Moving from Elgin, IL to Hopkins, MN (Minneapolis, St. Paul: sales, rent)

[chicago207]

Hello,

I am going to move from Elgin, IL to Hopkins, MN. Just couple questions,

1. Housing - I would like to live close to work and the airport, where would be the better place to live? Rent first then possible buy a house.

2. Expense - How much is the gas usually runs during the winter time?
- How much the gasoline per gallon there now?

3. Taxation - How much is the state tax rate?
- What is sales tax?
- What is the property tax usually runs? and how often will it go up?

4. Transportation - Is there any public transportation? Is it easy to access to?

5. Any other advice?

Thanks!!

[golfgal]

Hopkins is not far from the airport so I would live there.

gas is $2.50/gallon at the station today, gas to heat a house-depends on the company and the house how much you will pay for that--it varies WIDELY

sales tax is 6.75%, more in Minneapolis

Property tax varies by community--generally 1% of home value, give or take

yes there is public transportation and it is easy to get to, living in Hopkins though you may not need it

renting vs owning-I guess that depends on you, your current situation, finances, etc. It's a great time to buy a home so I would say buy--Hopkins is a nice area with great schools and lots of amenities.

[Robert98]

I like Main Street in Hopkins. One end is condos and restaurants, the other is historic with antique shops etc.

[IRV007]

Originally Posted by chicago207

Hello,

I am going to move from Elgin, IL to Hopkins, MN. Just couple questions,

1. Housing - I would like to live close to work and the airport, where would be the better place to live? Rent first then possible buy a house.

2. Expense - How much is the gas usually runs during the winter time?
- How much the gasoline per gallon there now?

3. Taxation - How much is the state tax rate?
- What is sales tax?
- What is the property tax usually runs? and how often will it go up?

4. Transportation - Is there any public transportation? Is it easy to access to?

5. Any other advice?

Thanks!!

Good Luck to You.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

sales tax is 6.75%, more in Minneapolis.

You're not telling the whole story on sales tax, but nice job trying to sneak in a Minneapolis diss....seems like you're doing this every other post now, awesome.

taken from ever reliable wikipedia.org:
Minnesota currently has a 6.875% statewide sales tax. The statewide portion consists of two parts: a 6.5% sales tax with receipts going to the state General Fund, and a 3/8 of 1 percent tax going to arts and environmental projects. The 3/8 of 1 percent tax was passed by a statewide referendum on Nov. 4, 2008, and went into effect on July 1, 2009.[74] Generally, food (not including prepared food, some beverages such as soda pop, and other items such as candy) and clothing are exempt from the sales tax. Prescription drugs are also exempt.[75]

Local units of government may, with legislative approval, impose additional general sales taxes. As of July 1, 2008, an additional 0.25% Transit Improvement tax was phased in across five counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area for transit development. These counties are Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington. A 0.15% sales tax is imposed in Hennepin County to finance the Minnesota Twins' new Target Field. Several cities impose their own citywide sales tax: Saint Paul (0.5%), Minneapolis (0.5%), Rochester (0.5%), and Duluth (1%).

These additional taxes increase the total general sales tax rates to 7.875% in Duluth, 7.775% in Minneapolis, 7.625% in Saint Paul, and 7.375% in Rochester.

In addition to general sales taxes, local units of government can, again with legislative approval, impose sales taxes on certain items. Current local option taxes include a "lodging" tax in Duluth (3%), Minneapolis (3%), and Rochester (4%), as well as served "food and beverage" tax in Duluth (2.25%).

