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Hello everyone! I currently live in Baltimore, MD (yes, where The Wire took place) and my husband and I are trying to figure out where we want to settle down and raise our daughter. This year is all about location scouting; we are looking to move sometime in 2015. We’re in our upper 20s and have spent our whole lives living in the city. While there are many wonderful things about Baltimore, the crime and bad schools among other things are just too much to handle these days. We are actively researching Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan.
TL;DR Basically, we want a change of scenery, a lower cost of living, a little or a lot less “hustle and bustle,” and more snow.
I know it goes against the grain, but we would rather buy a house than rent first and have several trips planned throughout this year to each of the states we are considering. Hopefully, you all can chime in with some places we should check out. We’re pretty laid back so if we settled in an area and absolutely hated it for whatever reason we’d deal with it until we found the “perfect place.” So without further ado, what do we want? I’m not entirely sure...maybe you can help!
Weather
Weather is not an issue. We love the snow and cold and want more of it. Heat and humidity and scary storms aren’t a deterrent either. I have researched the weather in all three states we are considering and we are perfectly fine with it. However, flooding does scare me a bit because of my experiences with Hurricanes coming up the Chesapeake Bay.
Geography
I am spoiled where we are now, as we are a few hours from either the mountains or the ocean. As long as we are within a few hours of a lake/river and/or state/national parks with trees and some higher elevations I can survive anywhere!
Safety/Crime
We need to live in an area that is safe. Now, as a “city girl” I have a different view of safe than many others, so I don’t need a place as safe as “Mayberry,” (although it would be nice) but I do need to feel comfortable walking around my neighborhood in broad daylight and possibly early evening.
Schools
Schools are important obviously, but not the be-all-end-all. What I mean is, of course I want a great school district, but I’m realistic, so a decent one would work as well; they can’t be any worse than the options she would have where we currently live. Also, we prefer public school to private/catholic/etc.
Politics/Religion
I’m a firm believer of “live and let live,” but in case it matters I guess we’d be described as liberal to moderate. More often than not we lean left for social issues and somewhere in the middle for economic policy. I don’t think we’d do well in a place that was vocally conservative, but again we’re pretty easy to get along with so it is what it is.
Religion is another “live and let live” issue. I was brought up catholic and now I’m not sure what I am and my husband is an agnostic. We would like to find a nondenominational church when we move, but it’s not a necessity.
Demographics
Demographics: I don’t know if it matters, but my family is white. Where we live now is roughly 64% African American, 28% White, 4% Hispanic, and 4% other. Honestly though, I think the percentages are a little off, as there is a slightly larger Hispanic population an slightly lower White population. I’m going to be honest, at this point in my life, I couldn't really care less about diversity on either end of the spectrum. As long as the area is safe, I don’t care about the color of the skin of the people who live there.
Work
My husband has over 10 years experience in both residential and commercial carpentry. He currently works for the top Handyman service in North America. I have experience in healthcare administration, but currently stay home with my daughter while attending school. I will be done with in the year and have Bachelor’s degrees in both Economics and Geography with a focus on Environmental Planning. So obviously we want to move somewhere where we will be able to gain employment, more specifically my husband because I probably won’t go back to work until my daughter is ready for school.
House/Community
Our budget for a house will be $150,000 or under. I know it’s low but it’s what we have so I’m hoping we might be able to find something. Honestly, we don’t have a preference right now towards an urban, suburban, or rural setting, but we’re leaning toward the later two. My ideal house would be an older single family home with “character,” at least 2 stories, 3 bedrooms and a basement. A yard /property with an area that I could use to garden and room for my daughter and dogs to run around in would be great. My husband would like the property to have a garage/workshop or at least room for one to be built. That’s pretty much it!
My ideal location would be a small to medium (but I’m open to other suggestions) town that has a walkable downtown/main street area. I’d love a really walkable location, but I’d also be fine in a suburban or rural setting that was a short distance to a walkable area. Ideally, we would be within 30 minutes or so of an area with decent hospitals as I have had some health issues in the past. Restaurants are important, I don’t like chains all that much and have been spoiled by the Baltimore restaurant scene. I’m fine with anything from farm-to-table cafes to mom and pop diners and everything in between. Museums, theaters, parks, farmer’s markets, activities for children, and festivals (please please have festivals!) are all pretty important too and we’d like to be within 30 minutes or closer to these amenities if possible.
Finally, we would like to live somewhere that is friendly. I don’t need a welcome party when we move in, but neighbors that at least wave would be nice. We are very easy to please and just want to be an active family in whatever community we settle in. Trust me when I say, not much can be worse than where we are now. Baltimore is not all bad, it is just not for us anymore. While we don’t have any family or friends in any of the states we are considering, there is a very good chance that both of our parents would shortly follow where ever we settle down.
