Moving from KY to Minneapolis (St. Paul, St. Anthony: apartments, to rent, co-op)

[mark1994]

Hello everyone! I'm graduating college in May and moving to Minneapolis in August. I've only been to the Twin Cities once, when I interviewed for the job that I will be taking. I really enjoyed the city while I was there and look forward to moving.

With that in mind, I was wondering if you all could give me insight on which neighborhood might fit me best.

I'm a white, gay male and I will be 22 years old when moving. My job is downtown and will pay $50k before taxes. My friend will be moving with me and thus we are looking for a 2 BR apartment.

I have a car, but I'm really wanting to sell it before I move. Driving in the city makes me anxious, and I'm not extremely liberal, but I'm more left than most people when it comes to transportation (ditching the carbon emitter). With that in mind, I'd like to live somewhere close to downtown. Loring Park would be a ~15 minute walk to where I'll be working.

My friend does not have a job yet, but she is an English major who will probably (?) make a bit less than $50k. To us, location and safety is a much larger priority than how nice our apartment is. With that in mind, we are looking to spent $1000-1200 renting a 2 BR apartment.

With the above in mind, which neighborhoods would you recommend? Right now, Loring Park is on the top of our list. We've heard Uptown is nice, but it would be a further walk to work - are bus routes from Uptown to Downtown convenient/worth it over Loring Park? Open to any other areas around Downtown as well.

Should we expand our rent budget? Neither of us will be paying for cars or student loans, so that would probably make it a lot more feasible (I'm a big saver though).

Thanks to anyone who has suggestions (on anything!)

[uptown_urbanist]

Uptown is very well connected to downtown via bus (or bike), so it's certainly another good option. But if you like Loring Park and can find something, then you can't beat being able to easily and quickly walk to work! In the past it was a bigger hassle because there weren't as many basics, but now there's a grocery store and you're also walking distance to Target, plus increased other shopping options. And you can always hop the bus easily to other places.

[Brinson]

I lived in Loring Park Apartments for a year. I really like that neighborhood. I felt a little out of place sometimes not being LGBT, that's how strong the LGBT community is in the area. Quick walk/bike to eat street, downtown. Really is a nice place to live.

[Minnesota Spring]

You two will love Minneapolis! Especially coming from Kentucky (no offense).
Loring Park is wonderful, can't go wrong there. Other suggestions to check out would be the North Loop - this area is an old industrial district that is now days probably the most up and coming neighborhood in the Twin Cities (along with Lowertown in St. Paul). Anyway, lots of nice restaurants, shops and close proximity to Whole Foods and Nicollet Mall.
Also, St. Anthony Village area in Northeast Minneapolis. This area is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown and has its own nice appeal. There is a Lunds grocery in the heart of it and the population is growing. It's also very close to the U of M and Dinkeytown area (if you still want to get a feel for the college years atmosphere). Further up in Northeast is more of the hipster, brew and artist kind of area.
North Loop and St. Anthony have quick access to major bike paths as well as Uptown. When you get here, just ignore the look of Nicollet Mall right now. It is a big mess and undergoing a major renovation. Living Downtown is great - if your into sport the Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves and Lynx all play Downtown. The Airport, Mall of America and Downtown St. Paul are all accessible by light rail. Any other questions, just let us know!
The only negative aspect that you may not like will be the winter weather, but during those months I suggest either get out and enjoy it or immerse your self in work or take in the theaters and museums - or other hobbies.

[StPaulGal]

There is very little reason for you to look anywhere other than Loring Park. It sounds absolutely ideal for you. Rents tend to be quite a bit lower than you might expect given its great location, and this is probably due to the nightmare of trying to park in that area (perfect for you to go car-free!) It's also historically the largest concentration of GLBT people in an already GLBT friendly city.

[mkdude_08]

I think you'll love Minneapolis and I wish we still lived there. Also, while I'm not gay the city is very gay friendly and I think you'll feel comfortable living there. I have about a dozen gay friends and they have all stated how much they loved living in a city that isn't huge (e.g. Chicago, NYC) but they feel accepted. That's pretty cool.

