Highland Park vs. Mac-Groveland vs. Edina vs. Linden Hills (St. Paul: houses, neighborhoods)

[domodomo]

I am considering a job near Sibley Memorial Parkway and Victoria in St. Paul. Reading through this forum Highland Park, Mac-Groveland, Edina and Linden Hills seem like possibilities. Not sure of traffic to and from those locations. I lived in Uptown 20 years ago and moved away, but now have elementary school aged kids, can spend 500-800,000. Would prefer good public schools (at least through elementary school), sidewalks, Trader Joes, Whole foods, brew pubs and a neighborhood with a ton of kids. Any suggestions on areas/streets areas to drive around while we are there next week?

Thanks!

[Yosh01]

For the price range you are looking for, I suggest adding Crocus Hill in St. Paul. Something in the Lexington, Summit, St. Clair, Dale quadrant.

[anne.kelly]

If I worked in St. Paul I would live there, and not bother with Linden Hills and Edina.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by anne.kelly

If I worked in St. Paul I would live there, and not bother with Linden Hills and Edina.

Me, too. And I say that as someone who lists Linden Hills as one of my favorite Twin Cities neighborhoods! I think you can find something with a similar vibe and strengths in St. Paul and eliminate the long commute.

That said, when looking at family-friendly St. Paul neighborhoods I'd also throw St. Anthony Park into the mix.

[Mason3000]

Mac Groveland is the best bet imo. As others have said Edina & Linden Hills are great but why commute if you don't have to? St Anthony Park is also very nice, UU & I both love it, but the commute again get's trickier. I'd focus in on Mac/Groveland or as Yosh01 mentioned the Crocus Hill quadrant. In that area you have Horace Mann, Randolph Heights & Groveland Park Elementary & any of those you'll be happy with. You'll also have to drive about 10mph so you don't hit the kids playing in any of those areas.

Horace Mann
GreatSchools.org Search: horace mann

Randolph Heights
GreatSchools.org Search: randolph heights

Groveland Park
Groveland Park Elementary School - St. Paul, Minnesota - MN - School overview

[StanleyVegas]

Saint Anthony Park is one of the nicest areas in St. Paul, but being in the northwest corner of the city it's nearly as far from your work as Linden Hills or Edina.

The southern neighborhoods of St. Paul mentioned - Mac-Groveland, Highland Park & Crocus Hill - are your best bet. Whole Foods is in Mac-Groveland (Fairview & Grand), and Trader Joe's is in Highland Park (Lexington at Randolph, right on the border with Mac-Groveland).

[aus1ander]

I live in Highland and would greatly recommend both Highland and Mac-Groveland. Renovated houses in the 2500+ sqft range are right in your budget. For Highland, the biggest thing for us was proximity to Highland Village, which has almost everything you would want in a walkable distance from many homes. As someone else mentioned, Whole Foods is at Grand/Fairview, but will be moving to Snelling/Selby in a year or two. Trader Joes is at Randolph/Lexington.

We are 15 minutes to both downtowns, <10 minutes to the airport, and have no airplane noise. Our neighborhood school (Horace Mann) is considered one of the better elementary schools in St Paul. You would also be close to Saint Paul Academy if you want to go private after elementary school. Our street has plenty of kids ranging from toddlers to early teens, and all the neighbors know each other. I think its pretty typical for Highland, but you should chat with the neighbors when you go showings as some streets will vary.

[domodomo]

aus1ander can you or anyone else give me the names of a couple of the nicer streets within walking distance of Highland village. Is the public elementary school Horace Mann for that area? Thanks to all for the valuable feedback!

[cheddar]

Highland Parkway, Pinehurst, Bayard, Sheffer , and that neighborhood is nice especially around Fairview Ave.Hillcrest Ave., also. Note that Fairview is the dividing line between Horace Mann and Highland Park elem.

[aus1ander]

Originally Posted by domodomo

aus1ander can you or anyone else give me the names of a couple of the nicer streets within walking distance of Highland village. Is the public elementary school Horace Mann for that area? Thanks to all for the valuable feedback!

This website allows you to figure out the neighborhood schools for St Paul: Map of Schools

Almost all of the houses north of Ford Parkway (between the river and Snelling) are nice with many renovated homes in your price range. Once you get east of Snelling, its not as walkable to the Village (although there are some very expensive homes, >1 million, near the park). There are some very nice spots south of Ford Parkway as well, but you have to drive the neighborhood more to get a feel of it. Avoid homes on Cretin, Randolph, and Fairview as there is a lot of traffic on those roads. Highland Parkway has some traffic, but also has some of the nicest homes and largest lots in Highland.

Highland Village is very walkable as long as you're within a 0.5 mile of the Ford Parkway/Cleveland Ave intersection. Honestly, most of the streets in the area are very nice, so I recommend you just drive around to get a feel.

Feel free to PM me if you need more info. I can't give you exact advise on this thread as I also don't want to publicly disclose where our house is.