Minnesota?? (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Eden Prairie: 2014, rental, home)

[Pennies4Penny]

We (husband, wife, 3 small children, 2 dogs) are looking to relocate from Arizona and are considering Minnesota. We like city/suburban life, so the twin cities might be a good place for us.

From the brief research I've done, the schools seem really great there. Any in particular that stand out? Any to avoid?

Are there good jobs there? My husband is currently a purchasing agent, but is trainable and adaptable and open to just about anything. We are also considering opening our own business. Do small businesses do well there?

Housing looks a bit on the pricey side for us (not too insane, but more than what we are paying here). Can we find a lower cost home in a good neighborhood there?

Our daughter is a gymnast and we would like our sons in activities as well. Are there many options for kid activities/sports there? What about family fun, museums, etc?

How dog friendly is the area? We have a pit bull and a pit mix, so city bans or restrictions are a deal breaker. Rental restrictions are everywhere, so not worried about that.

St. Paul verses Minneapolis. Major differences? Which is better ?

Thanks in advance!

[Ghengis]

In Minnesota, cities and counties are prohibited from adopting ordinances regulating dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs based solely on the breed of the dog.

www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/sr-breed-ordinances.aspx

[Pennies4Penny]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

In Minnesota, cities and counties are prohibited from adopting ordinances regulating dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs based solely on the breed of the dog.

www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/sr-breed-ordinances.aspx

Awesome! Thanks for the link!

[ellysbelly]

We sound strikingly similar-- my husband and I moved here over the summer from a warm climate (FL) with our 3 kids and 2 dogs (a GSD/Malinois and a Husky/Samoyed, so also breeds that aren't universally welcomed)-- so welcome!

We live out in the 'burbs, so can't answer about living in the Cities themselves, but there are a number of people on this board that can advise you more specifically about neighborhoods, but there are also a number of first ring suburbs that might work for you-- St Louis Park, Hopkins and Edina near 50th/France are areas that you might want to consider as well as, at least parts of them, have a walkable area with great shops, restaurants, etc.

From what I've gleaned, while the elementary schools within (parts of) Minneapolis and St Paul have improved tremendously, it gets a bit trickier when selecting middle and high schools. Depending on the age of your kids, the middle and high schools might very well catch up by the time you need them (and, I do believe that there are a number of good choices).

As far as dogs, much like I did, you'll have to find a private landlord that's dog friendly (we rented sight unseen because of this issue)-- and, to answer your other questions, there are a TON of activities available to your kids (sports, museums, etc)-- and the market seems very open to and supportive of local businesses. Hope that helps!

[Yosh01]

Minneapolis is the city of "class".
St. Paul is the city of "charm".

[Pennies4Penny]

Originally Posted by ellysbelly

We sound strikingly similar-- my husband and I moved here over the summer from a warm climate (FL) with our 3 kids and 2 dogs (a GSD/Malinois and a Husky/Samoyed, so also breeds that aren't universally welcomed)-- so welcome!

We live out in the 'burbs, so can't answer about living in the Cities themselves, but there are a number of people on this board that can advise you more specifically about neighborhoods, but there are also a number of first ring suburbs that might work for you-- St Louis Park, Hopkins and Edina near 50th/France are areas that you might want to consider as well as, at least parts of them, have a walkable area with great shops, restaurants, etc.

From what I've gleaned, while the elementary schools within (parts of) Minneapolis and St Paul have improved tremendously, it gets a bit trickier when selecting middle and high schools. Depending on the age of your kids, the middle and high schools might very well catch up by the time you need them (and, I do believe that there are a number of good choices).

As far as dogs, much like I did, you'll have to find a private landlord that's dog friendly (we rented sight unseen because of this issue)-- and, to answer your other questions, there are a TON of activities available to your kids (sports, museums, etc)-- and the market seems very open to and supportive of local businesses. Hope that helps!

Hello! Thanks for your response! How are y'all handling your first winter there??

We will probably live in a suburb as well, like we do here. I just like being close to a city for fun outings and to be able to run all my errands within 10-15 minutes of my house. Here we can get to downtown Phoenix in about 30 minutes. I took my kids to the doctor this morning, which is less than 5 minutes from our house. I just like those conveniences . I didn't even think about walk-ability there. I would definitely love that!

My oldest will start kindergarten this fall, so there is plentry of time between now and middle school. I'm really not too worried though as Minnesota ranks in the top ten for schools while Arizona is in the bottom ten, so anything there has to be better than here lol!

I will look into some of those neighborhoods you listed. Hopefully we won't have too much trouble finding a place to take us and our pups.

Even though we would like to eventually open a business, my husband will probably work somewhere for a year or so until we're settled and know the area. Any big employers up there?

I'm getting excited about Minneapolis!

[ellysbelly]

I'm in a western suburb, Chanhassen, about 25 minutes outside of downtown Minneapolis (without traffic)-- we like it a lot-- it's easy to get to everything we need without being surrounded by big box stores and congestion.

The kids all LOVE their schools (mine are a bit older than yours, as they're in 1st, 4th, and 6th)-- and winter, at least so far, has been relatively mild (by MN standards!) and the kids have LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the snow and cold. We've adjusted, too, I actually heard myself saying that it's warm today-- and it's 20*F, yikes!

