Would you relocate your family to Woodbury? Why or why not? (Minneapolis: to rent, buying a house)

[keri578]

I've lived in Woodbury since I was 6 years old. I'm now 23.

Pros
-Walking paths, parks, trails, soccer/baseball fiends and tennis courts everywhere for free
-Tons of shopping for anything you could ever need. 3 grocery stores, 2 targets, 1 walmart, 4 walgreens etc. plus the major Woodbury Village, Tamarack Village and Woodbury Lakes malls.
-Very safe neighborhoods, neighbors look out for each other, can leave your car unlocked while in your driveway without concern
-Kids are everywhere! Tons of neighborhood kids for your children to play and hang out with.
-Everything is kept looking nice. Lawns and gardens are always manicured and the city itself is always neat and kept up with appearances.

Cons
-Truly the soccer mom capital of the world. Lots of mini vans filled with children while mom is yacking on her iphone and not paying attention while driving.
-Expect to take 20 minutes driving from one end to the other because there are stoplights every 500 feet.
-There are rich people that live here, lots of them, and they can be snobby
-Most of the houses all look the same. Neighborhoods are different, but houses in the neighborhoods are all similar.

Overall, I'd say go for it. It's a nice place and you'll be safe and there are many things to do and you'll have everything you need.

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

No, I personally would not, but many people love it. It's very stereotypically modern American suburbia, so if that's what you like, then I am sure you would be very happy with Woodbury. It has good schools, nice parks, lots of new houses. Of course that depends on your work location -- Woodbury would be a convenient suburban location for St. Paul, but not Minneapolis.

Stereotypical? I guess if walking paths galore, fair taxes, abundant shopping from Walmart and Savers all the way up to Tiffanys, low crime and the #1 and #2 schools in the state (Woodbury and East Ridge) are "Stereotypical" then I guess that's not such a bad thing.

Woodbury is awesome, one of the best 2 or 3 suburbs in the Twin Cities and IMO the best. I just heard they are planning on running the light rail system to Woodbury so it's going to just keep getting better.

[1stpontiac]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Stereotypical? I guess if walking paths galore, fair taxes, abundant shopping from Walmart and Savers all the way up to Tiffanys, low crime and the #1 and #2 schools in the state (Woodbury and East Ridge) are "Stereotypical" then I guess that's not such a bad thing.

Woodbury is awesome, one of the best 2 or 3 suburbs in the Twin Cities and IMO the best. I just heard they are planning on running the light rail system to Woodbury so it's going to just keep getting better.

They are looking at options to reduce congestion out there, but the only thing that has been decided for sure is that it won't be in the form of a commuter rail going all the way to Eau Claire.

Light rail is still officially on the table, but the top two options from the latest analysis are buses.

Commuter rail from Twin Cities to Eau Claire off table for I-94 | StarTribune.com

[StilltheSame]

I agree with West and Uptown.

It is a fine neighborhood, I just like something closer in, walkable with more of a metro, city feel.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Stereotypical? I guess if walking paths galore, fair taxes, abundant shopping from Walmart and Savers all the way up to Tiffanys, low crime and the #1 and #2 schools in the state (Woodbury and East Ridge) are "Stereotypical" then I guess that's not such a bad thing.

Woodbury is awesome, one of the best 2 or 3 suburbs in the Twin Cities and IMO the best. I just heard they are planning on running the light rail system to Woodbury so it's going to just keep getting better.

It's all a matter of personal taste. As I said, some people love Woodbury, others, like me, would not willingly choose to live there. Whether it is the right fit for the OP is going to depend her personal preferences in a neighborhood, especially given that you can find safe neighborhoods with good schools all over the metro area.

And yes, I do think it is the modern stereotypical suburb. And again, as obviously many people love that, there's a chance that the OP will love it, too. Being a stereotypical modern American suburb is not a bad thing if that's what you like.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

#1 and #2 schools in the state (Woodbury and East Ridge).

Don't forget about the Math & Science Academy

[golfgal]

Just an FYI, they are not the top schools in the state. They had a high percent of kids pass the MCA's. There are other districts that score much higher on all around statistics like graduation rates, ACT/SAT scores, college placement, etc. Not that they are bad schools, they just aren't "the best".

[Angorlee]

Warning!Woodbury is a very polluted area because the prevailing winds are from the northwest and they get all the pollution from both Minneapolis and St.Paul blowing right into their town. St.Paul Park and Newport are bad too for that reason. Go to pollution scorecard and Woodbury is in the deep red for every kind of pollution.

[MN person]

I live in woodbury. The plusses are: good schools, safe, good shopping, nice people, lots of bike and walking trails, and easy commuting to St. Paul.
Negatives, is it can be rather bland culterally. To see a concert or go to a museum you will have to go into the the city. If you work in Minneapolis probably better to move to a different suburb. Winter commutes can be a head ache.

[ttaleg]

if your into that....having to drive everywhere, no diversity, malls, chain resurants, walking out to the end of you driveway and saying, now what........its prolly a pretty cool place to live...sorry, had too