Working in St. Paul - which suburb to live in with family?

[Minntoaz]

In addition, Woodbury.

[Atalanta]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

In addition, Woodbury.

It could be, but I see alot of cookie cutter houses there.
Not all, but alot

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Rhody2Mn

I would concentrate on communities east and south of St. Paul. As was mentioned previously, Mahtomedi would be a good choice with its excellent school disrict. I would also look at Eagan, Rosemount, and Apple Valley as they offer quick commutes to St. Paul and all but a portion of Eagan are in a great school district (196). Woodbury is also another good area to consider as is Farmington and Lakeville.

As for your other requirement for a "downtown with some character", Mahtomedi, Rosemount, Farmington, and Lakeville will have small but unique downtowns. Eagan doesn't have a "central district" but Apple Valley does (albeit a bit more "cookie cutter" than the others).

Welcome to Minnesota!

Have lived in Eagan and liked it. But at Rhody wrote, there is no "central downtown district." The neighborhoods are nice, the schools in 196 are very good, nice parks and trails. Lots of shoping and restuarants, but few - very few - are unique (mostly chains). What we really liked about it was that we were a ten minute drive from the MN Zoo, great for kids and it has a pretty fantastic outdoor summer concert series every year. Very quick drive to the airport. And city services were well-run and efficient.

One issue with Eagan is that it is south of the Minnesota River. And there are only a few bridges over the river into MSP, which quickly become choke points at rush hour or snow storms for commuting.

Woodbury - again, good schools, nice neighborhoods, parks and amenities but even less for shopping/restuarant options and more spread out. It's a haven for kids, perhaps to a fault (it really is pretty great for kids here, which was one of our factors for moving here). No central downtown and even more car-dependent than Eagan, though both really require a car to shop, etc.

If the ideal of a central downtown district is high on your list - and we looked seriously at White Bear Lake because it has that - Eagan and Woodbury probably come up short.

[northsub]

You had mentioned a desire for a school with "some diversity". You can look up statistics for each school in Minnesota here:
MN Report Card

% white, not Hispanic for some high schools in areas mentioned:

Mounds View: 79.5%
Irondale: 65.6% (Mounds View and Irondale are the 2 high schools in the Mounds View district which would include Shoreview, Arden Hills, North Oaks, etc.)
White Bear North: 82.3%
White Bear South: 83.4% (White Bear North and South are the same school split into 9th/10th grade and 11th/12th grade)
Mahtomedi: 91.8%
Stillwater: 92.2%
Woodbury: 70.4%
East Ridge: 76.2%
Eagan: 78.5%
Apple Valley: 64.6%
Eastview: 72.6%
Rosemount: 81.7%

You can find more specific breakdowns and for other schools, including elementary schools, as well.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Aren't some of the inner-city St. Paul schools pretty good -- esp. Near Como Park and Highland Park on the west side?

No.
St Paul is weird. The schools aren't very good. Especially near Como Park.
The best schools in St. Paul are charter schools, like Nova Academy.

[cheddar]

Chelsea Heights elementary near Como Park is highly regarded. Houses around Horace Mann and St Anthony Park elementary in Saint Paul sell at a premium because parents want to move close to those schools. Saint Paul's Central High School often is listed as a top school in the state -- tons of smart kids go there. The kids from the gifted magnet now go to Highland Park Senior High. A number of good Catholic and charter schools are in Saint Paul, also. Nova has a nice new building.

[cheddar]

Chelsea Heights elementary near Como Park is highly regarded. Houses around Horace Mann and St Anthony Park elementary in Saint Paul sell at a premium because parents want to move close to those schools. Saint Paul's Central High School often is listed as a top school in the state -- tons of smart kids go there. Now many of the kids from the gifted 1-8 magnet now go to Highland Park Senior High. Randolph Heights elementary is a popular choice and Highland Park elementary appeals to families looking for an elementary IB program with mandarin. A number of good Catholic and charter schools are in Saint Paul, also, but the Catholic schools in Highland and Mac Groveland are not very diverse. Nova attracts a lot of kids and has a nice new building.