Uptown vs. North Loop vs. Northeast (Minneapolis, St. Paul: transplants, apartment, rent)

[NewToSnow]

Hi! I'm a 25 single male moving to Minneapolis very soon and need am having a hard time deciding which neighborhood I want to live in.

I would like to spend at most $1.5k/month on rent (excl utilities/parking/etc). Crime/school district isn't a concern for me but walkability, access to transport, and local vibe are important.

I am a bit overwhelmed with all the research I have been doing so I am hoping to get some guidance from people who live there.

-Are there any other neighborhoods I should consider?
-What are the pros/cons of each of these neighborhoods?
-Does the snow make the location you live in much more important? I'll be new to a real winter so I am not sure
-What freeways, metro/sub lines are important to be near?

I like North Loop / Warehouse District because it would be very close to my work in downtown. I like Uptown because of its proximity to the lakes and seems to be just as lively as North Loop with slightly more affordable amenities. I like Northeast because I could get my own house instead of an apartment and it seems a bit more lowkey & laidback.


Any information on the different neighborhoods, things I may not have considered, and advice in general on apartment hunting would be very much appreciated!!

[Chug61]

I live in the North Loop so I may be a bit biased, but it gets my vote. Of the three neighborhoods, it has the best access to the light rail (great for trips to the airport), easiest walk to downtown, and (in my opinion) has the best vibe. The con would be that you'd probably get the least apartment for your buck; at $1,500 you might be hard pressed to find a 1BR. I would think you could find a decent studio in that range if you're open to that.

If you're in to the art scene, craft breweries, and an overall more laid-back vibe, Northeast might be better for you. Uptown is fun as well but it skews more toward college students/fresh out of college yuppies. I'm in my late 20's and kinda feel old when I'm in Uptown.

I don't know that snow would really be a factor in your decision. All three neighborhoods are close to downtown. I can't really speak to bus routes in Uptown/Northeast but I would imagine there are plenty of ways to get to work. Depending on where your office is, you might just end up walking if you're living in the North Loop.

[NewToSnow]

Originally Posted by Chug61

I live in the North Loop so I may be a bit biased, but it gets my vote. Of the three neighborhoods, it has the best access to the light rail (great for trips to the airport), easiest walk to downtown, and (in my opinion) has the best vibe. The con would be that you'd probably get the least apartment for your buck; at $1,500 you might be hard pressed to find a 1BR. I would think you could find a decent studio in that range if you're open to that.

If you're in to the art scene, craft breweries, and an overall more laid-back vibe, Northeast might be better for you. Uptown is fun as well but it skews more toward college students/fresh out of college yuppies. I'm in my late 20's and kinda feel old when I'm in Uptown.

I don't know that snow would really be a factor in your decision. All three neighborhoods are close to downtown. I can't really speak to bus routes in Uptown/Northeast but I would imagine there are plenty of ways to get to work. Depending on where your office is, you might just end up walking if you're living in the North Loop.

Thanks Chug, very helpful.

I will be working on Hennepin and 6th street downtown so that was why I first looked at North Loop. However it is more expensive there and my money would go a lot further elsewhere. Seems like I am right between the ages that live in Uptown (new grads) and North Loop (28-30yo). Do you know if the social activities and nightlife are much different between Uptown and North Loop? Do people frequently travel to the other side of town (even in winter)?

[Chug61]

You'd certainly be able to walk to work if you're living in North Loop then. I would say that, generally speaking, you're right in that you're somewhere in between the two neighborhoods in terms of average age. The nightlife in each neighborhood comes with the territory - North Loop is a bit more trendy/upscale, while Uptown is cheaper/college-y. That said, there are still some college bars (The Loop) and dive bars (Cuzzy's, Bunkers) in the North Loop, and I'm sure there are some trendy/upscale places in Uptown.

We go to Uptown occasionally to check out restaurants, but it's not a real common destination for us. Usually if we're venturing outside the North Loop it's to Northeast, St. Paul, South Minneapolis, etc.

