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I have lived in IL,WI,FL,MA,CA and AZ. I have spent a lot of time in in the PAC NW and I find a lot of similarities between Seattle and Minneapolis. The great thing is, home prices here are a lot better. You have a vast amount of choices in terms of urban/suburban communities. I would really recommend doing a search here:
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Scroll down to the map and kind of price out the metro. Street view some of the locals and put together a short list of neighborhoods you want to visit and tour. I really love the Stillwater/Hudson/Lakeland areas. I am also a big fan of older neighborhoods of Mlps and SP. Not to spark an urban suburban debate but there are some great advantages to both. The people here are remarkably friendly and as many have pointed out the outdoor opportunities are astonishing. Good luck!
Last edited by golfgal; 11-26-2010 at 07:02 AM..
Reason: realtor ads not allowed
I have to second or third Apple Valley/Eagan/Rosemount areas for what you described you want and in terms of location for your husband's job with Delta.
One thing to keep in mind about Eagan is you will get a great deal of air traffic over your house in certain pockets. We get some in Rosemount, but the planes are higher and the noise isn't bad. When they are over Eagan, they are literally ready to land in some areas, so do pay attention to air traffic when looking because there are certain flight paths for take off and landing there. When I go to one of my doctor's office in Eagan, it freaks me out when a plane is overhead b/c it is literally over my head.
Rosemount is a great area to raise a family. We don't have kids, we don't fit in with the typical dynamic here, but we do like the area. The airport is about 20 minutes away give or take for road and traffic conditions.
ETA: I forgot to add the places we have lived. I was born and raised in Canada, moved to Korea, then to Tennessee, Arizona (Flagstaff and Tucson) and now MN.
Many parks and lakes nearby in Apple Valley, Eagan and Rosemount. My husband goes snowshoeing and X-Country skiing frequently very close to our home.
Apparently the school district is top notch.
If it matters, our house value has appraised stable from the time we bought three years ago until we refi'd this past summer. Rosemount is highly desirable especially for those who grew up here. Many come back to raise their own families.
One of the small drawbacks of Rosemount/Apple Valley and even Eagan are lack of non-chain style restaurants and bars. It is a common complaint I hear over and over again. We certainly have our share of AppleBee's, Ruby Tuesday and McDonald's, but if you like more variety in restaurants or the type of place you would go for date night without the kids, these three areas are lacking... even in the larger Eagan.
Now, that is a personal preference. My husband and I eat out a lot. Since you have kids, maybe you will be happy with AppleBee's, IHOP, Old Chicago et al. We have one pub place that we really like for happy hour and good food - Panino's. Service not great, but food and happy hour prices are fab. Major's which had a great patio just closed. Wild Bill's took over Grizzly's and it's not bad, not great either.
Last edited by sparksals; 12-03-2010 at 11:56 AM..
Reason: To add places lived
St. Paul is great...10 minutes to MSP airport, downtown and more. Be sure to live in Highland Park, Crocus Hill, Summit, Mac-Groveland ONLY!!! Ask me for details -- lived there for several years. My wife was a real estate agent there. We're in our early 40's (hip and fit) with a 7 yr. old girl.
I have to second or third Apple Valley/Eagan/Rosemount areas for what you described you want and in terms of location for your husband's job with Delta.
One thing to keep in mind about Eagan is you will get a great deal of air traffic over your house in certain pockets. We get some in Rosemount, but the planes are higher and the noise isn't bad. When they are over Eagan, they are literally ready to land in some areas, so do pay attention to air traffic when looking because there are certain flight paths for take off and landing there. When I go to one of my doctor's office in Eagan, it freaks me out when a plane is overhead b/c it is literally over my head.
Rosemount is a great area to raise a family. We don't have kids, we don't fit in with the typical dynamic here, but we do like the area. The airport is about 20 minutes away give or take for road and traffic conditions.
ETA: I forgot to add the places we have lived. I was born and raised in Canada, moved to Korea, then to Tennessee, Arizona (Flagstaff and Tucson) and now MN.
Many parks and lakes nearby in Apple Valley, Eagan and Rosemount. My husband goes snowshoeing and X-Country skiing frequently very close to our home.
Apparently the school district is top notch.
If it matters, our house value has appraised stable from the time we bought three years ago until we refi'd this past summer. Rosemount is highly desirable especially for those who grew up here. Many come back to raise their own families.
One of the small drawbacks of Rosemount/Apple Valley and even Eagan are lack of non-chain style restaurants and bars. It is a common complaint I hear over and over again. We certainly have our share of AppleBee's, Ruby Tuesday and McDonald's, but if you like more variety in restaurants or the type of place you would go for date night without the kids, these three areas are lacking... even in the larger Eagan.
Now, that is a personal preference. My husband and I eat out a lot. Since you have kids, maybe you will be happy with AppleBee's, IHOP, Old Chicago et al. We have one pub place that we really like for happy hour and good food - Panino's. Service not great, but food and happy hour prices are fab. Major's which had a great patio just closed. Wild Bill's took over Grizzly's and it's not bad, not great either.
I did not know that-when did Major's close??? I haven't been to Wild Bill's yet. Rascal's just remodeled and that is a fun place to go. Have you been to Valley Girl yet? It's a great coffee/sandwich shop by Rascals. Suzi's Kitchen in Rosemount is also a fun place to eat. Molly Cool's in Farmington (Cedar/Dodd) is supposed to be pretty good if you like seafood (I don't). Porterhouse in Lakeville (35/70) is amazing. Have you tried the new Russian place in Rosemount yet?
