which suburb best for young family Eagan, Prior Lake, etc.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think you're smart to forget about the lake at that price... but with all the savings you can put some of your savings into being able to afford plenty of weekend or week rentals at lakes up north during the summer!

[luvthemtns1]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I think you're smart to forget about the lake at that price... but with all the savings you can put some of your savings into being able to afford plenty of weekend or week rentals at lakes up north during the summer!

That is exactly our plan! :-)

[luvthemtns1]

Does anyone know anything about the neighborhood in Prior Lake that sits just south of langford/hwy 13 and runs along crystal lake and rice lake? Just curious if that's a good area?

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by luvthemtns1

Does anyone know anything about the neighborhood in Prior Lake that sits just south of langford/hwy 13 and runs along crystal lake and rice lake? Just curious if that's a good area?

Prior Lake is generally nice, with good schools. For many years, it was more a "standalone" town than a suburb, as it lacked good connections to the core cities. It is still somewhat rural, with corn fields in and around it. It does not have a community center like Chaska, but there is a micro-downtown with a library, a few stores, a cafe, and a farmer's market in the summer. Murphy-Hanrahan (mostly in Savage and Burnsville, but close to the area you mention) and Cleary Lake parks are great in all seasons.

Commuting to anywhere north of the river would be a pain, as the 169 bridge gets insanely congested during the rush hour (going north in the morning, and south in the afternoon.) I would personally not commute from that area to farther than Shakopee, Lakeville, Burnsville or Eagan.

One thing I would keep in mind - as the Twin Cities grow, this area will be built up, and there is no guarantee that it would improve - one can get multi-million lake homes built nearby, or cheap townhouses for those who "drive until they qualify." I would be leery in investing in a high-end home, even on a lake, in an area that is so far from being built up, but I tend to be conservative as far as house buying goes.

[luvthemtns1]

Many thanks again to you all for the helpful information! We just got back from a quick trip to see the areas. You were right on about the areas, traffic etc. Although we really liked the western suburbs I think we've decided to stay south due to traffic. Eagan, Apple Valley, Rosemount, lakeville. We are looking at market homes or building new in Rosmount in Bella Vista, just east of the railroad tracks. Or in Lakeville in Spirit of Brandjten farms. Any suggestions or opinions on either of those specifically?

[cheddar]

Can't go wrong with Rosemount. Nice wooded areas. If you search this forum back a couple of years, there used to be a lot of recommendations for Rosemount.

[King Harold]

One overlooked benefit of Rosemount is the local magic driving spell that allows you to transport from Stillwater to Target Field in under 20 minutes. The downside is this spell comes with an opposing energetic force that makes it impossible to traverse downtown in under an hour.

[Citykid3785]

I live near Rosemount and Spirit in Lakeville (I'm just north of both in Apple Valley.) Both are good, that Spirit neighborhood carries a premium for use of their little barn chalet and such. You'll have a new Hy-Vee in your backyard, as well as good walking trails around East Lake.

Neither has great highway access, with Spirit you'll be taking Pilot Knob (stoplights) to your nearest highway, and Rosemount most likely highway 3. Rosemount neighborhood is a bit less pretentious, but we're splitting hairs here.