[mark1994]

Thanks for all the responses guys! Super helpful and reassuring. I've lived in rural Kentucky my entire life so I'm super excited to move to a progressive city - it'll take a while to get adjusted to.

It sounds like Loring Park would probably be the best bet although I will look into the North Loop as well. Does anyone have specific apartment buildings I should look into? As long as it's in the Loring Park area, it doesn't have to be a super nice. If anything, the closer to downtown the better (I can imagine I'll be running to the first skyway entrance in the winter on the way to work)

So far the best apartment building I've found is KMS Loring Park. $1000 for a smaller 2 BR apartment.

[StPaulGal]

North Loop is great, but I wouldn't expend too much energy on searching there. Even a teeny-tiny studio is likely to rent for more than your total budget.

[Thedosius]

I second StPaulGal's point about North Loop - awesome neighborhood and I envy those who live there but it's quite pricey. If you look there, be prepared to look hard because finding something in your price range would take more than a little luck.

Loring Park is great and I agree with others that it would work for you. I know that area and the areas south of it like the back of my hand. One thing I WILL say after having lived in Loring Park is (as others have said), parking there is a nightmare. When I lived in the neighborhood I did not have a car but I did have a lot of visitors (including my beloved partner of now 18 years) and I hated how difficult the parking was for them.

Though not as easily to walk downtown, I would also advise you to look at the Wedge neighborhood. It got its name from the fact that Lyndale and Hennepin split off from each other after they leave downtown going southbound and the neighborhood between them is wedge shaped. It is less dense (but still quite dense even compared to other parts of the metro) than Loring Park. It would have a few advantages to Loring:
1) There are businesses running along both Hennepin and Lyndale
2) Without a car, grocery shopping can be a bear. Fortunately, you've got some great options in/bordering the Wedge, including standouts like the Wedge Co-op and Kowalski's.
3) Mass transit is superb. When I lived in the Wedge and worked downtown I didn't even check the bus schedules, I'd just leave the house and walk to the nearest corner on Hennepin. Several routes have converged and all go downtown once they reach the Wedge area. I don't think the gap between buses is even 10 minutes.
4) The Wedge may be modestly less expensive than Loring Park.
5) Closer proxity to Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun. Minneapolis is after all the City of Lakes so we ought to count proximity to them as a big deal. Loring Pond doesn't count for much, in my humble opinion. Don't drink the water.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Thedosius

I second StPaulGal's point about North Loop - awesome neighborhood and I envy those who live there but it's quite pricey. If you look there, be prepared to look hard because finding something in your price range would take more than a little luck.

Loring Park is great and I agree with others that it would work for you. I know that area and the areas south of it like the back of my hand. One thing I WILL say after having lived in Loring Park is (as others have said), parking there is a nightmare. When I lived in the neighborhood I did not have a car but I did have a lot of visitors (including my beloved partner of now 18 years) and I hated how difficult the parking was for them.

Though not as easily to walk downtown, I would also advise you to look at the Wedge neighborhood. It got its name from the fact that Lyndale and Hennepin split off from each other after they leave downtown going southbound and the neighborhood between them is wedge shaped. It is less dense (but still quite dense even compared to other parts of the metro) than Loring Park. It would have a few advantages to Loring:
1) There are businesses running along both Hennepin and Lyndale
2) Without a car, grocery shopping can be a bear. Fortunately, you've got some great options in/bordering the Wedge, including standouts like the Wedge Co-op and Kowalski's.
3) Mass transit is superb. When I lived in the Wedge and worked downtown I didn't even check the bus schedules, I'd just leave the house and walk to the nearest corner on Hennepin. Several routes have converged and all go downtown once they reach the Wedge area. I don't think the gap between buses is even 10 minutes.
4) The Wedge may be modestly less expensive than Loring Park.
5) Closer proxity to Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun. Minneapolis is after all the City of Lakes so we ought to count proximity to them as a big deal. Loring Pond doesn't count for much, in my humble opinion. Don't drink the water.

I think the Wedge is a good suggestion.