Living in Golden Valley (or elsewhere) with kids (Minneapolis, Plymouth: home, neighborhoods) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

srsmn · 05-04-2010, 10:11 PM

Oh, and Golden Valley is also *easily* a smoother commute to the East Bank than Eagan. Even in rush hour, I would much rather be on 394 or 55 than (God help me!) 35W or Hiawatha. Couple that with the fact that GV is geographically closer...

...I'm not even sure that Eagan would be an easier commute than Plymouth, come to think of it...

northstar22 · 05-04-2010, 10:28 PM

Ya, 35W traffic is like death.

golfgal · 05-05-2010, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

Ya, 35W traffic is like death.

You would take 35E or 55 from Eagan-and especially in off=peak hours is a simple commute

golfgal · 05-05-2010, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

^ I'm hesitant to blame entire schools for incidents like that, but for what it's worth, were many of the kids there actually from Cooper? I'd read that the boy who was shot was new to the school, and the party itself was in Brooklyn Park (which fair or not, does have a reputation as having some rough neighborhoods). I don't know in or with kids in Cooper so I don't know what the school is like, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on that incident alone.

Cooper has never had a good reputation, even back when I was in high school.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Libby01

Golden Valley is a great place to live with some excellent neighborhoods. Close access to Theo Wirth Parkway and the lake trail system is a big plus. Commute would be easy fairly easy, but still have to get around Minneapolis to get to the U.

Highland Park would be a super easy commute to the U (and scenic because it's along the river). Great neighborhood school and access to bike trails here. Keeping within your price range may be tough, but isn't impossible. A quick look shows about 8 properties for sale in your range. You won't get a huge yard unless your price range goes up a bit or find a house with a double lot. You would really appreciate the short commute time here and the commuting options. My neighbor who works at the U bikes everyday (including winter). Work out, save gas and get to work....all at the same time!

Personally, I would avoid Woodbury if you have to drive into Minneapolis. The commute going home can be awful. The backup starts about before Snelling and creeps thru St Paul until you get past the downtown exits/35E. I know you don't commute during typical rush hours, but it backs up if there are Wild games or other events in St Paul too. I used to work with someone who lived on the East side of St Paul and he talked about getting an apartment in Mpls because the commute was so maddening for him. I can tell you from experience, that the commute between St Paul and Mpls has gotten significantly worse in the last decade- so expect that trend to continue.

Highland Park doesn't give you good backyards or schools for the kids. In off-peak hours like he said he would be driving, Woodbury to the East Bank isn't going to be a difficult commute at all. There will be minimal traffic and if it does back up on 94 you can take surface streets quite easily.

mmhl · 05-05-2010, 07:11 AM

No, Cooper hasn't had a good reputation for 20+ years for sure. I guess I don't know that all the students were Cooper students, probably not, but as a parent I still think it's something the poster should know about.

Cruz Azul Guy · 05-05-2010, 07:27 AM

I drive from Eagan to the West Bank Campus for evening classes (easier than going from Eagan to East bank) and 20-25 minutes is pushing it. I really doubt you could get from Eagan to the East bank taking 35E or 55 in 20-25 minutes on a consistent basis...that'd be a stretch. Both are far from ideal routes. 35E to 94 is a roundabout route and 55 is slow as molasses once it turns into Hiawatha Ave.

Libby01 · 05-05-2010, 07:36 AM

slewis2010---
I would make sure you judge for yourself what makes for a good school or "not good schools". There are some heavy biases on this forum and some that would have you believe that there are NO good schools in St Paul or Minneapolis. The great thing about Minnesota is that we have a great public school system with a lot of options. Look at the data and see for yourself. Mann Elementary in Highland Park is in the top 5% of the state when it comes to rankings and there are some that would dismiss it because it's in St Paul. Capitol Hill Magnet school is consistently in the top also. Once you get to Jr. High and Sr. High, the ratings don't tell the whole story IMO- but they still do a great job and if you are a parent who cares about education, your kids will do great. There are a number of charter school options to look into as well. Personally, I don't buy into the whole idea of picking school districts based on test scores. Most people don't pick colleges based only on test scores, so why should you pick a school or district based only on that? Sure, the rankings can be part of the equation, but I also value diversity, open-minded teaching staff and administration, and experience based on other families I know.

Ultimately, you need to determine if you are more of an urban person, or more comfortable in the suburbs. This will help you in narrowing down choices. For myself, I hate spending time in my car and stuck in a car is like torture. I'm definitely have an urban bias and see no reason to live a great distance from where I work. It's just not worth it to me. Other folks disagree and see benefits that are worth it to them.

srsmn · 05-05-2010, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

Cooper has never had a good reputation, even back when I was in high school.

Highland Park doesn't give you good backyards or schools for the kids. In off-peak hours like he said he would be driving, Woodbury to the East Bank isn't going to be a difficult commute at all. There will be minimal traffic and if it does back up on 94 you can take surface streets quite easily.

See, but you said that Woodbury to the East Bank is an easier commute than GV to the East Bank, which isn't even close to true....not by a long shot.

And you insinuated that Eagan to the East Bank was an easier commute than GV to the East Bank, which is even less true.

If I remember, you actually did say that Eagan to the East Bank was easier than Plymouth to the East Bank. That one is a push, at best, but it is a BIG push....

I'm starting to think that you are as preferential to some suburbs over others as you are to the suburbs in general over the cities, golfgal...

srsmn · 05-05-2010, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slig

I drive from Eagan to the West Bank Campus for evening classes (easier than going from Eagan to East bank) and 20-25 minutes is pushing it. I really doubt you could get from Eagan to the East bank taking 35E or 55 in 20-25 minutes on a consistent basis...that'd be a stretch. Both are far from ideal routes. 35E to 94 is a roundabout route and 55 is slow as molasses once it turns into Hiawatha Ave.

See? Straight from the horse's mouth. Thank you, Slig!

srsmn · 05-05-2010, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmhl

No, Cooper hasn't had a good reputation for 20+ years for sure. I guess I don't know that all the students were Cooper students, probably not, but as a parent I still think it's something the poster should know about.

Really? Because from my days in Hopkins, I don't remember Cooper having a particularly bad reputation. It wasn't as good as our reputation, but we went there for sporting events and such and never felt like we were going to get shot at.

Maybe reputation should be taken to mean "personal perception" in this thread?