Live in Eden Prairie or St Louis Park ? (St. Paul, Bloomington: apartment complex, rentals)

[cherrypeach]

I am having a difficulty in deciding where to look for an apartment. I currently live in Hopkins and work close to downtown St. Paul. It is about a 30-40 minute drive on a good day. I really don't mind it in summers but winters get challenging on snow storm days. I would move close to St. Paul but I don't feel safe in most neighborhoods as a single woman...plus I have family in Eden Prairie.

I don't like the apartment complex where I live right now, which is why I am looking at other places. I am trying to stay under a $1000 in rent and utilities, so not finding much in that range in St Louis Park. Eden Prairie does have some apartments in that range. Would the commute be any worse than what it is for me now ? It seems like EP is more suburban than Hopkins/St Louis Park and the apts seem nicer in EP. Would it be too boring to move there ?

[Kebinminn]

That depends on how you define boring. Plenty of people are happy with living in the suburbs. If you're looking for an urban experience you probably won't be happy but I think it could be fine. You can always drive where you want to go if you want to go out. I think a lot depends on your personality.

I will say I think if you explored in that area more I bet you could find something you did feel safe in. Woodbury would give you a shorter commute or, perhaps, Eagan in between the two. Others can advise you better on that.

[AndRew93]

Eden Prairie is "boring" in the sense that it's basically a collection of houses connected to strip malls with wide and long roads. It comes down to one's taste, and as a resident of Eden Prairie, I myself don't find this feature appealing at all. At times I even wonder if thinking of Eden Prairie as a town/city is just outright misleading. That said, it's still a good, prosperous neighborhood, which probably qualifies it for serious consideration.

[cherrypeach]

Originally Posted by AndRew93

Eden Prairie is "boring" in the sense that it's basically a collection of houses connected to strip malls with wide and long roads. It comes down to one's taste, and as a resident of Eden Prairie, I myself don't find this feature appealing at all. At times I even wonder if thinking of Eden Prairie as a town/city is just outright misleading. That said, it's still a good, prosperous neighborhood, which probably qualifies it for serious consideration.

I guess as a single woman, I have always felt very safe in Eden Prairie neighborhoods. The price that I am getting for an apartment that has all the features including a covered parking spot is also good. My only concern is if I'd be bored being far from the city. I have lived in Hopkins for about 6-7 years now and the location is very convenient. I just can't find a good apartment within my budget in this area. Most of the apartments in Hopkins/SLP area are not very well kept and the ones that are newer are quite pricey.

[plain and simple]

I agree with AndRew93. Eden Prairie is boring. It's basically the "new Bloomington" where the wealthier folks went to keep away from the city riff-raff, low property values and to feel safe. (Once Bloomington was "invaded" by "other people.") I know that's not a polite way of putting it, but it's the general consensus of anyone I've ever spoken to. That's NOT to say that good, kind, wonderful people don't live there. Still, that doesn't change the fact that it's very boring stepford community of strip malls, houses that look the same and chain restaurants.

St. Louis Park, on the other hand, is charming. It's not perfect by any means but it's a fun area with unique shops, restaurants, and conveniences.

Have you considered Eagan, Burnsville or Apple Valley? I would think they'd be closer. There are northern and eastern suburbs, too but, I tend to be more partial to the southern ones.

[cherrypeach]

Originally Posted by plain and simple

I agree with AndRew93. Eden Prairie is boring. It's basically the "new Bloomington" where the wealthier folks went to keep away from the city riff-raff, low property values and to feel safe. (Once Bloomington was "invaded" by "other people.") I know that's not a polite way of putting it, but it's the general consensus of anyone I've ever spoken to. That's NOT to say that good, kind, wonderful people don't live there. Still, that doesn't change the fact that it's very boring stepford community of strip malls, houses that look the same and chain restaurants.

St. Louis Park, on the other hand, is charming. It's not perfect by any means but it's a fun area with unique shops, restaurants, and conveniences.

Have you considered Eagan, Burnsville or Apple Valley? I would think they'd be closer. There are northern and eastern suburbs, too but, I tend to be more partial to the southern ones.