Wow, that was much longer than I thought it would be. Thank you in advance to any suggestions you may have and for taking the time to read my novel!
With a budget of $150,000 or less, you are pretty much going to rule out the Twin Cities metro area. If you want MN, you probably want to look an hour or more away from the Twin Cities. Good news is there are a LOT of great small, medium sized towns that will fit the bill with great schools, great downtown areas, local/chain restaurants and good job prospects for both of you. I would focus your research on Marshall, New Ulm, St. Peter, Willmar, Brainerd, Bemidji (depending on how much cold you can really handle), some of the smaller towns around St. Cloud, Albany specifically but others as well as well as the areas around Mankato and Rochester. All of these towns would have day to day amenities such as Target, Walmart, Builder Supply type places, etc. Larger shopping areas could be 30-90 minutes away.
Your budget would stretch much farther in Iowa and Michigan. Iowa has a good economy and many great smaller/medium sized towns. Michigan is really hit or miss and of the 3, the weaker schools.
I would say that one area that there is a REAL need in the area is for qualified contractors/handymen/whatever that will do smaller jobs. It's next to impossible to find someone to come in to do a one day job or even a part-day job. If that is something that would interest your husband, I think that might be a way to get established...just a suggestion.
The biggest change is it's not the east coast. You aren't within 5 hours of 10 major cities . It might take a bit of adjusting but then again, it sounds like you are trying to get away from that anyway.
There are MANY, MANY town festivals in the smaller towns around MN
Thank you for all of the wonderful advice Golfgal! Honestly, I think I was being to cheap/conservative/too much wishful thinking in terms of our budget. We could realistically go to 200,000-225,000 and be comfortable; I just don't want to, which is why I haven't edited the original post, even though I might just do that. I'm definitely trying to get away from all of the major cities I'm currently surrounded by. It may seem strange, but I just don't feel like I've ever fit in here! Also, thanks for the advice on work for my husband; it's definitely something to consider. I appreciate you listing specific cities to check out as it makes it easier to research. I am so happy to hear about the abundance of festivals! Yay!
Minntoaz, thanks for the advice. We will definitely check out Maple Grove.
Looks like I have a lot of trips to plan! Thanks again!
I just came back from a visit to friends in Mankato. If I were your family I'd look hard at this nice town.
It has a great and active downtown, there are very nice homes in the under $200000 price range (I just looked on Realtor.com), and it has a purple (mix of blue and red) political atmosphere. There also are some small lakes in the area, although fewer than up north. Take a look at the Lake Crystal area.
And I would think because it's a college town there would be tons of work for a handyman. Lots of property management companies that would employ handymen, and lots of university folks who don't have many practical skills. It also looked to me as though there was some new housing going up on the outskirts, so maybe there would be carpentry work, too.
A good handyman who doesn't drink/drug is "more precious than rubies".
It's true that with the budget you're proposing, things are going to be tight in the Twin Cities. Good suburbs (and even decent inner-city neighborhoods) just aren't going to have that many options in the $150,000 range.
That said, I have to imagine that you could find some houses that would fit the bill in the metro. For instance, some of the more "working-class" suburbs like Richfield or Robbinsdale/Crystal/New Hope have smaller homes that aren't particularly expensive. The schools aren't going to be superstar quality, generally elementary schools have fewer issues than middle and high schools. And a great thing about Minnesota is that you can enroll kids in other school districts through open enrollment (as long as you can provide the transportation). So it's possible you get a house in, say, Robbinsdale, but send your kids to one of the nearby districts that have a good reputation (I can't recall exactly, but I think the Wayzata district is nearby).
Are you open to a townhouse? I would think that you could purchase a townhouse in a nice city with a good school district for fairly close to your budget. I seem to recall Golfgal mentioning townhouses in places like Eagan for decent prices a while back (side note: Golfgal, you must be so proud of me for suggesting Eagan )
Outside the metro, you've already got a bit of a list from others. If scenery is something that matters to you (and a bit of elevation), you might also want to check out Duluth. It's the second biggest metro in Minnesota that's right on Lake Superior. I'm biased--I grew up there--but it's absolutely gorgeous, pretty inexpensive (definitely within your budget for a nice neighborhood and school district), and safe. Jobs can be hit or miss, but that's true of most of the small metros around here. Duluth has an industrial, gritty past, but now really is the Northeastern Minnesota hub for healthcare, education, etc.