St. Paul is great...10 minutes to MSP airport, downtown and more. Be sure to live in Highland Park, Crocus Hill, Summit, Mac-Groveland ONLY!!! Ask me for details -- lived there for several years. My wife was a real estate agent there. We're in our early 40's (hip and fit) with a 7 yr. old girl.
What's wrong with St Anthony Park, Como, Battle Creek or Desnoyer Park?
St. Paul is great...10 minutes to MSP airport, downtown and more. Be sure to live in Highland Park, Crocus Hill, Summit, Mac-Groveland ONLY!!! Ask me for details -- lived there for several years. My wife was a real estate agent there. We're in our early 40's (hip and fit) with a 7 yr. old girl.
Be sure to live on Summit Avenue between Lexington and Cathedral Hill ONLY!! You want details? We're old money tax dodgers, and we are 150 years old (plus or minus a few) with 7000 miles of rail and a dozen copper mines between us.
I did not know that-when did Major's close??? I haven't been to Wild Bill's yet. Rascal's just remodeled and that is a fun place to go. Have you been to Valley Girl yet? It's a great coffee/sandwich shop by Rascals. Suzi's Kitchen in Rosemount is also a fun place to eat. Molly Cool's in Farmington (Cedar/Dodd) is supposed to be pretty good if you like seafood (I don't). Porterhouse in Lakeville (35/70) is amazing. Have you tried the new Russian place in Rosemount yet?
Major's suddenly closed a few months ago... maybe back in Sept or Oct? Wild Bill's is OK, nothing special. They do have a good deal for lunch - all you can eat burgers or something like that for $5. Like Panino's, it apparently turns into a meat market at night, especially on the weekends. Panino's Happy Hour can't be beat - half price draft and appetizers from 2 - 6 PM everyday. The Meatball wrap on the appetizer menu is a meal in itself and we are always amazed how cheap we get out of there.
Been to Rascal's but not since it remodeled. Will have to check it out. I like the Thai restaurant next to Rascal's but never been to Valley Girl. Will have to check out Suzi's... it just opened out of the blue and I didn't realize anything replaced Dunn Bros. I don't like seafood either, so Molly's isn't for me unless it is happy hour! lol
No, haven't tried the Russian place. I only noticed that last week. Kind of an odd place for a Russian restaurant, but will give it and Suzi's a try!
I just moved here from Madison, WI and find it a much more enjoyable area to live. I work down in Eagan, but live in Highland Park (St Paul). Easy commute, very quick to the airport from here (maybe 7 minutes door to door) - love this neighborhood, though the homes are older than you are looking for. Very reasonable pricing for homes, you can get updated older places that are just gorgeous for close to your price range (that I have noticed). Lots of little shops and non chain places to eat too, which is even better.
Prior to this I lived in WI, IL, NV, RI, AK (Anchorage), London, and southern Sweden and MSP has been the best of the (US) bunch so far. I would definitely equate it to Seattle, but without the rain. And you get two cities for the price of one, so if you get bored you can always go somewhere else!
I've lived in Indianapolis, Somerset New Jersey (outside NYC) and the Twin Cities. I've been here over 20 years. Honestly, there are pros and cons you should consider carefully before moving here. I live in Minneapolis, which is a beautiful, progressive city. There are the "chain of lakes." bike and jogging paths, free outdoor concerts, lots of cultural attractions, beautiful urban 'forests' and parks, high education level, good schools and pretty nice weather in the summer. The winter, as I'm sure you know, is very long, cold and usually snowy. The worst part for me though is how dark it is all late fall and winter long. We are so far north that it is really noticeable if you haven't lived at this latitude before. This is the worst part of winter to me. Seems like the sun starts to set at 3:30 around December 21st. You wake up to the dark and come home in the dark. (You need a vitamin D supplement, for sure.) I find it depressing. Then there is the issue of making friends here. To tell the truth, it is difficult for someone to move here and make friends (unless they already have friends or family here.) When my daughter was small (she's a teenager now) we were part of a playgroup and had a neighborhood group of friends who (except for one family) were all NOT from Minnesota. (By the way, many of them have since moved away.) Native Minnesotans in the neighborhood were never very interested in getting to really know any of us. Most Minnesotans are nice (to your face anyway) but strangely never seem interested in getting to know you more than as a acquaintance. I Know... my husband and I have really tried. We've tried church, classes, volunteering, work places, asking people over, etc over the years, with not much luck. If you do any research into "Minnesota Nice" or "Ice" as some of us think of it, you'll learn more. People here are EXTREMELY passive aggressive for some reason. (Perhaps it's the Scandinavian cultural reserve? Not sure, really.) People are (for the most part) polite and pleasant, but definately not warm or interested in getting to know new people. We are seriously thinking about moving as soon as our daughter graduates from high school. We've always had real friends and don't want to age in a place with no social support. Maybe the suburbs would be a good place for you. I've heard that a lot of people move into Eden Prarie from different states, which might make it easier there. It makes me sad really. We've tried and tried here. I like the Twin Cities and am proud of all the positive things the cities have going for them, but I have to admit that liking the city and the people are two different things. Almost, forgot, $275K would not buy much of house in most places here..definately not in the city. Cost of living is not cheap. My daughter, who was born here and is growing up here, has friends, so your kids would likely be fine. My husband and I chose the Twin Cities and we are sad as can be that we still don't feel at home here after all this time. Good luck to you. Choose wisely.
Don't expect to be embraced by the community, the German/Scandinavian background of many residents are helpful but not quick to warm up to outsiders to bond in friendship.
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