One of those families-moving to MN this summer and that’s never been there before,lol (Minneapolis: apartments)

[Pellifritz]

We are one of those families moving to Minnesota from North Carolina and we are one of those families that’s never been there before.
My son-in-law got a job in Minneapolis so the whole family, including my other two adult children, is moving to Minnesota. My husband is transferring up there and I’m a Dental Assistant that will be looking for a job and my daughter is a Paramedic that will be needing a job as well but she isn’t moving until she has a job. And as a mother it worries me about her job, the safety aspect.
I have been reading this forum and some of my questions has been answered but I still have some and was hoping I can get some opinions. The cold weather or snow doesn’t bother us because we lived in PA before and we love the snow.
Since we are coming from North Carolina I can’t get over the rent being so high. So one of my questions is, why is the rent so high? The cost of living doesn’t seem to be that bad, no taxes on most groceries and clothing.
So here is some questions.....

1. Why is rent so high?
2. We want to live in a homey, family oriented safe, small town within 30 or 45 mins from the TWC and where rent isn’t so high and lots of activities or things to do? We have been looking at Stillwater, Forest Lake, White Bear Lake, Cannon Falls, Lakeville, Farmington,Hastings and some WI towns,
3. Crime. I read that the crime rate isn’t as bad as Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Detroit and etc.. Is this really true? As a southern momma I worry a lot, lol.
4. Looking for a town that has local transit to ride into TWC during the winters to work.
5. Town with good schools
6. Is it better to live south or north of the TWC?

That’s all I have for now but would love to hear any other advice or ideas that you have. And I’m sorry for the repeated questions. Thanks for your input
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[Teak]

Originally Posted by Pellifritz

We are one of those families moving to Minnesota from North Carolina and we are one of those families that’s never been there before.

Since we are coming from North Carolina I can’t get over the rent being so high. So one of my questions is, why is the rent so high? The cost of living doesn’t seem to be that bad, no taxes on most groceries and clothing.
So here is some questions.....

1. Why is rent so high?
2. We want to live in a homey, family oriented safe, small town within 30 or 45 mins from the TWC and where rent isn’t so high and lots of activities or things to do? We have been looking at Stillwater, Forest Lake, White Bear Lake, Cannon Falls, Lakeville, Farmington,Hastings and some WI towns,
3. Crime. I read that the crime rate isn’t as bad as Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Detroit and etc.. Is this really true? As a southern momma I worry a lot, lol.
4. Looking for a town that has local transit to ride into TWC during the winters to work.
5. Town with good schools
6. Is it better to live south or north of the TWC?

Rent is high in the Twin Cities probably because the construction of housing hasn't kept pace with the job growth and numbers of people moving in.

Whether to live north, south, east, or west of the metro area depends upon where your jobs are or how much of a commute you can handle.

If you want slightly lower housing, you might check some towns just beyond the southern suburbs: Jordan, Belle Plaine, Shakopee, New Prague, and Farmington come to mind. Those are south of the metro area, and easy drives although you would be joining a host of other commuters going the same direction.

Crime is certainly lower than places like Chicago and Detroit.

Winters haven't been so bad the past few years. If there is a blizzard, it usually lasts only one day and the roads are cleared quickly. Most of the ring suburbs have good schools: north, south, east, or west.

Maybe if you told us where the job or jobs are located, we could give more specific recommendations.

No need to live in Wisconsin.

[HighFlyingBird]

I have seriously never heard of a whole family moving because an adult child is moving. Why not have them move and wait and see if they like it...visit a few times, etc?

[Kayekaye]

Stillwater, White Bear Lake is great and yes it’s close to the border but not Wisconsin . But there’s not much of a transit system out here and it’s a long haul to either downtown, especially in the winter. TWC? You mean the Twin Cities? Or just “the Cities”. Living north or south of the cities depends on where you work. I wouldn’t live north if you work south of downtown and vica versa. Our rush hour centers on each downtown and crossing them to get to the other side adds a lot of time on to the commute. South of the cities probably has more to offer, even a warmer gardening zone . But I personally prefer north of the cities, less congestion. One of the most popular areas is west of Minneapolis, in the lake area but the costs are higher as well.

It’s fascinating that you will move here without visiting. Good luck.

[Pincho-toot]

How high is "high" and where are you looking? My house is 1,500 a month for a five bedroom house, which to me, is very cheap and a steal. I live in St. Paul.

[mnrick]

"We have been looking at Stillwater, Forest Lake, White Bear Lake, Cannon Falls, Lakeville, Farmington,Hastings and some WI towns,"

"Looking for a town that has local transit to ride into TWC during the winters to work. "

If you live outside of the actual twin cities core area I would not count on relying on transit for anything. I live 20 miles out which is comparable to any of the cities you mentioned and other than a commuter route that comes into the neighboring suburb on a limited weekday schedule we do not have public transit out here.

You should have no problem finding work as a dental assistant and there is a demand for paramedics also, I hear that HCMC EMS (provides EMS service to Minneapolis and several inner suburbs) is hurting for help. Other EMS services, Allina Medical, North medical transport... are also short on medics to keep rigs on the road. Up here most cities do not have their own EMS services, the majority of them contract with HCMC, Allina, North, Ridgeview, HealthEast EMS services to provide service to their communities and I consistently hear that there is a shortage of paramedics, that they have a burnout problem and high turnover rate because of it.

Most of the suburbs are going to have good schools.

Personally I like the South Metro better, but I have lived in the south metro for the entire time I have lived in MN, over 20 years.

There is a housing shortage here, thus high rents, they can't build apartments fast enough. Best thing to do is just buy something.

[Yosh01]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

How high is "high" and where are you looking? My house is 1,500 a month for a five bedroom house, which to me, is very cheap and a steal. I live in St. Paul.

That rent for a house is a "steal"