Alcohol is taxed at an additional 2.5% gross receipts tax rate above the statewide 6.875% sales tax rate, for a total rate of 9.375%, not including any applicable local taxes.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Slig

You're not telling the whole story on sales tax, but nice job trying to sneak in a Minneapolis diss....seems like you're doing this every other post now, awesome.

taken from ever reliable wikipedia.org:
Minnesota currently has a 6.875% statewide sales tax. The statewide portion consists of two parts: a 6.5% sales tax with receipts going to the state General Fund, and a 3/8 of 1 percent tax going to arts and environmental projects. The 3/8 of 1 percent tax was passed by a statewide referendum on Nov. 4, 2008, and went into effect on July 1, 2009.[74] Generally, food (not including prepared food, some beverages such as soda pop, and other items such as candy) and clothing are exempt from the sales tax. Prescription drugs are also exempt.[75]

Local units of government may, with legislative approval, impose additional general sales taxes. As of July 1, 2008, an additional 0.25% Transit Improvement tax was phased in across five counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area for transit development. These counties are Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington. A 0.15% sales tax is imposed in Hennepin County to finance the Minnesota Twins' new Target Field. Several cities impose their own citywide sales tax: Saint Paul (0.5%), Minneapolis (0.5%), Rochester (0.5%), and Duluth (1%).

These additional taxes increase the total general sales tax rates to 7.875% in Duluth, 7.775% in Minneapolis, 7.625% in Saint Paul, and 7.375% in Rochester.

In addition to general sales taxes, local units of government can, again with legislative approval, impose sales taxes on certain items. Current local option taxes include a "lodging" tax in Duluth (3%), Minneapolis (3%), and Rochester (4%), as well as served "food and beverage" tax in Duluth (2.25%).

Alcohol is taxed at an additional 2.5% gross receipts tax rate above the statewide 6.875% sales tax rate, for a total rate of 9.375%, not including any applicable local taxes.

Oh for crying out loud-this isn't a "dis" on Minneapolis, Minneapolis has a higher sales tax, big deal. I didn't know that St. Paul and Duluth also have a higher tax-would you give it a rest.

[AVguy]

Actually, the whole story would include discussion of special local taxes, which are enforced in several Minnesota cities, including Minneapolis. These addition taxes in Minneapolis include the downtown Minneapolis tax on restaurants and liquor stores (3%) and the Minneapolis entertainment tax (3%)

Link: http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/sales/p...AT_1100112.pdf

Make no mistake, Minneapolis is a destination, and the city knows this and accordingly charges an additional tax on certain commerce occurring within its jurisdiction. It doesn't stop me for going out for lunch throughout the week or occasionally dining out on the weekend, but I pay 10.775% tax at these restaurants, while any other non-Minneapolis restaurant in the metro would only collect a 6.875% tax on the same bill.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think the point was that the OP didn't ask about taxes in Minneapolis. He asked about state tax, and then asked about living in Hopkins. Thank you, Slig, for the detailed breakdown of sales tax issues (and thanks, AVguy, for the link).

To the OP: I agree. Just live in Hopkins. It's a nice place, convenient, and has a variety of housing options.

[AVguy]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I think the point was that the OP didn't ask about taxes in Minneapolis.

Thanks for posting this because I didn't see the point before. I can understand how someone could get upset if the tax comment was perceived as an unfair jab at Minneapolis. However, the OP wrote, "I would like to live close to work and the airport, where would be the better place to live?" So, the OP is comparing two locations, work (Hopkins) and the airport (Minneapolis), and in comparing these two locations, wants to find the one "better place." I perceived that as a compare and contrast exercise, and so I noted that Minneapolis has some lesser known sales taxes that aren't necessarily common knowledge. Taking into account that most people shop and consumer mostly where they live, Minneapolis is more expensive than Hopkins from a sales tax perspective. Is it a material difference? It just depends on how you spend your discretionary income.

All that aside, Hopkins seems like the preferred choice. Unless OP lives out of a suitcase, there will be less commuting time by living close to work in Hopkins. I am unaware how easy/difficult the transit options are between south Minneapolis (near the airport) and Hopkins or between Hopkins and the airport. It's not exactly a "high frequency" route.

[knke0204]

Hopkins is awesome. People will give you the usual 'it's not the safest place, crime can be tough', but I wouldn't pay too much attention.

It's a nice inner-ring suburb. Close to the Western burbs. Very cool downtown, a rareity among Twin Cities' suburbs.