Minneapolis: An outsider's view from someone who is about to move there. (St. Paul: crime, houses)

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by nrogers1122

"You have no idea what you're talking about there.You have no idea what you're talking about there." Posted by Radical_Car

Why don't you elaborate on this? What exactly don't I know? I don't assert to know much about the area,I'm just making observations. It seems like the crime-maps on the police website and the experience driving through whatever that place was indicates its relative unsafety.

That comment was a bit much, but the area isn't all that bad like others are saying, and I have been through there many times.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/poli...me_Reports.PDF
The crime stats there arent all that bad.

[nrogers1122]

OK - just re-read some of my postings. I don't mean to get defensive but I get a little annoyed when people twist what I say. Continuing on with the conversation . . . .

Thanks for the heads up on the grocery stores / targets around Robbinsdale. I really liked the area and it seems like money goes far in the real estate market while still maintining a safer quality of life there.

I also appreciate smith21's suggestions of alternate places to look, especially since we haddn't considered them before (but we now will look there for options). Thanks again for the advice.

I am curious about Fridley - what is the reputation like there? The crime maps indicate it is very safe, but again, there seems to be several odd looking kids there. Don't presume that we don't have the same stylings here in DSM, but in DSM usually those are the kids you see on the dicey parts of town, not the safe parts of town. It sounds like Chris has never been to Des Moines and has some pretty warped perceptions of what we consider normal. I have plenty of friends with tats, piercings, and the like who are good upstanding citizens, but the generalization doesn't make odds with common sense either (as much as I hate to lump people into a category). Any advice or comments from the locals on Fridley are appreciated, but please don't get too prideful to be objective.

Golf gal, as always, I really enjoy reading your input. It seems like you have a pretty good grip on the intentions of the thread. I really found your advice to start looking now to be a useful insight into the unique job market of the twin cities. We will heed your advice. Same to Uptown Urbanist - lots of good advice there - Just curious, what parts of Richfield do you suggest we steer clear of? Also, do you see a lot of vandalism on these alleyways? Seems like they would be easy targets for anyone wanting to create problems with the limited vision and corners of garage structures.

Overall, I really seem to think that the postings indicating that there really isn't much of a bad side to TC is right on (from previous threads). I found this hard to believe until I drove through, but now I see what you are talking about. Even some of the areas that we felt a little bit uncomfortable in (save whatever it was we drove through and thought was the south part of Camden), felt safe. I will say that contemplating the uncertainty of taking a leap of faith without the safety net of a job or local family support (anyone with kids who has ever needed an instant babysitter will know what I'm referring to) it was difficult to be totally objective when reviewing these localities. In retrospect it doesn't seem so perilous, especially compared to some of the rough areas of Des Moines (again, save the sketchy part of town we drove through on the way to Robbinsdale).

[nrogers1122]

OK. I just looked at that link that Radical_Car posted - Am I possibly confusing Webber-Camden with Camden/Victory?

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by nrogers1122

OK. I just looked at that link that Radical_Car posted - Am I possibly confusing Webber-Camden with Camden/Victory?

Im no expert, but im looking at Google maps seeing what you possibly drove through and im not sure what neighborhood is there in that area. Someone with more knowledge would be able to tell, because theres a ton of neighborhoods in Minneapolis that I have no idea where they are. People like Golfgal and Uptown Urbanist are some of the best here at City Data Twin Cities forums, and they actually live in the Twin Cities and know much more then people like me. Really Great people to talk too.

[Radical_Car]

Crime Statistics and Reports

They also have crime maps and older crime stats too on their website, and shots fired maps and such. Good stuff to look at if you're moving here and aren't all that familiar with the area.

[golfgal]

Fridley is mostly a blue collar that hasn't really kept up with the times. There are better options out there.

[uptown_urbanist]

I'm not a northside expert by any means, but I think you're right about the Webber-Camden/ Camden/Victory confusion.

I don't really like Fridley and think of it as kind of depressing and dumpy, but I'm also a bit biased because my primary Fridley encounters have been with an old college roommate and her former high school friends who seemed to spend most of their time smoking and drinking beer at the pool hall. It's convenient, though, but from my limited experience I'd say I like Robbinsdale a lot better.

