Where to buy a house- Richfield? (Minneapolis, Bloomington: coop, houses, neighborhoods)

[dukie46]

I work in the West 7th area, and my boyfriend works in Hopkins. We are looking for a house somewhere in between the two. We were looking in the Lake Nokomis area, but we're concerned about the airplane noise, and the houses seem to have very small yards. We like the Highland area, but there's not much we can afford there. Our budget is $200,000-$250,000. We are not afraid of fixer-uppers. We would love to find somewhere near a lake that is also walkable to restaurants/bars (if that exists). We run, so it would be great if it were near a running path (or at least safe for me to run alone when I get home from work in the dark of winter). We don't know anything about Richfield, but we're wondering if it might fit our needs. Can anyone tell me anything about Richfield? Is there another area we should be looking at instead? Thanks in advance!

[Citykid3785]

I recommend you look near Woodlake Nature Center and Richfield Lake park. These areas have great walking paths, and they are also close to the most walkable portion of Richfield. You can walk to Pizza Luce, Lakewinds Co-op, Peace Coffee, and a bunch of restaurants and retail.

The homes are nicer/more expensive as you go west of Hwy 35 (closer to Edina), but once again, the best trails and walkability lies right around Lake Winds Co-op and Pizza Luce if you google those two. The shadiest part of Richfield is the Northeast Corner, although it's not really that bad. If I'm honest, many young families in my church, who don't have a lot of money, end up moving to Richfield and it has worked out well for them.

As I'm sure you noticed by now, it's a post WWII community, made up of small houses, many with detached garages. There is a sizable hispanic population there as well. Hope that gives you a start.

[wamer27]

Realtor.com has five homes in Highland Park for $250k or less including this one:
https://www.edinarealty.com/homes-fo...5116-4767340#/

[old fed]

if i was buying i'd stay between lyndale and penn and between 66th and 76th.

just so you know, richfield gets a fair amount of airport noise.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by old fed

if i was buying i'd stay between lyndale and penn and between 66th and 76th.

just so you know, richfield gets a fair amount of airport noise.

The FlightTracker is your friend:

https://www.macnoise.com/tools-reports/flighttracker

[gopherviking]

Another thing to consider is that some homes have had MAC improvements made, that reduce noise inside. I know several in the Nokomis that have and it does make a big difference. Having held open houses in a few, I was pleasantly surprised at how you didn't hear much in the homes that did have the improvements made.

[dukie46]

Thanks, everyone! We found a house we really liked online right in the area of Richfield you're suggesting only to discover that it seems to be a pending sale. Would anywhere in Bloomington seem to fit what we're looking for?

[demtion35]

I think it would be nice to not live in an area where airplanes fly over.

[gopherviking]

What about Hopkins itself? It has a great downtown, bikepaths, convenient location. There are some cute homes available.

[MPLSMINN]

I second the vote for Hopkins. Housing is reasonable and the downtown there has alot of interesting things that are walkable.

The richfield comment near Woodlake is a reasonable one as well. Some nice quiet neighborhoods near there....

and I saw some hipsters at Peace Coffee in the Lakewinds Coop so South Minneapolis seems to be attempting to establish a beachhead in Richfield haha.