration. Even with Hopkins, Golden Valley and other close in places you are going to find a lot of traffic, a lot of hustle and bustle and not a lot of difference from living in St. Louis Park or most neighborhoods in Minneapolis. From what you have said about where you want to live, I don't think you would like the close in suburbs mentioned.

[uptown_urbanist]

To the OP: you'll have to check these neighborhoods out for yourself. I always find it amusing when people talk about how "bustling" places like Golden Valley are; if they're anything like city neighborhoods, it's just because some of the farther out Minneapolis neighborhoods are equally "suburban", in the sense that the streets are very quiet, safe, they're filled with families, the traffic very light, and mostly concentrated on the bigger streets (as it is in every suburb). There are more smaller homes in these suburbs than in many of the newer exurbs (since places like Golden Valley have a lot of postwar houses), but that doesn't translate into hustling or bustling, and some of the lots can have quite large backyards. It all depends on point of view, I suppose, so all the better to see the areas for yourself. My current neighborhood in the city (Armatage, in Minneapolis), for example, has very little traffic (other than on Penn Ave, which is still just a regular road, just one with stoplights), and the kids ride their bikes around and walk the dogs by themselves from a young age. People sit outside in their yards and say hello to their neighbor. It's a very nice, safe, quiet place, near Minnehaha Creek and several parks. It's a long, long way from hustle or bustle. (which gives it a charm of its own, but it's far too quiet for my tastes! Not far from SLP, though, although there aren't many apartment rentals. There might be some houses, though, and everyone here seems to own a dog)

From what you say, I still think you can easily find what you want in either SLP or one of the adjacent suburbs. If you go too much farther away you could find yourself with a longer commute (Chaska is more than 20 miles away, for example). I'd suggest starting by renting in or near SLP, then explore the other areas and make a move down the road if you discover that you like another place better. Or, given that buying a house in the Twin Cities is still a generally pretty affordable possibility, down the road perhaps buy in your chosen location.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

To the OP: you'll have to check these neighborhoods out for yourself. I always find it amusing when people talk about how "bustling" places like Golden Valley are; if they're anything like city neighborhoods, it's just because some of the farther out Minneapolis neighborhoods are equally "suburban", in the sense that the streets are very quiet, safe, they're filled with families, the traffic very light, and mostly concentrated on the bigger streets (as it is in every suburb). There are more smaller homes in these suburbs than in many of the newer exurbs (since places like Golden Valley have a lot of postwar houses), but that doesn't translate into hustling or bustling, and some of the lots can have quite large backyards. It all depends on point of view, I suppose, so all the better to see the areas for yourself.

From what you say, I still think you can easily find what you want in either SLP or one of the adjacent suburbs. If you go too much farther away you could find yourself with a longer commute (Chaska is more than 20 miles away, for example). I'd suggest starting by renting in or near SLP, then explore the other areas and make a move down the road if you discover that you like another place better. Or, given that buying a house in the Twin Cities is still a generally pretty affordable possibility, down the road perhaps buy in your chosen location.

Chaska is 17 miles away on 4 lane roads with a 65MPH speed limit

[uptown_urbanist]

Depends on start/end destination; Mapquest puts it at 21.39 miles, estimated driving time 26 miles (I'm assuming that's with no snow).

I agree that Chaska could be a nice option if they were living out that direction, but think they'll be able to easily find something that works just as well closer to work.

[Kebinminn]

Chaska to SLP would be a nasty commute. Not so bad if you don't work traditional hours but if you do no way would I do that if I didn't have to. I have family that commutes from nearby Shakopee, it's closer to 40 minutes on a good day. They have to cross the river and options are limited for doing so. Of course try the commute if it interests you but do so before you rent so you're not stuck.

I agree with Uptown Urbanist. Look around the area he'll be working. Just because a suburb isn't out in the boonies it doesn't mean that there's a lot of traffic on every street. I spent a lot of time in the areas we've talked about and I see a lot of moms pushing strollers to the parks, kids on bikes in nice peaceful neighborhoods. You do need to be aware of where the highways are for background noise but it's not hard to avoid. My son does little league, soccer, activities at the library, plays in plentiful parks and we occasionally do take advantage of places like museums.

I'm a lot like you. I'm not into nightlife or big crowds with a big city lifestyle. We're quiet and and enjoy quiet areas. That is very easy to find in the near suburbs. You can also find it further out but we chose not to because we wanted the time together instead of in the car. We've both been through job changes and being more central allows us to have a wider range of options with a lower commute time.

Specific neighborhoods to look at are SLP north of highway 7 and south of 394 off of Louisiana. New Hope between Winnetka and Boone. Anywhere in Golden Valley (one nice thing about GV is the right location gives you acces to Hopkins schools - something to kepe in mind when you buy). I'm not super familiar with the best rental communities in these areas but there are small apartment complexes or townhome developments. Plus since housing prices are down people are turning to renting when they move so you may be able to find a single family home. What size house do you like? You can get more for your dollar further out but you exchange that for more of a commute, it's a balance.

[northstar22]

uptown_urbanist, you're from a big city, and have lived in big cities your whole life. Of course SLP will seem quiet to you. Compared to where I'm originally from, even Chaska seems busy with "hustle and bustle."

I agree about the commute thing - traffic will be tough from Chaska. However, I think it's worth it. It's not like SLP is dangerous (it's pretty safe), it's just spendy and congested.

[uptown_urbanist]

I actually haven't lived in big cities my whole life, but that's not really my point; my point was just that since this couple isn't coming from small town, they might be surprised when they see what inner suburbs like SLP are like. Minneapolis is overall a pretty quiet city, and the inner ring suburbs (and even many city neighborhoods) are often much quieter and less traditionally urban than what you find in other cities around the country. I don't know Atlanta specifically compares, but all I can say is that when compared to other cities of its size I think Minneapolis feels pretty quiet. That's going to be why they'll want to check out different areas for themselves; if a nice quiet neighborhood in SLP or Golden Valley is quiet enough for them, then they can save themselves a lot of time and potentially money.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I actually haven't lived in big cities my whole life, but that's not really my point; my point was just that since this couple isn't coming from tiny town, they might be surprised when they see what inner suburbs like SLP are like. Minneapolis is overall a pretty quiet city, and the inner ring suburbs (and even many city neighborhoods) are often much quieter and less traditionally urban than what you find in other cities around the country. I don't know Atlanta specifically compares, but all I can say is that when compared to other cities of its size I think Minneapolis feels pretty quiet in many parts and in its inner suburbs. That's going to be why they'll want to check out different areas for themselves; if a nice quiet neighborhood in SLP or Golden Valley is quiet enough for them, then they can save themselves a lot of time.

Except they said pretty clearly that they are not city people and they prefer to live further out and only said SLP because their experience with Atlanta traffic is bad. Even the inner ring suburbs are busy compared to the outer ring. We don't have as much traffic in an entire day as most residential city streets see in just a few hours if you compare similar through routes. Quite is relative. Yes, you can find a quite NEIGHBORHOOD but the rest of the town is NOT quite-which is the whole point that you just don't understand. There is no where in my town that is busy and that is the difference. Traffic here is 4 cars showing up to a 4 way stop at the same time. Like I have said earlier, come out to these places you hate so much and see what they are really like.