moving to mn (Minneapolis, Plymouth, Eagan: cul-de-sac, for sale, new house)

[woodbridgedave]

I posted in a previous thread....unfortunately I never got a chance to reply before it was closed.

However, my wife and myself will be moving from Jersey. The general consensus in jersey is that everything is acceptable except for a few bad spots like newark and Paterson. So I asked which places to avoid to give us some direction.

From uptowns response it sounds like Minneapolis proper may not be as bad a previously presumed. However you asked for more details which I would be happy to give you.

I will be working in edina and downtown. Our house budget is around 800k. My kids are currently is middle school. I think our aim is to get a good high school that isn't mammoth size. We have two dogs so a yard that could appropriately fit their needs would be ideal.

My wife is tired of driving so far for everyday things...so if those everyday needs could be a mile or two away that would be perfect.

As far as my commute..anything under 20 minutes and I would be ecstatic.

[rzzz]

With an $800K budget I personally would live on Lake Calhoun. There was a great house for sale there for $780K last summer. I don't know where kids who live there go to school, though. With the requirements you describe (wife's desires, your work, kid in school) I would suggest living right in Edina.

[golfgal]

What activities are your kids involved in? What would they like to do in high school? With the exception of a few suburbs and the inner city schools, you really can pick any suburb and you will be just fine academically. Most people moving to the area pick somewhere near work first, then match schools to kids' activities. With your budget, Edina would be the place to start. It's considered among the best districts in the state, school sizes are reasonable and obviously convenient to work. your wife will have everything she needs right there as well. Yards may be on the small size for a lot of properties in Edina but not all of them will be so. I would stay away from the western suburbs because of the school sizes, 1000+/grade in the high schools. Most of the rest of the suburbs will be in the 400-600/grade range, some smaller even.

Do you want to be in a more laid back, quite area or a busier area? Do you want more space or is the shorter commute more of a priority. Eagan, especially some of the developments off Highway 55 would be my second suggestion. Excellent schools, class sizes of about 450-550, nice wooded acreages available or more suburban settings if you prefer. It's a quick hop into Minneapolis or Edina via 55 to 62 too.

Keep in mind, property taxes here are considerably less then you find in most places in NJ and your $800K may go a lot farther here.

[woodbridgedave]

My daughter plays the flute and softball
my son swims and plays baseball
both are involved in math and reading clubs

[1stpontiac]

As far as bad areas...anywhere you find an $800k house will be very safe, so you don't need to worry about that at all. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find here. Edina, SW Minneapolis, and Eden Prairie would all seem like reasonable places to start looking. Although I'm not familiar with traffic patterns down there, I'd assume you'd want to stay west of the rivers.

[Kebinminn]

St Louis Park is a fairly small district so I imagine the HS is smaller than many around here, it meets all of your other requirements as well.

Tyrol Hills in Golden Valley is also close to everything, has some great homes. It is in the Hopkins district which is great, but the HS is bigger. Not sure what you consider big though compared to out there so maybe the size would be right for you.

Also, Edina would work just fine. They're reputed to have some of the best schools in the state. Again, the size of the school could be an issue but I think it's worth looking into.

[ferr0052]

Regarding school size...coming from Jersey, I think you might be equating school size with inner city schools. Minnesota school zoning is really bizarre. You will rarely find a school district that matches the suburban boarder exactly. With that said some of our best schools are "large" for that matter. For example Wayzata school district encompasses Wayzata, Plymouth, medina, parts of Maple Grove and Minnetonka. I believe, it's also the largest High School in MN, and also one of the best.

Golfgal made a good point in another thread..unless you are concerned about your child not making sports because they are in a more competitive environment; the larger school shouldn't dissuade you. The classroom class sizes are roughly the same... in my opinion, you tend to get more diversity in the curriculum.

[uptown_urbanist]

You have a ton of options. What kind of neighborhood do you like? If it was me, I'd go with Linden Hills or Uptown in Minneapolis (Anthony Middle School in SW Minneapolis receives great reviews from parents these days, and Southwest High School has long had a top reputation and is small enough, although not tiny, that it feels like a real school community). I don't like Edina as much, but there's a big range of neighborhoods and you can easily find something that will suit you for that budget and the schools are very good.

Linden Hills is more stereotypically Mayberry community -- they like to call themselves a "village", and it's very quaint and charming and nestled in SW Minneapolis near the Edina border and with a straight shot via bus (or car) to downtown Minneapolis. Ultra-safe, upscale, lots of heautiful older homes, as well as some modern options mixed in. One of the best things about living in the Twin Cities is the lakes, so living within easy walking distance of one of the lakes (and both Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun are ringed with walking/running and biking paths), and Linden Hills puts you center stage for that. Far more character than, say, a bland new construction house somewhere like Eden Prairie (although you will be paying a premium for a Linden Hills location -- it's highly desirable -- but I think it's worth it, and definitely doable with your price range.)