It's true that with the budget you're proposing, things are going to be tight in the Twin Cities. Good suburbs (and even decent inner-city neighborhoods) just aren't going to have that many options in the $150,000 range.
That said, I have to imagine that you could find some houses that would fit the bill in the metro. For instance, some of the more "working-class" suburbs like Richfield or Robbinsdale/Crystal/New Hope have smaller homes that aren't particularly expensive. The schools aren't going to be superstar quality, generally elementary schools have fewer issues than middle and high schools. And a great thing about Minnesota is that you can enroll kids in other school districts through open enrollment (as long as you can provide the transportation). So it's possible you get a house in, say, Robbinsdale, but send your kids to one of the nearby districts that have a good reputation (I can't recall exactly, but I think the Wayzata district is nearby).
Are you open to a townhouse? I would think that you could purchase a townhouse in a nice city with a good school district for fairly close to your budget. I seem to recall Golfgal mentioning townhouses in places like Eagan for decent prices a while back (side note: Golfgal, you must be so proud of me for suggesting Eagan )
Outside the metro, you've already got a bit of a list from others. If scenery is something that matters to you (and a bit of elevation), you might also want to check out Duluth. It's the second biggest metro in Minnesota that's right on Lake Superior. I'm biased--I grew up there--but it's absolutely gorgeous, pretty inexpensive (definitely within your budget for a nice neighborhood and school district), and safe. Jobs can be hit or miss, but that's true of most of the small metros around here. Duluth has an industrial, gritty past, but now really is the Northeastern Minnesota hub for healthcare, education, etc.
She wants small/medium sized towns away from major metros....
She wants small/medium sized towns away from major metros....
I specifically addressed the metro since she's open to suburban areas. And you've never shied away from referring to many areas within the metro's grasp as "small town" in character.
That said, I also mentioned Duluth, which isn't exactly some sprawling metropolis (and honestly, it's more beautiful than many of the prairie towns in Greater Minnesota that are just...flat).
Is there any particular reason you're not considering Wisconsin, too? It's all but surrounded by the other states you mention. Any reasons for interest in its neighbors would apply similarly in Wisconsin. There is a good variety of cities in the 30,000 to 80,000 range in Wisconsin. That's not to say Wisconsin is necessarily better- just that its similar.
Generally, Minnesota should have plenty of appealing options for you. Schools, safety, health care, and the like can pretty much be taken for granted. Obviously, you'd want to do some additional research on any particular city or neighborhood before committing, but it's not really necessary at your current stage of planning. Waseca is a great town that may be the state's best kept secret. It sits on two lakes and has a surprisingly diverse economy for a city of 10,000. There are paved walking trails along both lakes, through a wetland area, and along the old railroad right-of-way. Waseca itself hosts several festivals include the Sleigh and Cutter festival in the winter, Chataqua around the 4th of July, the county fair, and the Marching Classic high school marching band competition. They have a pretty good selection of produce at weekly farmer's markets that run through most of the growing and harvest season. Altogether it has a real Anytown, USA feel to.
Rochester and the surrounding towns will warrant consideration for jobs alone. Mayo Clinic and other private developers have big plans for development in the downtown area. That will attract more employees who will need homes. Olmsted County Medical is expanding too. With all that, there should be plenty of construction/handyman type jobs for your husband and eventually jobs for you too. Rochester itself is an odd mix of urban, suburban, and rural. Downtown on weekdays is exactly the beehive you'd expect in a big city, but can be suspiciously quiet on evenings and weekends. There are small town diners, bakeries, butcher shops, barbers, and the like but there scattered around the city instead of concentrated downtown like in a smaller city. Most of the retail and shopping is more suburban with big box stores and strip malls. It also has a variety of festivals and entertainment. Perhaps most notable is Thursday's on First. On Thursdays during the summer, they close a few blocks downtown and feature music, food vendors, and crafters. The county historical society has some interesting events, too. The farmers market runs all year with the frequency varying from every other week right now to several times a week in the fall. You could do all of your grocery shopping at the market if you wanted. In your price range, a likely bet for housing would be a 50's or 60's style ranch on about a quarter acre in a quiet neighborhood. Most of the older homes would be on rather small lots. Surrounding communities might have cheaper housing and more of the true main street.
That's not to say that either of these are best for you. I just offer them as examples of what you might expect in Minnesota. In general, if you're looking in Minnesota I'd lean towards anything in or near the triangle defined by the Twin Cities, Mankato, and Rochester. It's not that other areas are worse- just that there are a lot of great towns packed into that area. It might help you get a better frame of reference for the types of choices available in Minnesota.
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. It might take a bit of adjusting but then again, it sounds like you are trying to get away from that anyway.
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