North Minneapolis in 2015 (Lowry: violent crime, public school, live)

[SForMNLee]

Good to know. I see a lot of homes under 200K in many of the south Minneapolis neighborhoods. Any suggestions there?

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by SForMNLee

Good to know. I see a lot of homes under 200K in many of the south Minneapolis neighborhoods. Any suggestions there?

I listed some of the potential neighborhoods, but I have not lived in South Minneapolis for years, and back then only for a few months when we were between houses. I liked the VA hospital/Nokomis area.

Go on a real estate listing site, find houses in your price, size and age range, go to these neighborhoods, drive around, go to parks, stores and cafes - get a feel for the areas. If you are moving from out of state, you may want to rent first, perhaps short-term, as you shop for a house.

My point is that unless you have a specific attachment to North Minneapolis, there are much better parts of town in your budget. OTOH, if your plan is to live for free by buying a duplex, renting a half, and living in the other, North Minneapolis still has quite a few inexpensive (under 100k) duplexes which make it possible.

[Mplsite]

I've lived in MPLS for about 4 years now (NE and Loring Park) and do visit North on occasion. I agree with the suggestions given as far as general advice goes: close to the Theodore Wirth Parkway and north of it where it goes east-west with Bryn Mawr being an isolated exception in the southern end. Of course, criminals in Jordan and Hawthorne do sometimes venture out to these neighboring areas, but for me the biggest problem in North is the lack of walkable small businesses. Broadway has seen some improvements, but has a ways to go and is really the only dense corridor which serves as "Downtown North" while Lowry is dotted with storefronts here and there every so many blocks. Robbinsdale's downtown would be the next largest urban business district and has seen a flurry of highly regarded restaurants pop up and is a stone's throw from North. There's much less in the furthest northern corner of North with Lind Bohanon and Shingle Creek which despite being roughly 20x20 blocks only has a few storefonts consisting of a single block on Lyndale with a couple of local restaurants and a bar. That's it.

If you're more of a homebody then it would be fine, but I'd suggest any number of other neighborhoods that offer much more to walk and bike to: NE is a solid area with lots of little interesting nooks: 13th Ave NE, Central Ave between 18th and 29th is full of compelling restaurants (must try the Afghan pizza at Crescent Moon), Old St Anthony south of where Hennepin and Central converge is full of destinations, Mid City Industrial has seen breweries and distilleries pop-up in an area with no residents aside from a couple small blocks of homes just north of Hennepin, Marshall and neighboring streets have a bar dotting every few blocks. I'm a big fan of Whittier in South which has an excellent selection of restaurants from Trinidadian to German (and Vietnamese in particular: tiny My Huong Kitchen in my favorite), a couple of quirky bars, and a coffee shop. Although, I'm sure if more people were to move to North and improve it there would be more great places opening up there too.

[Camden Northsider]

Sorry it took me a while to respond. Pvoyd clearly has no real knowledge of North Minneapolis and the different neighborhoods located there. We purchased an above-$200K home (our budget could have been a fair amount more if we wanted it to, and we moved from a smaller house in the neighborhood) in North Minneapolis' Victory Neighborhood last year. There are homes in this area selling (quickly) for $300-$400K as well. It is true you will find more home for your dollar here than in many other comparable areas (which I really like- I could never afford the housing stock we own in a trendier, more upscale area), and there are many areas of South Minneapolis with higher crime rates than where I live.

The prospect of crime should be a concern anywhere in the City (or anywhere period, for that matter). The occassional burglary does happen (I know people that have lived here their whole lives that have never had a break-in, and others that got hit after a few years being here- if this is too scary of a prospect for you, then you should maybe consider the suburbs, but there are many ways to be smart about prevention of it happening, and there are very strong block clubs here).

Regarding your wife coming home at night- my wife runs, rides her bike, walks, etc. alone (often-times with earphones in, even though I tell her not to) on a highly frequent basis at night- in both Victory and surrounding neighborhood areas (if there is a community event she wants to bike to, etc. or go for a longer ride). We also do this as a family with our small children- so far the boogie man hasn't popped out of the shadows, a prospect that again- could happen anywhere.

Good luck with your decision- feel free to DM with specific questions and faster response!

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Sorry it took me a while to respond. Pvoyd clearly has no real knowledge of North Minneapolis and the different neighborhoods located there. We purchased an above-$200K home (our budget could have been a fair amount more if we wanted it to, and we moved from a smaller house in the neighborhood) in North Minneapolis' Victory Neighborhood last year. There are homes in this area selling (quickly) for $300-$400K as well. It is true you will find more home for your dollar here than in many other comparable areas (which I really like- I could never afford the housing stock we own in a trendier, more upscale area), and there are many areas of South Minneapolis with higher crime rates than where I live.

You bought a house there last year. I have been a landlord since 1999, including North Minneapolis, I am subscribed to police dispatches for the relevant blocks, and I visit the area regularly. Good luck.

[lepoisson]

Is there a map of good/bad areas of MSP?

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Is there a map of good/bad areas of MSP?

http://judgmentalmaps.com/image/48615076593

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by pvoyd

You bought a house there last year. I have been a landlord since 1999, including North Minneapolis, I am subscribed to police dispatches for the relevant blocks, and I visit the area regularly. Good luck.

I've been a homeowner in Victory since 2007 (am now a homeowner and landlord in Victory- bought a bigger place last year), lived in other areas of North Mpls prior to 2007, and have worked on the Northside (in multiple neighborhoods) and been very connected to the community for the last 10+ years. No luck needed here, thanks!

[Minntoaz]

Well so far we are at 208 homicides for 2015 for 400,070 people and Chicago is at 308 for 2,719,000 people of which over half are in North Minneapolis. Black lives matter yet the pattern continues to (mostly) be black on black crime.

[old fed]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

Well so far we are at 208 homicides for 2015 for 400,070 people and Chicago is at 308 for 2,719,000 people of which over half are in North Minneapolis. Black lives matter yet the pattern continues to (mostly) be black on black crime.

what city is at 208?