Moving to the Twin Cities Area (Working in Eagan) Have lots of questions. (Minneapolis: neighborhoods, best school districts) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

amplified · 06-03-2011, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

To help narrow down places to live-what activities does your 14 year old like to do? We are very fortunate that most schools in MN are top notch and you have the luxury of picking schools based on activities because academics are all fairly equal among most schools.

My son loves football and basketball. He has also thought about trying out wrestling once he gets to HS.

amplified · 06-04-2011, 12:15 AM

Thanks you all for the detailed comments. These will all be so useful as we transition to the MN region. More comments are definitely welcome. I'm reading them all.

My biggest worry right now is the living situation. I have such a small window of time to find a place and I really can't even fly out ahead like someone suggested to finalize a deal. I've made a few calls but they seem skeptical that someone in California would relocate to MN. My future boss has a good friend who works in real estate but not really rentals.

We have really narrowed down the cities we want to live to the Eagan/Apple Valley/Rosemount/Lakeville area. Part of me really wants to consider the Longfellow/S. Minneapolis area though. Maybe it's just because I grew up a San Diego boy and love the vibe of being closer to downtown. We are big sports nuts and I can't wait to watch games of all 4 major sports.

Does it make sense to consider the S. Minneapolis area or should we just focus around the Eagan area since I'll be working there? If the schools aren't really good in S. Minneapolis then we can't really consider the area. We also really need to get the most home for the money. Don't know where the best values really are.

We also love the water but there seem to be so many lakes I don't even know where to start. I'm sure we'll check out Calhoun/Harriet as they both seem to have amazing views of the downtown skyline...

golfgal · 06-04-2011, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amplified

My son loves football and basketball. He has also thought about trying out wrestling once he gets to HS.

If he wants to "try" wrestling in high school, I would cross Apple Valley (for the area that goes to Apple Valley High School) off your list. He won't be able to try wrestling there-they are the number one team in the nation. Rosemount or Eagan will be good fits for his sports liking.

As for living in Minneapolis, you are going to get all kinds of responses to this but you are working in the city with one of the best school districts in the nation, why not just live there? Eagan is a quick, easy hop into downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. The schools in Minneapolis are really not very good. Southwest High School is marginal-either you are in the IB class with a few other kids and have a good experience or you don't. Even so, the Minneapolis schools are still better then what you will find in any other inner city in the nation.

uptown_urbanist · 06-04-2011, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

The schools in Minneapolis are really not very good. Southwest High School is marginal-either you are in the IB class with a few other kids and have a good experience or you don't.

This is completely untrue. Golfgal has no knowledge or experience of Southwest (or other MPS schools) and has consistently proven that through the repetition of incorrect facts. Not sure what the deal is there, but definitely take that with a BIG grain of salt.

I'd give south Minneapolis a look. I'm not sure about the schools in that part of town, but I know there are some very good ones. In Minneapolis the schools can be more hit-or-miss -- some are excellent (some of the best in the state), others are not. South High School has a very good reputation.

You probably won't get the most home for your money in that part of the city, though. You really pay for location. You'll probably get far more space in the 'burbs. I'd start with Eagan since that's where the work is; once you get out as far as Apple Valley and Lakeville you really start to feel REALLY far out. Nothing as far as the sprawling suburbs of southern CA, but since you like easy access to city amenities you might as well both stay close to work and be closer to the city and its sports.

vcvc · 06-04-2011, 09:49 AM

Just to expand on the basement talk. Like mentioned earlier, I think you'll have trouble finding a place that doesn't have a basement. And with all the bad weather this year and recently it is a nice thing to have.

Most homes in the Northeast and Midwest have basements. While many in the south and on the west coast do not.

Laggard · 06-04-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

This is completely untrue. Golfgal has no knowledge or experience of Southwest (or other MPS schools) and has consistently proven that through the repetition of incorrect facts..

Thought I was the only one who noticed.

audadvnc · 06-04-2011, 02:44 PM

To reiterate a comment on an adjacent thread, a school rating of 6 in Minnesota is a 9 in most other states.

Cruz Azul Guy · 06-04-2011, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amplified

Does it make sense to consider the S. Minneapolis area or should we just focus around the Eagan area since I'll be working there? If the schools aren't really good in S. Minneapolis then we can't really consider the area. We also really need to get the most home for the money. Don't know where the best values really are.

Why wouldn't it make sense to look in South Minneapolis? I work in Eagan and we live in South Minneapolis...so it can be done. I was actually living in Eagan previously and really didn't like living there at all. Now that we live in the city I'm convinced we'll never go back to the suburbs. There is just alot more going on where we are now. Regarding schools, there are options here in the city. We don't have kids yet but based on all of the information I've obtained, schools near us that seem pretty good include Minnehaha Academy, Seward Elementary, Emerson Spanish Immersion, South High School, etc. Washburn and Southwest High Schools have alot of good things going for them too. If you're really worried about schools you'll probably want to do some more research. However, if you like city life I think it'd make alot of sense to at least look into a couple city neighborhoods to see how you like them compared to those other suburban locations.

amplified · 06-05-2011, 04:24 PM

From what we've been seeing it seems like you can get more home for the money in lakeville or apple valley then Eagan. Is that correct?

Also are there any bad areas of Eagan? A few places we are looking at seem nice but I want to make sure they are not in bad parts of town. They rent for about $75-100 less than most places we are finding. These are all town homes.

amplified · 06-05-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slig

Why wouldn't it make sense to look in South Minneapolis? I work in Eagan and we live in South Minneapolis...so it can be done. I was actually living in Eagan previously and really didn't like living there at all. Now that we live in the city I'm convinced we'll never go back to the suburbs. There is just alot more going on where we are now. Regarding schools, there are options here in the city. We don't have kids yet but based on all of the information I've obtained, schools near us that seem pretty good include Minnehaha Academy, Seward Elementary, Emerson Spanish Immersion, South High School, etc. Washburn and Southwest High Schools have alot of good things going for them too. If you're really worried about schools you'll probably want to do some more research. However, if you like city life I think it'd make alot of sense to at least look into a couple city neighborhoods to see how you like them compared to those other suburban locations.

What part of south minneapolis?