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Old 09-04-2013, 02:39 AM
 
Location: Texas
3 posts, read 5,464 times
Reputation: 10

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In about eight(ish) months, my boyfriend and I (both 21yo) will be new residents to Minneapolis/St. Paul. He'll be going to Red Wing School of Instrument Repair, so we figured living in Minneapolis/St. Paul will be the best way to go since there aren't many apartment options in Red Wing and we really, really, really want the experience of city-living. I've started researching some apartments and I kinda like the sound of the Stevens Community Apartments (MPLS E. 18th St.). They just sound pretty charming, but I'm incredibly concerned for the safety -- I don't really know the neighborhood obviously and we've never lived anywhere with a population over 100,000, so we don't know what to expect. What are the safest and most affordable areas?

We'd love something relatively cheap/month (I also don't know what the average hourly wage is there, but we could probably rent something anywhere from $400-$750 [at least that's the norm in Texas for a decent 1-2bed/1bath]). We'd definitely be up to living in a studio/efficiency apartment as well since we'll only be there for a year for his schooling.

I've read that sometimes you'll have to park a few streets away because parking is so sparse, and we may have to work late sometimes, so would there be a high chance of us being jumped, especially if it's just one of us? Will I be harassed if I go out during the day by myself? Am I being super paranoid? I'm really new to this and, probably obviously, nervous.

I'm so incredibly excited to be moving here, though!!! I've researched a bit on some of MPLS/SP attractions and the Twin Cities seem exactly what I want, but of course not everything I will read will be as amazing as it sounds. What are some of the best attractions and restaurants? What is there to do that makes the Twin Cities unique?

Also (I know, this is already a novel), I'm looking to make some friends up there. Are the people generally friendly to out-of-state re-locators? I've been reading some of the other threads and some people don't give off a very nice vibe to new-comers. Anyway, what are some of the best places to socialize?

If you can answer at least some of these questions, you're amazing and I already love you!

Last edited by jcdavis92; 09-04-2013 at 03:38 AM..
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Old 09-04-2013, 03:53 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,127,944 times
Reputation: 10691
Red Wing is a LONG drive from Minneapolis--over an hour. It's not a drive you want to make in the winter months. Also, Minneapolis is expensive. In your price range you are going to end up in areas that are not nice. You would be much better off living in or near Red Wing and then going to Minneapolis on the weekends and then experiencing the "city life" after school. It's just not worth the money to commute that far every day for school.
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Old 09-04-2013, 07:20 AM
 
1,258 posts, read 2,435,200 times
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Red Wing is too far of a drive. Sounds like money is tight for you, and an apt in Mpls/St. Paul will be more expensive than an apartment in Red Wing. Plus you'll have to pay way more for gas, an hour of driving - 2 hours round trip - can easily be 4 gallons of gas per day, which is $12-$16 per day, not to mention the cost of all the miles you will put on your car.
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Old 09-04-2013, 01:38 PM
 
25 posts, read 46,267 times
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Like everyone else said, rent will be much more then the budget you gave. I just signed a lease in a downtown 1 bedroom for $1300 and that was one of the cheaper options for being in a decent area/building. Not to say they aren't out there, just gonna take a bit of looking.
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Old 09-04-2013, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Texas
3 posts, read 5,464 times
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We aren't incredibly tight on money. His schooling will be paid for with grants and scholarships, plus we are working 40+ a week (and we probably will be working that much there too IF we can find jobs), and we'll be taking out a $15,000 loan. So we do have some money, it's just more along the lines of we don't want to spend it if we don't have to, but we could probably budget for a more expensive apartment comfortably if we can't find anything in our price range. I still don't know what the rate of pay is up there, if it's more than in Texas, we can definitely afford something higher than $750 (that's just what we pay here).

Gas is our spending splurge so to say because we'd really like living in the Twin Cities and we'd sacrifice having to drive that long everyday just to live in the city. We currently drive about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on traffic) for our university and the city its in now (and sometimes we drive there two to three times a day), so we're used to it. I didn't really factor in the winter weather though, so we'll definitely be re-thinking some things!

Do you guys know any areas close to Red Wing that might be good for us? Red Wing seems to only have retirement/disabled/housing authority apartments. I haven't really found anything for us there.
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Old 09-04-2013, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Middletown, CT
993 posts, read 1,760,222 times
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That drive would be absolutely awful. In the winter, that could easily take like 2-3 hours one way and I am not kidding
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Old 09-04-2013, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Texas
3 posts, read 5,464 times
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Oh, yikes. :/ I guess living in the city isn't the way to go. haha
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Old 09-04-2013, 05:36 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,127,944 times
Reputation: 10691
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcdavis92 View Post
We aren't incredibly tight on money. His schooling will be paid for with grants and scholarships, plus we are working 40+ a week (and we probably will be working that much there too IF we can find jobs), and we'll be taking out a $15,000 loan. So we do have some money, it's just more along the lines of we don't want to spend it if we don't have to, but we could probably budget for a more expensive apartment comfortably if we can't find anything in our price range. I still don't know what the rate of pay is up there, if it's more than in Texas, we can definitely afford something higher than $750 (that's just what we pay here).

