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So, I have read and re-read every post from the last five years relating to relocating and see that for as many different needs as there are, there are also different opinions about the "best of the best." I am new to the forum - what a great resource - and love that OPs moving to the generally take the time to describe their life circumstances to provide a framework into which folks can offer their insight - I'm single, male, female, lesbian, married with kids, retired, unemployed, a writer, coming from the big city, a small town, etc. I suppose it's a presupposition that such a framework helps responders who are kinds enough to take the time out of their days to offer their replies may do so with information, advice and opinion specifically tailored to the explicitly or implicitly stated needs and wants of an individual or family moving to the area.
One thing that that has been a turn off - and I suppose I may be more sensitive to it than the average bear, is that many relocation threads seems to devolve into fairly ascorbic cross-posting feasts in which broad brushes are used to paint entire towns or neighborhoods with slanders - or worse (imho) the cross-posting is re-directed at the individuals who are trying (I think) to reply to the OPs. Call it my pet peeve (we've al got them, right?), but as I invite you to consider my questions, I invite you also to imagine yourselves sitting in my living room or my back patio with me, a newcomer to your towns, sipping your favorite summer beverage - and considering whether what your write here might be the same words you might share with me, and the other Minnesotans I have invited to help me take my family on the next great adventure of our lives. Although I cannot micromanage replies - and love a spirited debate, I invite your polite demeanor, so that the facts, opinions and observations you might share are neither lost in nor unreasonably discounted by vitriol.
My husband and I have decided to make the move. We are very, very excited about this chapter of our lives. He is 43 and will be working at Target HQ and I am an older-than-him stay at home mom (ans a recovering lawyer). We have 8 year old twin boys, one with "ordinary" special needs (ADD and learning disabilities - as opposed to major special needs such as major, ongoing, life threatening concerns). We have one large dog and two house cats. We currently live inside the beltway in DC, in Arlington, Virginia on a cul-de-sac loaded with children and peppered with a mix of working and stay at home parents. Our current neighborhood is walkable and bike-able and my husband can take public transit to work or bike to work.
My husband has visited the area several times, and I have only been through en route to trips to the Canadian Rockies, North Dakota and points west. He has an amazing professional opportunity which will challenge his intellect and enrich his career and help to stabilize our lives over the long term.
We realize that the area is large - and the options are many - and we do so very much appreciate the feedback and the time it takes us to write about your neck of the woods...so, thank you. We are literally wide open at this point.
We are not trying to recreate our current living environment here - otherwise, we would simply stay here.
I'd love a house with a porch on a cul-de-sac...a southern exposure and a solarium (see below re: depression).
What we are looking for are specific recommendations at this point on:
Communities:
specific communities within a 30 minute rush hour/heavy traffic drive of the Brooklyn Park Campus of Target that are noted for bike paths, parks and recreation, "easy access to " but not too close to the airport - bonus for areas from which my husband could bike up to an hour each way to get back and forth to work and/or take public transit if he wanted to.
Realtors:
a specific top performing realtor who provides excellent personalized customer service, answers emails and telephone calls within a half day, has a strong existing network of auxiliary providers (such as contractors who do fix-ups, mortgage brokers who know how to close deals quickly, title insurance companies who are competent, trustworthy and convenient, etc.). We realize the reality business is a competitive one and we would be deeply appreciative of personal recommendations based on your recent relocation experiences which went well (and PMs about who to avoid). Bonus for a realtor who knows how to successfully navigate the complex waters of short sales and foreclosures - as we would consider these options.
Schools:
a specific great elementary, middle and high school marked by actively engaged parent communities, welcoming parent organizations, experienced administrators, etc. Our boys are currently enrolled in a school that has been "failing" for 7 years and we love the school and, while we have many choices in our community, know that the school is the "best" for them as it provides many of the things that we value, especially highly differentiated instruction and strong parental involvement. We put little stock in the NCLB and RTTT legislation as the measure of a great school. As it happens, the boys are in a Montessori program here in Arlington and we would be interested in public or private Montessori for them, or another public multi-age option if there is one. We are open to year round school options if there is a good one, as we love to vacation when no one else is around and would also be open to a moderately priced private school that offers tuition assistance (regardless of whether we qualified for it) as we would like our boys not to be deeply immersed a private school environment where all students come from wealthy backgrounds (and thus, perhaps, emerge with a distorted view of reality). Diversity of all sorts is a very welcome plus - racial, socioeconomic, family lifestyle (i.e. gay/lesbian families), cultural for the same reasons.
