Moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul (New Hope: apartment, lofts, transfer)

[dring22]

I am a 22 year old male wanting to move to the the twin cities and has been applying for jobs there and recently got a job offer at Minnesota Computers in Minneapolis. This is all happening at once and need some advice on where are the best/safest places to live in Minneapolis. I don't have a car and will have to use public transportation to get to and from work. I want to move to a larger city because I am a gay male and also have a hearing disability so I want to be around more people like me. I live in a small minnesota town with hardly any diversity and looking for a better place to be.

[back2M]

Good Luck with your move! My brother is gay and has had some lovely boyfriends over the years and has not had problems meeting men. I think there probably is more for you in Minneapolis then St Paul.

[Dmarcotte]

I would recommend checking out the light rail and bus schedules to help narrow down where you want to live. Home - Metro Transit - Minneapolis is a very diverse place to live and I think you will enjoy it. Good Luck.

[xandrex]

I assume by Minneapolis that you didn't mean the actual city. I say this only because I searched for Minnesota Computers to get a better idea for suggestions and see they seem to be located in New Hope.

If you're actually out in New Hope and need public transportation, I'm going to have to suggest living somewhere in the suburbs. A commute from downtown Minneapolis to New Hope is at least an hour with up to 3 bus transfers. That's absolutely no fun. And that's only if you live downtown. Living in another neighborhood would add another 5-30 minutes onto that with an additional transfer when you get downtown. The problem is that most of the nearby suburbs are either a bit sleepy or downright uninspiring.

If the city is where you want to live, then I would highly, highly, highly recommend buying a car. Even a super cheap one. It'll cut your commute way down.

What's your budget for an apartment?

Some neighborhoods you might enjoy:

-Loring Park - right next to downtown, the closest thing Minneapolis probably ever had to a "gayborhood" (although the whole city is pretty inclusive), and a nice mix of buildings and green space.

-North Loop - the up-and-coming area with lots of lofts, a growing restaurant and bar scene, etc.

-Northeast - artsy and more laid-back than most of the other areas of town, with a blend of hipster and blue collar

-Uptown/Lyn-Lake - destination spot for 20-somethings with lots of bars, restaurants, and access to the amazing lakes.

It's hard to give specific suggestions not knowing 1) where you'll be working exactly 2) if you can drive or are willing to take a long bus commute, 3) what you want in a neighborhood, and 4) what your budget is for housing.

[uptown_urbanist]

I looked up the address, too. I agree to start with the buses that serve that location and then go from there. Life will be easier if you don't have to transfer buses, or at least have only one transfer. Or if you're a biker, consider biking to work. There are areas out there where you could conceivably live without a car, but it would be tough and you'll probably feel that your options are limited. I think that odds are that you will be stuck buying a car. But... it does look like there may be some reverse-commute express buses coming out of downtown, so you could potentially live in a neighborhood like Loring Park (downtown, and you'd be around lots of other people your age, and while everywhere here is gay-friendly, Loring Park is an even more "gay" neighborhood than most) and take the bus to/from work relatively easily. That would probably be a better bet than living in New Hope or nearby.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Where are you coming from, just curious?