Relocating to Minneapolis- neighborhoods, schools, general vibe (Dayton, Windom: rentals, home)

[leahandtabitha]

Hi everyone, my family is relocating to Minneapolis in less than 6 weeks for a great job opportunity for my husband. The forums here have been a great source of information for us so far, but I'm hoping I can get some insight into our situation, particularly as regards housing and neighborhoods. Some background- we currently live in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio and have been eager to try urban living with our 3 kids. My husband is in software and I am hoping to start nursing grad school after we are settled. We are very liberal and hope to expose them to more diversity than they could ever experience here. We very highly value education but do not feel that private schools would be beneficial for our kids. We are also not religious, the two of us enjoy live music and bar trivia, and my teenage daughter particularly likes film and anime. We have two smaller dogs and love to spend time outside hiking and walking. My 7 year old son also plays recreational hockey. We will be in town this weekend looking at places to rent, and I still feel pretty lost about options. High end of budget for now is about $2000/mo.

My husband will be working in Uptown and would like to walk or have a short public transport commute to work so we can downsize to one car. From what I can tell from the forums and the MPS Public Schools, my kids will need to go to the schools assigned to our address due to starting mid-year. My teenager has expressed a preference for Southwest or South Open, and the elementaries I am currently thinking would be the best fit without sacrificing academics are Kenwood, Kenny, and Armatage. This places us looking for rentals pretty much just in Uptown, Calhoun, and the more southern and possibly less diverse areas within these schools. Are there any areas I am discounting unfairly due to low school ratings? I would hate to come in blind and miss out on a good area because I just don't know about it. Can anyone offer any advice about areas which sound like a good fit for us?

Also if anyone knows about a great low-key bar trivia or a good fun kids rec hockey league, that would be great info! Thanks so much.

[cheddar]

Regarding youth hockey in Minneapolis, the main youth association is called the Minneapolis Storm. Registration time is probably about now. This is a regular association as opposed to a rec league program that would be cheaper and more low key. The re league program I am familiar with is in Northeast Mpls, it is called the City of lakes (cityoflakeshockey.com).

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by leahandtabitha

Hi everyone, my family is relocating to Minneapolis in less than 6 weeks for a great job opportunity for my husband. The forums here have been a great source of information for us so far, but I'm hoping I can get some insight into our situation, particularly as regards housing and neighborhoods. Some background- we currently live in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio and have been eager to try urban living with our 3 kids. My husband is in software and I am hoping to start nursing grad school after we are settled. We are very liberal and hope to expose them to more diversity than they could ever experience here. We very highly value education but do not feel that private schools would be beneficial for our kids. We are also not religious, the two of us enjoy live music and bar trivia, and my teenage daughter particularly likes film and anime. We have two smaller dogs and love to spend time outside hiking and walking. My 7 year old son also plays recreational hockey. We will be in town this weekend looking at places to rent, and I still feel pretty lost about options. High end of budget for now is about $2000/mo.

My husband will be working in Uptown and would like to walk or have a short public transport commute to work so we can downsize to one car. From what I can tell from the forums and the MPS Public Schools, my kids will need to go to the schools assigned to our address due to starting mid-year. My teenager has expressed a preference for Southwest or South Open, and the elementaries I am currently thinking would be the best fit without sacrificing academics are Kenwood, Kenny, and Armatage. This places us looking for rentals pretty much just in Uptown, Calhoun, and the more southern and possibly less diverse areas within these schools. Are there any areas I am discounting unfairly due to low school ratings? I would hate to come in blind and miss out on a good area because I just don't know about it. Can anyone offer any advice about areas which sound like a good fit for us?

Also if anyone knows about a great low-key bar trivia or a good fun kids rec hockey league, that would be great info! Thanks so much.

First, you're on the right track. If your husband is working Uptown, then your teenagers best bets are Mpls SW & Mpls South, but also St Louis Park is an option as it's close to Uptown, but technically is a suburb with it's own school district that is pretty solid. It's not a bedroom community though, rather it's basically an extension of Uptown & very urban by Suburb standards. Your husband could easily ride his bike or take the bus. Other Mpls grade schools to consider are Lake Harriet Elementary, Burroughs Elementary & Barton Open School (Good luck, long wait list). Other neighborhoods that would fit you might include Lowry Hill, Lowry Hill East, The Wedge, Whittier, Lynn-Lake & Whittier.

