A suburb for young family buying a house. Which is better? Eden Prairie, Woodbury, Eagan, ... (Minneapolis: for sale)

[StarDust81]

Hello everyone,

We are looking to buying a house in a neighborhood that is consistent with the following criteria below and would appreciate any advices that you might have.

We are a young family (just turned 30) and plan to have kids within a year.

1) Very safe and _quiet_ neighborhood with good schools.
- No loud trains, highways, schools and drunk teenagers :-) nearby

2) Reasonably new and homogeneous communities are highly preferred.
- We looked at Edina, Linden Hills and were surprised to find out how strongly we are turned off by older and diverse communities. I would swap a Linden Hills house for Eden Prairie any time of the day.
- I guess we would be comfortable in a cookie cutter community or similarly homogeneous community.

3) The type of the "ideal" house is:
- 3-4 bedroom
- built in 1980s or after
- with area of 2,000-2,500 sq feet.
(We do NOT really need a 3,000 one.)
- flat lot with 0.2-0.5 acres (or very slightly downhill).
- "taller" houses (2 story + basement)

So I guess I would say we are somewhat of a "gimme a small McMansion with large lot" type.

4) Preferrably within 30 minute car commute from U of M area.
I work close to U of Minnesota (the one near Metrodome) and my wife is a home maker.

We thought of spending approximately $250k - $350k (can be stretched to $400k if needed).

What neighborhoods would you recommend to look at?

Thanks!

[golfgal]

I really like the neighborhood that is off Diffley and 35E in Eagan, behind Kowalski's and the Holiday Gas Station (down a mile or so on Johnny Cake). The streets mostly have duck names. Cute area, similar but not the same, houses, lots of families, convenient area. I don't know if anything is for sale right now. Some friends lived in that area and just loved it.

Another great Eagan area for families is off Lexington and Diffley (south of Diffley). Neighborhood is behind the little shopping area there, street names are first names like Matthew, etc. Again, lots and lots of kids in the neighborhood.

Woodbury and Eden Prairie are going to be on the higher end of your range for the most part. Eden Prairie will be the most difficult commute. Woodbury is tough because you have one route to and from work, 94 (that is convenient anyway-you could drive out of your way and go down to 36, etc.).

You could probably even go into Apple Valley if you wanted. Commutes to the U of M are still under 30 minutes, especially if you are near Cedar. There are several neighborhoods around the Zoo that will have very wooded lots that are nice areas too, very quiet. There is one small neighborhood that has some lots left if you wanted to build. Not sure how much they are. They are north of McAndrews off Galaxy but there are other neighborhoods too.

With the age of your house, style of house and the areas you are looking in, you may end up with a bit bigger house then you want. You might find something with an unfinished basement that has 2500 sq feet but anything with a finished basement will have more than that most likely. The upper two levels will be around 2500 sq feet through.

[Clifford63]

There is a few developments in Lake Elmo that would probably fit your needs quite well and doable under 400K. There is also a development in Stillwater called Liberty on the lake. Those areas to the U would be under 30 minute commute in normal daily traffic via 36.

Parts of Woodbury would be in your range too, but I think commute would be a little more problematic via I-94, but probably better than south or west burbs.

[ferr0052]

I agree with Golfgal - I think Eagan is the best "bang for your buck" with what you are looking for. I would inquire about Rosemount, too. That's an even bigger bang for your buck..however, I'm not sure about the commute time to U of M. However, rosemount will a newer home inventory. Inver Grove Heights have a nice selection of newer homes as well..but again, the commute might hinder that decision.
I know Eden prairie can be over the 30 minute mark because of the location and traffic. However, there are good deals out there in Eden Prairie in your price range. I personally like the amenities in Eden Prairie better than Eagan --however, I think Eagan is a lot prettier terrain. Eagan is also more centerally located to both Minneapolis and St. Paul, if that makes a difference to you.

Also, I would add Plymouth to the list, too. Plymouth has the best location to Minneapolis--and also has a good selection of newer homes.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

There is a few developments in Lake Elmo that would probably fit your needs quite well and doable under 400K. There is also a development in Stillwater called Liberty on the lake. Those areas to the U would be under 30 minute commute in normal daily traffic via 36.

Parts of Woodbury would be in your range too, but I think commute would be a little more problematic via I-94, but probably better than south or west burbs.

Liberty on the Lake is kind of a spendy area-$500+ isn't uncommon. Good option though.

