Family relocating from Ky (Minneapolis, St. Paul: appointed, 2014, crime)

[Cairn02]

So I've posted once or twice in the past, but things have really crystallized for my family, and I would love to come back to the group again.

My family wil be relocating to the Twin Cities from southwest Ky in May-June of next year. I will be working near the Metrodome, and my wife is a stay at home Mom. We have 2 boys, who will be going into the 6th and 9th grades. Ideal school / home arrangements are for a home <$350K, 3 bd, 2.5 bath, around 2500 sq ft. I want to keep my commute inside of 20 minutes if possible. Kids are great at science and math, but aren't just interested in those subjects. Both also enjoy art, marching band, archery, and my oldest just learned that some of the schools have trap shooting clubs, so he's all over that idea. Goes without saying that communities need to be safe, and access to walking trails/parks is a huge bonus. Easy access to shopping is a bonus.

We were originally looking at Plymouth as an ideal compromise for commuting, but the culture of the Wayzata school there looks to be heavily weighted toward sports. Looked at the Mounds View district, which seems to be mainly STEM schools. We all liked Eden Prairie; both schools and locale, but that looks to be a horrid commute to the Metrodome. Edina has a reputation for being very "high brow".

This trip, I drove down to Apple Valley. Liked the general locale, and I drove by both AV High School and Eastview. Both seemed nice, but I'm a bit concerned about the commute. I read up on the MN77 study, and have heard that ther can be problems with the bridge in the winter - does that mean it freezes over, or is the more to it? On paper, it also looks like Eagan would be a shorter distance, but a longer drive. Trying to also get a feel for how airport noise compares around those areas.

So, that's the long way of asking if there are options I'm missing, or is AV / Eagan the best fits. Are there other school districts that I should be exploring beyond those I've mentioned? For commuting, I'll be leaving the house around 7am and leaving work around 4:30.

Thanks for any advice the group can offer.

[Ghengis]

stay north of the river (Minnesota) and find someplace besides the Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eagan/Rosemount areas if you want to keep your commute to 20 minutes to downtown.

[golfgal]

Irondale High School on the north side of St. Paul would be your best option--Mounds View district. One of the better marching bands in the state, good school, enrollment is declining in the area, mainly because of the housing bust but I would expect that to turn around. Housing costs are reasonable.

Rosemount would be the obvious choice given your son's interests, but your commute would be closer to 30 minutes, or you could take the bus at about 40 minutes. Rosemount has the best marching band program in the upper midwest and one of the best in the country actually. They will be marching in the Rose Parade this year (well "next" year, 2014). They have a trap shooting club. Sports are popular but the arts programs are huge. They have the largest band program (concert band) in the state. They put on several theater productions for sold out crowds each year. The choir is nationally recognized, etc. etc. etc. The marching band gets more "press" then any of the sports. It's a nice balance between the sports and the arts. Your housing expectations are reasonable for the area as well.

I'm not sure what you read about Cedar Ave/77 but it's one of the easiest commutes in the metro. Wayzata and Eden Prairie are two of the largest high schools in the state. If you are not the best of the best, you don't get to participate in activities there. Eden Prairie does have a marching band that is pretty good. If you are worried about "high brow" Edina, Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Eastview are all equally as bad.

[Beenhere4ever]

And consider driving only to the closest park and ride and using transit to get into town the rest of the way. Paying for parking for every day, unless you are a rich lawyer or banker, is a way to be poor.

[girlypower]

As a recent transplant (family) from out of state as well I can only speak for Eagan/Apple Valley.

Eastview high school, AV, has a trap shooting program and it competes with few other high schools in Spring time. Eastview is the preferred school than Apple Valley. Rosemount hs indeed has the best marching band program....they are going to march in the Tournament of Roses parade, January 1, 2014.

The price range you indicated and size of house won't be a problem for AV/Eagan. However, stay on the East of AV/E to lessen the airplane noise which incidentally is really not a problem at all. East side of AV and Eagan feeds in to Eastview high school and Eagan schools which are excellent. Plentiful parks, walking trails, bike paths, cross-country skiing, Zoo, plethora of shopping, water parks, rolling hills. AV ranked 17th most best place to live according to CNN/Money magazine. And Eagan always, always ranks practically year after year as well.

Good luck with your big move and decisions.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by girlypower

As a recent transplant (family) from out of state as well I can only speak for Eagan/Apple Valley.