Uptown is a bit more "urban" although probably won't feel that way to you if you're comparing it to big east coast cities. It sits right by Lake Calhoun, and is more trendy and has a lot more businesses than Linden Hills. It's also closer to downtown, farther from Edina, but still pretty close to either place. It's great if you want to be able to make more of your trips by foot or bike, fewer by car. It's a nice area for teens, but does not have as many kids and teenagers as does Linden Hills (possibly has more than some neighborhoods of Edina, however). If you like Uptown-area options then confirm school attendance zones. Most of the area is zoned for Southwest for high school, but I'm not sure about the middle schools. I think the majority of Uptown is lumped in with SW Minneapolis for middle and high school, but I don't recall exactly where the boundaries lie, and not all of the middle schools in Minneapolis are considered "good." 800k would mean you could get a beautiful restored historic home within walking distance of Lake Calhoun or Lake of the Isles.

Parts of St. Louis Park could also be good fits, and convenient for both Edina and downtown (and safe and with good schools).

In Edina, I'm partial to the neighborhoods near 50th and France (which borders the Fulton neighborhood of Minneapolis, which flows into Linden Hills; Fulton is home to Southwest High School, and would also be a fine option), as 50th and France is a nice business district with a ton of restaurants, a theater, and useful amenities like post office, grocery store, etc. (and, assuming he's still there, my old orthodontist, who I think fixed the teeth of every kid in SW Minneapolis and Edina.)

I wouldn't bother with Eagan or anywhere on that side of the river. No need to make such a trek when you have so many good options so much closer. Eden Prairie (which would be convenient for the Edina part of the job) is also more traditional stereotypical suburbia, but if you want that you can still find it in parts of Edina and be a bit closer to DT Minneapolis and have the benefits of the Edina schools (I believe Eden Prairie HS is massive, although haven't compared numbers).

I don't know what you have in mind for a yard, but I think any single family house in these areas (suburban or city) is going to provide adequate space for two dogs to run. Couple that with dog parks and walks around the lake and you'll be set.

If you can be a bit more specific about what types of neighborhoods you like we can give you some additional options. SW Minneapolis (which is extremely safe, has good schools, compact with all the amenities within easy driving or even walking distance, and is conveniently located between Edina and DT Minneapolis) seems like the obvious fit, and is definitely doable with your housing budget, but, for example, wouldn't be the right match if you like new construction on 2-acre lots. (FWIW, you can get a big brand-new house in a SW Minneapolis neighborhood for your budget, but it will probably be too big for its lot and the yard will be small, eaten up by big house and big garage. If you want a huge house and a larger yard in SW Minneapolis the best bet are the older homes on larger lots, like what you find in parts of Lynnhurst or East Harriet near the lake.)

In any case, I'd focus initially on Edina and SW Minneapolis and work out from there. There are a number of other neighborhoods in SW MInneapolis that I didn't mention that also could be perfect, but if interested we can toss out more details. (Lynnhurst, East Harriet, etc.)

For what it's worth, it may be helpful to know that for the city of Minneapolis the city is formally organized into official neighborhoods. These sometimes, but not always, overlap with informal designations. (For example, "Uptown" is informal, but generally the neighborhoods considered part of Uptown are CARAG, ECCO, East Isles, and Lowry Hill East) Most, and I assume all, of these neighborhoods have their own websites, facebook pages, and sometimes even newspapers, making it easy to get a better feel for the area. The Southwest Journal is the newspaper that covers all of SW Minneapolis. I think the neighborhood name thing can greatly confuse people when they're first trying to figure out Minneapolis, but once you've figured it out it makes things pretty easy -- it also has the benefit of meaning that if you DO move into Minneapolis, it's very easy to get involved with your neighbors and to figure out what's happening locally. All the neighborhoods have boards and have budgets and have regular meetings and community events, which is an instant "in" when trying to learn your way around.

Edina doesn't have as many formal neighborhoods (they have some), but I think they are in the process of similarly formalizing their neighborhood names. In the meantime, there are some areas that do have names (Country Club, Indian Hills, etc.),. Some areas are safer for walking and biking than others, if that's a concern (am guessing that perhaps it is, as middle school kids like to get out and about and obviously aren't yet driving.). I'm sure there are some Edina experts on here who can give you the run-down of some of the various neighborhoods if you'd like. Edina has a bigger range than does SW Minneapolis, with some neighborhoods feeling very "modern suburban" (big newer houses on bigger lots, big garages facing the street, no sidewalks, that sort of thing), while other neighborhoods are more post-war suburban, while still other areas have pre-war homes on tree-lined streets with sidewalks. Some neighborhoods are laid out following the grid system, while others have curves and cul-de-sacs. In many ways, Edina is the transitional suburb that offers a bit of everything, from older street-car suburb all the way to newer McMansion subdivision land.) One fun thing about Edina homes: some are built directly adjacent to Minnehaha Creek (some in Minneapolis are, too, but not as many), which would be a nice perk. You could get yourself a canoe and go exploring right out your back door!)

[ferr0052]

If you are familiar with Staten Island...you'll find SW minneapolis/Edina to be a really pretty version of Staten Island. Denser, smaller lots..but very suburban in its feel.

[MnMomma]

I agree with 99% of what uptown_urbanist says in her above post.

I live in, and love, Southwest Minneapolis but an area that I think is often overlooked is the Minikahda Vista and Browndale areas of St. Louis Park (east of highway 100, south of Excelsior). Hopkins has some very nice spots too.

The Cedar Lake neighborhood in Minneapolis is also a nice location that I didn't discover or hear much about before living here for a while.