I absolutely love St Louis Park...if only I could find an apartment within my budget here. You described it perfect, it is "charming". I would hate to leave this area. Anyone has any recommendation on apartment properties that offer a one bedroom in $ 800-850 range ? I can't seem to find decent ones for less than 900-950. The closer you get to uptown/lakes, the more expensive they get.

I am not too fond of Eagan, even though it is closer to work. Have never explored Burnsville or Apple Valley. How would you compare those two to Eden Prairie ?

[plain and simple]

Originally Posted by cherrypeach

I absolutely love St Louis Park...if only I could find an apartment within my budget here. You described it perfect, it is "charming". I would hate to leave this area. Anyone has any recommendation on apartment properties that offer a one bedroom in $ 800-850 range ? I can't seem to find decent ones for less than 900-950. The closer you get to uptown/lakes, the more expensive they get.

I am not too fond of Eagan, even though it is closer to work. Have never explored Burnsville or Apple Valley. How would you compare those two to Eden Prairie ?

I'm going to send you a PM.

[ManBearPig1]

Just use padmapper and Craigslist (since padmapper's in the middle of a fight with craigslist, need to use both). You could easily just live in downtown or lowertown St. Paul, have a safe fun neighborhood, a 1 BR under $1000, and the commute would be a breeze. But since you seem closed to that, you shouldn't have any trouble finding something in your budget in St. Louis Park. Here's some I pulled from a quick search:

1BR at Lakewood Isles & Calhoun West Apartments
1BR at Walden Woods
1BR/1BA
1BR at Park Towers
1BR at Park Embassy

[Cleverbeetle98]

Personally, I'd go SLP. It's less....suburbia. The commute EP to St. Paul isn't awful depending on the time of day (I did the reverse actually) as long as you are close to 494 in EP.

Not to sway your choices, but I'm a 20 something female living alone in St. Paul and I feel perfectly safe. I'm right in the heart of downtown and while I wouldn't go walking around at night by myself, I wouldn't really do that anywhere. I also would have easily picked the Grand Ave/Summit area, Mac/Groveland, or Highland areas if I had found the apt amenities I was looking for. And you can find a nice apt for $1000 or less in any of those areas.

If you are set on staying in the SLP area (which I also love), follow ManBearPig1's suggestions - I've used padmapper.com, hotpads.com, and craigslist to find rentals. In addition to professionally managed mass apt communities you'll also find duplex/condo type rentals. You definitely get more options this way and can specify your price range to narrow things down.

Choosing EP over SLP is really a personal choice that only you can make. Some people don't mind the suburbs, others hate it. Personally, having family in EP isn't really a swaying quality as you would still be plenty close living in SLP.

[cherrypeach]

Originally Posted by swmrbird

Personally, I'd go SLP. It's less....suburbia. The commute EP to St. Paul isn't awful depending on the time of day (I did the reverse actually) as long as you are close to 494 in EP.

Not to sway your choices, but I'm a 20 something female living alone in St. Paul and I feel perfectly safe. I'm right in the heart of downtown and while I wouldn't go walking around at night by myself, I wouldn't really do that anywhere. I also would have easily picked the Grand Ave/Summit area, Mac/Groveland, or Highland areas if I had found the apt amenities I was looking for. And you can find a nice apt for $1000 or less in any of those areas.

If you are set on staying in the SLP area (which I also love), follow ManBearPig1's suggestions - I've used padmapper.com, hotpads.com, and craigslist to find rentals. In addition to professionally managed mass apt communities you'll also find duplex/condo type rentals. You definitely get more options this way and can specify your price range to narrow things down.

Choosing EP over SLP is really a personal choice that only you can make. Some people don't mind the suburbs, others hate it. Personally, having family in EP isn't really a swaying quality as you would still be plenty close living in SLP.

I was over at EP after work today and made it in 25-30 mins. However, I had left around 6 pm. What timing in your experience has been better for morning as well as evening commute ? Will check padmapper and hotpads. I am not sure if it's just me who has been unlucky this year about finding rentals but every place that I seem to like doesn't have an availability.