Which St. Paul Neighborhood/Suburb? (Minneapolis, Woodbury: fit in, foreclosure, houses)

[dw144]

Hi,

My family is looking to move to an area where we'll fit in a bit better. We're looking for a 1200-1500 sq ft house in the $140k-$160k range, within 20min driving time of Oakdale (work). And we don't want to have to spray toxic junk on our yard to control weeds! Regular mowing and maintenance of course, but no weedkiller. A lower income neighborhood is fine, as long as it is safe for kids. Schools don't really matter since we're homeschooling. We're a bit on the urban homesteading side of things, so an area with more of that flavor would be great, but not necessary.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[golfgal]

There are many lower income neighborhoods in the Oakdale/Maplewood/North St. Paul area that might work since you won't be sending your kids to the schools there, not a real issue. New Brighton would be a better area to consider though, less "thug" traffic there and better resale because the schools there are very good.

[GBCommenter]

I would also definitely include New Brighton, though at least in terms of price, square footage, and driving time to Oakdale most of the suburbs along Hwy. 36 could work for you. These could include: Roseville, North St. Paul, Maplewood is on there though I might lean slightly away from Maplewood. Though not technically on 36, I would throw in Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, and Lake Elmo.

Roseville much more urban and probably relatively more expensive for housing (though I still found some in your range). Might be less opportunity for the homesteading, or at least less space for gardens and such.
North St. Paul is a fairly quiet and somewhat blue-collarish suburb. Probably smaller lots...

Little Canada and Vadnais Heights both very suburban and not given much attention because they seem to be very "sleeper neighborhoods".

Lake Elmo would have the greatest likelihood for extra space (as it leans pretty rural) for homesteading and still only 10-15 minutes to Oakdale. That said, in my admittedly quick search found only one foreclosure in your range. Again, if you can find a place less worries on the acreage side.

Of course, there is Oakdale itself...

[Mplsite]

Roseville urban? Ha! "Downtown Roseville" is a sprawling mall. If you want urban cultural amenities, like restaurants, coffee shops, and parks within walking distance and being able to bike with your family without getting run over by 50MPH SUV, then I think somewhere as close to Downtown but west would be worth looking into. I hear good things about North End for a more affordable and stable blue-collar area. Urban homesteading I imagine would be very much frowned upon in the conservative burbs. I'd think the West 7th neighborhood north of St Clair would be worth exploring per your budget and you'd have, according to google maps, a 17 minute commute to Oakdale

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by Mplsite

Roseville urban? Ha! "Downtown Roseville" is a sprawling mall. If you want urban cultural amenities, like restaurants, coffee shops, and parks within walking distance and being able to bike with your family without getting run over by 50MPH SUV, then I think somewhere as close to Downtown but west would be worth looking into. I hear good things about North End for a more affordable and stable blue-collar area. Urban homesteading I imagine would be very much frowned upon in the conservative burbs. I'd think the West 7th neighborhood north of St Clair would be worth exploring per your budget and you'd have, according to google maps, a 17 minute commute to Oakdale

I can recognize that with a name such as "Mplsite" you must fancy yourself as very oh-so-sophisticated because you are "enlightened" and live in the city proper.

That said, Roseville is more urban relative to the other cities I had mentioned, which if you had gotten over yourself and read my post, you might have seen. I never said Roseville was equal to Seward in its "urbanity".

You might want to re-read the OP's question and notice they didn't specify they were looking for the "urban cultural amenities, like restaurants, coffee shops, and parks within walking distance" (which, perhaps if you weren't sitting in the city all the time celebrating your "urbanity" you would realize Roseville has those things too, and many are accessible by bicycle on the 67 miles of trails and walkways if so inclined). If the OP comes back on here and says they really wanted to be in St. Paul and have the "urban cultural amenities" (as opposed to "St. Paul neighborhood/suburb"), then I'll speak as best I can to living in St. Paul proper.

The OP's question clearly included looking at suburbs and that was what I was speaking to, and again most suburbs along Hwy. 36 would be within the 20 minute drive requested.

[uptown_urbanist]

If your urban homesteading includes wanting to keep backyard chickens, etc., don't forget to check out the local ordinances. St. Paul is really open on that front (much more so than Minneapolis, anyway) -- you can keep chickens, even goats, although it requires getting a permit. I know Roseville is chicken-friendly, Woodbury is not. In any case, if chickens, bees, or other animals are part of the vision, call the city/suburb in question and ask about current rules, as the regulations are changing quickly across the metro. (and really, what is an urban homestead without a flock of happy chickens out back?)

[Pisces69]

west 7th would be good. low prices, decent neighborhood, smaller lots, st paul allows goats etc. close to the action & good future potential. Maplewood / N St Paul / Roseville are aging out unfortunately.

[dw144]

Thanks for all the responses! We don't need a large lot, since chickens are not on our agenda (We have a relative who runs a fabulous meat/egg CSA), just lots of gardening. I don't care much about being close to shops and restaurants, but being within walking distance of at least one park is a must.

[golfgal]

A lot of the areas mentioned will have smaller yards. Since you want to garden, and lots of it, you might want to look down 94 more toward the more rural parts of Woodbury, Lakeland, Afton, etc.

[AndreaSoup]

I live in Maplewood, literally just over the border from St. Paul. We have a 1/2 acre lot, maybe a little bigger. Houses around me going for about $125 - $140K. Usually about 1300sq feet.

I love my neighborhood. Quick drive to Oakdale (which is where we used to live and LOOOOOOVED it!!).