I don't know enough about all the residential neighborhoods of Richfield to give you a very useful update; I'd mostly say that some of (but not all, by any means) of the apartment complexes seem to have a lot of petty crime. Part of Richfield along Lyndale north of 66 seems kind of seedy and depressing. I like the west side of Richfield best, but that might be partly because of familiarity; the area around Penn and 66th isn't beautiful to look at, but there are some nice quiet residential streets once you get off the main road. It's also very convenient to Southdale and the big Edina/Southdale Library, as well as home to some nice community hangouts like Fireside Pizza and Lariat Lanes. I like some of the areas around Woodlake Nature Center, too.

[nrogers1122]

Sounds like my analysis of Fridley is right. It feels safe enough, but I'm concerned about future property values if its on the downhill slide. The upside is its proximity to law school. Oh well. If I find a steal in Fridley I'd probably consider it, but I'm not going to break my neck to get a place there.

Your analysis of Richfield seems to be identical to mine when I drove through. I really liked the area south of 66 but it seems like the farther west you go the farther north you can go. Its as if someone took a marker and drew a line cutting off the NE corner of town. I'll definately check out Richfield more.

In terms of Robbinsdale, I'll probably stick to the area to the west of that park. Although the sliver of Robbinsdale to the East of the park between that and Victory Dr. seem to be nice, its a little bit too close to that sketchy area we drove through. Crime acts like a blob that can expand and contract depending on various things. If it were to expand to encompass my future home it would not only be a safety concern but also a property value killer. Robbinsdale is still pretty high on my A list, though.

What would you all say the primary difference between New Hope & Crystal is? Right now they are sort of tied on my list, but I'm looking for a dividing factor.

[Haver]

I grew up in Richfield and have spent most of my life in its vicinity. What I can tell you is that while its a community in a bit of a transition - it was built up immediately after WW II and most of its residents were returning vets to the point that the Fred Babcock Legion post was the 2nd largest in the nation at one point - I don't get a sense that that crime and urban decay has or ever will seriously affect it. The housing stock, while aging, is well kept up, and it draws a mix of starting families, some immigrants, and minorities moving out of South Minneapolis looking for a better home life. So you'll have a family that starts out in Richfield and then moves on in 5 or 10 years for larger housing, and in the meantime they're vested in maintaining property values so they can sell later on.

There is convenient access to major employers and shopping venues so it will always attract at least a look from a lot of buyers who don't need a larger house.

Downsides are being an older community built up in the 50's & 60's (a lot of "Charlie Brown" ranch-style houses without a lot of personality), the schools are mostly average and not stellar, Richfield has always been a low-middle class to middle-class community, and while the houses are pretty much in good condition I could not always say the same thing about the apartment complexes, especially the larger ones (remember, they were built fast & cheap to satisfy a nation-wide housing crisis following the war). There is very strong support for the schools, but with the demographic shift over the past 20 years and (until Best Buy came in) no major employers to bring in money its been a bit of a challenge. Traffic is also an issue because of the ongoing redevelopment of 35W/Hwy 62.

West of 35W is the best area of Richfield. East is good in the areas away from both Cedar Ave & 494 - that's where you'll find most of the apartment complexes. There's also two large complexes (which used to be Century Court and for the longest time did not have any security - maybe they still don't) at 77th and Penn and 63rd & Lyndale and I would avoid anything around there.

There are a lot of restaurants and other businesses that have been around for 40 years or longer. Their longevity doesn't speak so much to their quality (which varies, as per usual) as it does to people sticking around and developing habits and routines around those businesses. The low commercial turnover also makes it harder to redevelop some of the commercial areas. For example, Penn & 66th only looks bad, but is a stable neighborhood with low crime rates, and most of those businesses have been there for 20,30,40 years. City managers don't really like to tell property owners that have been a predictable source of tax revenue "we're going to turn your life upside down for a year and a half".

It can be a very cosy community, especially the further away you get from the freeways and major commercial areas.

[Kebinminn]

Overall the houses in New Hope are a bit bigger. It's probably a tad newer but I'm not sure.