Family in NE ? (Minneapolis, Waite Park, Lowry: houses, neighborhoods, school district)

[fephoo]

Hello,

We are a family of 4 (2 kids 6 and 4) looking into moving to the twin cities.
I have heard that the NorthEast neighborhood could be a great choice. I just started to look at RealEstate listings and this area has some nice property for around 250K (3 bed/2bath) which is perfect for us. Still it seems pretty close to Downtown and I would have expected a lot more...

Is there something to be aware of concerning this area ?
Would you say, the area is safe ? Are there sectors better than others... ?
Is it family friendly ?
Do you know if the schools are good there ?

Thank you. Fab

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by fephoo

Hello,

We are a family of 4 (2 kids 6 and 4) looking into moving to the twin cities.
I have heard that the NorthEast neighborhood could be a great choice. I just started to look at RealEstate listings and this area has some nice property for around 250K (3 bed/2bath) which is perfect for us. Still it seems pretty close to Downtown and I would have expected a lot more...

Is there something to be aware of concerning this area ?
Would you say, the area is safe ? Are there sectors better than others... ?
Is it family friendly ?
Do you know if the schools are good there ?

Thank you. Fab

Generally, NE Mpls is mostly good. Depending on your personal comfort level and perception, near the area of Central Avenue and Lowry Avenue gets slightly sketchy (this from one who used to live in that area some years ago but never had a problem). Do you know which neighborhood you'd be in or cross streets?

Though I suspect you can see the size of lot, lot sizes in NE tend to be a bit smaller which may account for part of the price difference. Also, houses in this area tend to be older so may have some deferred maintenance issues (but can also have a lot more character). Finally, NE has traditionally been a bit more industrial or blue-collar. You may want to inquire if you'll be close to train tracks (and then ask how important that is for you). To that end, some of NE isn't perceived as "trendy" enough in the sense that commercial areas tend to be smaller mom-and-pop or ethnic stores. Now, conversely, some people also find that quite attractive to have stores on a more personable level as opposed to only big-box stores, but again personal preference.

I also suspect prices are a bit depressed simply because of the overall market and too much supply for too little demand.

Regarding schools, I will have to leave that to others to answer. As a single guy, I simply have no frame of reference to speak with confidence.

[Mason3000]

NE Mpls is a large area consisting of several neighborhoods, from renovated arts district along the river, to bustling immigrant neighborhood on Central to the area I'd recommend for families, the Waite Park area in the far NE corner of NE Mpls. Schools in NE generally aren't that great but Waite Park Elementary is fine. NE Middle Schools is just "ok" (my opinion) and I wouldn't send my kids to Mpls Edison in it's current condition (In my mind the worst public high school in the city today). I'm from Mpls, have kids and am shopping for houses currently. I've looked in NE because I like the Waite Park area for families & for us parents, the vibrant bars/restaurants of the Arts District are pretty cool. I was thinking about sending my kids to St Anthony Village (the first suburb NE of Waite Park & recently ranked the #1 school district in the state) but there is a waiting list I believe? Our plan was to enroll at Waite Park until our spots opened up at St Anthony. We also looked hard at the Catholic schools system in the neighborhood which are Pope John Paul II feeding into De La Salle High School. They're private and you'd have to pay, but they're surprisingly affordable and are really working with families these days due to dwindling enrollment (It's not 1960 anymore).

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

NE Mpls is a large area consisting of several neighborhoods, from renovated arts district along the river, to bustling immigrant neighborhood on Central to the area I'd recommend for families, the Waite Park area.

Excellent point...to say NE Minneapolis only is too broad an area. To give the best advice, we'd need more specifics. The City designates 13 neighborhoods in the area designated as "NE Minneapolis". I should have been more clear.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/abou...ghborhoods.pdf