Can you tell me about Minneapolis?

[LBW]

Hi-

I found out today that my company is moving most of the projects I work on to an office in Minneapolis, so we may need to consider moving. I'm open to the idea, especially since the cost of living is probably a lot lower than where we are right now (northern NJ). However, I don't know anyone who actually lives there, so I can't get any first hand scoop.

I'd love to know a little more about neighborhoods, preschools, school districts, quality of life, etc. I did a preliminary search on realtor.com to check out housing. Is it really possible to get a decent 4 BR home for $200,000?? That seems unbelievable to me!

Thanks in advance!

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I am beyond jealous. I lived in Minneapolis for 5 years after graduation and loved every minute of it. Only downside is the cold, but you are already used to that. Lived downtown so can not comment on housing pxs in the suburbs. Great art museum, theater, shopping. Most people I know who have lived in both Chicago and Mpls prefer the Twin Cities. Good Luck!

Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 ETA 05-22-06

[trumansmom]

I don't live there, but road trip there once or twice a year. :)

There are a handful of moms on the board who either live there now, or have in the not too distant past. If you don't hear from some, I'll track them down and let them know you are curious.

FWIW - I love, love, love the Twin Cities! I'm somewhat partial to St. Paul, but I'm not exactly sure why.


Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[hez]

I'm kinda jealous-- I met DH in Minneapolis (we interned there one summer). Loved living there in the summer-- we lived downtown. I loved that we could walk back to our apartments after a Twins game and not be mugged :)

Most of our life was downtown, but just wanted to let you know Minneapolis is a great place to live!!! Hopefully one of the mamas who lives around there can help you out.

[tarahsolazy]

Extremely family-friendly, great cost of living. I grew up in the area, and my sister and parents still live there. The only downside is the winter weather, but its really not THAT bad. Oh, and people are very nice here in the Midwest. I can't speak to specific neighborhoods, however. You could call a big realtor in the Cities and ask those questions, though, a good one should be able to answer them for you.

[SewSarahSew]

I grew up in Minnesota, but live across the border in Wisconsin now. My sister lives in one of the northern burbs (Mounds View) and bought a house a couple years ago. They are not in one of the elite, richy rich burbs (like Edina), but theirs has a good school district. They have a 4 br. home that is "decent" but not fabulous, IMO, and it was more like $250,000 I think. They needed to re-roof it, get new appliances, paint, etc. It's not a charming house, just a standard 1970's cookie cutter house with an attached 2 car garage. The same house in a more desirable neighborhood would be $350 - 450, I think. Those prices seem like a lot to *ME*, but probably not much if you're from New Jersey.

The quality of life in the Cities is great, in my opinion. It is the 2nd largest metro area in the upper midwest, second to Chicago. There is lots in the way of culture - the arts, restaurants, childrens & science museums. It is pretty liberal, Minnesota has a long tradition being a Democrat state. Having lived in Cleveland and Raleigh-Durham, and traveled around the US, I think the Cities is amazingly clean. People are generally more concerned about things looking nice, I think. The people are generally very nice - have you heard of "Minnesota Nice"?

There are so many different suburbs to choose from, I can't really advise you much on that. The west side is growing faster than the east, so there is a lot more traffic there. The south is growing fast too, with Lakeville and Burnsville, etc.

For what it's worth, my husband's boss and his wife grew up in New Jersey and intentionally moved to the Midwest for the quality of life issues. They moved out about 12 years ago and think it was the best decision they ever made.

[kristine_elen]

I lived in Mpls until I was in my late 20s. It is a fabulous city and we hope to move back some day.

No, $200K is not possible, not in a good neighborhood. Some zip codes you might want to plug in to realtor.com are 55409, 55419 and 55410. If were you'd I'd want to be west of Nicollett Ave., or at least not too far east of it. Some of the better close-in suburbs are Edina and St. Louis Park.

I believe Mpls has open enrollement in its schools, so your child doesn't necessarily go to the school closest to you. Many are magnet. I'm not up on that, though.

It is cold as hell in the winter, but if you buy some good winter boots and a down jacket, you will be OK. I'd also recommend an automatic car starter and for gawd sakes, make sure you buy a house with a garage!

But it is a wonderful place to live. The lakes are gorgeous, there are tons of good restaurants, the nightlife is great and there are lots of cultural options. It's not the most diverse place in the world, but I still love it.

[LBW]

I'm trying to hold off on contacting a realtor until I know whether or not this is happening. You're right, though. I could probably get my answers pretty quickly that way!

