Help! 27 y/o moving to Minneapolis needs help with relocation and costs! (St. Anthony: real estate, apartments)

[LemonNLime]

Hello all! I'm a single black 27 y/o female that is moving from Vermont to Minneapolis. I am very excited about relocating from the middle of nowhere back to a city in the Great Lakes region. I have SO many questions as this move is happening in about 3 weeks. Any help would be great.

I'm going to be working at the University but I have no interest in living near a bunch of college students, what areas would you suggest? I am looking to live near singles in their late 20's-30's, $700-800 (including heat, water, and parking), restaurants, public transport, walkable neighborhood, cafes, farmers markets, shopping, near parks, etc. The Warehouse District and Uptown look OK but I really don't know.

My salary will be in the high 30s, is that livable for a single person? What is the general cost of living (cable, electric, gas, food)?

What areas should I stay away from (too suburban or violent)?

Is a car needed or recommended?

What are things like in the winter? Sure I know there is snow but I mean in terms of quality of life. Do people hide inside all winter? Are their winter festival and such?

[uptown_urbanist]

If you have a car already I wouldn't get rid of it, as generally it's useful to have in the Twin Cities. If you don't have one, I wouldn't rush out to buy one, especially since you will be working at the U and presumably won't want to drive there, anyway.

The Uptown would work well. Not sure about the Warehouse District; my guess is that rentals in that price point would be hard to come by, but could be wrong.

I would also give serious consideration to the old St. Anthony neighborhood in Minneapolis; it's the area right around where University, Central, and Hennepin all come together, right by the Mississippi River. Also in the general area is the western half of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood. (they're now calling it Northeast, but that gets confusing because it's only one portion of NE Minneapolis, and actually a lot of it is technically -- by the addresses -- in SE Minneapolis!): Northeast Minneapolis Riverfront District | Everyone's Favorite Neighborhood! Actually, I think this is your best bet, and I'd put this area at the very top of your list. VERY convenient to the U, tons of cafes and restaurants, right by the river, you can walk to the farmer's market, tons of young professionals.

[LemonNLime]

Thanks for your reply!

[MplsTodd]

I'll second UptownUrb's suggestion of the old Northeast neighborhood, as it is close to the U of M, the riverfront and downtown. There is a Lunds grocery store, which is high quality and a bit expensive in the heart of the neighborhood. Rainbow and Cub, plus Target are within easy driving distance, plus there's a Target at 9th & Nicollet in the heart of downtown.

Uptown is another "obvious" suggestion due to its high walkability (and bikability), proximity to lakes, restaurants, bars, and transit, plus several grocery stores in the area.

Other areas that may be worth checking out: Kingfield: located between Nicollet and Lyndale between 36th and 50th Streets. This is mostly a single-family area, but has several apartments scattered around and is an attractive neighborhood with lots of small corner retail nodes (eg 46th & Grand, 36th & Bryant, 43rd & Nicollet, 38th & Grand). It has decent bus service, but not as good as Uptown. This may appeal to you if you're into a quieter neighborhood than Uptown.

Seward/Longfellow; Generally south of I-94 and between Hiawatha Ave (Highway 55 & the LRT line) and the Mississippi River. This is a pretty diverse area with a mix of University professors/employees, some older hippies, Somali immigrants, among many others... There's a good co-op and several businesses along Franklin, and the river has great biking and jogging trails. The neighborhood on the other side of Hiawatha (Phillips) has crime issues, but I don't think this affects Seward too much.

In winter, Minnesotans certainly do spend more time indoors, but most don't hibernate at all. Skating is popular at city parks and at Lake of the Isles, which has a great skating rink (unless the winter is too warm for the lake to freeze--eg this past winter! There's X-country skiing and (some) downhill skiing in the metro. Plus lots of people still walk around the lakes on most days (not many if the temps are below 10 degrees though). St Paul has the Winter Carnival. I'd also expect that people read more books or attend more theater and music performances in the winter.

Good Luck with your new job!

