Safe cities Vs. areas to avoid? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartment, rentals, low crime)

[TY2012]

Hello all, I am considering a move from Austin, Texas to Minnesota. I know Minnesota is big but I am hoping to get some information on what areas to avoid when it comes to crime, what areas are safe and affordable. I am a single woman in my 40's moving with no kids and I am looking for an apartment or rent no more than $1300 per month. I'm not into the night life but would like to be in an area where there are shops and restaurants close by. What are some cities that you would say is safe and around that price range? I am just now starting my research on Minnesota and have came across so cities like Maple Grove, Wayzata, Woodbury, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Shorewood, Deephaven, Chanhassen, Falcon Heights, Edina, Eden Prairie, etc but have noticed that the prices are kind of high. Can anyone help me please?

[601halfdozen0theother]

The simple solution is to stop looking at the Twin Cities metro. The majority of Minnesota is beautiful and affordable - or at least, more affordable than the TC area. The only non metro city some would say to avoid is St. Cloud; other than that, you should be fine in terms of safety. Will you be working? I'd suggest taking a look at the MN state job search site to see what is out there: https://www.minnesotaworks.net/ Click on Preview Job Listings, click on Map, then look at every area EXCEPT the light green (Twin Cities.)

[TY2012]

Awesome! Thanks. I will check that link out. Yes I currently work remotely so I have a job already.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Cool. If you want city over rural, check out Duluth, Rochester and Mankato. Most of the smaller cities and towns are very nice, too. Maybe now narrow it down to those places that have the kinds of amenities you like.

[wamer27]

I’d look at Duluth if you don’t mind temps that are about 10 degrees cooler then the cities.

[slamont61]

St Louis Park. Affordable and close to everything. Inner-ring suburb so it's pretty safe but not completely.

[DestinationAnywhere]

You managed to begin in some of the wealthier areas of the cities- you have great taste. One thing to know about the Twin Cities (I am 49 and grew up here) is that although they are the “Twin” Cities, Saint Paul and Minneapolis have two very different vibes and to me, seem more different, than they do similar. I am from Saint Paul and it’s suburbs and outside of a few “wild years” in my 20’s, and the occasional concert, I didn’t venture too often to Minneapolis. I have always preferred a quieter, slower speed. About 12 years ago I made a move from the cities to Rochester, MN. It’s a great town (about 120,000 people, give or take) but like all things in life, there is give and take.

If you want to be close to the cities (Sporting events, major airport: MSP, excellent shopping: Mall of America, Endless restaurants, zoos, theaters, etc) I would advise looking closer to the Eagan/Burnsville area, maybe even Apple Valley. Not sure how much space you need or what rents are currently running, but the area is central and an easy commute to everything you would need (and they have a new-ish outlet mall that is great for shopping.)

If price is much more important than convenience, you could look at the Inver Grove Heights area. Not a ton in the way of culture but it is still an easy commute (albeit a few mins further) to all the things I mentioned. My husband grew up there and we still have loads of family in the area. There should be plenty of rentals and it is safe, relatively speaking. May be a bit tricky to make friends if you are working from home. It’s much more residential than anything.

One area worth mentioning would be the Grand Avenue district in Saint Paul. So much character, walk to loads of shopping and restaurants. Grand Avenue is a couple blocks from Summit Avenue, which is (supposedly) one of the longest stretches of historic homes in the country. The governor’s mansion is located here. It is a beautiful area and you would likely be living in a smaller unit, maybe in a triplex of a larger, older home for example, but what you would trade for space, you would reap in character, convenience and culture.

Another area (One of my favorites in all of MN) is Stillwater. It’s a historic river town about 40 mins outside of Saint Paul. It old, beautiful, full of character, and considered to be a bit of destination town in MN. Decent shopping, good restaurants and a charming-as-can-be community. Not sure on rents, but the region is worth looking at.

Since you can work from anywhere and may just want a nice city/town to call home, you could check out Duluth and Rochester. Duluth is a couple hours north of the Cities near Lake Superior. It is beautiful country and there are loads and loads of outdoor activities. Just know, it tends to be colder than the cities by about 10 degrees and it can be hilly and snowy (coming from Texas, I thought I should mention it☺️).

