Where to live in "the country"? (Minneapolis, Woodbury: credit, home)

[kfrank64]

Hi, My husband and I are planning to relocate to the area and would like to know what would be the best areas to live in "the country" outside of Minneapolis? His job will be right by the airport, he is okay with about a 45-50 minute commute at the most. We would like to have a home with about 5 acres give or take. I hope this helps to narrow it down. Any thoughts would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!

[mr roboto]

From the airport I would look south. Or southeast.

[uptown_urbanist]

What else do you want in a location? Is budget an issue? If you head south you can find country within that commuting range, no problem.

[mr roboto]

You could also look in the Lake Elmo/Afton area East of Woodbury.

[tjasse]

I like the area directly east, on the way to Afton.

[old fed]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

What else do you want in a location? Is budget an issue? If you head south you can find country within that commuting range, no problem.

i lived in farmington and worked very close to the airport. my commute was 40 minutes to work, 45 minutes home and i missed the peak traffic, had to work at 7am.

this 40-45 minute timeframe going south will place the OP smack in the middle of lakeville or farmington where there's not a lot of "country" remaining. a bit further south around eureka or credit river might have something.
or southeast might have better options.

[mr roboto]

What about south on 52? South of Hastings?

[WoodburyWoody]

There are areas in and around Inver Grove Heights and Rosemount that feels (to me) like the country, with lots of trees and rolling hilly area. Not sure how many five acre lots are there.

Lake Elmo is about to change drastically, with the new bridge over the St. Croix at Bayport and the Highway 36 expansion just north of Lake Elmo. Afton is quickly flling in now, too.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by old fed

i lived in farmington and worked very close to the airport. my commute was 40 minutes to work, 45 minutes home and i missed the peak traffic, had to work at 7am.

this 40-45 minute timeframe going south will place the OP smack in the middle of lakeville or farmington where there's not a lot of "country" remaining. a bit further south around eureka or credit river might have something.
or southeast might have better options.

I guess I was thinking that even down around Rosemount, Lakeville, etc. feels pretty "country" in parts to me, or at least is that edge suburb area where there are modern housing subdivisions but also still 5+ acre lots and small farms scattered around. Guess how pure country the OP is looking for, I guess, and whether they just want the large lot or if they're planning on using the land for some specific purpose (i.e. are they planning on farming, or keeping livestock, etc.; some of those suburban communities within 40-50 minutes of the airport have 5+ acre lots, but may have some restrictions on uses).

[tjasse]

Rosemount itself looks like towns you find in the NW corner of MN. It even has a John Deere dealership "downtown."