Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 09-02-2009, 02:52 PM
 
2 posts, read 4,422 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hello
I am an American woman who has lived in Toulouse France for the last 18 years. I am originally from New York city. My husband who is French has just gotten a job offer in Northfield Minnesota. We are planning to move to the Twin cities and I really would like to live in the St Paul or Minneopolis area. I need to live in a neighborhood where I can walk to cafes, a bookstore, restaurants etc. Public transportation is also very important to me as I don't drive (I was too afraid to learn in France and in NYC you dont need it!). We also have two young children (five and eight) and a new baby. Could anyone advise me on nice neighborhoods to look at (we want to rent and were hoping to pay around 1500 a month, more or less for a nice house). Macalaster Groveland looks nice to me but I don't know if the public schools are good and if it is safe. I would greatly appreciate any advice as it is very hard to find out things from here. If anyone needs advice on France in exchange, don't hesitate to ask!
Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-02-2009, 03:27 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,308,820 times
Reputation: 10695
Mac/Groveland is a nice area but it is a HAUL to get to Northfield-the commute would be about an hour each way in good conditions. Northfield itself is a great town, very walkable, has pretty much everything you need there on a day to day basis more so then the Mac/Groveland area or most neighborhoods in St. Paul even. It has a cute downtown with nice shops. The schools are very good. I would just look right there to live.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-02-2009, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Colorado
4,306 posts, read 13,471,916 times
Reputation: 4478
I was going to suggest Highland for all the things you want if you're dead set on living in St Paul, but that commute is a b****, especially in the Winter!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-02-2009, 03:54 PM
 
10,624 posts, read 26,736,582 times
Reputation: 6776
I agree with the others (and I don't drive, either). I'd really consider living in Northfield first; that's a really long commute. I haven't spent much time there in recent years, but there are cafes, bookstores, and a really nice walkable downtown, plus all the activities that come as a perk of having the colleges right there. It would be tough not to drive, but not impossible.

If you do settle in St. Paul then the schools are fine and Mac/Groveland is perfectly safe.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-02-2009, 04:01 PM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,373,570 times
Reputation: 5309
If you live right downtown Northfield it's walkable, although you would have to put up with the limitations of living in a small town as opposed to a mid sized city like Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Walk Score - Helping homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-02-2009, 04:07 PM
 
Location: Columbus OH
1,606 posts, read 3,342,916 times
Reputation: 1833
I also recommend you consider Northfield, which offers the best of small town living plus two colleges and a nice quaint downtown. But certainly, once you're here, check out Mac-Groveland/Highland park in St. Paul. You could also check out SW and south Mpls, which also offers several very walkable neighborhoods. I know someone who works at St Olaf, but lives in SW Mpls (she commutes about three days per week), so the commute can be done
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-03-2009, 10:44 AM
 
664 posts, read 1,946,625 times
Reputation: 239
As far as schools here so a webiste www.greatschools.com
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-04-2009, 02:28 PM
 
2 posts, read 4,422 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you all for so many answers and so quickly. I am new to using a forum like this. We will check out Northfield but I am a bit afraid of living in a small town after living for so many years in a fairly big city in France and also coming from NY. However my husband would be much happier not to drive so long. Is there anyone out there from Northfield who might be able to describe what it is like living there?
On the other hand, could anyone recommend any other interesting places to live where you can walk to some sort of nice downtown area with independent stores, cafes, etc that might be closer to Northfield than Macalaster Groveland in St Paul? I have to say that I am not too enthusiastic about the suburbs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-04-2009, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Colorado
4,306 posts, read 13,471,916 times
Reputation: 4478
Maybe Farmington? Or Lakeville? Further north and you're already into the St Paul suburbs of Apple Valley and Burnsville.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-04-2009, 03:19 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,308,820 times
Reputation: 10695
Northfield is pretty much out on it's own and not really all that close to anything. It sounds isolated but it isn't. You are still not far from Minneapolis or Rochester but Northfield is pretty much it within a reasonable commute. The towns that are close are either similar or even smaller.

My husband grew up in Northfield and we spend quite a bit of time there. It is a very liberal town with a lot of shops and things to do right in town. No it won't have the vibe of New York but neither will the Mac/Groveland area or any area in Minneapolis or St. Paul for that matter.

Northfield will have what you are used to, on a much smaller scale though and have the bonus of being able to let your kids ride their bikes to the park, run over to a friend's house, play ball in the yard, etc.

Northfield really isn't a suburb. It is a self-contained town with a vibrant downtown, 2 very well respected colleges and a highly educated population. Other then not being in the city itself you won't see a whole lot of difference on a daily basis then what you are currently used to-except most people will have a house and a yard vs apartment living.

Here is a link to the chamber website with some pictures of the town: http://www.northfieldchamber.com/
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:01 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top