Questions about Powderhorn Park Area (Minneapolis, Corcoran: renting, crime, houses)

[omaraz]

Hello all; my wife and I are relocating to Minneapolis, we have no children and I work from home so we're flexible. We've found a nice place in the Powderhorn Park area on Columbus Ave, but since neither of us have much experience with the Minneapolis area, we were wondering if that is a good area. I've found some more information on the forums about this area and it seems to be pretty good but we need more input before making the trip to check out properties, so any input would be nice.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

The park itself is great. The area you're looking at is on the rougher side of the park in my opinion, as you're basically on the border between Powderhorn Park and the Central neighborhood. I'd take a close look at the block you're looking at to see what kind of condition the housing is in which will help give you an idea of what you'll be dealing with.

In general I really like the area of the city you're looking in. You'd be in the vicinity of alot of great amenities, especially the park, the Midtown Global Market and Midtown Greenway. We live just a mile or so east of there in the Corcoran neighborhood and overall have had a very positive experience there.

[kcitti]

I would highly recommend renting first (but that may be what you are doing).

[uptown_urbanist]

I know several people who lived on Columbus in very nice, very well-maintained homes. From their experiences I'd agree with Slig that the blocks themselves can vary. If you want to go out on a lot of late night strolls it might not be the best option, depending on your own comfort level. On the other hand, I don't think any of my friends ever had safety issues while at home, and there shouldn't be any problems walking around during the daytime.

So... as to whether or not it's a "good" area depends on your definition. More crime than many areas, but there are some nice blocks, some nice houses, some good prices, and some definite perks.

[omaraz]

Thanks to everyone who responded, the information is very helpful; I guess I will need to check this area out when I make a trip to Minneapolis. I grew up in Saginaw, MI (sad to say according to the FBI, it's the most violent town per capita) so I've dealt with really bad neighborhoods but my wife doesn't share those experiences. We typically don't go out at night and would definitely install an alarm system wherever we move.