[LBW]

I need to figure out exactly where the new office is. I want to say it's in Shoreview (Shoreham?) which, I think, is near Mounds View. (?) If we make this move, I want a *short* commute - no more 40 min- 1 hour! So, location will be really important. I also want a quiet street in a real neighborhood, preferable with a school in walking distance.

Geez, DH has no clue that I've thought this much about this already!

[LBW]

Ha! In my world we look for the garage and then if it's okay, we check out the house! DH is an engineer whose hobby is working on/racing cars. So, we need plenty of garage space.

I've been finding such positive info in my research, that I actually think this might be a move we could do. Now, if only management could decide what they're doing!

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

[tarahsolazy]

You wouldn't have to give much contact info, I don't think. My mom's a realtor, although not in Mpls anymore. She does those kind of calls all the time in her area. Realtors are chatty by nature, I say go for it.

[wagner36]

I'm from Minneapolis too - we moved to Chicago in 2001. I really miss it there, but my DH didn't like it and doesn't want to move back. 200k is pushing it for good schools, but compared to Chicago it is much more affordable.

My parents and siblings are all teachers in various suburbs, so let me know if you need any info on non-city school districts!

I would type more, but DH is urging me to go to sleep!

[momofmany]

I am a lifelong MN resident and have lived in the Twin Cities for 20+ years. I think you will love living in this area. It has many big city amenities (great restaurants, theatre, sports teams, attractions) with a smaller town feel. We live in the northern suburbs and drive into the city (both Mpls. and St. Paul) all the time and occasionally to the Mall of America. It is a vibrant and culturally diverse community to live it - also great schools, including at a collegiate level and many great companies as well. The weather - well the winters are cold - but we embrace it with sledding, skating, and skiing (cross country and downhill). The spring, summer, and fall are wonderful - after one beautiful summer you'll be hooked!

In terms of housing, if you are working in Shoreview, you can find housing in a variety of surrounding suburbs, including Arden Hills, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Roseville, Circle Pines, Moundsview, etc. Shoreview is a great central location - closer to St. Paul, but very convenient. We like the northern suburbs because it is a bit less congested but growing fast as well.

In terms of housing prices, I'm sure the area is much more affordable than NJ, but you cannot expect to buy a decent 4 bedroom for $200k. Prices have been rising quickly for they past several years - I think $300k is more realistic. However, it is now a buyers market. Do a little online searching or contact a realtor for some ideas.

Good luck with your possible move - we love living here.

Becky
Mom to three great girls and one great boy!

[american_mama]

I lived in Minnepolis for just 18 months (2002 and 2003) and both DH and I really loved it. We lived in south Minneapolis very close to the three lakes that everyone talks about and walks around, wonderful neighborhood. We are an interracial family and found the area to be FULL of multiracial families, plus the Twin Cities have some of the biggest Somali and Hmong (ethnic group from Laos) populations in the country, so I would call it MUCH more diverse than I expected.

There are lots of small neighborhood parks that have free wading pools in the summer and free ice skating rinks in the winter. There are sometimes small community centers attached to these parks for neighborhood get-togethers and cheap kid classes.

You should look into the ECFE program (Early Childhood and Family Education program), which most people I knew participated in, from my landlords to my playgroup to my hairdresser. They are very low cost family/child programs run through the school system. Some programs are like playgroups, some are like parenting classes, some are like support groups, some are classes like art or movement for kids. They were FABULOUSO programs, so supportive to families, and I wish every community in the country offered such a program.

We loved the beautiful 1920's housing stock that filled south Minneapolis... woodwork and built-ins to die for, we loved our church, we loved DH using the express bus and us living with only one car (we knew other families who did this when working downtown or at the univeristy), we were really happy with the restaurant scene, people were very friendly, employees were very efficient, the lakes and the Mississippi River are beautiful, the skyline of Minneapolis is cool, the Winter Carnival in St. Paul is cool (literally!), the little stores and ubiquitous neighborhood coffee shops were fun... we were really happy there.

We'd gladly move back.

[mom_hanna]

Hi there,
I grew up in St. Paul and went to college in Minneapolis, and lived there as well as SW Bloomington (Mpls suburb) for 12 years. I love the Twin Cities. However, I agree with the pp that you probably have to go more towards 250,000 to get a 4br in a decent neighborhood. Shoreview is actually a suburb of St. Paul, so if you consider living in St. Paul, the housing is generally less expensive than Mpls, and the property taxes are A LOT lower. I know the Roseville (St. Paul suburb) schools are great, as well as Edina schools(Mpls suburb). I went to a private school so I am not much help here.

