Delano, MN (Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Chaska: construction, best school districts, pharmacy) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

metrogirlmn · 04-08-2010, 08:57 PM

My husband and I are working professionals from the western twin cities area. We have a baby and will likely have one more. We have heard that Delano is full of young families. Can anybody provide any insight on Delano, particulary anybody who has lived there or currently lives there. We heard the schools are great, but have concerns about the communte (work in Bloomington). While we like the "small-town" feel, are also concerned about it--including gossip and (I hope I don't offend anybody) if it is "hick" or "trashy". Did most people who live there grow up there, or is it many people working and commuting from the metro. Please shed some light on this town.

Thanks in advance!

knke0204 · 04-08-2010, 10:50 PM

No, it's losing that hick image. It's stil the country, but easily one of the best school districts in the state/

Golfgal?!?!

golfgal · 04-09-2010, 06:35 AM

Delano is a great town. The commute to Bloomington would NOT be fun. I would think long and hard about that before moving there. Maybe drive to and from the office at various times during the day to see but my guess is you are looking at an hour each way, minimum. Where in Bloomington do you work?

my54ford · 04-09-2010, 07:25 AM

They have thier own utility and powerplant so the lights don't go out for long there. Hwy 12 is a pig road, traffic WILL be an issue! In particular during the Winter.
If I may be so bold....Look at New Prague, Several New schools, Small town feel but still close to your work. Great infrastructure, modern powerplant, new waste water plant etc.etc.

mmhl · 04-09-2010, 08:40 AM

I have lived in Delano for 11 years. Delano is largely a town of families that have moved into town. There are still a few "original families" but it is not at all a hick town. Most people I know are highly educated and just enjoy the quality of life here. The city council has mostly younger people that moved into the area on it, so the town is not run by the old timers, if you know what I'm trying to say. Delano is full of families, our church is just filled with families and kids. The schools are excellent, you can't get better in my opinion. We often beat even Orono in test scores. I have never run into any gossip issues. As I said in another post- Delano is probably closing in on 10,000 people, you certainly don't know everyone.

My husband used to commute to the far side of Eden Prairie, it would take 30-35 minutes in rush hour. Bloomington would probably be 45 minutes. I'd say 30-45 minutes is a pretty average commute for most people in Delano. They just think it's worth it. The new bypass past Long Lake helps the commute immensely. Honestly though, highway 12 isn't any worse than any other road in the winter.

metrogirlmn · 04-09-2010, 01:27 PM

Thank you for the feedback! The commute time is one of the biggest concerns. Driving it during rush hour may be the best way to find out. mmhl, it sounds like you truly enjoy living in Delano. Do you feel it has enough to offer (shopping, resturants, etc) to satisfy your daily needs? I realize driving into the city or suburb is not that terribley far, but I am concerned I would miss the convienece and choices of the immediate metro area. I heard there may be a Target store being built—do you know if that is true?

Thanks again for all of your input.

golfgal · 04-09-2010, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by my54ford

They have thier own utility and powerplant so the lights don't go out for long there. Hwy 12 is a pig road, traffic WILL be an issue! In particular during the Winter.
If I may be so bold....Look at New Prague, Several New schools, Small town feel but still close to your work. Great infrastructure, modern powerplant, new waste water plant etc.etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by metrogirlmn

Thank you for the feedback! The commute time is one of the biggest concerns. Driving it during rush hour may be the best way to find out. mmhl, it sounds like you truly enjoy living in Delano. Do you feel it has enough to offer (shopping, resturants, etc) to satisfy your daily needs? I realize driving into the city or suburb is not that terribley far, but I am concerned I would miss the convienece and choices of the immediate metro area. I heard there may be a Target store being built—do you know if that is true?

Thanks again for all of your input.

I was going to suggest you look at New Prague too until I read this post. New Prague is a GREAT town, however, they don't have anything there and it is 20 minutes to get to Target, etc. It is a VERY young town with an excellent school though. My sister-in-law lives there and they love it, except for the shopping.

Waconia might be a good choice. Chaska would be another place to look.

mmhl · 04-09-2010, 09:38 PM

We love Delano. The only thing I drive any distance for is Target (15 minutes to either Medina or Buffalo) or clothes shopping, for which I drive to the Albertville outlet (about 20 minutes) or Ridgedale (also about 20 minutes with the bypass). Coborns, our grocery store, is very good sized & nice, with a good organic section, etc. We have a CVS pharmacy, and several other shops, etc. Yes, it is currently being talked about that Target may be coming to the northeast corner of the Highway 12 & County Line Road intersection (across from McDonalds). Almost 2/3 of the population is in favor of it, but they are currently working out the logistics because that is technically Independence, but they will need Delano utilities. But Delano has been pegged as a city Target wants to put a store.

As far as restaurants- for fast food we have Subway, McDonalds & Dairy Queen. For family eating, sit down dining, we have Applebee's, a neat local place called Juke Box, a place on the river called 3 Crows, and a pub called Dave's Town club. We go to all of the above & are happy with the selection. There is a cute new ice cream shop in the historic part of Delano. They are also going to be putting in a new park by the river as part of the new Highway 12 construction that has just wrapped up. There is a fabulous new playground at the city park. Landscape Structures, one of the major playground manufacturers is headquartered in Delano, and the perk is they donate playground equipment to the schools & local parks

spiritofcommunity · 04-10-2010, 09:23 AM

Delano is a great place to live. The City recently completed a quality of life survey which shows just a few insights about the community. Check out the summary at http://www.delano.mn.us/Delano_Memo/QLS.pdf

You can also learn more about Delano at City of Delano | Facebook, Delano (cityofdelano) on Twitter, and Delano, Minnesota | The official city of Delano, MN website.

metrogirlmn · 04-10-2010, 09:50 PM

Thank you all for your responses! From the comments made, it sounds like Delano is quite a nice city. Usually the people who remark negatively about it (hick-like, small town with lots of drunks, gossip, etc) really don't know about it--just assume because it is a smaller community. Thanks for setting it straight! I guess the best thing is to visit the area and to commute sometime during rush hour to get a sense of traffic/time. Of course now that it is nice outside, there shouldn't be issues with the weather...is the bypass so terrible during winter/snowstorm? Worse than any other road during a snowstorm?

Thanks again! Please give any more insight that you think may be helpful.