Almost empty nesters seek area with charm, walkability to shops and cafes, easy commute to Maplewood (Minneapolis: appointed, to rent)

[fnh]

DH is contemplating an intriguing opportunity in Minneapolis-St. Paul, a metro area we know little about. What neighborhoods would you suggest for a late 40s/early 50s couple whose ideal set up would be:

– a charming bungalow on a leafy street
– within easy walking distance (say, few blocks) to shops, restaurants, galleries
– an easy commute, ~20 minutes, to Maplewood during rush hour, and
– within 30-45 minutes of airport?

Does such a place exist? Schools are not a consideration as our kids will finish up elsewhere. We would enjoy having some outdoor space with a small yard for putter gardening but, if the choice came down to an urban condo with no yard but near a park versus a suburban home with private yard, we would choose the urban condo in a heartbeat. We have zero interest in suburban living but we do have a 65 lb pooch and four indoor/outdoor cats. Thanks in advance for your input!

[Citykid3785]

Portions of St. Paul are going to be your best bet. I assume he got a job at 3M?

I like the following neighborhoods:

Highland park
Grand/summit Ave area
Mac groveland

You could also consider Stillwater, but the airport might be a bit above your threshold

[fnh]

Hey thanks for this. Having some reference points allows me to zoom in and 'virtually explore', whereas initially I was overwhelmed not knowing where to begin. Grand/Summit Ave looks most like what we are imagining - a central stretch of businesses built at pedestrian scale within walking distance of homes. Highland Park seems to have big pavement commercial along major arterials, not as pedestrian friendly, with Mac Groveland mostly residential with the occasional commercial. I could be mistaken, there is only so much one can glean from street images.

Stillwater looks very charming but yes, far!

We are nowhere near the negotiation stage yet but DH has been approached with an interesting proposal, so we are doing some advance due diligence.

[WoodburyWoody]

Perhaps Lowertown, too:


https://www.redfin.com/neighborhood/...rty-type=condo


https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/disco...own-lowertown/


Incredible Farmers Market, restaurants, bars, St. Paul Saints, light rail. The commute to Maplewood would be against traffic morning and evening rush hours.

[TxTnVtMn]

Not sure how walkable its commercial areas feel, but St. Anthony Village (which is a town/inner ring suburb) might also be worth investigating. I think the character of the residential streets will suit your criteria.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by TxTnVtMn

Not sure how walkable its commercial areas feel, but St. Anthony Village (which is a town/inner ring suburb) might also be worth investigating. I think the character of the residential streets will suit your criteria.

St Anthony Village has a small block kinda downtown area (I live a block from the town). I always thought it was a Mpls area, not it’s own city, which I was wrong. St Anthony Blvd from Silver Lake Road to Stinson is a nice layout/stretch of homes.

For a downtown walkable area, St Anthony Park on Como Avenue would fit the bill. I drove through it yesterday around lunchtime and all the patios of restaurants were full...it’s a hidden gem. One drawback from both is the sun is eyes going to and return trip home.

[CARas2020]

I'm looking for similar except we do have a teen in high school. She is finishing up 9th grade. I have visited the twin cities a couple times but as far as St Paul goes only saw from where I got off the light rail and walked to Xcel Energy. I did like the area. But it was very cold. It had been a while since I had to deal with that.

So is St Paul nice? Are there good public schools? If we ever do this move would like to be in a safe clean area with decent schools. Also close to public transportation. More for our daughter. She uses ours every place she goes. it's nice to not hear "Mom can you take me to the......mall" or wherever.


I do remember loving the area around Lake Calhoun, but that would probably be out of our price range. Exactly or close approximation how many lakes are within the city of Minneapolis?


Of course probably have to rent for short term as we are on the west coast and it will be difficult to buy a house without having to make multiple trips.

Thank you.

Still working on hubby but at least now he isn't tied to his office. he has been lucky still has his job and can work from home quite productively.

[Teak]

Originally Posted by CARas2020

So is St Paul nice? Are there good public schools? If we ever do this move would like to be in a safe clean area with decent schools. Also close to public transportation. More for our daughter. She uses ours every place she goes. it's nice to not hear "Mom can you take me to the......mall" or wherever.

Are you restricted to St. Paul due to work, or is something a bit farther from the downtown an option?

Neighbors of my brother rave about White Bear Lake. It has a boardwalk along one shore which has the usual mix of restaurants and pubs and boutiques. Not too many suburbs have walkable "downtowns". Shoreview is a nice suburb, but has a couple of strip malls that serve as the downtown. (They are certainly walkable.)

Some of the best school districts are in the suburbs north of St. Paul: Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Dellwood, Fridley, New Brighton, Mahtomedi, North Oaks, and Circles Pines are the names of the suburbs.

Of course, the 'burbs don't have public transportation unless you are including Uber and Lyft. Minneapolis public transport has recently had crime issues so that might be a deal breaker to living in a real downtown.

https://kstp.com/news/its-not-safe-t...-2021/6007571/

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by Teak

Are you restricted to St. Paul due to work, or is something a bit farther from the downtown an option?

Neighbors of my brother rave about White Bear Lake. It has a boardwalk along one shore which has the usual mix of restaurants and pubs and boutiques. Not too many suburbs have walkable "downtowns". Shoreview is a nice suburb, but has a couple of strip malls that serve as the downtown. (They are certainly walkable.)

Some of the best school districts are in the suburbs north of St. Paul: Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Dellwood, Fridley, New Brighton, Mahtomedi, North Oaks, and Circles Pines are the names of the suburbs.

Of course, the 'burbs don't have public transportation unless you are including Uber and Lyft. Minneapolis public transport has recently had crime issues so that might be a deal breaker to living in a real downtown.

https://kstp.com/news/its-not-safe-t...-2021/6007571/

Thanks for the quick response. No restrictions for areas or burbs, as my husband works from home. I'll check into on those schools and towns.

[Isaysos]

Check out Mac Groveland, Cathedral Hill or Highland Park areas in St. Paul. I don’t think you will be disappointed