Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just found this site, while it doesn't cover the suburbs at all it is a useful reference (at least to someone like me) to get somewhat of a picture of the various neighborhoods (crime-wise only).
People will point out entire sections of the city as unsafe but it is based soley on reputation and almost always it simply isn't true. I recently mentioned in a post that there are a few select areas of South Minneapolis that tend to attract more issues and kind of stick out as being more blighted than surrounding areas (although this is constantly changing as new owners come in and remodel/rebuild, etc.) Basically, it comes down to a few blocks and intersections that I'm not a huge fan of, but overall I feel completely safe at all hours pretty much anywhere in South Minneapolis.
For the most part the areas of Minneapolis where you'll find affordable homes are Camden, Near North, Powderhorn, Longfellow, Phillips and possible Northeast and Nokomis.
People will tell you to avoid the northside, but actual northsiders know that this generalization is hogwash. We drive through the northside at least once a week and never feel unsafe doing so. Is there higher crime in some areas of it? Yes. Is there more diversity there? Yes. Is there some poverty there? Yes. But you have to understand that thousands of people live happily in those neighborhoods so it's really difficult for me to understand why people are so quick to badmouth it.
St. Paul is a different beast I am much less familiar with but there are alot of great neighborhoods there as well with alot of homes in your price range.
I think it would make sense to check out some areas of both cities and some of the other suburbs and small towns that were mentioned to find what kind of environment you both feel more comfortable in.
In St Paul, the neighborhoods in your price range that you'd probably feel safer in would be Como, Lexington/Hamline and the part of the West Seventh neighborhood west of I-35E.
Might want to check with the Rosemount Police about that; one of the top tips listed on their website is "close your garage doors when not in use." They're pretty clear about the fact that crime does happen from time to time, and ask residents to not become complacent and become easy targets.
Petty crime and vandalism can happen anywhere; criminals don't just live in the city, and even the city-dwelling ones don't respect boundaries.
To read some of this you'd think that everyone in the city was getting their things stolen left and right. I would only repeat: perception of safety does not equal reality. Most people living in the city don't regularly have stuff stolen from their yards, either. That doesn't mean I'm going to invite problems by leaving things unlocked. Why tempt the professional burglar, the joy-riding drunk, a problem neighbor kid, or anyone else who might be out looking for easy opportunity? I guess I just don't understand the view that to lock a door is somehow admitting defeat or can in any way be used as a measure of a neighborhood's safety. I've always locked my door wherever I've lived, regardless of the crime level.
To the OP: I think you might like Northeast Minneapolis. Quieter feel, safe, fairly affordable, lots of churches of all kinds. Traditionally a working-class neighborhood, but white-collar professionals would fit in just fine, too.
I've accidentally left doors unlocked, and my garage door open at night, and haven't (yet) had anything stolen.
It seems to me that a scenario such as that would present a "crime of opportunity." That is, one type of person could steal something in that situation, whereas it takes a different type of person to actually conduct a burglary (e.g., breaking and entering). If you live in an area where there aren't people passing thru (especially on foot), maybe leaving stuff unlocked or open isn't really inviting theft.
The people I see walking near my house are neighbors. They're on a walk with a spouse, pet, kids, etc. I don't see a lot of people snooping around, and I certainly don't live in a gated community or anything approaching the more isolated suburbs. There is a busier street a block away that is on a bus line. I could see this potentially leading to problems, but it hasn't so far. All buses are offline overnight, so it kind of eliminates the threat at that time. The nearest bus stops are several blocks away.
There HAVE been daytime burglaries in my neighborhood. I have no idea how to protect against that. The police reports I read say that the burglars have ignored alarm warnings (windows stickers, signs, whatever). They get in and out very quickly, so your alarm may alert you that something happened, but it sure as hell won't prevent it (in most cases).
Another great resource for Minneapolis neighborhoods are the Neighborhood Policing Plans: Neighborhood Policing Plans. One nice feature is that they address both the police concerns as well as the community perceptions (which are sometimes different), as well as provide statistics and quantifiable goals. I've also emailed the Minneapolis police with questions before and have received useful and quick responses.
In St Paul, the neighborhoods in your price range that you'd probably feel safer in would be Como, Lexington/Hamline and the part of the West Seventh neighborhood west of I-35E.
Thanks Ben, will add those to my list for this weekend!
People will point out entire sections of the city as unsafe but it is based soley on reputation and almost always it simply isn't true. I recently mentioned in a post that there are a few select areas of South Minneapolis that tend to attract more issues and kind of stick out as being more blighted than surrounding areas (although this is constantly changing as new owners come in and remodel/rebuild, etc.) Basically, it comes down to a few blocks and intersections that I'm not a huge fan of, but overall I feel completely safe at all hours pretty much anywhere in South Minneapolis.
For the most part the areas of Minneapolis where you'll find affordable homes are Camden, Near North, Powderhorn, Longfellow, Phillips and possible Northeast and Nokomis.
