Single Mother Looking to relocate (Minneapolis, Nicollet: apartments, to rent, houses)

[georgia320]

Good Morning Everyone. I am an african american looking to relocate to the Downtown Minneapolis area to be close to the Target Head Quarters. I am a single mother of two boys and this will be my first time not living with family around. All my family will be in the Alabama/Georgia area. I know the winters are harsh but I think I can deal with it. I lived in Germany for 5 years and by the 2nd year I will be used to it. Can you tell me if the downtown area is good for kids? It is kid friendly? I would rather live in an apartment and then buy a house in a few years. Also how is babysitting? Is it easy to find good afterschool care? Can you also give me some nice apartments in the downtown area that are good for families? Any other information is also appreciated. Thank you everyone.

[uptown_urbanist]

Downtown doesn't have a lot of kids, but there are some. How old are they? I really like the apartments right along the Loring Greenway (which runs from Nicollet Mall to Loring Park); the Greenway is a small, landscaped pedestrian-only area that, among other things, has a nice little playground. We thought about moving to that area with our then-toddler son. It's also near convenient amenities like the Y (which has childcare programs, among other options), everything at Loring Park, etc. You'd have some pretty good school options; you'd have to confirm with Minneapolis Public Schools to make sure, but I'm fairly certain that most of downtown is in the zone that extends from downtown to the edges of SW Minneapolis, so you'd have both whatever the local neighborhood elementary school is, as well as the chance to apply to magnets like Armatage, Barton, etc. (which would offer busing), and you would, I think, be zoned for Anthony Middle School and SW High School, which are VERY good. Sounds like your kids are younger, though.

If you live in an apartment downtown, you'll also be able to get to work mostly by skyway during the cold winter months -- very handy! And some of the downtown buildings have indoor pools, which would be great for the kids (and make them very popular with their friends!).

[georgia320]

My kids will be 11 and 9 if we move next year. Yes, I have seen some nice downtown apartments that have pools and hot tubs. They are a defanite plus. Do the public schools also offer busing is you live downtown or would they have to walk to school? I am very worried about driving in the snow, so would I be able to take the skyway for everything? That is another reason I would prefer living downtown, is so I don't have to drive in the snow, but I also want to make sure my kids are confortable downtown and are not missing out on what the sububs can offer. Are there a lot of single parents in the area? I am worried about fitting in among the married crowd.

[Glenfield]

My experience from living downtown is there are not a lot of kids, but may I bring another alternative to your attention? You do not have to choose between downtown and the suburbs. You can rent an apartment or duplex in the city, be very close to work to which you can take the bus, and send your kids to a school that is either within walking distance or where they can take a school bus. In the city's neighborhoods you will find all kinds of people and families, and wouldn't have to worry about fitting in. The city has some wonderful residential areas. I am personally partial to South and Southwest Minneapolis.

[georgia320]

Thank you. I will look into some apartments and houses to rent in the South and Southwest areas. This gives me a great starting point. I am planning a vist in the spring to look at the area but I am very sure that I will be happy with my decision to relocate to Minn.

[uptown_urbanist]

yes, the schools provide buses unless you're choosing a school outside of your zone or unless you live within short walking distance; I think Kenwood may be the elementary school to cover most of downtown, so that would be far enough away that they'd get a bus.

I also definitely agree that it's not just downtown versus the suburbs; there are a LOT of very family-friendly neighborhoods with great schools within city limits that would give you an easy bus ride, access to yards (tons of duplexes in Minneapolis, as well as single family houses if you go that route), although no skyway access. They'll have a lot more kids than downtown will, although at that age I don't know if it's such a huge deal if your downtown neighborhood doesn't have a ton of kids; by later elementary school so many kids are meeting friends through school and other activities and aren't spending (big generalization, I know) as much time hanging out with just the kids on their block. But while the skyways are very nice, I also wouldn't worry too much about it; you'll likely get used to the cold and snow soon enough.

There are plenty of single parents out there, so I doubt you'll have any problems on that front. Could depend on where you live, I guess.