You may also want to look at the areas called Longfellow & Seward which are East along Lake Street closer to the Mississippi river. They both funnel into South High, are an easy bike or bus ride on the 21 route to Uptown. Seward Montesorri is highly regarded although you might have to hunker down in the neighborhood school until a spot opened up.

[uptown_urbanist]

While I think there are a number of different neighborhoods that you may like, I'd concentrate on the immediate Uptown neighborhoods, as I think they're going to be a great fit that is also within walking distance of work. A neighborhood like CARAG in Uptown would be ideal: walk to work, tons of kids (including plenty of elementary-aged boys), live music in Uptown (live jazz tonight outside of Calhoun Square!) and at Bryant Square Park in the summer, and more diverse than the ritzier Uptown neighborhoods to the east of Hennepin. Bryant Square is a fantastic neighborhood park with lots of community activities. Not sure about hockey, but the neighborhood boys all seem to play soccer there.

Armatage is fantastic, but there are more applicants than spots; you could try calling to see if there any spots for a transfer student, but it may be unlikely. The easiest option would be to rent a place on the west side of Dupont or west (Dupont is the dividing line), as then you'd at least be zoned for Kenwood, since that's also on your list. That would also put you in the zone for Southwest, as the other side is zoned for Washburn. Another magnet school to consider -although I don't know about availability of spots - is Whittier. The parents I know with kids there are very happy. Barton is hugely popular around here, too, but again, it's a magnet with limited spaces. Still, there's always some movement in or out, so you may be in luck.

You may also want to consider the western edge of the Lyndale neighborhood; that would also be close enough to walk or bike to Uptown (or a quick bus ride on cold days!), and while it wouldn't be zoned for SW, could still be worth investigation. That's the neighborhood to the immediate east of Lyndale, with Painter Park on its western border (it's also home to our mayor, as an FYI).

[leahandtabitha]

Thanks for the great specific information, everyone. We will be looking at 2 places in CARAG, one in East Harriet, 2 in Linden Hills, possibly one in Windom and one in Lowry Hill. Any thoughts on the Linden Hills area for commute? Our first choices will probably be the ones directly in Uptown due to proximity and school zoning for Southwest, but with the move coming so fast we may need to compromise. Really appreciate the insights!

[uptown_urbanist]

Linden Hills to Uptown is an easy ride on the 6 bus or a quick bike ride (or really fast drive, but I know you want to ditch the extra car).

We live in CARAG and it's my favorite neighborhood in the city, but Linden Hills is also really fantastic.

You can send me a personal message if you have any specific questions; I have an elementary age kid and experience living in a few of the neighborhoods you mention, and am happy to throw in my two cents about specific locations.

[MplsTodd]

Wow, your situation has a lot of similarities to ours. We lived for 20 years in linden hills & loved it. My wife (who grew up in suburban Dayton) worked in Uptown and loved her biking commute ( or quick drive). We were very active in bar trivia and had a very successful team at The pub quiz at Brits (at 11th & Nicollet). Most teams have 5 persons and they have six rounds (current events, picture round, music round and three "general knowledge). It takes about 2.5 hours and is held monthly. They actually offer it on two different nights-- either a Tuesday or Wednesday. Finally, both of our kids also played hockey with the Minneapolis Storm. we really enjoyed our hockey experience in Minneapolis. The teams were pretty good and we enjoyed meeting other hockey parents.
Good luck on your move!

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by leahandtabitha

Thanks for the great specific information, everyone. We will be looking at 2 places in CARAG, one in East Harriet, 2 in Linden Hills, possibly one in Windom and one in Lowry Hill. Any thoughts on the Linden Hills area for commute? Our first choices will probably be the ones directly in Uptown due to proximity and school zoning for Southwest, but with the move coming so fast we may need to compromise. Really appreciate the insights!

Linden Hills is also Mpls SW territory and an easy bike or bus ride to Uptown. Like UU I know the area well having grown up there, played sports for years at Bryant Square Park & attended Mpls SW. Feel free to send me a private message with any specific questions.

[leahandtabitha]

You all are great- I am armed with your information as we trek around today to look for a new place. I will keep you updated on what we find, and I may have more questions for you. We spent last night in Uptown with the teenager and had a great time.

Thanks for the tips on hockey and trivia, we need those!