Moving to St. Paul need advice (Woodbury, West St. Paul: apartment, rental homes, townhomes) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

pumkin · 09-11-2007, 11:20 PM

Hi, my husband, 2 yr. old, 6 month old and dog will be moving to St. Paul from Arizona. We would like to avoid living in an apartment, and not sure what the market has for rental homes/townhomes -- is it unrealistic?

We're interested in finding a neighborhood with nearby parks, tot-lot for kids, etc. We would like a family friendly neighborhood. Nearby shops and restaurants would also be a plus. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and looking to keep the kids busy with community activities.

My husband is working in St. Paul so a short commute would be helpful.

golfgal · 09-12-2007, 04:30 AM

Where is St. Paul is your husband working? There are many areas of the metro that are easy commutes into St. Paul. One thing that Minnesota has is called Early Childhood Family Education, ECFE. They are designed to be 'parenting' classes but they are really a social network for the parents. I would suggest signing up for classes as soon as you move. It is a GREAT way to meet people.

I would start my search in Stillwater. There are a lot of stay at home mom's there and their ECFE program is very large, so good opportunities to meet people. They have great parks, lots of community activities and it is a pretty easy commute into St. Paul.

pumkin · 09-12-2007, 12:06 PM

Thanks so much for your reply. My husband will be working at the St. Paul hospitals. So he'll be moving around the city. I've heard nice things about Highland. In what part of St. Paul is Stillwater?

And thanks for the heads up on the ECprograms, that is exactly what we're looking in the area.

pumkin · 09-12-2007, 12:30 PM

Hi again, my husabnd will be working at United Hospital. Not sure what neighborhood that is in? or nearby neighborhoods that are family friendly? Any advise will be helpful. Many thanks!

golfgal · 09-12-2007, 01:42 PM

United is right in downtown St. Paul-so not in any neighborhoods you would want to live in.

Stillwater is a suburb of St. Paul. It is east of St. Paul right on the MN/WI border along the St. Croix RIver. It is a lovey town, nice historic homes along with newer construction as well. The commute to United is pretty easy, especially when Hwy 36 is done, which will be soon.

Mendota Heights/West St. Paul (NOT the west SIDE of St. Paul though) is another great area that is SUPER easy to downtown St. Paul.

We live in Rosemount and it is about 20 minutes to United Hospital from here. Again, another GREAT community with a lot of young families and top rated schools.

My mom worked at United for many years. I used to volunteer there when I was in high school too. We use the ped's clinic attached to St. Paul Children's hospital/United hospital for our kids--great dr's there!

pumkin · 09-12-2007, 03:09 PM

Thanks golfgal, I appreciate the information. You never know if a neighborhood where you work would be "livable". I'll definately check out Stillwater and Rosemount and the other neighborhood you describe. Where is Woodbury in relation to those? Do you reccomend this area of St. Paul?

golfgal · 09-12-2007, 03:58 PM

Woodbury is also a suburb. Personally I am not a fan of Woodbury. There are better choices on that side of the metro area with better schools and a nicer community. Woodbury is safe, etc. but again, the schools aren't as good as others. Mahtomedi is a great community also but it is spendy so it would really depend on what your housing budget is.

I know a lot of people here are fans of Highland Park and other communities in St. Paul proper however, if you are going to live there plan on private schools for the kids.

punkerdunker · 09-12-2007, 05:10 PM

Most St. Paul public schools are very good. They have excellent teachers, programs and classes for students who want to learn. The student body is more diverse in the city proper, which means that there are students who come from a wide array of backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions. They aren't all priveledged white kids. If this scares you, then heed Golfgal's advice and go to the suburbs or enroll your children in private schools. Otherwise, I don't know why Golfgal is so dismissive of our public schools. Some students are not strong performers for reasons stemming from home life and other issues. Thats not the school's fault, and it hardly impacts another students' ability to get a good education. Also, E.C.F.E. is awesome in St. Paul. My two yr. old and I are just starting our 2nd year. The 1st year was great.

I've noticed that anytime someone posts about considering living in St. Paul Golfgal tries to steer them into the suburbs. I thought you should hear a differing viewpoint.

By the way, Stillwater is NOT close to St. Paul. But maybe you don't mind. Perhaps you should tell us how long of a commute your spouse would consider reasonable.

pumkin · 09-12-2007, 06:05 PM

Thanks for your input. We're looking for a short commute. My husband is working at United Hospital. We'd like a 15-20 minute commute.

I'm a mom of a toddler and an infant, so at this point, we're looking to rent for a year. Not that interested in schools. Our interest is more in nice parks to take the kids to and areas to take a walk.

Any reccomendations for neighborhoods in St. Paul that are family friendly, for young families, looking to rent a home/townhome for a year would be most helpful. Thanks again for your feedback.

golfgal · 09-12-2007, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by punkerdunker

Most St. Paul public schools are very good. They have excellent teachers, programs and classes for students who want to learn. The student body is more diverse in the city proper, which means that there are students who come from a wide array of backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions. They aren't all priveledged white kids. If this scares you, then heed Golfgal's advice and go to the suburbs or enroll your children in private schools. Otherwise, I don't know why Golfgal is so dismissive of our public schools. Some students are not strong performers for reasons stemming from home life and other issues. Thats not the school's fault, and it hardly impacts another students' ability to get a good education. Also, E.C.F.E. is awesome in St. Paul. My two yr. old and I are just starting our 2nd year. The 1st year was great.

I've noticed that anytime someone posts about considering living in St. Paul Golfgal tries to steer them into the suburbs. I thought you should hear a differing viewpoint.

By the way, Stillwater is NOT close to St. Paul. But maybe you don't mind. Perhaps you should tell us how long of a commute your spouse would consider reasonable.

The atmosphere in which a child is immersed in a classroom has a GREAT effect on their learning. When kids have to pass through metal detectors to get into middle school and there are regular fights in the hallways and classrooms, then it DOES effect other students. There are other incidences of which I have personal experience at other St. Paul public schools that just are not conducive to a positive learning environment. Since your 2 year old has spent a lot of time in the middle schools and high schools in the St. Paul disticts you obviously have a lot of experience in this area. I also spent quite a bit of time in a few of the elementary schools in the St. Paul public schools with my aunt, a 40 year veteran teacher in the St. Paul public schools and there is simply NO comparison to the environment in the inner city schools to that in the suburban schools.

Stillwater to United Hospital is 15-20 minutes.