Most walkable/urban suburb(s) in Twin Cities area? (Minneapolis: townhome, neighborhoods)

[SDub0811]

Hi there!

My husband and I are in our early 30s, no children, 2 dogs. Relocating to Twin Cities from West Coast. Looking at suburbs outside of the city as an option. (I would prefer to be in the city, but trying to be flexible). We are urban-dwellers, and appreciate walkability. Which suburbs are the most walkable (with cute cafes, shops, restaurants, etc.), and/or close proximity to lakes/parks? (And still a reasonable commute to either city for work). Looking to eventually buy a home/townhome, etc. for under $450k.

We fell in love with Wayzata (but it is pricey!), and Stillwater, but not sure if that will be too far depending on where we will be working. Is the commute from Stillwater doable (if working in either St. Paul/Minneapolis?)

*edit: Looking for a suburb/neighborhood that has a seaside feel to it. Something similar to Wayzata, Stillwater, Excelsior, but perhaps more affordable?
Thank you so much!

[wamer27]

Stillwater to St Paul seems maybe doable. My brother lives in WI 5 mins across from Stillwater, he commutes to Blaine for the last 15+ years. I would suggest Edina near 50th and France, or areas of South/Southwest Mpls as I see people walking all over. (I own a lawn/snow service, so my job has me driving everywhere all the time) The chain of lakes in Mpls are in this area. Places in and around Uptown are also worth looking into. Wayzata is as close we have to a nicer west coast areas, the first time I went through it, first thought was seems like LA.

[Rhody2Mn]

Welcome to the Twin Cities! If I were you, I'd base my decision to live on where you end up working. If you're in St. Paul or the east metro, you might consider looking at towns like White Bear Lake, Stillwater, Farmington, or Hastings. Each of these communities has a historic downtown and is walkable, but the commute would be much easier to St. Paul (about 15-35 minutes depending on which town you choose, time of day of commute, etc. ) than Minneapolis. You specifically asked about Stillwater, and that trip takes about 25-30 minutes to downtown St. Paul. It is not a good option for a Minneapolis-commute since it is based on the far eastern edge of the Twin Cities on the border of Wisconsin.

On the other hand, if you end up working in Minneapolis or the west metro, you could look at suburbs like Robbinsdale, Excelsior, or Edina around the 50th and France area (which, like Wayzata, can be a bit pricey). If you're willing to live a bit farther out, Lakeville, Shakopee, and Maple Grove also have "downtowns" that are walkable, although outside of their immediate town centers, they are very auto-oriented and suburban. Each of these communities are about a 30-35 minute trip to downtown Minneapolis.

[old fed]

Originally Posted by Rhody2Mn

Welcome to the Twin Cities! If I were you, I'd base my decision to live on where you end up working. If you're in St. Paul or the east metro, you might consider looking at towns like White Bear Lake, Stillwater, Farmington, or Hastings. Each of these communities has a historic downtown and is walkable, but the commute would be much easier to St. Paul (about 15-35 minutes depending on which town you choose, time of day of commute, etc. ) than Minneapolis. You specifically asked about Stillwater, and that trip takes about 25-30 minutes to downtown St. Paul. It is not a good option for a Minneapolis-commute since it is based on the far eastern edge of the Twin Cities on the border of Wisconsin.

On the other hand, if you end up working in Minneapolis or the west metro, you could look at suburbs like Robbinsdale, Excelsior, or Edina around the 50th and France area (which, like Wayzata, can be a bit pricey). If you're willing to live a bit farther out, Lakeville, Shakopee, and Maple Grove also have "downtowns" that are walkable, although outside of their immediate town centers, they are very auto-oriented and suburban. Each of these communities are about a 30-35 minute trip to downtown Minneapolis.

while farmington has a historic downtown there isn't much there. lakeville would have more in their downtown but still not like stillwater or WBL.

burnsville has a bit of a walkable downtown but people seem leery of burnsville.

