Neighborhood advice for a transplant - top 3

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Slig

I adjusted my search to find houses built before 1940, and changed the range to 350-500k. By far the largest concentration of the houses found in the search are located in the SW quadrant of Minneapolis, bordered north by W Lake St, south by 54th St, east by 35W and west by hwy 100. This is a beautiful area littered with lakes and parks and nearby several interesting shopping areas and nightlife area of uptown Minneapolis. To be honest I would've been very tempted to get a house in this area but unfortunately my tight grad student budget caused me to go on the other side of the freeway. South/SW Minneapolis rules though.

There was also a chunk of houses that met this criteria in St. Paul, in the area bordered north by 94, south by W 7th St, west by the Mississippi River and east by 35E. I don't know as much about that area but it's pretty nice there too.

Slig, I agree. This area is St Paul's version of the area you described in the SW quadrant of Mpls.

mednadam, the names of these neighborhoods are Merriam Park, Macalester-Groveland and Highland Park. Merriam Park has many houses from the 1890s to the 1920s, Mac-Groveland is almost all 1920s/1930s, and Highland is a mix of 1920s to 1950s.

My house is in Highland. It was built in 1939, as were many of my neighbors', but the house across the street to the north was built in 1927, while the one across the street to the east was built in the 1950s. Most blocks are more consistent. Generally, south of Montreal Ave, most houses are 1950s, while the ones to the north of Montreal are pre-WWII.

BTW: if your job is in downtown Mpls, these neighborhoods would be a shorter commute by bus, train or car than would some of the more outlying neighborhoods within the Mpls city limits such as Kenny or Armitage.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by Slig

I adjusted my search to find houses built before 1940, and changed the range to 350-500k. By far the largest concentration of the houses found in the search are located in the SW quadrant of Minneapolis, bordered north by W Lake St, south by 54th St, east by 35W and west by hwy 100. This is a beautiful area littered with lakes and parks and nearby several interesting shopping areas and nightlife area of uptown Minneapolis. To be honest I would've been very tempted to get a house in this area but unfortunately my tight grad student budget caused me to go on the other side of the freeway. South/SW Minneapolis rules though.

There was also a chunk of houses that met this criteria in St. Paul, in the area bordered north by 94, south by W 7th St, west by the Mississippi River and east by 35E. I don't know as much about that area but it's pretty nice there too.

You just described the biggest residential section of Saint Paul. There are tons of great neighborhoods in that area, but those borders aren't idiot-proof. There are some sketchy areas around University. Think that we'll have to wait for the Central Corridor to establish itself before anyone pays a half-million for a house in some of those areas.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

You just described the biggest residential section of Saint Paul. There are tons of great neighborhoods in that area, but those borders aren't idiot-proof. There are some sketchy areas around University. Think that we'll have to wait for the Central Corridor to establish itself before anyone pays a half-million for a house in some of those areas.

I would agree that areas around University Ave can get iffy but that is all on the north side of 94 and the area I described is on the south side of it. As long as you're on that side of the freeway I would say the area is overall very good.

This isn't to say there aren't good areas on the other side either. I personally am quite fond of the Midway area of St. Paul, but if your budget is in the 400-500k range you might as well stay on the uppity side.

[megnadam]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

Here is an aerial of Linden Hills. If you click on Bird's Eye, you can see the block to the left with an alley and the block on the right with driveways. The lot sizes are fairly typical.
Web browser and Live Maps are incompatible

The lot sizes are a good size - where would I have to go in order to get a bit more land in the same price range?

[megnadam]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

BTW: if your job is in downtown Mpls, these neighborhoods would be a shorter commute by bus, train or car than would some of the more outlying neighborhoods within the Mpls city limits such as Kenny or Armitage.

I would be working downtown and would LOVE to be able to take the train (bus if there is no train) to work. Do most downtown workers drive or take public transit? Also in the warmer months, it is a friendly place to ride a bike during commute times?

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by megnadam

I would be working downtown and would LOVE to be able to take the train (bus if there is no train) to work. Do most downtown workers drive or take public transit? Also in the warmer months, it is a friendly place to ride a bike during commute times?

I don't know %age, but MANY Mpls downtown workers take the bus or train. It is much more economical than driving, even for those who live way out in the burbs. Yes, bike commuting is popular and easy to do. One of my neighbors here in Highland Pk. works downtown and he commutes by bike in the summer. It's an easy and beautiful ride on the bike path along the Mississippi River. It follows the river all the way to downtown. When it rains (or when he doesn't feel like riding home), he'll put his bike on the bus. All buses and trains have bike racks.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by megnadam

The lot sizes are a good size - where would I have to go in order to get a bit more land in the same price range?

You would have to go out at least to western Saint Louis Park, if not Minnetonka. The houses would be from the 1950s and 60s instead of the 1910s and 20s. You may find an old house with a nominally larger lot in older parts of Saint Louis Park or the Morningside area of Edina from the 1940s.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

If you want a similar range with a bigger yard then look in the area I described from my first search.