Moving 1,050 miles next week. Where to live? (Maple Grove, Lynd: apartment, hotel)

[mr.glen]

Sorry for the confusion. I am interested in living in Minneapolis (which I referred to as "the city" and "town" even though Maple Grove is also a city).

If I do move into Minneapolis, I will be commuting to a job in Maple Grove which is a commute of 15-20 miles each way.

Some have said bus coverage in Maple Grove isn't great, so I figure I could take the bus from Minneapolis to Maple Grove and bike to work from the nearest bus stop.

[uptown_urbanist]

Maple Grove lacks the history and character that it sounds like you're looking for. I don't want to get into a big bashing session, as I think it's great that they've at least made an effort and it beats a big box store fronted by a big parking lot any day, but given the other locations you're considering, Maple Grove would be, well, drastically different.

Garfield between 26th and Franklin is technically in the Whittier neighborhood. It would put you VERY close to the Wedge co-op, and to a bunch of other stuff along Lyndale. It would also be a short distance to downtown to transfer to the bus to Maple Grove. I don't have experience with KMS Management, so can't help you there. As far as safety, parts of Whittier have some problems, but that part of the neighborhood is nice. My main concern would be noise, but you should be okay if you don't rent sight-unseen. If you'll be sleeping in the daytime I wouldn't want to live opposite the Wedge (co-op), for example, as they're always busy.

[Kebinminn]

There's a lot of bike trails, I wouldn't say it's impossible to bike to Maple Grove from Minneapolis proper. I don't know them well enough to say for sure but there's a lot of trails around here.

I like Maple Grove a lot but it doesn't really sound like your thing. Arbor Lakes is nice but it's manufactured and feels totally different from an older neighborhood. While you'll be going against traffic somewhat people commute every way so it's not a clean shot.

I would say North East has the advantage of being on the norther side, you could go up to 694 and into Maple Grove, I don't think that would be horrible. Definitely not in the morning. St Anthony may be another option, hopefully someone else can give a better sense of the walkability aspect of that area.

[1stpontiac]

My guess is that you are going to find yourself driving, rather than busing. Looking at the Maple Grove Transit site (Maple Grove transit, transit station, transit information, buses, transportation services in Maple Grove, Minnesota and see link to routes pdf), all of the express buses go to downtown Minneapolis, and take about 30-40 min. If you aren't living directly in downtown, you'll have to bus there, make a connection, and then get to MG, followed by another transfer or a bike ride. By that time, you have spent an hour or more, and you'd be ahead just driving.

What about some first ring suburbs, such as St. Louis Park, or Golden Valley? That gets you a little closer to MG (as little as 10 miles, depending on where in MG), and still gets the older and more city-like neighborhoods. I'm not hugely familiar with either one, especially what might be there for rentals, but it might be something to consider.

Many people think of MG as huge, big, shiny, tree-less subdivisions, but the older portions of MG have matured nicely, and have nice variety, trees, walking paths, etc while being very safe. Still definitely suburban, however, so probably not your cup of tea.

Whereever you end up, if you are interested in biking, check out the Three Rivers Park District and especially the massive trail system that it includes. Three Rivers Park District

[Camden Northsider]

Robbinsdale might be another possibility- first-ring streetcar suburb feel with older character, a very charming little downtown area, etc.- might be sleepier than what you are looking for though. Would be easy commute by car (and bike is probably doable depending on your level of ambition). However, if you will be hopping on the Maple Grove commuter buses in and out of town, you'll want to check to see their stops- a lot of the buses from further out suburbs have pretty direct routes to DT Mpls (as is the case with all express buses)- transfers are possible but can significantly increase commute time so somewhere close to DT if you can swing it (or along a busline with stops inbetween) might be your best bet for bus commuting, but noise might be a concern.

[xandrex]

I tried doing a reverse commute via Metro Transit and it told me that there is no route that would get you there, though I could have been plugging things in wrong (for one, I don't know where you'll be living and working, so I plugged in Downtown Minneapolis as where you'd leave from and Arbor Lakes Transit Station as where you'd be arriving). Most express buses commute in, not out.

Because of that, I think you'd want a car for city-to-suburb commuting. I drive to work (I live and work in Minneapolis outside of downtown) and pass over I-94 in the morning. The traffic going out of the city never seems too bad, so you could probably make it in a decent amount of time. Certainly less than any busing scenario.

If living in Minneapolis is your choice and you can commute by car, I'd recommend staying north of downtown to avoid the choke-points where traffic can get bad. Neighborhoods like St. Anthony East, St. Anthony West, and Marcy-Holmes (focusing on the western half) has you in an area with relatively affordable apartments that are close to walkable amenities and plenty of character. Plus, you could zip across either the Hennepin Avenue Bridge or Plymouth Avenue Bridge (so happy it's finally partially open!) and get on 94 north of downtown via Washington Avenue.

[PullMyFinger]

Maple Grove is a nice place to live. Plenty of everything you need. Stay away from Minneapolis.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Minneapolis is a nice place to live. Plenty of everything you need. Stay away from Maple Grove.

[mr.glen]

Thanks again for your help and great advice. We will take it all into consideration.

We arrived today and got our first view of our new hometown. We are staying in a hotel downtown and got to briefly explore Uptown and tour a couple apartments this evening. Tomorrow we will look at as many apartments as possible.

I took a quick drive to Maple Grove and the commute is not nearly as bad as I'd feared. I figure I'll take my time and figure out what works best for me.

The only downside we've seen to Uptown is the parking. It seems all parking is on-street except for the places that have absurdly steep and narrow ramps into the basement. It will take a little getting used to, but it's not a deal-breaker.

[Kebinminn]

One thing to keep in mind as you look are the snow emergency rules. It's odd/even in Mpls I think and parking can be a pain if you're stuck with street parking.

Welcome