Neighborhoods:
specific neighborhoods to consider and their individual characteristics and traits. Are there sidewalks, family oriented community events, a neighborhood grocery store, a nearby coffee shop? What are the things you love, love love about the place you live or used to live or your friend, sister or mother lives? Obviously, if there are drawbacks, we'd love to hear them, too.
It would be so, so amazing to actually live on a lake - to have a southern exposure for sunlight...
Builders
specific builders to consider if we decide to purchase a new home - we've never done that before...
Contractors
specific contractors to work with if we buy an older home that needs work...
Doctors:
I suffer from major depression and am currently experiencing a treatment resistant major depressive episode. This is my biggest concern about moving to the area. I have no fear of cold weather and we all love the snow - but the length of the winter and the number of cold, long, dark days will likely be no friend to my foe. Here, I have an excellent pyschichiatrist, a trusted therapist, a great acupuncturist, and a healthy support system. I belong to a good gym and get regular exercise, eat a healthy diet, do light therapy and a host of other things to manage the condition - but I still need the recommendation of a great doctor and therapist. For a doctor, I prefer someone who is up to the minute on the latest research and does a combo of pyscho-pharmacology and talk therapy, For a therapist, I need someone who has experience in PTSD and depression.
My kids need a new pediatrician and pediatric dentist - preferably someone near the neighborhood in which we don't yet know we're going to live.
Anyway, I do realize this is a tall order and I am deeply, deeply appreciative of specific advice and positive feedback that may come our way. I promise to be a good listener and to return the favor in kind when I am settled in down the road and have it "all figured out."
I'm grateful for the forum and all it has to offer.
I would start with the Mounds View School district and work your way out from there. It will be an easy commute to Target, excellent schools, and a great area.
One thing to note here, in the winter, we have a lot of sun shine---unfortunately those are our coldest days too, but even the cloudy days are "bright". It's not usually the dreary, dark clouds we see with rain storms. You may experience some relief with the winters here. You also have the back up of hanging out at Nick Universe at the Mall of America. The entire park is covered by a skylight, very bright and with the plants, etc. feels almost tropical (but noisy). The conservatory at the Como Zoo and the tropics at the Minnesota Zoo are also options.
Public transportation here is nothing like the DC, anywhere in the metro. It's not likely that he will be able to take public transportation to work, however, the traffic here is like a Sunday drive compared to what you have there and his commute could be as short at 5-10 minutes if you found something close enough.
You have so many great questions that it's too hard to answer until your narrowed down to a community or two. Your target price range for a home would be helpful--that limits where you can be. You'll have quite a few areas to choose from, so it's easier to narrow-down based on some specific criteria (i.e. price, min/max square footage, lot size).
I need sunshine to stay mentally healthy. Finding a home with a solarium will be difficult, but they can always be added. I would suggest looking at contemporary homes. We moved from a dark (yet lovely) 1930s home to a bright and aerie 1960s one and the impact on my mental outlook was/is huge. We don't have great southern exposure, but giant skylights make up for that. I say this so that you don't overly limit your search.
Thanks for the suggestions and the hopeful insight about light. Because of the length of time we have owned our home here, we should make a handsome profit on it and should be able to buy a home in the 400-500K range without straining, although we are certainly open to less expensive options, buying a home and adding on, buying a foreclosure, buying and renovating, etc. The areas that keep coming up for us are Mounds View, as noted, Edina, Maple Grove - and Maple Grove has the added benefit of being a bike-able distance with a bike path to Brooklyn Park.
Thanks in advance for additional suggestions of towns, communities and neighborhoods. All appreciated.
Edina is great and your budget would support living there, the commute to work, not so fun. I'd start on the north metro and move to west metro. If you can't find something there, then look to Edina. One benefit of living somewhere like Maple Grove, however, is you will be more likely to find houses/lots that don't have a lot of large trees to shade your house, which is opposite of what most people want but in your case, it's probably a good thing, although a lot of light still filters in through the branches in the winter.
Target's relocation program and new to the cities orientation may assist in narrowing down some of your choices. I also found a book on Minneapolis and the areas very helpful in narrowing based on my top 3 needs (at the time commute, schools, walkability) and worked from there.
WOW! So many amazing questions, and thank you for opening your heart to us. We will try to tread gently.
