Golden Valley east of Hwy 100 - Safe/desirable area to live? (Minneapolis: for sale, violent crime)

[dlw23]

Looking for input from those who know Golden Valley well. I'm wondering what the area of Golden Valley east of Highway 100 is like? I'm looking at buying a house in GV, but I'm pretty uneducated about the area. To be honest, the proximity to North Minneapolis has me the most nervous. Can anyone provide some insight into this area?

Are there certain areas to avoid? Just wondering if there is an "unwritten" rule or border to mind when looking in this area.

I'm also open to insight into New Hope and Crystal, as these are on my radar as well, and are also areas I really don't know anything about.

Thanks for the help!

[xandrex]

I think you'll be fine. That area isn't near any of the "bad" parts of North Minneapolis and you have Theo Wirth Park as a buffer (there are a lot of nice houses on the Golden Valley and North Minneapolis side of the park).

That's about all I can say...don't let it hinder you. Also, don't be afraid to call Golden Valley's police department and inquire about neighborhoods. A quick street view of that area shows some pretty decent to upscale houses.

[Bslette]

Ahh. Well, I grew up right there. East of 100, north of 55. The area is pretty safe. The people there, some of them who I still know very well, are friendly. The neighborhoods are good looking, and right by Lake Sweeney. Plenty of walking and biking trails, along with a few parks. Scheid Park, off of Duluth St., is where I used to go all the time, and every winter they set up a public ice rink. Crime wise, we never had a lot of problems considering the proximity to north Minneapolis. Theodore Wirth Park creates a divide between the two areas. I remember when I lived there, there were a couple burglaries in the area, some crazy neighbors with a violent dog, and supposedly a homicide or two farther down by 55, but I can't remember if it actually happened or not. We usually didnt take Golden Valley Road into the north side, but it isnt like people just sit there at the border wanting to shoot you. It's safe to drive through, even walk through. I wouldn't go walking to the other side of Wirth at night or anything. In the daytime, Wirth is awesome. Also, there are grocery stores (Cub, Byerlys, etc) right near by, along with gas stations and some other stores. I love the area. Anyways, I always felt safe there, and crime has gone down since then. But the people there are really good people overall.

In summary, it's a great neighborhood, and I had a good childhood there. But now I'm feeling nostalgic.

[Bslette]

OH! I almost forgot, on the hill above Schied Park is a street called Toledo Ave. I've always assumed the people there are pretty rich, because every winter the houses up there put up an insane amount of Christmas lights and decorations, so it's like a miniature local tourist attraction/landmark of the neighborhood. It was fun to drive by every year and see what different displays they put up.

Sorry, lots of childhood memories. I'm still fairly young, and I still go back there every once and a while, so I'm still pretty updated about the area.

[Chain of Lakes]

I'd be less concerned about crime and more concerned with the ability to afford a house in this neighborhood. Crystal and New Hope are several steps down in price.

There aren't a lot of homes under $500,000 in this part of Golden Valley. In fact, I only see one for sale at this time. The rest range in price from $539k to $850k.....go to themlsonline.com and use the mapping function to view homes and lots for sale in this area.

If you can afford, it, however, this is a really great area. You have access to the ski trails at Theodore Wirth and its a short drive to downtown Minneapolis.

[Bslette]

Originally Posted by Chain of Lakes

I'd be less concerned about crime and more concerned with the ability to afford a house in this neighborhood. Crystal and New Hope are several steps down in price.

There aren't a lot of homes under $500,000 in this part of Golden Valley. In fact, I only see one for sale at this time. The rest range in price from $539k to $850k.....go to themlsonline.com and use the mapping function to view homes and lots for sale in this area.

If you can afford, it, however, this is a really great area. You have access to the ski trails at Theodore Wirth and its a short drive to downtown Minneapolis.

Woah woah.... not at all. If we're talking about the area right in between/west of Sweeney Lake and Twin Lake or houses right on Theodore Wirth, then yes, maybe. But, my parents sold my old house recently for somewhere in the 300k range. Most houses around highway 100 (one story ramblers) are anywhere from 150k to 350k. Maybe some of the houses along Basset Creek, Mary Hills and Briarwood are a little more, but none of them in the normal part of the area are anywhere near 500k. Only the big lake houses cost that much. 850k? Only a few that are by Twin Lake in the Hidden Lakes neighborhood, which is very secluded from everywhere else. And, there are like 4 huge mansions in between the two lakes that are over 1 million. But most of the area is your average one story rambler filled neighborhood.

[Chain of Lakes]

Don't take my word for it......go to themlsonline.com and click on that area. East of 100, west of wirth park, north of 394.

[Chain of Lakes]

You must be north of hwy 55.....yes, that area isn't nearly as nice. The area between 394 and 55 is the area I am referring to. East of 100, west of wirth, north of 394 and south of 55.

I know where you are talking about......I wouldn't worry about crime there either, though.

[Bslette]

Originally Posted by Chain of Lakes

You must be north of hwy 55.....yes, that area isn't nearly as nice. The area between 394 and 55 is the area I am referring to. East of 100, west of wirth, north of 394 and south of 55.

I know where you are talking about......I wouldn't worry about crime there either, though.

Ahh... I see. I almost forgot about that section between 55 and 394. I never really went down there. I wouldn't worry about crime north of 55 either, as I said. As far as I can remember, there were only a few violent crimes in a long period of time when I lived there, and crime has gone down.

[ocsid]

Really nice area, and you can't beat the proximity to downtown. One of my best friends lives there and it's a great neighborhood. He bikes to work downtown quite a bit, and if we go to a show at First Ave or Target Center, or hit the bars in Nordeast, we always park at his place and it's a quick cab ride to all those places. I'd highly recommend it. It's not far from some rough areas of the North Side, but there's really no spillover.