Quality of life is fantastic. Lots of great restaurants, world class museums, TONS of theatre, including a renowned Children's Theatre, a great zoo, great science museum, awesome Children's Museum.

Winters are cold so definitely look for a house with a garage. There is at least one ice storm every winter too, so a garage is a lifesaver. Summers are hot ans humid but there are lots of lakes to cool off in!

HTH

[jayali]

My brother and sister-in-law live in Minnesota. I think the town is Woodland, their mailing address is Wayzata. I have lived my life on the East Coast. The last 15 years in New Jersey, but originally from Brooklyn, and I ALWAYS have a great time. It has certainly come a long way in the 14 years that they have lived there and now I would definitely call it a city with a Suburban appeal. Great places to eat, beautiful scenery, VERY clean, good museums. We never get stuck in what I would call traffic, although they consider it to be. The people are wonderful and the quality of life is also great. I LOVE cold weather so that doesn't even bother me. We were last there at Thanksgiving and it was warmer there then here!

I say go for it and good luck!

[bluej]

I'm so jealous! I wish we could move back to the Minn/St. Paul area! We have lived in Roseville, Woodbury and Prior Lake. I have loved all three places and they are all very different from one another. My favorite was probably Prior Lake b/c it had a small town feel to it.

I don't know what your standards are as far as a house is concerned, but I wouldn't count on finding a decent 4 BR home for $200,000. We sold our 4 BR home in 2004 for considerably more than that. It was nothing fancy, just a basic spit-level home built in 1986. When we lived there the appreciation rate for homes in our county (Scott county) was b/w 11-13% per year. I'm not sure if it's still on that track or what the situation is for the northern suburbs. Also, Prior Lake is pretty far out from the cities, so the housing in closer suburbs is higher. I would say in Ramsey county a no frills 4 BR house in a nice neighborhood would be in the $320,000 - $350,000 range.

We have done Catholic and public schools and were happy with both. We liked the public school in Prior Lake very much. Alex had some really fantastic teachers while she was there and they had a very good Synergy program. I can't think of any school districts that were really hurting financially while we were there, but obviously there are ones that are better than others.

I can't imagine anyone NOT liking the Twin Cities area, but there are those who complain about the weather (which I think is fabulous, especially in the winter!). I am sure if you are open to the move and you find the right suburb to live in that fits your needs/desires, you will be very happy there. If you are willing to do an hour commute you really do have a very wide range of areas to live in. With a short commute you still have some very nice areas to choose from (it's been more than a decade since I've lived in Roseville, but unless things have changed drastically I imagine Roseville, Shoreview and White Bear Lake are all still nice areas to live). Good luck with your decision!

[iznav]

Yippee, we're talking about Minneapolis! I've lived in Minnesota for all of my 38 years. The first 26 in White Bear Lake (a northern suburb of St. Paul) and the last 12 in Apple Valley and Savage (southern suburbs). Yes, the cold isn't much fun when you have to go to work or when you have to bundle up the kids (in the thinniest coats possible) and stuff them in car seats. But, spring, summer and fall are fantastic. You'll get the opportunity to go "up north" Minnesota where it is really beautiful and the lakes are great.

You'd have to spend A LOT of dough to live on a lake in MN though even in the far out suburbs. Also I don't think you can get a decent 4 bdrm house for 200k even in a suburb. We live in an 2800SF 4 bdrm 2 story house, not counting the basement, in a nice neighborhood, nothing fancy, and we paid well over than when we built 5 years ago. It amazes me how much houses go for these days. You could check www.edinarealty.com for some of the neighborhoods mentioned to look up houses and see pics and prices.

With an office in Shoreview you could find many nice neighborhoods (like OPs have mentioned) in that area and it would be nice not to have to drive in rush hour to downtown Minneapolis. Now that I'm at home I try to avoid being near the city during rush hour. There is a nice bus system though that I took advantage of when I worked downtown. The people are friendly and the neighborhoods are safe.

I too recommend ECFE. I have been doing classes for 4 years and have made great friends, my best friends are from my oldest daughter's first baby class! There are lots of preschools, some ECFE, some private, like at churches - my daughter attends a church-based preschool. And some even have drop-off so you don't have to drag the kids out in the cold!

Well, with three kids under four my mind is a wreck and too many things are going through my head to type! LOL So, I HTH. It really is a nice city (I just wonder why we live here when it's cold - but Hawaii has its problems too right?) with great schools, restaurants, art, etc. Wow, I just cheered myself up typing this! :)

HTH

edited to change square footage - oops, that wouldn't help much!