Minnetonka or Plymouth to St. Louis Park? (Minneapolis, Maple Grove: how much, house)

[Jen Lee]

Moving to Minnesota in less than two months and still don't have a home...

We are wanting to open our housing search to both Minnetonka and Plymouth, but we are worried about the commute time to St. Louis Park.

My husband would be going to work at the early hour of 5:30 or 6 am. Are roads in those areas even cleared of snow at that early time?

And what highway(s) are best to take?

Any ideas in average commute times....computer / google typically shows 20 minutes or so in later day rush hour traffic.

Any help is appreciated...we visited once but focused on Edina and SW Minneapolis...we have another visit schedules in two weeks and will focus now on Minnetonka and Plymouth areas!

Jenny in Seattle

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Jen Lee

Moving to Minnesota in less than two months and still don't have a home...

We are wanting to open our housing search to both Minnetonka and Plymouth, but we are worried about the commute time to St. Louis Park.

That commute shouldn't be too bad. St. Louis Park is right next door.

My husband would be going to work at the early hour of 5:30 or 6 am. Are roads in those areas even cleared of snow at that early time?

Snow plowing won't be a worry more than a few times a year. Cars don't really have issues with snowfalls of 4" or less, generally,and many of the main roads are plowed multiple times during a serious snowstorm. Just drive in the existing tracks and use wintertime caution (accelerate and brake slowly, avoid sudden steering movements, etc.).

And what highway(s) are best to take?

That will depend on where you live. Highway 55, I-394, Highway 7, Excelsior Blvd, 62 (aka "The Crosstown"), etc., are all potential east/west routes depending on where you're going to and from.

[golfgal]

If your husband is traveling to work at 5:30, you could live on the opposite side of the metro and still have an easy commute. Traffic really doesn't start to build until about 7:00. All of the cities you have considered will be just fine. At that time of the morning, you could move out to Chaska, etc. and still get to SLP in a reasonable amount of time.

Which highway to take will all depend on where you live and where his office is specifically but for the most part, you have options if there is construction or whatever. Traffic here is no where near as bad as other major cities. People here complain if they have to slow down to 50. That is considered "bad" traffic. Rarely do you see traffic completely stopped unless there is a bad accident or major construction. There are a couple spots around the metro that are notorious for back-ups but you won't see any of those on a regular basis if you stay west metro to get to SLP.

As for snow, it just depends on when the snow falls and how much. The plows are out on the highways through most snow storms so they stay relatively clear. If the snow starts at or near rush hour, that is when it's hard to drive. That happens maybe a couple times/ year.

[GBCommenter]

Pretty much agreed with the others. I don't foresee large concerns if you choose Minnetonka or Plymouth in terms to commute time to SLP. Depending on where specifically in Mtka or Plymouth and where you're going in SLP, you might find it takes longer to drive side/city streets to get to the highway than the time on the highway. In general, at the time of morning you are looking to go, I would say Google is giving you generally accurate information.

That said, not that I'm trying to steer you away from Minnetonka or Plymouth as they are both fine areas, but is there something keeping you from looking at SLP? Admittedly a different character, but depending on what you are looking for in a home and neighborhood SLP might be worth looking - and saves you even more commute time.

[Kebinminn]

It's hard to judge commute because it depends on where in each suburb. I imagine Google is reasonably close. As far as the best route you'll have plenty of options whether it's on freeway or through town. Freeways are plowed all night when it's snowed, main streets in town are too, side streets may be dicier but from what I've seen most areas do a nice job on keeping up with those as well. If the snow is absolutely horrible leave early and if he's late in most jobs it's no big deal because everyone is in the same boat.

[Glenfield]

I've lived in both Mtka and Plymouth and going to work in SLP will be a breeze regardless of the exact location or the weather. Let us know where you end up living and exactly where in SLP you're headed and we can offer up some alternative routes. No matter where you end up though it'll be a piece of cake. Welcome to MN.

[bbr1973]

Plymouth is a very big place - nearly 36 square miles. Yes, at an early hour the commute is minimal. However, there is a major difference in distance and convenience when you compare SE Plymouth (the 55/169 end) to the far north (NW of Rockford/169) and new-construction areas of NW Plymouth (past the 494 loop, out toward Vicksburg Lane). The afternoon/evening backups at Rockford Road/NW Blvd, Rockford Road/494, 47/NW Blvd, 55/NW Blvd, and the two-lane section of I-494 north of Hwy 55 (among others) can be a real pain when you need to get somewhere. The sheer number of stoplights on surface streets is staggering. And don't even get me started on Hwy 169.

I like to describe Plymouth this way: 10 minutes from the near corner to downtown; 45 minutes from the far corner to downtown. The reverse is true, and a similar comparison can be made going to many destinations not named Maple Grove.

Much of Minnetonka (primarily out past 494) suffers from the same surface-street and stoplight issues of Plymouth. It's the price you pay to live in what are generally nice parts of the metro area.

I lived in Plymouth for four years. I decided I couldn't put up with the traffic backups any more and bought a house on the west-central edge of Minneapolis, where the reverse commute works in my favor most of the time, trips to St. Louis Park included.