Thinking about relocating to St. Paul (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartment, rental, home) - Minnesota (MN) - City-Data Forum

tracy.weeden · 09-23-2010, 05:28 AM

I am thinking about relocating to St. Paul . I want to know what side of town is quiet and safe. I am looking for a 2 bedroom apartment. I'm looking to pay 500.- 750. a month. How is the school system in MN. I have an 8 year old and a 13 year old. Next year My oldest will be in highschool. What is a good highschool in the area. I will also be looking for work. I have exp. Working with special needs adults/group home setting. I also have exp. working with them in work/shop day services setting.

golfgal · 09-23-2010, 06:24 AM

The St. Paul schools are not very good, the suburban schools around St. Paul are excellent for the most part. A 2 bedroom apartment in your price range in a good area is going to be next to impossible to find though. Is there some reason you need to move to St. Paul? If not, you may want to consider moving somewhere in outstate MN. Home health care/senior care jobs are in high demand in many places in outstate MN and the cost of living is so much less.

Cruz Azul Guy · 09-23-2010, 10:33 AM

I agree that it will be challenging to find a decent 2 bedroom apartment in the Twin Cities for $750 or under, however this will depend somewhat on how high your standards are. I'm fairly certain that if you look hard enough you could find some options in your price range. craigslist.org is a decent search took for that.

Regarding schools, this website is a good resource to use for researching schools in a given area as it includes both quantitative data (avg class sizes, teacher/pupil ratio, test scores) as well as comments from parents who send their kids to the school.

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

I don't have any experience with St. Paul or St. Paul suburban schools personally but I would pay very little attention to such blanket statements such as that all schools in area X are good and in area Y are bad. It would seem to me that in most areas there are usually enough decent options between public, private and charter and magnet schools to choose from and their quality is fairly subjective depending on what kinds of things you're looking for in a school. There are some charter schools in St. Paul that I've heard very good things about. That is something you'd just have to do some research on to find out what schools will work for you.

Radical_Car · 09-24-2010, 10:39 PM

St. Paul is a great city. Don't know anything about the schools though, though there are many cool areas in St. Paul and some cool historic places too and such.
You're budget might be a little low for an apartment tho like the others said. If you want to live in St. Paul, then live in St. Paul. Of course its more expensive, and theres also much more to do and much more places to shop, much more employment, and everything. Sure you can get housing cheaper in Buffalo, but there isn't really much there. Im not saying theres nothing to do in Outstate MN, but if you're looking for amenities that you'll only find in the cities, then you should live in the cities.
Both options have pros and cons. Outstate MN is cheaper and less traffic, but less jobs and less things to do. The Twin Cities are definitely more expensive, but theres so much more in terms of shopping and jobs and nightlife, etc

Libby01 · 09-25-2010, 09:51 AM

St Paul has some really good public school options- some really great neighborhood schools, magnet schools and charter schools to choose from. For high schools, there is Central or Highland- which both have excellent IB programs. Central would be considered the top school, but is larger than Highland. Neighborhood elementaries in Mac-Groveland or Highland are good- but aren't the only good options. Capitol Hill Magnet is one of the top schools and is for gifted/talented, so your child would need to test into it. Nova Classical Academy and St Paul Academy are excellent charter schools.

Your price range is on the lower end, but depending on your expectations, is possible. I hate to tell people to avoid certain areas, as there are good, safe pockets in many different neighborhoods. I would also look in Minneapolis if I were you as well. The cities are very similar in many ways and if you haven't pinned down a job, you might as well keep your options open.

Radical_Car · 09-25-2010, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Libby01

I would also look in Minneapolis if I were you as well. The cities are very similar in many ways and if you haven't pinned down a job, you might as well keep your options open.

Ya, and its not like there so far apart.

golfgal · 09-26-2010, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Libby01

St Paul has some really good public school options- some really great neighborhood schools, magnet schools and charter schools to choose from. For high schools, there is Central or Highland- which both have excellent IB programs. Central would be considered the top school, but is larger than Highland. Neighborhood elementaries in Mac-Groveland or Highland are good- but aren't the only good options. Capitol Hill Magnet is one of the top schools and is for gifted/talented, so your child would need to test into it. Nova Classical Academy and St Paul Academy are excellent charter schools.

Your price range is on the lower end, but depending on your expectations, is possible. I hate to tell people to avoid certain areas, as there are good, safe pockets in many different neighborhoods. I would also look in Minneapolis if I were you as well. The cities are very similar in many ways and if you haven't pinned down a job, you might as well keep your options open.

IF your child can get into these programs they are good, but the rest of the schools, not so. For the number of kids in the St. Paul schools the dozen or so kids in the IB programs is not a close representation of the quality of those schools. Also, there is no way she will find a 2 bedroom rental in Highland or Mac-Groveland in her price range.

Cruz Azul Guy · 09-26-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

IF your child can get into these programs they are good, but the rest of the schools, not so. For the number of kids in the St. Paul schools the dozen or so kids in the IB programs is not a close representation of the quality of those schools. Also, there is no way she will find a 2 bedroom rental in Highland or Mac-Groveland in her price range.

This is what I was able to find in about 5 minutes...

Charming 2bdrm in Highland Park (http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/apa/1969265765.html - broken link) ($750/month)

Small but Charming 2 BR in Great Building in Mac/Groveland (http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/apa/1971320895.html - broken link) ($700/month)

St. Paul Grand/Highland Park/easy connect to light rail & Mpls (http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/apa/1967725353.html - broken link) ($750/month)

TWO Months Free Rent in Great Highland Park Location!! (http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/apa/1967590220.html - broken link) ($655/month)

Libby01 · 09-26-2010, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

IF your child can get into these programs they are good, but the rest of the schools, not so. For the number of kids in the St. Paul schools the dozen or so kids in the IB programs is not a close representation of the quality of those schools. Also, there is no way she will find a 2 bedroom rental in Highland or Mac-Groveland in her price range.

Not sure where you get your information- but it is very much incorrect if you think there are only a dozen kids in the IB programs in St Paul. There are well over 100 kids in the Highland IB program in the 11th grade alone! But you are making it sound like you have some direct knowledge of all the St Paul schools (even though you don't live here), so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you have just been given false information by others and are not intentionally trying to spread false information.

Having my own kids in the St Paul schools and being very familar with them, I can tell you that the St Paul schools, in my experience and all the hundreds of parents I know, have been terrific. As far as high school-there are many parents I know that take their kids from private schools (K-8) and them send them to Central HS because of the great reputation. Both Central and Highland have been awarded national Blue Ribbon Awards and have received other recognition as well.

To the OP- you don't have to take my word for it, you can do your own research to find out quality of schools. I personally, don't put a lot of stock in test scores, as they don't tell the whole story. The schools in St Paul and Minneapolis are very diverse (racially and economically) and you have to be comfortable with that. Some folks aren't.

MacGrover · 09-26-2010, 10:56 AM

I agree with Libby - one would imagine that having some first hand knowledge of the schools in Saint Paul might better qualify one to make a judgement about the quality of the schools.
I have children in the St Paul public schools - and actually moved my kids from a private school to the public schools. I have found them to be at least as good as the private school we transferred out of. There are a couple of public schools is Saint Paul that I would likely steer clear of but for middle schools and high schools I think Ramsey, Highland and Central are good choices.