[Slevin Kelevra]

$700-800 isn't going to get you much in the most desirable locations for professionals (Downtown, Uptown, parts of the Warehouse District), at least not if you're looking for just a place for yourself. If you find a roomate, you should be able to find something in your price range.

Downtown is probably the most expensive real estate in the cities to rent given the demand, followed pretty closely by uptown. Generally a one bedroom will run you between 900-1200/mo, including parking, utilies, etc. You can search on craigslist for listings at the top apartment buildings in the cities (Carlisle, Grant Park, Skyscape, etc.).

You may want to look at some of other desirable spots like Loring Park, the Warehouse District, north Minneapolis across the river, etc. These spots will be just a little cheaper which should bring the costs into your range.

[ManBearPig1]

There are tons of 1 BRs in your range in uptown. The plurality of my friends live in uptown and pay between $650-900, some less on a per-room-basis with roommates. My experience has been that the warehouse district is slightly more expensive than uptown, for comparable units, on average; Loring Park, slight less expensive.

Lots of younger singles in the warehouse district and uptown.

Express buses run from uptown to the University. Uptown would be the easiest without a car on your budget.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by ManBearPig1

There are tons of 1 BRs in your range in uptown. The plurality of my friends live in uptown and pay between $650-900, some less on a per-room-basis with roommates. My experience has been that the warehouse district is slightly more expensive than uptown, for comparable units, on average; Loring Park, slight less expensive.

Lots of younger singles in the warehouse district and uptown.

Express buses run from uptown to the University. Uptown would be the easiest without a car on your budget.

Except she wants $700 WITH all utilities. That is going to be hard to find anywhere without a roommate.

[MidwestToLA]

LemonNLime: I'd agree with uptown_urbanist. Western half of "Marcy-Holmes" -- click on the link they provided, then on that page, then click on "Neighborhood Map" -- anywhere on that area will put you near work and what you're looking for

Why there?
- you should be able to find a 1BR in that neighborhood for $800 with those features, otherwise roommate sharing will work
- safe
- you can walk/bike/bus/drive to your work at the U of M along SE University Ave there. Bus routes do go by on that street and SE 4th St. You can probably get a nice bus pass discount through work. "MetroPass" or "UPass"
- groceries (Lund's in Northeast) are walkable/bikeable. Plus the restaurants/cafes/bars in Northeast which have an older crowd than university students. It's definitely a late 20s-30s crowd, both singles and couples.
- farmer's market in the Mill District (south of the river), you can walk/bike across the bridge to get there.

- uptown_urbanist's comments re: car also good. keep if you have it, don't force to buy if you don't have, especially if you can get yourself near work in a neighborhood like here
- cost of living is moderate. we have a state income tax though. i think you can live a comfortable life with high $30s + $800/month for rent. I've seen friends do it for that.

- Winter-wise, it gets quite cold (maybe comparable to Vermont's winters? not sure) but you'll see that MN people try make the best of it. Activity wise, you'll meet many who do downhill or cross-country skiing, or ice skating, or snowshoeing.

Yes during winter there's a lot of holing up but people still go to the bars and the fact that you're in a walkable neighborhood will make it better. In the summer people really take to enjoying the patios of bars & restaurants. If you can live in the above neighborhood you'll be near plenty!

Good luck!

[lalife]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Except she wants $700 WITH all utilities. That is going to be hard to find anywhere without a roommate.

Wrong... Lots of rentals only require that the renter pay electricity. Estimated bill would be maybe $30 a month. Lots of rentals in the $600 + range for older brownstones etc.

How do I know this? I have lived in Minneapolis ( in the city, not suburbs), for 30 years now.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by lalife

Wrong... Lots of rentals only require that the renter pay electricity. Estimated bill would be maybe $30 a month. Lots of rentals in the $600 + range for older brownstones etc.

How do I know this? I have lived in Minneapolis ( in the city, not suburbs), for 30 years now.

Your cable and internet is included in your rent too, really? $600+30+100 is over $700 already, IF she finds a place for $600.