Moving to Minnesota - Need help finding good communities (Minneapolis: crime, houses)

[vipiinusa]

We are moving to Minnesota from NJ due to work move. I will be working in Plymouth and looking for recommendation on areas to purchase a house. I have two daughters who will be in Middle and High School. Our criteria include top schools, convenience to buy groceries etc nearby and overall community feeling. Our budget is about $450K and prefer a place closer to work due to weather conditions. Greatly appreciate your input. Thanks

[Izzie1213]

I grew up in Golden Valley, sister lives in Plymouth. Hopkins School District and Wayzata district are both great. You shouldn't have a problem finding a home for that price in the immediate area. Just depends upon what your looking for. These are not walk to local store to get groceries type of areas. You will have to drive to any stores. There are plenty in the area.

[Izzie1213]

Also, if you want a more walkable main Street type feel Hopkins has a small "downtown", not too far from Plymouth. Houses are older and small, small yards but a lot of homes are being remodeled to make them larger and more up to modern demands.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Hopkins is a good suggestion if you’re looking for something a little bit more urban and walkable but still within relatively close distance from where you’ll be working. To that same tune you may want to check out Edina and Southwest Minneapolis as well. If you’re ok with suburban living Plymouth is a strong choice. You may also want to look at Maple Grove which would also be close to where you’ll be working.

[SoldTampa]

I would contact a Great Realtor in the area, have them get you the info you want. They should be able to get you links to school info, walkability scores, crime stats and do a property search based on commute time. If you don't have an agent yet, I have access to a referral network of great agents that are the top in their area, great customer satisfaction and great resources. Does not cost anything, for the request, and if you are not impressed with the agent, you do not have to use them.

[TheGrandViking]

This is a no-brainer. Plymouth is part of the Wayzeta school system, which is considered one of the top high schools in Minnesota. They recently won the national science bowl and their math team has won the Minnesota Math champions many times (at least 7 times in a row at one point). They routinely produce national scholar candidates that compare well to Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie, and chanhassen. The other schools mentioned, like Hopkins, is a notch below. Not bad, just not on the same level.

One reason Plymouth is considered a desirable place to live, is because of the Wayzeta school system. This school has a very strong tax base and school spends it accordingly. The other schools mentioned lack the same tax base.

You could basically live almost exclusively within Plymouth and have ALL your requirements satisfied.

[TXRunner]

We just bought a house in Plymouth last summer and I work in Plymouth. I can't see a reason to live anywhere else, unless you'd rather not be in the suburbs. There's 5 grocery stores within a 5 minute drive from where I live, one that focuses on fresh/organic food (Fresh Thyme) if that's your thing.

Plymouth largely feeds into Wayzata Public Schools, except for the northeastern edge, which feeds into Robbinsdale. Though there are other great school districts, but we were set on having our daughter go to Wayzata schools.

It's great to drive 5 minutes down the road to work, especially when you hear some horror stories from coworkers commuting from Minneapolis. For 450k you can get a nice house, either new construction if you buy in/near Medina or Corcoran, or a developed community. Getting to Minneapolis from Plymouth is very easy if you want to go to sporting events, plays, concerts, etc.

We had a great realtor, if you'd like his name, just DM me.

[BryaninMSP]

You have plenty of good options that direction. Part of Plymouth is in the Wayzata school district, which is considered one of the best in the state. Similarly, Maple Grove is also very good and has all the shopping you could need (Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joes).

Home inventory is very limited right now because it's only January, but there are still 12 homes in the Wayzata school district listed for 350-450, and 21 in Maple Grove in the same price range.

[Glenfield]

We loved it when we lived in Plymouth and have thought about moving back from time to time. I would highly recommend it.

[luckysevn]

We moved to MN from Central Jersey five years ago and absolutely love it here... We live in the Orono district, which is consistently ranked one of the top schools in the state and is much smaller than Wayzata (many refer to it as Wayzata University - it's huge, often graduating close to 1,000 students per year from what I understand). We intentionally chose a location with a smaller school and a more open, "country" feel, and coming from NJ, it still feels like a bit of a hike to get to the closest Target/grocery store/etc., but be aware that Minnesota miles are NOT New Jersey miles... My husband has a 16 mile commute and it barely takes him 15 minutes.

You might want to check out Eden Prairie - we have friends from NJ who relocated there and are very happy with the location and proximity to amenities. Maple Grove is also a really nice, newer area - plenty of shopping, etc, and still close to Minneapolis. Chaska/Chanhassen are both great towns, but neither have the "Jersey" vibe I get from Eden Prairie, and if you have to travel Rt. 7 to get to/from work... well... it'd be miserable. Edina has it's own vibe - very upscale... the running joke here is Edina stands for "Every Day I Need Attention." The area itself is comparable to Short Hills, IMO.

Best of luck in your search, and welcome to Minnesota!