Our scout trip to the TC's is set! SO fired up!! (Minneapolis: to rent, amusement park)

[Tyryztoll]

After a couple years of talking about it, I am finally bringing my wife to the Twin Cities for a good look around in late September. I have had the MSP on my radar since about 2004, and am therefore very excited about this trip in correlation with our future. We've been combing through a number of areas for potential relocation since we got married, and have concluded time and again that MSP is overwhelmingly our top choice.

We're going to be there for 3 days, and right now my plan is to pick one area on each side of the metro (N, S, E, W) to explore in that time. I have not really considered living in Minneapolis or St. Paul themselves, but wouldn't rule it out if the right situation came along for our family. We would most likely have a combined income in the area of 80K/yr in the TC metro, and so I welcome advice as to what spots would be best for us to look at. I want to have an organized itinerary when we arrive so that we don't waste any time. We have 3 kids, ages 3 months to 8 years, and would rent for a period before buying if we do indeed relocate. I am looking for a quintessential family oriented spot for us to settle down in. We are definitely open to areas up to a 45 minute drive from the cities themselves, but really don't want to be any further out than that. We realize there is a good chance we'd have to settle for an older home when we do buy due to our limited budget. I am a Cat Scan tech and wife is a cosmetologist, so we will have pretty good flexibility on the job front. My job also allows me to take a full time weekend position, while my wife works during the week, thus eliminating any monstrous day care bills.

Which spots will be our top 4? Looking forward to this trip BIG TIME!

[MplsTodd]

In order to provide with better info, can you provide more details as to what types of ares are you interested in?
Homes: Older/newer? 2-story/ranch/TH?
Neighborhood: Walkable with smaller lots? larger lots?
Commute: It sounds as though you don't know where you're working, but do you prefer to drive or is having a nearby bus/rail of importance

There certainly are a lot of possibilities in the Twin Cities for an $80k HH.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

In order to provide with better info, can you provide more details as to what types of ares are you interested in?
Homes: Older/newer? 2-story/ranch/TH?
Neighborhood: Walkable with smaller lots? larger lots?
Commute: It sounds as though you don't know where you're working, but do you prefer to drive or is having a nearby bus/rail of importance

There certainly are a lot of possibilities in the Twin Cities for an $80k HH.

Areas: Pretty much the quintissential, quiet, family oriented suburb setup.
Homes: We would like as new as possible, but seeing as how we will need 4BR's and 2 baths on a limited budget, we are open to older as well. We may rent a townhome to start, but we would eventually want to purchase a single family home........style is negotiable.
Neighborhood: Walkability isn't a huge factor, as long as parks and lakes are within reasonable driving distance (one of the main reasons we like MSP so much). We currently have an acre lot, which I want to downsize from. We want more home and less yard.
Commute: Because I prefer driving, I always live within 10-15 minutes of work. My hospital/clinic would need to be very nearby.

Thanks, Todd!

[xandrex]

If you want a 10-15 minute commute from the hospital you'll be working for, I think it's best that you find your job first and location second. Because if, for instance, you find a place to rent/buy in the north metro and your job lands you in the south or southwest metro, you're looking at a much longer haul. If you found a job at one of the city hospitals, it might give you more flexibility on location (as you could live in nearby suburbs in most directions or one of the city neighborhoods). But if you're looking for life outside the city, you should definitely find that job first.

[Kebinminn]

I love Maple Grove for family friendly, there's kids everywhere there and they have tons of community activities. They also have a lot of parks and the schools are good.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by xandrex

If you want a 10-15 minute commute from the hospital you'll be working for, I think it's best that you find your job first and location second. Because if, for instance, you find a place to rent/buy in the north metro and your job lands you in the south or southwest metro, you're looking at a much longer haul. If you found a job at one of the city hospitals, it might give you more flexibility on location (as you could live in nearby suburbs in most directions or one of the city neighborhoods). But if you're looking for life outside the city, you should definitely find that job first.

I hear what you're saying, but we won't actually move until next year. I am not job hunting yet......this is purely a scout trip to introduce my wife to the MSP metro and to explore as much as we can in 3 days in order to get some kind of perspective on the area. I've already been there a few times, and came very close to accepting a job in Robbinsdale a few years back (when I was single), so I'm at least a bit familiar with the region. We just want to look around right now, without being focused on any particular town or neighborhood. I wish we had more than 3 days to do it in, but that is what we have. It's better than moving my wife over there sight unseen. I've been talking up MSP to her since we started dating, so I at least want her to see it for herself before we commit to an actual relocation.

Just to be clear, I would never move somewhere without securing employment first, not that you were implying such. Once we decide for sure, I will begin honing in on potential employers, see what's available, and we'll go from there. Believe me, I know how to land a job....so I'm not at all worried about that. I am not prepared to begin searching for my place of business yet, though.......we're more concerned with getting a general feel for the metro with this visit.......as much as we can in 3 days, anyway

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

I'm excited for you....you'll thrive in Minneapolis, congrats (and I'm jealous)!