Most suburbs aren't all that walkable, other than the ones I mentioned previously (plus Excelsior, which I failed to mention as it's a bit further out and I though you were looking to live in the city)-- I do like that Chaska has a downtown (though I wouldn't call it uber exciting, it's there!), Chanhassen has a central business district, but it's not necessarily walkable-- and Exclesior has a very cute and charming area with some great restaurants, cute shops and the Minnetonka waterfront is just a few steps away.

I think that you really can't go wrong with just about any school district here-- with very few exceptions. I only researched the western suburbs but: Edina, Eden Prairie, Chanhassen/Chaska/Victoria (all are in the same school systems), Minnetonka, Wayzata, Hopkins, St Louis Park, Maple Grove, etc-- all have great school systems. Most suburbs have all the amenities that you need without feeling overly developed (bear in mind that I'm coming from the very densely populated East Coast, so take that with a grain of salt). The only area that feels UBER suburban is Maple Grove-- while it's nice to have literally every chain store and restaurant known to man within a 3 mile radius, it's not something that I personally would want to live near (but it sure is convenient!)

There are a number of major employers in the MSP area: Target, UnitedHealth Group, Cargill, Best Buy, just to name a few.

Hope that helps!

[wamer27]

18 Minnesota Companies Make 2014 Fortune 500 List; 9 Move Up In Rank

[uptown_urbanist]

I wouldn't bother moving for the suburbs - they just don't seem so different than others elsewhere, so why put up with winter and higher prices? But that's just one opinion. On the other hand, if you like a city/suburb hybrid and want to live in a convenient neighborhood close to the urban core -- but still have it be located in a safe neighborhood with good schools and not cost a fortune -- it's a whole lot easier to find that here than in many bigger cities. I'd take a look at St. Paul first; lots of quieter very family-friendly neighborhoods, a bit cheaper than Minneapolis, and a prime location if you're a big fan of museum outings (both cities have their share of good museums, but St. Paul -- while quieter for most things -- has more, especially of the kinds that are especially popular with kids.) Inner-ring St. Paul suburbs like Roseville would give you a more suburban feel yet still be really conveniently located, and fairly affordable.

[Pennies4Penny]

Originally Posted by ellysbelly

I'm in a western suburb, Chanhassen, about 25 minutes outside of downtown Minneapolis (without traffic)-- we like it a lot-- it's easy to get to everything we need without being surrounded by big box stores and congestion.

The kids all LOVE their schools (mine are a bit older than yours, as they're in 1st, 4th, and 6th)-- and winter, at least so far, has been relatively mild (by MN standards!) and the kids have LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the snow and cold. We've adjusted, too, I actually heard myself saying that it's warm today-- and it's 20*F, yikes!

Most suburbs aren't all that walkable, other than the ones I mentioned previously (plus Excelsior, which I failed to mention as it's a bit further out and I though you were looking to live in the city)-- I do like that Chaska has a downtown (though I wouldn't call it uber exciting, it's there!), Chanhassen has a central business district, but it's not necessarily walkable-- and Exclesior has a very cute and charming area with some great restaurants, cute shops and the Minnetonka waterfront is just a few steps away.

I think that you really can't go wrong with just about any school district here-- with very few exceptions. I only researched the western suburbs but: Edina, Eden Prairie, Chanhassen/Chaska/Victoria (all are in the same school systems), Minnetonka, Wayzata, Hopkins, St Louis Park, Maple Grove, etc-- all have great school systems. Most suburbs have all the amenities that you need without feeling overly developed (bear in mind that I'm coming from the very densely populated East Coast, so take that with a grain of salt). The only area that feels UBER suburban is Maple Grove-- while it's nice to have literally every chain store and restaurant known to man within a 3 mile radius, it's not something that I personally would want to live near (but it sure is convenient!)

There are a number of major employers in the MSP area: Target, UnitedHealth Group, Cargill, Best Buy, just to name a few.

Hope that helps!

That's awesome that they've adjusted well and love their schools. Mine are so young, I don't think they'll have an issue adjusting.

I think we may have lucked out. It turns out the company my husband works for has a site in Roseville! That area seems a bit expensive, so hopefully we can find something affordable near by, but if he can transfer that will make things a million times easier and a lot less stressful. He is going to look into other companies too just to keep his options open.

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I wouldn't bother moving for the suburbs - they just don't seem so different than others elsewhere, so why put up with winter and higher prices? But that's just one opinion. On the other hand, if you like a city/suburb hybrid and want to live in a convenient neighborhood close to the urban core -- but still have it be located in a safe neighborhood with good schools and not cost a fortune -- it's a whole lot easier to find that here than in many bigger cities. I'd take a look at St. Paul first; lots of quieter very family-friendly neighborhoods, a bit cheaper than Minneapolis, and a prime location if you're a big fan of museum outings (both cities have their share of good museums, but St. Paul -- while quieter for most things -- has more, especially of the kinds that are especially popular with kids.) Inner-ring St. Paul suburbs like Roseville would give you a more suburban feel yet still be really conveniently located, and fairly affordable.

We are moving because Arizona has very low education standards and ranks consistently at the bottom. We are also tired of the heat and don't have much in common with people here. Thanks for your input .