Neighborhood ideas with access to U of M

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

I drive from the Mississippi to University on 27th Ave. In there and around Franklin Ave, there are nice apartment buildings. If I were looking for an apartment, I'd definitely check there.

That wouldn't be a bad area, but I think the problem is bus access to St. Paul. When I tried calculating a route, it said to walk 1.2 miles to University Avenue to catch the bus. That's quite a haul!

[basquesheep]

Thanks for the suggestions! I previously hadn't looked around University because I associated it with the feel of the Midway area between Dale and Snelling. As a single female riding public transit, I try to avoid that area if alone after dark. Does it start to feel different when you go west of Snelling?

The Lyric at Carleton Place looks neat The Lyric at Carleton Place :: The Lyric | St. Paul - Minneapolis Apartment Home | The Fine Art of Apartment Living. I'm excited to see what kind of developments the Central Corridor brings along University.

No deadline to move right now, but I'll be keeping an eye out for rentals/condos that open up in Lowertown or St Anthony Park/Como.

[bd8802]

I'm kind of in the same boat you are. I'm just not in the twin cities yet. Im gravitating toward lowertown for the convenience of being close to work (state capital). I looked at the lyric. The apartments look wonderful, but there is currently not much built up around it. But, kinda splits the distance between both downtowns. That would be nice for sure.

If I accept the offer to work in st paul, I think I am initially going to live in lowertown. There is something about the area that draws me to it. And then maybe consider a move into Minneapolis (north loop or mill district) when the light rail is completed and I will have a super easy commute.

[nrogers1122]

I moved here from out-of-state a few years ago to go to law school at the U. Like you, I am married with children. We had a slightly smaller budget (full time school), and decided to settle in Crystal. We are in a decent neighborhood with a low crime rate and lots of young families, and the commute is great (about 15 minutes to West Bank most days). That's where the positives end.

There is a fair amount of blight and low-income commercial activity (liquor stores, pawn stores, etc.). Also, several houses in our neighborhood are in foreclosure. Several houses are still inhabited by their original owners from the 1950s. When these owners pass on or move out and the house ultimately winds up in the rental market. Unfortunately, this results in bad neighbors. The proximity to Brooklyn Park/Center and North Minneapolis does not help this. Lastly, the school system has long received a failing grade under NCLB. After my son went through Kindergarten, it wasn't hard to see why.

The bottom line here is that if you want a stable launching platform, and you have money to put your kid in private school, then you should consider Robbinsdale or Crystal. If I can find a legal job in the twin cities, we intend to move out of here in about five to seven years. But, given the choice to move here again, I would make the same decision. Falcon Heights is alright, although it has its own problems and is farther from the U.

I disagree with those who suggest taking the campus connector, because it takes a long time to get between campuses and depending where on East Bank your hubby works, it can be a long cold/wet/hot walk to the bus stop. Plus, if he is like me, he will appreciate the ability to stay as late/come as early as he wants or leave at a moment's notice. You can't do that with a bus pass.