Why don't people like Bloomington and Richfield? (Minneapolis, Eden Prairie: apartments, townhouses)

[Oildog]

My friends that live in Richfield love it because its centrally located and its pretty safe. They are split on the schools though. A couple send theirs to private or Edina, couple others have them on track to be RHS Spartans.

[Bob_21286]

Bloomington is the place. After living on the East Coast for 15 years and returning, I am truly amazed at how wonderful the living experience is in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, especially in Bloomington. We are close to everything. It seems nothing of import is more than 10 miles away from us. I am a physician and a product of the Bloomington School system. The schools here are the best there are. Out East, your children have to go to private school to receive a good education. Here, the public schools are private schools. The cost of living is so reasonable here. You can drive and park for little or nothing. There are no tolls every few miles. Rush hour does not really exist here. Try a 3 1/2 hour 3 mile ride through the Lincoln tunnel on Friday afternoon in NYC some time and you will gain a great appreciation for the traffic here. The only negative I see in Bloomington is the fact that they moved the Twins and the Vikings downtown. Also, Winter sucks.

[uptown_urbanist]

I love Richfield. Don't want to live there (not "city" enough for me), but I really appreciate it for what it does offer. It's done a really good job of changing with the times, and it also has wonderful amenities like Wood Lake -- the nation's first urban nature center!

[Thegonagle]

If you're stuck on 494 trying to drive through, traffic looks bad. But for people who actually live in Richfield or Bloomington, then 494 and American Blvd are so easily avoidable that it would be ridiculous to take it for just a mile or two at 5 in the evening. 494 and American Blvd too busy? Ever heard of 76th, 77th, 82nd, or 86th? Because of the way the streets are laid out in both cities, there are countless alternates that do not back up.

[Haver]

Agreed with the above bout traffic. Freeways are a pain, but the street grid is pretty open and locals will avoid the major streets at busy times and take 60th or 76th or Diamond Lake road or ... etc, etc.

As for schools: Richfield and Bloomington-Kennedy are still above average compared to the national mean. They are only disadvantaged by the fact that they are both surrounded by exceptional suburban schools. If you have a good student they will excel; if you have a poor student they will fail. If your student is either exceptional and can take advantage of a superior school, or marginal and needs extra attention then you may need to consider other options.

Richfield is the "next step up" for struggling urban families and immigrants who are ambitious enough to get out of their core urban neighborhoods, or who want to take their kids out of a potentially toxic environment, but its also a draw for a lot of average families as well. Its a good mix. Academics are decent enough, and while your kids won't grow up in a lilly-white sheltered environment its also a very safe and easy place to live.

[Mason3000]

Point blank, Richfield is rapidly becoming Mexican. The original residents are, as they say "aging out" and who's buying those houses? Mexicans mostly. Nothing personal against Mexicans, they have to live somewhere too, just the facts. Look at the school district demographics as they change from the current Senior high make-up to the K-2 make-up, it's all you need to know about which/why people are moving in/out of Richfield.

Richfield Senior High Demographics....
White (Not Hispanic) 45%
Black (Not Hispanic) 27%
Latino 19&
Asian 8%

Richfield Middle School
White (Not Hispanic) 39%
Hispanic 29%
Black (Not Hispanic) 22%
Asian 8%

Richfield Intermediate (3-5) Elementary School
Hispanic 40%
White (Not Hispanic) 28%
Black (Not Hispanic) 22%
Asian 9%

Centennial (k-2) Elementary School
Hispanic 47%
Black (Not Hispanic) 22%
White (Not Hispanic) 21%
Asian 9%


Student Teacher Ratio Centennial Elementary School - Richfield, Minnesota - MN
Student Teacher Ratio Richfield Intermediate Elementary School - Richfield, Minnesota - MN
Student Teacher Ratio Richfield Middle School - Richfield, Minnesota - MN
Student Teacher Ratio Richfield Senior High School - Richfield, Minnesota - MN

[west336]

WOW....those are telling stats!

It's not a bad thing to be Mexican at all actually. This is not America, Circa 1950 and non-white equals inequality, per se, but I tend to agree that Mexicans/Hispanics may "take Richfield over", among a variety of other places: like South Minneapolis, Bloomington, Shakopee, Savage, and maybe part of Apple Valley. This is totally a guess, but the first 2 and Richfield seem to be happening already.....albeit slower than say, some Chicago suburbs. Embrace this change is what I'd suggest. Make these areas wholesome and new (even if different)!

[uptown_urbanist]

I believe many of the most recent homebuyers are also younger white people, many of them who have young children or who will be having them in the near future, so I don't think Richfield is set to be exclusively Hispanic anytime soon. It is becoming very diverse, and particularly very Hispanic, but not exclusively so. It's a very attractive and affordable inner-ring suburb for those looking to buy a house in a safe, convenient location. With the Twin Cities' rapidly growing Hispanic population in general, it's understandable why so many Hispanic families, too, would find it a desirable spot to raise a family.

[Mason3000]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I believe many of the most recent homebuyers are also younger white people, many of them who have young children or who will be having them in the near future, so I don't think Richfield is set to be exclusively Hispanic anytime soon. It is becoming very diverse, and particularly very Hispanic, but not exclusively so. It's a very attractive and affordable inner-ring suburb for those looking to buy a house in a safe, convenient location. With the Twin Cities' rapidly growing Hispanic population in general, it's understandable why so many Hispanic families, too, would find it a desirable spot to raise a family.

There's some young white/black families moving there of course, but not en masse as the Mexicans are and I doubt those families will be sending kids into the school district for long, if at all. Some parents like Spanish Immersion Schools though & Richfield does have one of those. The issues facing young white/black families there is that the schools are on an trajectory to be 80%+ Mexican (again, not Hispanic but Mexican specifically) within 10 years or so. What that means is low test scores & most of the schools resources will have to go to English Second Language programs and meeting the needs both scholastically & culturally of the new Mexican majority. So, no not exclusively Mexican, but not what I'd consider "diverse" either.

To answer the OP directly...people DO like Richfield. Working Mexican families escaping South from Lake St seem to especially like it a lot! Singles, with limited budgets & no kids like the convenience of Richfield & some non Mexican families on limited budgets like it as well, (although I doubt they'll be staying long term).

[uptown_urbanist]

I'm not convinced. I know many people who moved to Richfield because they couldn't afford southwest Minneapolis, and they are active and involved in the Richfield community. Granted, most of them don't yet have school-age kids, but these are the kind of people who are committed to community-building, and who believe in the goals of public school. I think Richfield is well-poised to capitalize on the preferences of younger people to live in the city and inner-ring suburbs, and many of them are of the age that they'll be having kids soon. I've heard of some research about Richfield and its demographics and trends; if I have time I'll try to find it, as I think Richfield is a fascinating suburb that has a LOT of potential. It's still a majority white city, and has a long way to go before it becomes anything near majority Mexican (or Hispanic in general).