Meeting people while living in the North Loop has been pretty easy, as there are tons of other transplants here. I'm not sure if you'd find quite as dense a concentration of transplants in NE or Uptown.

I don't know if time allows it for you, but your best bet would be to spend a little time in each neighborhood before making a decision. It's hard to determine which would be the best fit without at least walking around and getting a feel for each. Even a few hours in each would go a long way, as they're pretty distinct from each other. All three are great, walkable areas with plenty going on, and most of what you'll get on these forums will be generalizations (including this post - I'm calling Uptown "college-y", but I'm sure there are plenty of late 20/early 30somethings that love living there).

[Grizzly Addams]

Are you more of a yuppie or a hipster?

[Thedosius]

Ordered by how expensive (not only rents, but nearby restaurants, bars, etc) they are:
North Loop
Uptown
Northeast


Ordered by ease of commute to 6th & Hennepin:
North Loop
-tie/depends- (i.e. are you right across the bridge to downtown in Northeast or near Lowry avenue?) Overall, none of these choices is poor for getting to your workplace


Ordered by 'most to least' urban feel:
North Loop
Uptown
Northeast


Where you want to go will depend on how you want to live. None of these choices are 'bad' in my book. If you're ok with having little space for a lot of money, North Loop has a lot going for it. Keep in mind however, that that 'lot going for it' has a cost above and beyond rent: there are many worthy restaurants in that neighborhood happy to ding your pocketbook. I would never have been able to afford to live in a neighborhood like that when I was 25...


If you want more space- maybe a room for guests and would be happier in an area with a mix of small buildings and single-family homes, then Northeast would be good. Central Avenue has one of the best collections of eateries established by recent immigrants, mostly from Central America, the middle east, and some southeast Asian. There are still vestiges of Northeast's blue collars eastern European communities, like Ukrainian churches selling pierogi, and there are a very significant number of artist studies and workspaces, making Northeast the epicenter of the yearly Art-a-Whirl.


Uptown is in some ways a mix of the two. There are more multi-family units, which have boomed to a degree I never would have believed possible when I was growing up there 30 years ago. You'll be near two of the Twin Cities' premiere lakes. These are some of the best areas for running, sailing, etc. Downtown is conveniently reached, world class art institutions are readily accessible, as are a mix of upscale to cheap-but-quality eateries.

[Mplsite]

North Loop is upscale yuppie with lots of fancy expensive restaurants popping up: definitely a foodie hub. Uptown is full of bros, so that'll either make it or break it for you. Northeast has lots of craft beer drinking artsy types (Art-A-Whirl is hosted in the area and coming up shortly).

Living and working in the city means it's easy to get around without a car (been car-free here for over 5 years). The Blue and Green Lines make it easy to expand your living options, as do some bus lines that run every 10-15 minutes if you're considering the bus as an option. Both pass through the Mill District on the east side of Downtown and may be a bit less expensive than the North Loop, but still has a decent number of places to walk to (soon that will include a Trader Joe's). It's only four stations away from the beginning of North Loop and both lines run through, so you only have a 5 minute wait for either to take you to Warehouse District Station right next to 5th and Hennepin. Loring Park is definitely less expensive and on the southern end of Downtown and has lots of bus routes on Nicollet and Hennepin. Not as much going on there if you're not living next to either street though.

Outside of Downtown you might as well take a look at what's around the light rail stations: you can get to 50th in around a half hour on the Blue Line and I believe even sooner to Prospect Park (home of Surly Brewing), the last Minneapolis neighborhood before the Green Line crosses over into St Paul.

https://www.metrotransit.org/high-frequency-network-map

Edit: As for the snow and ice, the less walking the better: I prefer living right next to transit that runs often and late. Both light rail lines also hardly see the delays that buses do in the snow, but Transit app makes that easy too since it's all real time.