Must choose town soon! Young family moving out of St. Paul. (Minneapolis: real estate, house)

[crosckes]

Please help solve never ending saga in our house - where to move in the twin cities next? Here's some details to help you make a decision for my husband and I:
* young kids. need good schools. special needs education as well.
* need nature/trails/water nearby
* community feel or central/downtown area
* history
* real estate will hold value.. lost my butt on my house in St. paul!
* affordable housing @ $200K ish
* mass transit nearby - U of M commute
* mainly prefer east side because family nearby

Here's the few I'm torn between: Hudson, WI, Stillwater, White Bear Lake, Shoreview, Woodbury

Any insight would be of GREAT help. Thanks!

[golfgal]

Woodbury wouldn't fit most of your specifics but it would give you one of the shortest commutes. Stillwater fits all of your recommendations if you are fine using a park and ride situation for transportation. The schools there are the best on your list unless you move to an area in White Bear Lake that is in the Mahtomedi district. Hudson would be my last choice because of schools and commute options. Hastings might be another place to look. Prescott, WI is also a lovely river town but I don't know if they have park and rides, etc. (I would assume they do though). All of your locations are going to be pushing the $200K mark, but you should be able to find something.

You may also want to consider Eagan/Apple Valley/Rosemount. Eagan and Apple Valley don't have a 'downtown" but they have central retail districts. They have easy access to nature trails, etc. and better access to public transportation. Rosemount has all of the above and a "downtown". The 196 schools have a very comprehensive special education program as well. Even without public transportation the commute to the U of M from these suburbs is pretty easy.

[BillWallace]

Hastings isn't great if you are looking for mass transit. There was an article just last week about them finally starting some bus service - Hastings awaits bus link to Twin Cities | StarTribune.com

I agree with golfgal - what you described sounds a lot like Stillwater to me. The only thing that would be a little issue is the commute to Minneapolis from there. That said, the schools, downtown, history and nature/water are all spot on.

[MNFLOR]

If you determine Hastings is an option, there is a park & ride lot in Cottage Grove that a lot of folks from Hastings utilize (just off Highway 61). There are also vanpool and carpooling options. In the future (who knows when!), Hastings will be part of the Red Rock Corridor for train/light rail. Good luck in your search!