Commuting into St. Paul - are there any towns that fit this criteria? (Eagan: rent, buying a home)

[BonsoirLittleLuna]

My husband and I are thinking about moving for a job in St. Paul (near the St. Paul Union Depot Station) and we have a $250,000 budget for a home (flexible on home size). We would like the following...

• A 30-minute-or-less commute into St. Paul (near the St. Paul Union Depot Station)
• A yard with some trees (again, flexible on size, but having some space and greenery around is important)
• A safe neighborhood

Does anyone know of any towns/areas like this outside of St. Paul?


Thank you for any help!!

[Rhody2Mn]

Welcome to the Twin Cities! You have multiple options to consider that would fit your criteria. I'd suggest looking at the suburbs of Roseville (north side of St. Paul), Eagan (south side), and Woodbury (east side). All are nice communities that offer housing with yards and easy commutes to St. Paul. You could also consider the city proper; Highland Park is a great neighborhood (although it may be more difficult to find a home within the allotted budget).

[TimtheGuy]

With that budget you may want to go a little further out like White Bear Lake, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Hastings.

[Chompy Omega]

If you want trees try Vadnais Heights

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by Rhody2Mn

Welcome to the Twin Cities! You have multiple options to consider that would fit your criteria. I'd suggest looking at the suburbs of Roseville (north side of St. Paul), Eagan (south side), and Woodbury (east side). All are nice communities that offer housing with yards and easy commutes to St. Paul. You could also consider the city proper; Highland Park is a great neighborhood (although it may be more difficult to find a home within the allotted budget).

I second this^^^^

[JamieKaiser]

Welcome! There are properties available in Saint Paul, Vadnais Heights, Oakdale, etc. that meet your criteria. It's possible to get a half-acre lot in these areas for under $250K if the timing is right. Most are 3+ beds.

[BonsoirLittleLuna]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I am actually a little surprised that I can even find anything for that house price near a big city, so your ideas have helped me a lot so far!

[FlightedChemist]

Have you thought about buying a home in Midway? It's a little more up-and-coming, but it's fairly safe, close to public transit and there are lots of charming homes on decently sized lots with mature trees. We rent in the neighborhood and our home-owning neighbors are mostly young families and older couples.

Regarding safety, I'm a little white girl who walks her dog/goes for runs alone all the time without a problem. My dog is big but definitely not scary. The closer you get to University Ave and the farther East of Snelling you go the weirder things get- but if you stay Northwest of Snelling/Univeristy it's fine. If we were in the market for buying a home, it's exactly the kind of place we'd pick to start a family.

[BonsoirLittleLuna]

Originally Posted by FlightedChemist

Have you thought about buying a home in Midway? It's a little more up-and-coming, but it's fairly safe, close to public transit and there are lots of charming homes on decently sized lots with mature trees. We rent in the neighborhood and our home-owning neighbors are mostly young families and older couples.

Regarding safety, I'm a little white girl who walks her dog/goes for runs alone all the time without a problem. My dog is big but definitely not scary. The closer you get to University Ave and the farther East of Snelling you go the weirder things get- but if you stay Northwest of Snelling/Univeristy it's fine. If we were in the market for buying a home, it's exactly the kind of place we'd pick to start a family.

Thanks for the idea! We actually hadn't even considered living right in the city because we weren't sure we would be able to find what we wanted, but I'll definitely check this area out!!

[J Baustian]

Originally Posted by BonsoirLittleLuna

My husband and I are thinking about moving for a job in St. Paul (near the St. Paul Union Depot Station) and we have a $250,000 budget for a home (flexible on home size). We would like the following...

• A 30-minute-or-less commute into St. Paul (near the St. Paul Union Depot Station)
• A yard with some trees (again, flexible on size, but having some space and greenery around is important)
• A safe neighborhood

Does anyone know of any towns/areas like this outside of St. Paul?

I rent in Saint Paul, but I don't think I can recommend buying in the city. Additionally, I think Dakota County, south of Saint Paul, would be better than Ramsey County. That would include Mendota Heights and parts of West Saint Paul, close in, and Inver Grove Heights and Eagan just a little further out.