Safety of Richfield west of the airport (Minneapolis: section 8, apartments)

[MJF55]

Can anyone tell me if the Richfield neighborhood just west of the airport is a safe enough neighborhood for a 20-something female to live alone. Our daughter lives in the Twin Cities and is looking to buy a house. We are from Wisconsin, so we're not sure about the area. She likes being near the light rail park and ride. Would Nokomis be a better choice? If so, which area?

[gweilo845]

The area is safe, but you're going to have to put up with airport noise, and perhaps also noise from the freeway depending how close the house is to it. Also, it is not right by the light rail - the closest stop would be at the airport or Mall of America.

[Haver]

I grew up in Richfield and still spend a lot of time there. Its a safe neighborhood, just worn a bit on the edges. The entire city was a "build it quick to house returning WW II vets" bedroom suburb, and now that they're dying off in great numbers there are a lot of new homeowners moving in. Airport noise means no one put a lot of remodeling effort into the housing base because they knew they'd never be able to get a reasonable return on investment, but the houses are generally well maintained. This means the people moving in don't have a lot of money, either, and are more Walmart than Target. Central Richfield is solidly Target while west Richfield is a mix of Target and Galleria, if that makes sense (it would if you were local).

The only just barely sketchy areas are the apartments along cedar and 494.

[MJF55]

Thank you all! That's what we thought, but just wanted to hear if from someone who really knew for sure. She is definitely more Target than Walmart! So we'll look a little closer at the central and western neighborhoods.

[Oildog]

I grew up and still have friends that live there, and its pretty safe. Like some said its a little rough around the edges where the section 8 apartments are. But thats true in many areas w Section 8 housing.

[GBCommenter]

Agreed with the other commenters...safe but worn around the edges. There is, however, the Target store on Hwy. 77/Cedar and 66th Street (plus Home Depot and other smaller stores in a new development).

Do keep in mind, however, you will have considerable airport noise to contend with and, as mentioned, it will be a challenge to ever get a return on investment on a home purchase (not even withstanding the current home ownership market, which presents a challenge to begin with).

As also mentioned, there really isn't a great option for light rail on the east side of Richfield - you'll drive to Mall of America or near for stops. If that is supremely important to daughter, I would suggest looking to Nokomis. You'll still have airport noise, and I would expect slightly higher home prices (and possibly higher taxes as you're now in the City of Minneapolis versus Richfield). However, you will be able to get to closer Light Rail stops depending on exactly where in Nokomis you look.