Gas is our spending splurge so to say because we'd really like living in the Twin Cities and we'd sacrifice having to drive that long everyday just to live in the city. We currently drive about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on traffic) for our university and the city its in now (and sometimes we drive there two to three times a day), so we're used to it. I didn't really factor in the winter weather though, so we'll definitely be re-thinking some things!

Do you guys know any areas close to Red Wing that might be good for us? Red Wing seems to only have retirement/disabled/housing authority apartments. I haven't really found anything for us there.
In smaller towns like that usually apartment rentals are listed at the grocery store, etc. Ask at his school, they may have a list of rentals. Red Wing is kind of isolated, not in a bad way, it's a very pretty area with a cute downtown and shopping and what not there but it's 30 minutes of twisting roads to other towns. You could try Hastings--lots of rentals there--or maybe Cannon Falls. Both will put you in between Red Wing and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Pay here is probably a little higher than Texas but taxes are higher too. Depends on what you will be doing for a job really though.
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Old 09-04-2013, 07:57 PM
 
1,051 posts, read 1,686,126 times
Reputation: 1333
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcdavis92 View Post
In about eight(ish) months, my boyfriend and I (both 21yo) will be new residents to Minneapolis/St. Paul. He'll be going to Red Wing School of Instrument Repair, so we figured living in Minneapolis/St. Paul will be the best way to go since there aren't many apartment options in Red Wing and we really, really, really want the experience of city-living. I've started researching some apartments and I kinda like the sound of the Stevens Community Apartments (MPLS E. 18th St.). They just sound pretty charming, but I'm incredibly concerned for the safety -- I don't really know the neighborhood obviously and we've never lived anywhere with a population over 100,000, so we don't know what to expect. What are the safest and most affordable areas?

We'd love something relatively cheap/month (I also don't know what the average hourly wage is there, but we could probably rent something anywhere from $400-$750 [at least that's the norm in Texas for a decent 1-2bed/1bath]). We'd definitely be up to living in a studio/efficiency apartment as well since we'll only be there for a year for his schooling.

I've read that sometimes you'll have to park a few streets away because parking is so sparse, and we may have to work late sometimes, so would there be a high chance of us being jumped, especially if it's just one of us? Will I be harassed if I go out during the day by myself? Am I being super paranoid? I'm really new to this and, probably obviously, nervous.

I'm so incredibly excited to be moving here, though!!! I've researched a bit on some of MPLS/SP attractions and the Twin Cities seem exactly what I want, but of course not everything I will read will be as amazing as it sounds. What are some of the best attractions and restaurants? What is there to do that makes the Twin Cities unique?

Also (I know, this is already a novel), I'm looking to make some friends up there. Are the people generally friendly to out-of-state re-locators? I've been reading some of the other threads and some people don't give off a very nice vibe to new-comers. Anyway, what are some of the best places to socialize?

If you can answer at least some of these questions, you're amazing and I already love you!
You've gotten good advice here up thread. I, too, would strongly suggest living in Red Wing and making trips to the Twin Cities on weekends/breaks. Winter driving will be new for you and it's a pretty serious ordeal, especially when you don't have a garage and have to do the scrape the windshield in sub-zero weather routine. it's also a pain in MPLS to have to move your car for snow plows, etc. Your best bet, by far, is to spend your first year in Red Wing and get the lay of the land first before contemplating a move to the cities.

No one has addressed other issues of your post: 1) the people, in my opinion, are quite nice. I have lived in Austin and Fort Worth (originally from the Twin Cities). I find the people in all three places to be very agreeable. I think Texans have a sunnier disposition (perhaps obvious, given the number of days of sunshine...but it does seem to influence the people's collective character), but I find Minnesotans to be genuinely nice and helpful. I do think they avoid confrontation, but the whole MN nice thing (AKA passive aggressive) is not as big a deal as some transplants make it IMO. Something you might enjoy about MN people: there is a solid public education system (among the best in the US) so good education is accessible to a wider part of the population than in TX. I notice this every time I go back to MN.

2) Unique things: the outdoors are popular--lakes, rivers, forests, cycling, canoeing, snowmobiling, xc skiing, hunting and fishing.
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Old 09-05-2013, 06:50 AM
 
1,258 posts, read 2,435,200 times
Reputation: 1323
Your best bet would be to live in Red Wing and then use the rent/gas money saved to go to the cities on the weekend and stay overnight at a hostel or inexpensive hotel every once in a while.
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