Eastview high school, AV, has a trap shooting program and it competes with few other high schools in Spring time. Eastview is the preferred school than Apple Valley. Rosemount hs indeed has the best marching band program....they are going to march in the Tournament of Roses parade, January 1, 2014.

The price range you indicated and size of house won't be a problem for AV/Eagan. However, stay on the East of AV/E to lessen the airplane noise which incidentally is really not a problem at all. East side of AV and Eagan feeds in to Eastview high school and Eagan schools which are excellent. Plentiful parks, walking trails, bike paths, cross-country skiing, Zoo, plethora of shopping, water parks, rolling hills. AV ranked 17th most best place to live according to CNN/Money magazine. And Eagan always, always ranks practically year after year as well.

Good luck with your big move and decisions.

I don't know that I would say that Eastview is "preferred" in the 196 district....

Also, keep in mind that the Money Magazine only ranks cities over 50K in their main ranking but the south metro in general is a very nice place to live.

[Cairn02]

Thanks to everyone for your inputs. I've been looking at public transit, and it looks tough to gt a direct bus from the south to the. Metrodome. Plus I will have parking available by my employer, so that helps tremendously.

I had heard it was best to stay east of Pilot Knob Rd and south of Yankee Doodle to avoid airport noise. Looks like that adds a few minutes to the commute, but it could be worse... I had heard that HWY77 was tough at the bridge, especially in winter. What does the group think? Worth worrying about, or is it a nonissue?

Today I'm going to drive over and look at Minnetonka and Shoreview, but I'm leaning heavily toward the south side...

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Cairn02

Thanks to everyone for your inputs. I've been looking at public transit, and it looks tough to gt a direct bus from the south to the. Metrodome. Plus I will have parking available by my employer, so that helps tremendously.

I had heard it was best to stay east of Pilot Knob Rd and south of Yankee Doodle to avoid airport noise. Looks like that adds a few minutes to the commute, but it could be worse... I had heard that HWY77 was tough at the bridge, especially in winter. What does the group think? Worth worrying about, or is it a nonissue?

Today I'm going to drive over and look at Minnetonka and Shoreview, but I'm leaning heavily toward the south side...

I'm still at a loss why the Cedar Ave bridge is an issue. I travel that way many times/week and have never had an issue. Some people for some reason tend to slow down on the bridge but it's really one of the easiest roads in the metro to drive.

You will be sorely disappointed in the music program at Minnetonka....

[MortgageGeek]

Cairn02,

Don't jump right out of Minneapolis. I live in South Minneapolis and love it. If you are leaving for work at 7 a.m. in the worst possible weather/traffic you'd be experiencing a 30 minute commute for the most part, without any issues about 10-15. I see the traffic starting to build right about the time I get off the interstate and am SO glad I don't waste another hour every day sitting my my car dealing with that, I spend it with my family instead. There are many great neighborhoods that would suit you well. The culture, diversity is access to the world of arts is spectacular. Plus the new migration of people moving in closer to the city center has been great for property values and brings stability for the future.

I am sure my opinion will be met with some worries about crime or the education system. Educate yourself and experience it first hand, don't rely on those without direct experience (the media, etc...) to sway your opinion. Headlines don't tell the entire story of a large and diverse city.

Just my input.

Good luck!

Jerry

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by Cairn02

Thanks to everyone for your inputs. I've been looking at public transit, and it looks tough to gt a direct bus from the south to the. Metrodome. Plus I will have parking available by my employer, so that helps tremendously.

I had heard it was best to stay east of Pilot Knob Rd and south of Yankee Doodle to avoid airport noise. Looks like that adds a few minutes to the commute, but it could be worse... I had heard that HWY77 was tough at the bridge, especially in winter. What does the group think? Worth worrying about, or is it a nonissue?

Today I'm going to drive over and look at Minnetonka and Shoreview, but I'm leaning heavily toward the south side...

If you're using transit, the easiest way to get to the Metrodome area is via the Blue Line (light rail). You could drive to one of the park and rides and catch it from there, or take one of the buses that runs from the south metro (the Red Line BRT most likely) and transfer at the Mall of America. Alternately, you could get downtown via an express bus from the south metro and catch a local downtown bus towards the Metrodome area (not sure which one it would be) or take the Blue Line in that direction. Of course, these will take some time, so it might just be easier to drive to your employer if they have parking available.

I live near the south end of the 77 bridge and it usually flows very well, even in the winter, unless there is something like an accident or truly awful weather (or road construction). It can take some time to get onto 77 from the onramps in Eagan, but that wouldn't be a problem if you were coming from further south.