Best Suburb to live in (Minneapolis, St. Paul: condo, hotels, home) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

psychegirl · 03-22-2011, 09:22 PM

Thank you for all of the suggestions! We aren't going to decide where to live until we have jobs, but it's helpful to know what areas are good. I'm a planner and like to know as much as I can in advance. Plus, I'm excited, so researching makes it more real to me.

As far as what we like about Wauwatosa and Greendale:
We like the older homes (but that's not really a priority, more of a bonus to us. We like home built before like 1950 and then newer- like after 1980. We currently live in a house built in the 60's and I'm not a huge fan of the style nor the set of issues that comes with homes of that era.)
We like the small town feel, but also like how close to everything Wauwatosa is (basically you have the small town, old world charm feel with really good schools and everything you could want is very close (close to downtown and yet close to the outer suburbs))

We both have cars, so walkability is not essential, but it would be great if there were things within walking distance. We would like to live somewhere safe as we have a small child and a dog. I would like to be able to go for walks with my son and feel safe.

We aren't really very picky. Schools are definitely our first priority. Closeness to my parents is a close 2nd. I would like the small town feel without being in a small town far from the action. If that makes sense.

uptown_urbanist · 03-22-2011, 10:11 PM

If you can find a job out that direction, Stilllwater would be the obvious choice.

I don't think anyone has suggested White Bear Lake yet. There are both older homes as well as newer houses/subdivisions, along with a nice downtown and a nice small town vibe to it. Not sure about the schools, but I think they're pretty good.

psychegirl · 03-23-2011, 08:16 PM

So now I want to know the areas (neighborhoods as well as suburbs) to avoid. As we're trying to figure things out, it's also helpful to know what places are BAD. Thanks!

northstar22 · 03-23-2011, 08:23 PM

Brooklyn Center, Crystal and Columbia Heights are suburbs to definitely steer clear from. I would suggest avoiding Brooklyn Park, Richfield, Burnsville, Robbinsdale, South St. Paul and the east side of Bloomington.

uptown_urbanist · 03-23-2011, 08:55 PM

Of Kazoo's list, I would definitely not agree with many of the characterizations. I don't know some of them enough to comment, but Robbinsdale and Richfield are both perfectly nice and safe. They are most definitely not BAD, and in fact I prefer them to most of the local suburbs. Now whether or not they meet your wish list requirements is another matter (Richfield's housing is primarily post-war), but it's a great place to live.

psychegirl · 03-23-2011, 09:06 PM

Can I ask why those places should be avoided? I'm sure there are certain parts of Minneapolis and St Paul that should be avoided as well. Can anyone fill me in on that as well?

Cruz Azul Guy · 03-23-2011, 09:13 PM

It's such a subjective question, there is not going to be any kind of general consensus on what suburbs are "good" or "bad". Brooklyn Center would be seen as a less attractive suburb since it has some poverty and crime issues. Personally I'd easily rather live in an affordable home in Brooklyn Center right on the Mississippi River over pretty much anything in Maple Grove or Woodbury (my least favorite suburbs in the Twin Cities). They are both modern car-dependant suburbs which are known for their mcmansions, cul-de-sacs and lifestyle centers...which all annoy me to no end. Once again, that's just my own personal opinion.

northstar22 · 03-23-2011, 09:18 PM

Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights and Crystal all have significant poverty levels, and poverty often breeds crime.

Parts of east Bloomington, South St. Paul and Richfield are somewhat run-down. Not "bad," but why live there when you have better choices (especially since you have kids)?

Maple Grove and Woodbury, along with Plymouth, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Eagan, Rosemount, Blaine are all excellent, safe, convenient suburbs.

Cruz Azul Guy · 03-23-2011, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights and Crystal all have significant poverty levels, and poverty often breeds crime.

Parts of east Bloomington, South St. Paul and Richfield are somewhat run-down. Not "bad," but why live there when you have better choices (especially since you have kids)?

Maple Grove and Woodbury, along with Plymouth, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Eagan, Rosemount, Blaine are all excellent, safe, convenient suburbs.

Just curious, where do you pull your information from? I know two people who live in Columbia Heights and both make 6 figures...and it borders NE Minneapolis. Correct me if I'm wrong but haven't you ranted and raved in the past on this forum about how great that part of the city is?

uptown_urbanist · 03-23-2011, 09:40 PM

Take every opinion (yes, mine included) with a grain of salt. I personally would NEVER choose somewhere like Woodbury over somewhere like Richfield (and yes, I have a child!) but to each his own. You can find "run down" buildings in practically every suburb in the Twin Cities, yet that doesn't make the entire suburb "bad" or undesirable. I'm with Slig on this one; I hate "lifestyle centers" and McMansions and cul-de-sacs and bland big box stores and are heavy on the chain restaurants, so many of the newer suburbs hold no appeal. Other people obviously love them, but they don't seem to have anything in common with the WI suburbs you mentioned, so I'm guessing that they might not be to your taste, either.

And for what it's worth, doesn't Crystal border Plymouth? I think it does, or at least they all run together in that area; we have a storage unit in Golden Valley on the border with Crystal, near Medicine Lake, and it's a perfectly nice area.