30 min to airport and Golden Valley (Minneapolis, Bloomington: cul-de-sac, real estate, house)

[grumbly]

Hi,

I'm going to be relocating to the cities in the near future and need some suggestions. We are trying to find a location that is no longer than a 30 minute commute to Golden Valley and 30 minutes to the airport in traffic. Looking for the usual types of things - good school system as we have young kids, commute that won't drive me nuts, decent value for the money in real estate (upper 200s, lower 300s range), great outgoing neighbors, easy access to shopping, etc. We are more of suburb people ourselves and really aren't into the downtown living environment.

Based on my self imposed commuting time restrictions, I'm guessing we are going to be in a west or southwest suburb. Are any of the north or northwest burbs still a possibility?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[StilltheSame]

Minneapolis
Golden Valley
Edina
St. Louis Park
Hopkins

[uptown_urbanist]

I'll echo StillthesSame's list. Since Minneapolis is on there, it's worth noting that many parts of Minneapolis are fairly "suburban" by some standards -- not modern McMansion on cul-de-sac suburban, but quiet, tree-lined streets with good schools and lots of kids suburban. There's not a big difference between the portions of Edina, Southwest Minneapolis, and St. Louis Park that all converge (which is where I'd initially concentrate, as it would be put you very conveniently located for both places), other than the fact that Minneapolis has sidewalks. You'll probably get more house for your money in another part of the metro, though (since all those areas are somewhat desirable and have great schools and are convenient), but there are definitely some nice options in your price range.

[Kebinminn]

Golden Valley will get you awfully close to the 30 minute mark. St Louis Park or Bloomington may also work well.

[Thegonagle]

Stillthesame's list is a great start, and I was going to say, check out west Bloomington if you find yourself wanting/needing a larger house or yard for the money.

The airport commute would be pretty easy, with multiple routes to choose from if 494 is jammed (which it does every day). East of Hyland Lake Park reserve, Bloomington's main roads are laid out as a grid and generally move pretty efficiently.

The Golden Valley commute would be a little rougher during rush hour. In free-flowing traffic, starting from say, 98th and Normandale, and going to, say, Hwy 55 and General Mills Blvd, I'd say about 20 minutes, but during rush hour, make that anywhere from 25-40 minutes, because the two freeways you could take north tend to slow down a lot, and no other roads go straight through.

I guess it would depend on which of you is more tolerant of a commute that has you leaving early every day "just in case."

[golfgal]

Eagan or Apple Valley would be my first choices. Rosemount is great but it is 35 minutes to Golden Valley (169/62 area anyway) during rush hour. Anything coming from the west side of the cities will be a tough commute during rush hour as 494 is bad. Getting to Golden Valley from the east is easier.

[grumbly]

Thanks - The list by stillthesame pretty much confirms what I have been told by a few people.

I hadn't considered Eagan or Apple Valley. I was told to stay west of 35W to have any chance of getting to Golden Valley in a reasonable amount of time. Is that commute not as busy as coming from the west?

Also - what about locations such as Plymouth or Maple Grove? I realize it's getting out there a bit, but what would the airport drive be like on 494? The more I think about it, most of the airport travel will be at off peak hours.

[uptown_urbanist]

Admittedly I've never made a Apple Valley to Golden Valley drive, but I'd check that one out for yourself first -- suburbs over in that direction seem to be a very poor choice, commute-wise. That goes doubly now that we know that the bulk of your airport commute is at non-rush hour. I'd stick with something more convenient to Golden Valley. There's really nothing that I can think of that would make Eagan or Apple Valley anything different or better than what you could find in a location far more convenient to Golden Valley.

Plymouth would be very convenient for Golden Valley, and it wouldn't be a bad drive to the airport at non-rush hour. The Medicine Lake is pretty nice, and borders Golden Valley.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

If I was in your situation right now, I'd probably look in Hopkins and SW Minneapolis. Both are great areas that don't have alot of the characteristics that make the more modern suburbs really annoying in my opinion.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by grumbly

Thanks - The list by stillthesame pretty much confirms what I have been told by a few people.

I hadn't considered Eagan or Apple Valley. I was told to stay west of 35W to have any chance of getting to Golden Valley in a reasonable amount of time. Is that commute not as busy as coming from the west?

Also - what about locations such as Plymouth or Maple Grove? I realize it's getting out there a bit, but what would the airport drive be like on 494? The more I think about it, most of the airport travel will be at off peak hours.

You won't make the airport in 30 minutes from Maple Grove, Plymouth is going to be hit or miss depending on the traffic on 494. Cedar to the Crosstown, especially now that it is almost done with the reworking of the Crosstown, moves very well, thus the Apple Valley suggestion. For what ever reason when I take the Crosstown from the west, it moves more slowly. Honestly, Rosemount works too, especially if you are on the north side of town. Eagan is obviously closer but you also have to be a little choosy there because of airport noise.

Normally I would agree to stay in the quadrant where you are working (divide the city in 1/4ths and move out from there) but since you have to cross 35 one way or another, travel on the Crosstown is better then 494.