Your view of Blaine (Minneapolis, Plymouth: real estate, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[NadiaQ07]

Hi,

We will be relocating to Minneapolis next month. We're a married couple with a 2 1/2 son and another one on the way. We will be in temporary living for 2 or 3 months, and are considering the idea of buying a house there. We already had an interview with a real state agent and based on our budget (350 K) and needs he has recommended Blaine.

What would be your opinion about this suburb?

Your help is very appreciated!

Tks

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by NadiaQ07

Hi,

We will be relocating to Minneapolis next month. We're a married couple with a 2 1/2 son and another one on the way. We will be in temporary living for 2 or 3 months, and are considering the idea of buying a house there. We already had an interview with a real state agent and based on our budget (350 K) and needs he has recommended Blaine.

What would be your opinion about this suburb?

Your help is very appreciated!

Tks

Blaine is a nice suburb. Northern burb' if you will. I have no beef. City-Government wise, I know they do a lot of right and good things. It's a growing area, many new developments in recent years. Traffic is the only downfall. The northern suburb cooridor with traffic is tough because of 35w, 694 and Highway10 all right there, but then again at the same time, it's nice being by those transportation forms.

I would reccomend Blaine to anybody. Decent schools, the National Sports Center is there too.

[golfgal]

I will disagree with the high school student on board, Blaine is a blue-collar suburb with marginal schools with a lot of financial issues-long before the entire state had financial issues. There are much better options in that area specifically Mounds View.

[Radical_Car]

One of Blaine's water towers looks like a silly mushroom.

I knew someone who lived in Blaine and they went to Spring Lake Park high school, though im not 100% sure.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I will disagree with the high school student on board, Blaine is a blue-collar suburb with marginal schools with a lot of financial issues-long before the entire state had financial issues. There are much better options in that area specifically Mounds View.

Yeah, since they have a child who is a mere 12.5 years away from high school I say only buy in the areas that are in school districts with the highest current test scores and healthiest balance sheet. As we all know, school districts rarely change at all during a 10-15 year time span.

Blaine High School actually rates a respectable "7" at Greatschools.org (not to be taken as a bottom-line decider but definitely a helpful indicator of a school's quality.)

The Blaine area was historically a blue-collar area in the 70's and 80's and there are still older neighborhoods that are very blue-collar in nature. There are also some trailer parks off of Hwy 65. However, recently with the TPC golf course and lots of new housing developments have attracted new families and the like with these new developments ranging from expensive SFH's around the golf course to seas of cookie-cutter townhomes further up the road.

I personally am not a fan as it's a little bit too far out from the city for my taste, but I don't think there is anything terribly wrong or concerning about the area. It would be difficult to convince me that the quality of education in the schools in that area are terribly different or noticeably worse than the education you'd get in nearly any other suburban school district in the metro area.

[eastside38]

Blaine's totally fine, but ask your real estate agent about Ham Lake and Andover. Both of those areas, especially Ham Lake, are very new relative to Blaine. Both of those cities are farther north and border Blaine, but commutes will lengthen the farther away you move.

As far as schools, Blaine sends kids to the SLP, Centennial, and Anoka-Hennepin school districts.

[mmhl]

Honestly there are enough excellent school districts out there, I would look in areas with a higher school rating. Go to greatschools.net if you haven't. You won't have trouble getting a house really anywhere with $350,000.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Slig

Yeah, since they have a child who is a mere 12.5 years away from high school I say only buy in the areas that are in school districts with the highest current test scores and healthiest balance sheet. As we all know, school districts rarely change at all during a 10-15 year time span.
.

Yes, because none of the grades leading up to high school make a difference in a persons education . Their child is 2 1/2 years away from starting school.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Yes, because none of the grades leading up to high school make a difference in a persons education . Their child is 2 1/2 years away from starting school.

While I don't disagree, I will say that school quality is marginal. It's the home life that has a more significant impact on a child's education. Education from Suburb A compared to Suburb B varies so slightly that each HS is still going to have x-x% go to Community Colleges, x-x% go to State Colleges, x-x% go to upper tier colleges, and x-x% go to top tier colleges.

More parents need to start reading to their children earlier in life, and start taking some accountability when your child isn't behind the walls of a school. It's the parent's responsibility to go out of the way to ensure they have a superb student. Helping with homework, encouraging interaction in the classroom, and providing real life examples for learning.

But again, like you said, monetary and funding problems always trump quality of learning problems, because you can't have one without the other, so it's a vicious cycle.

[Civic]

You might as well check out Maple Grove, Plymouth, Hopkins, Minnetonka... (western side of metro) my preferences would be in that area.