Possible Relocation - need neighborhood suggestions! (Minneapolis, St. Paul: 2015, apartments, rentals)

[sunkissedpr1ncs]

My husband and I are contemplating a move to Minneapolis. He would be working downtown and I will be working from home. Looking for some suggestions on areas to live where the commute to downtown isn't too bad. We live in Houston now and have only been here a little over a year - we bought a house in the suburbs and love having a nice, big, new house but get frustrated that there isn't much "fun" stuff close by.

We are 30 years old, no kids and 2 dogs. We would probably be looking to rent a house at first. Are there any areas near downtown with nicer homes or maybe even townhomes (if they have a decent size yard) that have good walkability or at least a short drive to fun restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shopping, etc - places where 30 somethings with no kids go. The suburb we live in now is very family oriented and if you don't have kids then it's pretty much impossible to make any friends. Plus anything we'd like to do is a good 30+ minute drive away, which we didn't think would be bad at first until we found out just how bad Houston traffic can be! I'm not sure what our max budget would be but I'm thinking around $2,000 a month or so.

Thanks so much!!

[ellysbelly]

I'd look in SW Minneapolis-- I'm not nearly as well versed on the individual neighborhoods, but I'm sure someone here can advise you-- there's probably other areas in Minneapolis that would work equally as well, if not better.

You can check out rentals (just be sure to add on the need to look for dog friendly rentals) on padmapper.com; the site doesn't play nicely with mobile devices, unfortunately, but it works great from a laptop or desktop. It pulls from the MLS, craigslist and other sites and I love that it maps out the rentals, so you can see where they are in relation to downtown and other points of interest.

Hope that helps!

[uptown_urbanist]

I suspect the dog rental may be the toughest part, but it shouldn't be a deal-breaker. You have lots of options; either head across the river to parts of NE/Marcy Holmes by the river (in the area by the Stone Arch Bridge); lots of nice townhomes in that area, plus houses, and it's both very walkable and very convenient to downtown.

Or head south of downtown towards Uptown (looking at Lowry Hill along the way); very easy commute, lots of 30-something professionals, popular with all ages because of the walkability and proximity to the lakes.

On the other side of downtown, neighborhoods like Seward or Longfellow are worth considering.

[sunkissedpr1ncs]

Thanks so much!! We've never been to Minneapolis at all and I just wanted to start looking at housing prices in different areas to see what they're like before we make any decisions! I'll definitely look into the areas you suggested!

[uptown_urbanist]

I should add NE Minneapolis beyond the area right by the river; it gets quieter and more residential, but there are some nice local business nodes (places like 29th and Johnson), and there are a lot of houses. It's a big range of ages, but I know a bunch of people your age with no kids who live in that area. Parts of NE have become rather trendy as areas have become popular with artists. It's a lot quieter than, say, Uptown, but it's still relatively convenient to downtown and I suspect your money will go farther.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I would look in the following areas - SW Mpls, St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Highland Park area in St. Paul, Bloomington and St. Anthony. You may need to increase your budget depending on how much space you're seeking.

[sunkissedpr1ncs]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

I would look in the following areas - SW Mpls, St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Highland Park area in St. Paul, Bloomington and St. Anthony. You may need to increase your budget depending on how much space you're seeking.

Thank you so much!! Are you able to give me a few of those zip codes so I can research a little better? Just from generally looking around I was thinking we may need to increase our budget as well and that's what we are trying to figure out if the move would be worth it or not!

[Cruz Azul Guy]

55410, 55419, 55424, 55436, 55426, 55418, 55116

[ellysbelly]

This might be an option-- it's walkable to 50th/France-- a great area with tons of restaurants and shops: 3BR/1BA House - 5053 Ewing Ave S

[Ben_in_mn]

There are several options available. Minnesota is a great state to live in. The Twin cities are very underappreciated by most of the country. Minneapolis has great theater, amazing food, and tons of very hip bars and events for people in their early thirties.
However, what you are looking for does not exist in any city that I'm aware of. These are the problems I see with what you are looking for. Newer home with a large yard with nice walkability. There are great places like this in the city. They won't be new and if they are, they won't have large yards. South Minneapolis is a great place to live. Uptown is an area that caters to the younger hipster crowd. Some very good restaurants, nice cafés, fun bars. All very close to each other. But you won't find new houses in the area and the yards are not big. There are newer, nicer apartments and condo's in the area but then you lack a yard. The newer stuff, in the heart of uptown will require a total income of roughly 3200-4000k a month to live comfortably. There are decent houses in the area that you could afford, but these houses were built between the 20s-50s. They of course have been updated but they will not have a suburban townhouse feel. For south Minneapolis you should focus in the area south of 46th ave and west of nicollet. This is the ideal area. It may however be out of your price range.
Another option to consider is living in downtown Minneapolis itself. The whole of downtown is very safe. But once again you run into the problem of having no yard.
All of this being said what you're really looking for is a suburb. And a nicer one. There are suburbs in both Minneapolis and st Paul that would meet most of your requirements.
I would suggest the northwestern suburbs. Plymouth, golden valley, new hope, and parts of crystal. From these suburbs you can reach downtown in 10-15 minutes in non rush hour traffic. Rush hour depending on your ability to navigate 30-45 minutes in the heart of rush hour. I lived in golden valley and with my knowledge of the area was able to leave home at 6:30pm to make a 7:10 pm Twins game. Maple grove is very nice but you would be outside of your drive to downtown timeframe.
Bloomington is worth a look. Edina is nice but you won't be able to afford it.
On the st Paul side the area around Macalester and St Thomas colleges is very nice. Need to be south of Marshall or I94.
Suburbs for st Paul roseville, maplewood, Woodbuarea stillwater, and Eagan.
I think the main thing to consider is that your list is unrealistic. No area will meet all of your requirements. I would suggest renting in south Minneapolis, and if you find that you like it, stay in the area. If not move to anyone of the suburbs I named.
For Minnesotans that may question my advice. I grew up in a house in golden valley. Teenage years were spent between a house off of 48th and pleasant in s. Mpls and townhomes in Plymouth and new hope. College years spent off of Marshall and Cleveland. Currently live in Monticello, which is where I've chosen to raise my family. I am 32 years old.