I'd say that the bad-mouthing of Phillips is entirely warranted. I lived there for three years and finally left not a moment too soon. The low prices simply aren't worth having to live your life that way.
The best thing I can say about Phillips is that I really saved on moving expenses. After three burglaries, I was surprised I couldn't fit my things into a carry-on.
Nokomis is a cute area and close to the city. I'd suggest parts of Robbinsdale as well.
^ My problem is when people look at Phillips and then assume that a neighborhood 20 blocks, or even 50 blocks, away is going to have identical issues. The bad areas aren't that big, and things can change quickly. Take 38th and Chicago and 48th and Chicago; 10 blocks apart, but the difference feels like night and day.
I guess I shouldn't complain, though, since North Minneapolis gets hit with the ultra-broad "everything North is bad" label far more than does everything South Minneapolis.
I agree with Nokomis and Robbinsdale. Nokomis would be very convenient for the airport, if the OP is going to be flying very often.
I've accidentally left doors unlocked, and my garage door open at night, and haven't (yet) had anything stolen.
It seems to me that a scenario such as that would present a "crime of opportunity." That is, one type of person could steal something in that situation, whereas it takes a different type of person to actually conduct a burglary (e.g., breaking and entering). If you live in an area where there aren't people passing thru (especially on foot), maybe leaving stuff unlocked or open isn't really inviting theft.
The people I see walking near my house are neighbors. They're on a walk with a spouse, pet, kids, etc. I don't see a lot of people snooping around, and I certainly don't live in a gated community or anything approaching the more isolated suburbs. There is a busier street a block away that is on a bus line. I could see this potentially leading to problems, but it hasn't so far. All buses are offline overnight, so it kind of eliminates the threat at that time. The nearest bus stops are several blocks away.
There HAVE been daytime burglaries in my neighborhood. I have no idea how to protect against that. The police reports I read say that the burglars have ignored alarm warnings (windows stickers, signs, whatever). They get in and out very quickly, so your alarm may alert you that something happened, but it sure as hell won't prevent it (in most cases).
Buses cause crime? I live 2 blocks from 2 major bus lines that run 7 days, day and night, but the only trouble I've seen around over the past several years here was drunks driving through running into parked cars (2x) and a tree (1x), some punks who were driving on the River Blvd. who randomly shot and killed a 16 year old boy on a bike, some kids who are periodically brought here in a group who go door to door selling candy who will enter unlocked doors, and some punks on bikes who stole things out of people's yards. I'm not aware of anyone taking the bus to my neighborhood to commit crimes. Transit causing crime is a popular canard among the right wing talk radio set.
Buses cause crime? I live 2 blocks from 2 major bus lines that run 7 days, day and night, but the only trouble I've seen around over the past several years here was drunks driving through running into parked cars (2x) and a tree (1x), some punks who were driving on the River Blvd. who randomly shot and killed a 16 year old boy on a bike, some kids who are periodically brought here in a group who go door to door selling candy who will enter unlocked doors, and some punks on bikes who stole things out of people's yards. I'm not aware of anyone taking the bus to my neighborhood to commit crimes. Transit causing crime is a popular canard among the right wing talk radio set.
Thanks for this post. Criminals are just as, if not more, likely to drive than take the bus. Buses are not there for the convenience of criminals. It makes sense; if you're out to burglarize someone, you're not about to stand around on a corner with the stolen property waiting for a bus while hoping the cops don't come to investigate first.
For quieter, safe neighborhoods much of the opportunity-driven crime comes from neighbors, not from outsiders. Since the garage door thing was what sparked this, I thought this tidbit from the Minnetonka Police Department website's prevention tips interesting (not a community known for a high crime problem): "Close garage doors at night—many juveniles see an open garage as a great opportunity for theft, even though they may not know it is considered a serious felony."
Those "juveniles" who apparently don't know that stealing is wrong are probably local kids, NOT kids from somewhere else (city or suburb), and I think it's a safe bet that they aren't arriving by bus. I'd have a tough time believing that the police would be so understanding and apologetic towards groups of kids coming in from elsewhere to prey on their residents. I wouldn't. (Like I don't have any sympathy for suburban graffiti "artists" who think it's okay to come into the city to do their thing...but that's another topic.) I'm jumping to some conclusions here, but I think this reads pretty clearly to suggest that Minnetonka has some local problem kids who steal things from their neighbors if the opportunity arises. That's understandable; there are NO completely crime-proof communities. Bad seeds exist everywhere, even in the ritziest of suburbs. Maybe one difference, if Minnetonka is anything to go by, is that those ritzy suburbs are more willing to make excuses for their home-grown criminals (Really? Kids old enough to be out on their own don't know stealing is a serious matter? Not in my world...), because, as we like to think, criminals are outsiders. That's true of middle class and wealthy city neighborhoods, too, of course; there's a tendency to believe that "real" criminals can't be white and middle/upper class.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
