Moving into Minneapolis: neighborhood advice (Burnsville, Nicollet: apartment, lease, crime rates)

[datadamage]

My wife and I (late 20s) moved to the twin cities in October (worst time possible, right?). I work in Burnsville, she works downtown Minneapolis. We leased an apartment in Burnsville. It's.... boring. It turns out that most of our friends are in the vicinity of Lyn-Lake. So, we are looking at splitting the difference when our lease is up. I don't mind driving to BV for work if it's ~30 mins or less. We're mostly looking for a neighborhood that fits the following:
-relatively safe (we've lived in a city before and are relatively street smart)
-not bank-breaking in terms of rent (i.e. not Uptown)
-availability of garage, or at least off street parking
-relatively close to I-35W
-relatively close the vicinity of lyn-lake/uptown area
-bus accessibility to downtown Minneapolis
-good walk score / bike friendliness
-active neighborhood association

Any advice you veterans of the area can offer? Thanks in advance for any tips.

[uptown_urbanist]

Sounds like like Lyndale neighborhood is the perfect fit. If you run into problems finding something there then Kingfield (just south of there) is a decent option, although there's less stuff within walking distance than closer to Lake Street. Still, there's still a good selection of things there, and the neighborhood association is very active. Really, though, if you like Lyn-Lake you should be able to find something in your budget near there; granted, I don't know what your budget is, but there's a big range of rents in the immediate area. Lyndale's neighborhood organization is my favorite of the four Lyn-Lake neighborhoods; all are active, but Lyndale's is especially proactive and innovative.

You're probably aware of this (or will be soon enough) if your friends live in the area, but the Lyn-Lake Street Festival is fast approaching: Lyn Lake Street Festival

I've noticed a ton of for rent signs around Lyn-Lake area lately, and think one of the best ways to at least initially scout out the area is just to walk around. Some blocks are definitely nicer than others.

[west336]

Whittier. Lyn-Lake minus the drunken college kids, for the most part.....slightly edgier though, but safe in general.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by west336

Whittier. Lyn-Lake minus the drunken college kids, for the most part.....slightly edgier though, but safe in general.

I'm not saying I disagree with the Whittier suggestion as a potential good option to consider, but when I lived in Whittier there was definitely no shortage of drunk college (or immediately post-college) kids around... Although this probably varies depending on which part of Whittier- the closer to Lyndale and the Wedge, the higher the proportion of young partying hipsters I would assume...

[uptown_urbanist]

I think Whittier has more of the party crowd than Lyndale or CARAG (although not sure how it compares to the Wedge on that front), if that's a concern. Street parking is generally tighter in the Wedge and in Whittier, too, so keep that in mind if you look at a place that doesn't come with a lot. Whittier and Lyndale both seem the obvious choices due to proximity to the freeway and cheaper rents, and also hit all the other wish list items. Some blocks have some higher crime rates than others. If you want Lyndale, you'll probably want to stay closer to the heart of Lyn-Lake if you're looking for best walkability and safety; there's some stuff on Nicollet (and it's getting better all the time), but you'll have easy access to a lot more if you're closer to Lake and Lyndale. On the Whittier side there's tons of things along Nicollet (aka "Eat Street,") and you also have nice perks like the presence of the MIA. That part of the neighborhood isn't really Lyn-Lake, of course, but you'd still be fairly close.

And, policy wonk that I am, I can't believe I forgot to add this link earlier:
Lyn-Lake Small Area Plan

It has pretty much anything you could ever possibly want to know about modern Lyn-Lake (my favorite area of Minneapolis!).

[GBCommenter]

Not that the other ideas suggested aren't good ones, but what about Nokomis? Other posters can either call me brilliant or skewer my suggestion, but perhaps something to consider. From what I recall of the area, would seem to hit the OP's desired qualities of a neighborhood, and might be a little closer drive to Burnsville.

@datadamage - moving in October isn't the worst time to move...January would have been the worst time to move...try hauling boxes all over with gloves and bitter windchills!

[datadamage]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Looking like the Lyndale neighborhood may be the way to go... but I've got a little time before our lease is up. We also looked at the Nokomis area when we were first moving up here, but we had a weekend to find a place and panicked (can you imagine someone not from here trying to find an apartment in about 36 hours? ). May warrant another look.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I like Nokomis, but if there is one thing that area lacks, it's walkability. Since walkability was listed as one of things the OP is looking for, I would echo the earlier suggestions of Lyndale, Kings Field and Whittier. The last time I checked rent wasn't that bad in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood, even though it is commonly considered part of Uptown so it may be wise not to eliminate that area from your search. Other neighborhoods I'd recommend checking out are Steven's Square and Loring Park.

[west336]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

I'm not saying I disagree with the Whittier suggestion as a potential good option to consider, but when I lived in Whittier there was definitely no shortage of drunk college (or immediately post-college) kids around... Although this probably varies depending on which part of Whittier- the closer to Lyndale and the Wedge, the higher the proportion of young partying hipsters I would assume...

That's definitely true. I guess I was thinking in relative terms, it's much less so.

[Radical_Car]

Stevens Square and Loring Park would be some of my first choices