[Rhody2Mn]

Originally Posted by old fed

while farmington has a historic downtown there isn't much there. lakeville would have more in their downtown but still not like stillwater or WBL.

burnsville has a bit of a walkable downtown but people seem leery of burnsville.

I agree that Lakeville and Farmington's downtowns don't compare to Stillwater or White Bear Lake, but Farmington is growing and the historic area is getting better in terms of offering more shops and restaurants. I know from personal experience that the bakery is delicious! Home | Business Directory

Thank you for mentioning Burnsville as I forgot about its "Heart of the City" that has a small downtown scene. Outside of that immediate area, though, it will be largely auto-oriented.

[WoodburyWoody]

Echoing Rhody2Mn ... it is all about the commute time in the Twin Cities, if you are dealing with rush hour commutes. Where will you be working?

[mr roboto]

Edina is basically an extension of the wealthy SW Minneapolis neighborhoods. No lake or river but a very cute downtown and easy commute to Minneapolis.

Hopkins is less wealthy but has a neat downtown as well.

Excelsior and Wayzata are farther out. They are both on Lake Minnetonka and have really great walkable areas. Wayzata is a much easier commute because it's closer to a freeway (394). Excelsior is several miles from a freeway and Hwy 7 is congested in the AM.

Farther out, Chaska is an old river town with charm but that is a long commute through the worst part of the metro (212/62/494) traffic wise.

White Bear Lake on the Northeast side. More blue collar (except for the homes immediately on the lake).

Stillwater feels like it's almost out of the metro. Tremendous city and community but it's a long drive to St Paul and terrible to commute to Minneapolis.

Honestly you should also look at actual city neighborhoods in both Minneapolis and St.Paul. Outside of the downtowns, most of both of the cities' neighborhoods are SFH dominated with parks, trails and sidewalks.

[Yosh01]

You won't find much "urban" about any of the Twin City suburbs. The ones mentioned in the posts so far tend to be upscale small towns.

Both Minneapolis and St Paul are somewhat unique in that they are filled with very safe, stable, and walkable neighborhoods. I wouldn't overlook them.

[Ursicinus]

Originally Posted by Yosh01

You won't find much "urban" about any of the Twin City suburbs. The ones mentioned in the posts so far tend to be upscale small towns.

Both Minneapolis and St Paul are somewhat unique in that they are filled with very safe, stable, and walkable neighborhoods. I wouldn't overlook them.

^Second this. Once you dig a little, you really start to notice that a lot of the "suburbs" people mention when talking about the Twin Cities are actually small towns in their own right that have either been subsumed by urban sprawl, or are still far enough away to be outside of it. Depending on what stage of their "evolution" they were in when the population began booming will determine what percentage of their area is quaint and walkable, and what percentage is cookie-cutter McMansions. (I work in Prior Lake, which is a perfect example, unfortunately, tending toward the latter.)

Anyway, the cities proper (that is, within the city limits of Minneapolis or St. Paul) have tons of different neighborhoods that would seem to fit most of what you're looking for. The Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Mpls is kind of an enclave with easy bike access to the lakes, and has a tiny Main Street type area with shops and coffee, etc. The Linden Hills neighborhood of Mpls is sort of a bigger version of the above, but with (usually) more expensive homes, but touches both Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. Borders on Edina, with the 50th/France "downtown" type area serving as the border. Just two examples, but pulling up a map and just picking areas to check out is also a good strategy

Anyway, as mentioned, if you're commuting to work, a lot will depend on which of the cities you're working in. Highway traffic between them is atrocious, to the point where if you lived, say, east of St. Paul but worked in Minneapolis, you'd be looking at a seriously maddening commute, whereas the two options I gave above would be super reasonable. So that could be a huge determining factor.

[Minntoaz]

Stillwater would fit your criterion barring commute times. "Seaside feel" remember only applies half the year as it'll be frozen the other half. Walkability wise for under 450k would leave you with St. Paul or parts of Minneapolis.