I would agree with the sentiment above that our commute is so easy that the most important thing is to find a home you love in a community you love (especially one which will make you feel calm and relaxed, with open areas, lots of light, proximity to lakes/woods/parks, etc), and our metro is so small that even in a nice suburb 3rd ring like Minnetonka or Maple Grove or Plymouth, your husband's commute to downtown will be minimal - 20 min or so, and you would definitely be able to find lovely homes closer into the cities. There are some stunning neighborhoods in St. Louis Park that you may want to consider that would be more like a 20-30 minute commute to work, and those will be even closer to Minneapolis' wonderful lakes like Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, etc.
Our housing market will definitely meet your needs in the 400-500K range. There are a some stunning homes for that dollar, and you likely won't have to deal with the headache of a foreclosure/short sale, unless you really want to.
Partners in Pediatrics has great pediatricians and was very highly recommended to us (we have a 6 month old) by people with kids of all ages. They also have several offices around the metro. Depending on which community you settle into, they have a Plymouth & a Maple Grove office that would probably be pretty close to you.
As for a realtor recommendation, as I'm sure you know, any realtor can show you a home, or search online. What distinguishes one from another is the level of service they'll provide, their networks and contacts, their time and dedication to you, and their negotiation skills once you find your dream home.
So much of what you're looking for is better suited to a phone conversation than a forum exchange and I'd be happy to speak with you about any of your questions that I can help with.
It might help to know a little more about what you like in a home. Do you like older or newer? Style, size of home or rooms, size of yard. You mentioned the possibility of building but have you thought through the wait time and where you'd live in the interim? Same goes with the possibility of buying a short sale - they can sometimes take a long time to get approved.
How important is the biking to Target?
You mention things like diversity but then mention a budget of $400-500k which often would put you in a pretty upper middle class neighborhood here so we might benefit from more thought on that too.
Schools - A good resource is GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community for opinions on the different options here. Minnesota is known for having a very good public school system (highest graduation rate and highest ACT scores in the country). There are certainly a selection of private options as well.
Builders - In that price range you'd probably be looking at a national builder like Lennar or DR Horton or a smaller local builder. A good resource to check out builders in your price range and area is the Parade of Homes | Find Minnesota Home Builders and Remodelers website which lists all the new models & developments this spring.
Contractors - I've used Dosco Contracting for 8 different home remodel projects in the past 15 years. You will not find a better contractor or more honest person anywhere. Can't assure you that you can always get a prompt call back though.
Realtors - Find someone who has been in business for some time and has done all types of transactions. If personal service is important finding the biggest isn't necessarily the best but experience and a proven track record are important. Keep in mind that when you are buying the seller pays the Realtors fee so price isn't a huge issue. What is especially important in the Twin Cities with the incredible low inventory we have of listings is someone who is available on short notice to go see new ones if you can't find an existing one that meets your needs. Lots of multiple offer situations (although a lot less so in the price point you are looking for).
Feel free to send a PM if you want names of other resources like lenders or service providers.
Hopefully you will love Minnesota as much as most of us do!
Thanks so much for the warm replies - the last few days I've been honing in, as suggested on a possible communities. My boys are currently enrolled here in a Montessori elementary school - so they are in second grade in a a 1-2-3 classroom and would eventually move into a class her with a 4-5 mix. In MN, it seems they would move into a 4,5,6 class room. I'm thinking that it would be good to stay with that style of education since it seems to work well for each of them individually - one able to move forward and one able to get the remedial help he needs (they are twins. I see there is a private, moderately priced Montessoi school in Anoka, and several public ones in the area, including ones in Minneapolis (Seward and Armatage) and one in a town called Forest Lake.
Anoka looks very nice overall - not far from where my husband will be working. I'm curious about folks' impressions of the area around Anoka - the Halloween capital of the world.
In terms of a home - I think we'd be open to many different kinds of homes but would like most to find a neighborhood with lots of kids and some dead end streets for bike riding - or quiet enough streets that the soon to be nine year olds could safely navigate a walk to the corner store without getting whacked by a car. Neither one of us has ever lived in big fancy house before and don't necessarily covet one - in fact, a turn of the century (i.e., the one before the last turn) hime, refurbed would be just fine. I'd love a porch...
Anoka is a pretty blue collar town--good or bad would be up to you. Their schools struggle financially and have for years. That is a big concern for that district if you choose to move there. Forest Lake is an ok town, schools are ok. You will find better schools in the Mounds View district. Keep in mind that the public schools in MN are some of the best in the world. Services for special needs at the Montessori schools are not going to be up to par with what you can find at the traditional public schools so keep that in mind as well.
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