Woodbury vs. Eagan affluence/lifestyle/outdoor (Hills, Hampton: leasing, insurance, mortgage)

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Teddybentherars

Is woodbury more upper middle class? yes Woodbury is also IMO very pretentious. You have 16 year olds driving their mommy's and daddy's BMW. So that alone tells what type of place it is.

I prefer Eagan just because of logictics and it's more economical and still a nice area

You cannot own a car until you are 18 years old. So whatever car I drove, I'd let my kid drive it. If that car happened to be a BMW, then my kid would drive a BMW. I hear some jealousy in your voice. What's wrong with a kid driving his "mommy's and daddy's" car?

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

You cannot own a car until you are 18 years old. So whatever car I drove, I'd let my kid drive it. If that car happened to be a BMW, then my kid would drive a BMW. I hear some jealousy in your voice. What's wrong with a kid driving his "mommy's and daddy's" car?

Actually, driving Mom and Dad's car isn't the issue--it's when Mom and Dad give them a brand new BMW of their own that drives me nuts, especially when they total the car 3 months into it and then get another brand new, expensive car.

[Grizzly Addams]

Originally Posted by golfgal

especially when they total the car 3 months into it and then get another brand new, expensive car.

This made me laugh. Going to Hill Murray I knew a lot of Woodbury people. A girl I knew totaled her mom's lexus. It was quite funny.

[manbylake]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

You cannot own a car until you are 18 years old. So whatever car I drove, I'd let my kid drive it. If that car happened to be a BMW, then my kid would drive a BMW. I hear some jealousy in your voice. What's wrong with a kid driving his "mommy's and daddy's" car?

It's you. I was going to respond to your message on a different topic but that was closed. You said family is true wealth and financial wealth is over-rated. But that's also because you already have a lot and now you can live on it smartly. There is still a big difference between well-to-do and poverty. A bit more money goes a long way. A lot of Americans choose not to have children in order to have a bit more for their desired quality of life. Even so, most of them are not going to live like their boomer parents.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Kids should be walking more. Damnit uptown urbanist, where you at?

[davephan]

Woodbury has a great trail system. There are 132 miles of trails all over the city. There are many lakes and parks in Woodbury. Some trails have some of the 'feel' of the Minneapolis trails around their lakes, minus the problems that go along with Minneapolis, such as the higher risk of crime and slow police response. The snow plowing is very good, not at all like the lousy snow plowing in Minneapolis or St Paul.

Woodbury has a higher than average family income than most parts of the twin cities; it has a reputation of being affluent city on the east side of the metro area. There are a lot of stores in Woodbury, unlike neighboring Lake Elmo which has double the property taxes because there are very few businesses there to support the tax base.

There are a lot of luxury cars seen when driving around Woodbury. I don't drive a luxury car because it is more intelligent to put more money into the retirement savings. I could easily afford a luxury car, but we have reliable nice looking cars, not junkers. I've never felt that I was looked down upon for not driving a luxury car.

Woodbury has easy access to the freeways. I can get to the freeways in less than 5 minutes and to downtown St Paul in 15 minutes, rush hour about 20 to 25 minutes. The stores in Woodbury are the strip mall design because that makes more economic sense for the businesses. During the economic downturn, there were business some vacanies, but not as severe as other parts of town. The vacancies went away quicker in Woodbury compared to other areas when the economy recovered.

I haven't found people to be snobby in Woodbury. I don't go to Trader Joe's very often and I rarely go to Kowalski's. I've lived in Woodbury for 14 years and its a nice place to live. Woodbury has been growing and is projected to become Minnesota's third largest city behind Minneapolis and St Paul.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Actually, driving Mom and Dad's car isn't the issue--it's when Mom and Dad give them a brand new BMW of their own that drives me nuts, especially when they total the car 3 months into it and then get another brand new, expensive car.

I am sure there are spoiled kids in Woodbury just as in Rosemount. If a parent buys them a brand new B&W car to drive, I think we can both agree that's generally not the smartest thing to do. But it depends on the kid. When they total it, that also suggests it is a wrong decision. But I was addressing the point of view that they are driving "mommy's and daddy's car". Most kids drive what their parents drive. If it is a B&W, so what.

If a kid has their crap together, I don't have a problem with it. In my era, I went to Anoka HS. Gretchen Carlson drove a brand new Corvette (her Dad owned Main Motors Chevy and Cadillac). Occasionally she drove up in a brand new Cadillac. That little brat grew up to be an accomplished violinist, Miss America, graduated from to Stanford, and is a talking-head on Fox. See Gretchen Carlson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . But it seems as though the Carlson's knew how to parent. As you might expect, jealous people back in 1984 used the words "mommy and daddy" too. They were just envious. Some people cannot handle people who work harder and smarter then them. They feel uncomfortable around people with money.

At the age of 16, I bought my daughter a brand new Chevy and my son a one year old SUV. I got a steal on them and it was a very efficient way to keep the cost of transportation down. But peoples perception might have been different. If it was, they were just jealous. My son and daughter were expected to go to college full time in 11th and 12th grade (PSEO) and both are highly accomplished to date. I think they are also very good people. So it's how you parent even if your kid drives a B&W. For the record, I have never bought a B&W. They drop like a rock resale wise and I am too cheap. Like DavePhan, it is about retiring earlier or not working as hard.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by manbylake

It's you. I was going to respond to your message on a different topic but that was closed. You said family is true wealth and financial wealth is over-rated. But that's also because you already have a lot and now you can live on it smartly. There is still a big difference between well-to-do and poverty.

If I wanted to make a lot more, I could choose to work my life away. Many people who work 100 hours a week and they actually enjoy it. I didn't mind working 100+ hours a week but it wasn't healthy for my family. Now I like to work 3-4 hours a day and forgo the "stuff". Speaking of cars, I drive a Honda Accord. If I worked 100 hours a week again and built the business back up, I could buy a Mercedes E550 inside of a couple of months. That car isn't going to make me happy. To make a lot you need to give up a lot. I don't like that trade-off.

Originally Posted by manbylake

A lot of Americans choose not to have children in order to have a bit more for their desired quality of life. Even so, most of them are not going to live like their boomer parents.

IMHO, that's the stupidest trade-off ever. My life centers around my family. I wish I would of had two more children and staggered them in age. If there is one thing I miss, it's kids around the house. I guess I have to patiently wait for Grand Kid's.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Addams

This made me laugh. Going to Hill Murray I knew a lot of Woodbury people. A girl I knew totaled her mom's lexus. It was quite funny.

Where is the humor in someone getting in an accident?

[Grizzly Addams]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

Where is the humor in someone getting in an accident?

I suppose you had to know the girl and how she operated. No one was hurt, otherwise it definitely not have been funny.