Originally Posted by ferr0052

I agree with Golfgal - I think Eagan is the best "bang for your buck" with what you are looking for. I would inquire about Rosemount, too. That's an even bigger bang for your buck..however, I'm not sure about the commute time to U of M. However, rosemount will a newer home inventory. Inver Grove Heights have a nice selection of newer homes as well..but again, the commute might hinder that decision.
I know Eden prairie can be over the 30 minute mark because of the location and traffic. However, there are good deals out there in Eden Prairie in your price range. I personally like the amenities in Eden Prairie better than Eagan --however, I think Eagan is a lot prettier terrain. Eagan is also more centerally located to both Minneapolis and St. Paul, if that makes a difference to you.

Also, I would add Plymouth to the list, too. Plymouth has the best location to Minneapolis--and also has a good selection of newer homes.

Rosemount will be about 35 minutes to the metrodome so depending on how close to the dome you are, and really how much downtown driving you have to do (which can be horrible) it's not a bad idea.

IGH isn't bad but the schools aren't as good as surrounding districts but much of IGH is in the 196 district, which is great, but a lot of those developements are really expensive too.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Liberty on the Lake is kind of a spendy area-$500+ isn't uncommon. Good option though.

.

3511 Settlers Way, Stillwater, MN - 2 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 2691 SF, $327,800
3363 Pioneer Pl, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 3500 SF, $589,900
111 Pine Hollow Grn, Stillwater, MN - 2 Beds, 1&1/2 Baths, 2000 SF, $294,900
630 Newman TRL, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 4003 SF, $749,900
3539 Eben Way, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 3908 SF, $484,900
7285 Manning Ave N, Stillwater, MN - 3 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 2890 SF, $324,500
3549 Eben Way, Stillwater, MN - 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 3750 SF, $525,000
520 Eben Ct, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3&1/2 Baths, 3273 SF, $495,000
559 Newman TRL, Stillwater, MN - 5 Beds, 3 Baths, 4716 SF, $649,900

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

3511 Settlers Way, Stillwater, MN - 2 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 2691 SF, $327,800
3363 Pioneer Pl, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 3500 SF, $589,900
111 Pine Hollow Grn, Stillwater, MN - 2 Beds, 1&1/2 Baths, 2000 SF, $294,900
630 Newman TRL, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 4003 SF, $749,900
3539 Eben Way, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 3908 SF, $484,900
7285 Manning Ave N, Stillwater, MN - 3 Beds, 2&1/2 Baths, 2890 SF, $324,500
3549 Eben Way, Stillwater, MN - 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 3750 SF, $525,000
520 Eben Ct, Stillwater, MN - 4 Beds, 3&1/2 Baths, 3273 SF, $495,000
559 Newman TRL, Stillwater, MN - 5 Beds, 3 Baths, 4716 SF, $649,900

The "houses" in their price range though are townhomes and only have 2 bedrooms, they asked for 3 or 4. If that is what they want, great but it didn't sound that way from the OP.

[GBCommenter]

FWIW, I recently stayed with friends in Woodbury and traveled during morning rush hour to the U of M area during the week. Admitting they live fairly near I-94 (which Golfgal is correct, it is the only practical route to Minneapolis), I made it in about 30-35 minutes. Google Maps put a generic Woodbury address and U of M area and came back with 25 minutes (assuming no traffic). My point being is at least for time concerns, Woodbury wouldn't be out of consideration.

[northsub]

You might try The Lakes in Blaine. It's all built within the past decade. There are several homes currently for sale that fit your specs.

It's slightly less than 20 miles to the Metrodome by freeway (shorter if you don't take the freeway). There's also a park-and-ride route (250) that is 22 minutes to a stop that is 2-3 blocks from the Metrodome (though in my experience it is often faster than advertised). That route also leaves every 6 minutes or so during rush hour.

The biggest concern I would have for you is if you are turned off by diverse communities. The population in the Lakes will have some diversity. You can find census blocks that are less than 50% white (and have 50+ people). The main census tract for the Lakes is less than 80% white (and most likely includes many immigrants from eastern Europe as well). You do see minorities walking around.

Given that you seem to looking for a place less diverse than Linden Hills, I'd guess you mean diversity of buildings though. Linden Hills is about 90% white.

[1stpontiac]

Yeah, the Lakes in Blaine is a good suggestion. Fairly new housing, suburban, quietish setting, and lots of trails and parks around out there. I have some friends who used to live out there and they loved it. Said the people in the area were great, and families were often out and about.

Commute would be within 30 minutes in reasonable traffic, although getting down I-35, especially past Roseville and up to 694, can get long in rush-hour. Definitely check into busing options.