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We want to live on the Minnesota side for political and sentimental reasons. We are homeowners in Missouri but tired of the hassles, so we want to rent a nice 3BR apartment, preferably with a heated garage and a workout room. "Walkability" is a plus.
Our kids will be in 2nd grade and kindergarten and both have autism, so a school with good special ed resources is important.
Preface this as I havent lived in Moorhead but have driven around parts of town. And I have lived in the Red River valley of ND/MN for nearly 20 years.
There are 3 elementary schools (public) in Moorhead, the newest one is where most of the recent growth has been which is 40th Ave S region all south of I-94. Many new apartment complexes in this area, with most offering the standard nice layout, nice ammenities and a work out room. There are a couple right near the south end K-5 school - S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School.
I would assume as in most of our cities the quality of education is pretty uniform from school to school within any district....just which one is "newer". In your case, you will need to talk to the school district for sure to see how they have special ed resources set up. That would help out the best in determining your location. Typical 3BR rentals in newer buildings will be in the 1100-1400/mo range... older complexes closer to the city core will be less.
One thing of caution....I do live in a home in East Grand Forks MN.... but for rent I would look at ND as the difference in state income taxes for me was about 300/mo....favoring ND.
Our household income (family of 4) is only about $60K, so I can't imagine that the state border will make nearly that much difference for us in terms of taxes.
We want to live on the Minnesota side for political and sentimental reasons.
Keep in mind that income tax is much higher in Minnesota than in North Dakota. When I was contemplating a home purchase, I remember doing research and concluded that at about $60,000/year it's a $2000 tax difference between Minnesota and North Dakota (or about $40,000 - $50,000 worth of house in terms of mortgage payments).
I would argue the sociopolitical reasons for wanting to live in Minnesota are nonexistent considering we're talking about F-M. Fargo is more similar to Minneapolis than it is North Dakota. I understand where you're coming from, but you will save a lot of money living on the ND side of the river and Fargo is a very tolerant city for its size. Minnesota is becoming less and less of a good state to live in for reasons that you will find through your own effort. Good luck with your move.
I would argue the sociopolitical reasons for wanting to live in Minnesota are nonexistent considering we're talking about F-M. Fargo is more similar to Minneapolis than it is North Dakota. I understand where you're coming from, but you will save a lot of money living on the ND side of the river and Fargo is a very tolerant city for its size. Minnesota is becoming less and less of a good state to live in for reasons that you will find through your own effort. Good luck with your move.
Thanks, but it would be nice if you could elaborate about the things you increasingly don't like about Minnesota.
I'm sure Fargo is a cool city, and I plan to spend a lot of time there. But when I'm talking about politics, I mean I want to be able to vote for Democrats (or DFLers in Minnesota's case) and have a chance for them to win. I want to have Democrats representing me in the U.S. Senate and House. That kind of thing.
If you have children with autism, yes, you would be much better off on the Moorhead side than in Fargo. Minnesota has superior special education funding and services than North Dakota does. I personally know of two families that once their children had been diagnosed with special needs, put their houses in Fargo on the market in order to move to Moorhead and receive additional services for their kids.
Also, civil rights and workers comp protections are better in Minnesota. For some situations, employee rights are based on state of residence rather than place of work. And if there are GLBT members of the household, legal protection in ND is close to non-existent. Again, I've worked on volunteer projects with a realtor who has had several gay couples specifically buy in Minnesota despite the higher income tax just for that reason.
If you have children with autism, yes, you would be much better off on the Moorhead side than in Fargo. Minnesota has superior special education funding and services than North Dakota does. I personally know of two families that once their children had been diagnosed with special needs, put their houses in Fargo on the market in order to move to Moorhead and receive additional services for their kids.
Also, civil rights and workers comp protections are better in Minnesota. For some situations, employee rights are based on state of residence rather than place of work. And if there are GLBT members of the household, legal protection in ND is close to non-existent. Again, I've worked on volunteer projects with a realtor who has had several gay couples specifically buy in Minnesota despite the higher income tax just for that reason.
Thank you! We have been living in Moorhead for a month now, and have been very happy with the decision.
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