September is usually the most beautiful time of year weather-wise: 70's, dry and sunny -- perfect! You want 4 suggestions for areas to visit based on cardinal directions.....here:

North: White Bear Lake (it's near a major metro lake and is pretty close to both cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul)
South: Minneapolis (it's simply the best IMO. You can live on $80K AND be within 0.5-1.0 miles from a lake, and everything else)
East: Woodbury or St. Paul (if you're not a city rat, Woodbury combines proximity with suburban living, which you seem to adhere to)
West: St. Louis Park (urban living meets bigger lots. Amazing proximity to everything in the metro....hard to beat)

Given all this, I suggest either Southwest Minneapolis neighborhoods like Kenny or Armitage or the North Minneapolis Victory, which seems to meet both your budget and your likes. If you want suburbs for personal reasons, I'd suggest St. Louis Park or Woodbury: one is semi-urban and older, and the other is suburban but still amazingly close to the cities (St. Paul especially).

There's so much to do and look at that I don't know where to start. So far, this summer/year has been WAY above average, but amazingly not breaking many records (unlike Chicago). My point is, you may be able to swim at one of the lakes in late September this year. As long as it's above 80 (85 especially) the water should still be warm enough to take a dip in, and one of the city beaches or even Lake Minnetonka would be awesome for your family when visiting! You should probably take the kids to MOA, even if you don't care for it. I took my 2 year old there when we visited in May and she had so much fun that I was having fun just watching her! Also consider the Minnesota OR Como zoos, downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul for shopping/site seeing, the museums (Science, Children's, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, etc.), go to any of the Chain of Lakes (Harriet, Calhoun, Isles, Cedar, Nakomis, etc.) or Minnehaha Falls for urban outdoors entertainment, or Shakopee (Valley Fair Amusement Park, Mystic Lake Casino, Canterbury Race Track and Card Club - poker).

There's a lot more to the area than these places, but these were the first places that came to mind when considering the whole family (save the Casino/race track/poker room). If you get the chance to go out at night with your wife, definitely check out Uptown, Downtown (Nicolett Ave for more mature adults) or "Nordeast" (across the river from Downtown, often called "St. Anthony" -- try Nye's Polynaise or Germuktlicts). I butchered that last one's name!!!

Good luck, and hope you make the best decision for you and your family!

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

South: Minneapolis (it's simply the best IMO. You can live on $80K AND be within 0.5-1.0 miles from a lake. I suggest either Southwest Minneapolis neighborhoods like Kenny or Armitage or the North Minneapolis Victory, which seems to meet both your budget and your likes.

Really? You'll have to forgive me.....I'm from Detroit originally. Not many folks moving into the city itself down there. Like I said, I never really gave much thought to literally living in Minneapolis...... or St. Paul for that matter. What is the crime like around the city neighborhoods you're referring to? Safety is a big concern for me with a wife and 3 young kids. It would be awesome to live in one of the cities themselves, though. I apologize for my ignorance in advance........I fully realize the Twin Cities are nowhere near the atrocity that Detroit is.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I know a couple people who moved here from the greater Detroit area and both of them started out living in the surburbs and eventually ended up living in the city (one in Minneapolis, one in St. Paul). Both of them had a similar mentality when they came here at first, thinking that the city wasn't even worth consideration. It's funny because if you talk to them about it now neither would ever consider going back out to the suburbs. That being said, you may want to look around and get a feel for a few different areas before buying a house somewhere and then regretting the decision later.

[Mark_22]

Originally Posted by The Northerner

Really? You'll have to forgive me.....I'm from Detroit originally. Not many folks moving into the city itself down there. Like I said, I never really gave much thought to literally living in Minneapolis...... or St. Paul for that matter.

I used to live in the suburbs and now live in St. Paul, and I like both. The two cities themselves can be great if you pick the right neighborhood. I know I would feel comfortable taking a stroll of at least two miles in any direction at any time of the day or night from where I currently live, so I would say the central cities are at least worth considering. (Well, I guess in one of those directions I'd end up in the river. ) I absolutely love where I live.

With three young kids, however, you would have to be willing to do your homework on schools. I also have young kids. The parents who care tend to self select and get their kids into the best schools/programs, which are quite good (it's open enrollment). But if you are more the type who would just want to send your kids to the closest school and not worry about it you may want to be careful. Up in Maple Grove, for example, any old school would probably be at least pretty good or maybe excellent. In Minneapolis or St. Paul you can get into an excellent school/program if you are willing to seek it out, but some of the schools can be pretty terrible, so you need to do your homework.