Commute Times: Apple Valley to Golden Valley/Maplewood (Minneapolis, St. Paul: house, buying)

[GBCommenter]

I would really urge everyone to focus on the OP's questions as opposed to interjecting our own personal opinions and preferences of each of the suburbs...I'm doubtful it helps the OP and really doesn't help us portray this forum as useful for anything beyond a p***ing match. I would imagine if answering the basic question leads to more questions, the OP has the intelligence to ask if so inclined.

When I had a friend who lived in Apple Valley and I went to visit him, I seem to remember a commute of about 25 minutes to downtown Minneapolis (and then you'll have to drive to Golden Valley). On that basis, I would estimate without traffic or weather delays a one-way drive from Apple Valley to Golden Valley to be approximately 45 minutes, maybe a little less. AV to Maplewood will probably be somewhere around the same amount of time. If you have traffic or weather delays, it could become quite a drive (at least in my opinion)

As far as downtown district, there is the area of Highway 77 and County Road 42, which will have a reasonable amount of typical big-box stores and a number of strip malls. As mentioned above, this area will trend more vehicle oriented than walking oriented, so you will need to judge if that fits what you are picturing as far as "downtown district".

[MnMomma]

Short-term, I think those drives would be OK. But buying a house and doing those drives for the next 10+ years, no way.

I drive from Southwest Minneapolis to Golden Valley every week day during rush hour in the morning and pretty open roads in the afternoon. Even just looking at the part of my commute that would overlap with yours (i.e. not counting my drive to the highway, but just the highway part) you are looking at a 40+ minute commute in the morning. Evening rush hour is worse.

Will you both be at your current jobs long term? If not, I'd move closer to the one that will be there longer.

If you absolutely love Apple Valley then that may trump the commute times for you. But, it sounds like you aren't too familiar with the area so I'd recommend looking around more before purchasing a home. There are so many great neighborhoods (in both the cities and the suburbs) that you could consider. Do you have an agent or friend that can drive you all over for ideas?

Would Blaine be an easier commute to both those locations?

[golfgal]

I've drove to Wayzata at the height of rush hour a couple days last week from Rosemount, it took 40 minutes each day (obviously without snow storms). General Mills would have been 35 minutes--subtract the 5 or so minute difference being that AV is closer and the commute is not bad at all.

[northsub]

Originally Posted by MnMomma

Would Blaine be an easier commute to both those locations?

It*might* be slightly better. You're looking at a minimum of about 40 miles of commuting combined. That's if everything is right on all the necessary freeways. Plus, 252 has traffic and stoplights. 35W backs up north of 694 in the mornings. 694 west (part east of 694) tends to be bad in the evenings. There is also traffic on 65 in Blaine. I get the impression that none of these backups are as bad as those in the south metro, but I don't really know how to compare objectively.

694 east does flow well east of Snelling in the mornings. The north/south part of 94 seems to always flow well, and I'd guess 394 flows well reverse commute (which is what you'd be doing).

Really, if you're looking in the north something near 694 in Shoreview or Vadnais Heights or Little Canada would make more sense commute-wise. You could avoid 252 and 35W. Plus, you could exit off of 694 west in the evening at Rice and have little backup. I think a construction project to improve 694 near Snelling is in the works for the next few years. If that project gets done, probably anywhere along 694 would be roughly equivalent.

[MnMomma]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I've drove to Wayzata at the height of rush hour a couple days last week from Rosemount, it took 40 minutes each day (obviously without snow storms). General Mills would have been 35 minutes--subtract the 5 or so minute difference being that AV is closer and the commute is not bad at all.

It's the going north on 100 part that takes a long time, not the going west part. Traffic is also lighter in the summer.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by MnMomma

It's the going north on 100 part that takes a long time, not the going west part. Traffic is also lighter in the summer.

Highway 100 was fine-it's against most of the traffic. It really wasn't a bad commute at all really.

[northsub]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Highway 100 was fine-it's against most of the traffic. It really wasn't a bad commute at all really.

It's been awhile since I've lived along 100, but traffic isn't bad there now? And traffic is heavier going south from 394 to 494 in the morning? Why did the traffic pattern reverse? Or is there a different 100 that you are talking about?

[GBCommenter]

We seem to have some general agreement the time on the road is around 35-40 minutes (again assuming no unusual traffic or weather). The OP can now decide if that is an acceptable drive in the short and long term timewise.

There is another thing for the OP to consider that is really not especially debatable - distance and how much will it cost in gas? Google maps shows generally a 25 mile one way drive. OP will need to do the math to determine the cost in terms of gas on their particular vehicle and should consider, obviously, costs such as maintenance like tires, oil changes, since you'll be putting on about 50+ miles a day.

[Glenfield]

I have a friend who lives in Rosemount. She says that her commute downtown is 20-25 minutes during rush hour. Yet when I drive from my place in south Minneapolis to hers outside of rush hour, it takes me a good 40 minutes. The only answer I can come up with -- and this would explain golfgal's commute up Hwy. 100-- is that Rosemount residents are issued reverse time decelerators, so that at a certain point in their commute, time actually travels backwards.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I have a friend who lives in Rosemount. She says that her commute downtown is 20-25 minutes during rush hour. Yet when I drive from my place in south Minneapolis to hers outside of rush hour, it takes me a good 40 minutes. The only answer I can come up with -- and this would explain golfgal's commute up Hwy. 100-- is that Rosemount residents are issued reverse time decelerators, so that at a certain point in their commute, time actually travels backwards.

Or we know the better route to take....Which way do you go that it takes 40 minutes from S. Minneapolis to Rosemount???? Of course, assuming you don't drive 30 mph down the freeway too.