Rochester, where I call home, is also worth looking into as well. We are about an hour from the cities (about 75 mins from MSP airport) surrounded by farms and agriculture, decent shopping (but I still do a lot of clothes shopping in the cities-it’s worth noting MN has no tax on clothing-yah!) enough restaurants to satisfy my foodie self, an outdoor market every Thursday downtown in the summer, free live music most Sundays in the summer, lots of rivers, oodles and oodles of trails and parks, low crime and the best healthcare in the country-the Famed Mayo Clinic- is here. We also have a small international airport with connections to MSP or Chicago will get you most anywhere.

To summarize the areas I mentioned:
Eagan/Burnsville/Apple Valley-all convenient suburbs to both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Inver Grove Heights-mostly residential, less expensive, still convenient.
Grand Avenue Area in St. Paul- safe city life with all the convenience and culture you would need.
Stillwater- picture perfect rivertown about 30 mins from the cities
Duluth - way up north but great town, lots of character, shopping and restaurants, likely cheaper (?)
Rochester- 1 hour south, great healthcare, healthy community, cheaper prices, shopping and restaurants

Good luck!

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by DestinationAnywhere

You managed to begin in some of the wealthier areas of the cities- you have great taste. One thing to know about the Twin Cities (I am 49 and grew up here) is that although they are the “Twin” Cities, Saint Paul and Minneapolis have two very different vibes and to me, seem more different, than they do similar. I am from Saint Paul and it’s suburbs and outside of a few “wild years” in my 20’s, and the occasional concert, I didn’t venture too often to Minneapolis. I have always preferred a quieter, slower speed. About 12 years ago I made a move from the cities to Rochester, MN. It’s a great town (about 120,000 people, give or take) but like all things in life, there is give and take.

If you want to be close to the cities (Sporting events, major airport: MSP, excellent shopping: Mall of America, Endless restaurants, zoos, theaters, etc) I would advise looking closer to the Eagan/Burnsville area, maybe even Apple Valley. Not sure how much space you need or what rents are currently running, but the area is central and an easy commute to everything you would need (and they have a new-ish outlet mall that is great for shopping.)

If price is much more important than convenience, you could look at the Inver Grove Heights area. Not a ton in the way of culture but it is still an easy commute (albeit a few mins further) to all the things I mentioned. My husband grew up there and we still have loads of family in the area. There should be plenty of rentals and it is safe, relatively speaking. May be a bit tricky to make friends if you are working from home. It’s much more residential than anything.

One area worth mentioning would be the Grand Avenue district in Saint Paul. So much character, walk to loads of shopping and restaurants. Grand Avenue is a couple blocks from Summit Avenue, which is (supposedly) one of the longest stretches of historic homes in the country. The governor’s mansion is located here. It is a beautiful area and you would likely be living in a smaller unit, maybe in a triplex of a larger, older home for example, but what you would trade for space, you would reap in character, convenience and culture.

Another area (One of my favorites in all of MN) is Stillwater. It’s a historic river town about 40 mins outside of Saint Paul. It old, beautiful, full of character, and considered to be a bit of destination town in MN. Decent shopping, good restaurants and a charming-as-can-be community. Not sure on rents, but the region is worth looking at.

Since you can work from anywhere and may just want a nice city/town to call home, you could check out Duluth and Rochester. Duluth is a couple hours north of the Cities near Lake Superior. It is beautiful country and there are loads and loads of outdoor activities. Just know, it tends to be colder than the cities by about 10 degrees and it can be hilly and snowy (coming from Texas, I thought I should mention it☺️).

Rochester, where I call home, is also worth looking into as well. We are about an hour from the cities (about 75 mins from MSP airport) surrounded by farms and agriculture, decent shopping (but I still do a lot of clothes shopping in the cities-it’s worth noting MN has no tax on clothing-yah!) enough restaurants to satisfy my foodie self, an outdoor market every Thursday downtown in the summer, free live music most Sundays in the summer, lots of rivers, oodles and oodles of trails and parks, low crime and the best healthcare in the country-the Famed Mayo Clinic- is here. We also have a small international airport with connections to MSP or Chicago will get you most anywhere.

To summarize the areas I mentioned:
Eagan/Burnsville/Apple Valley-all convenient suburbs to both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Inver Grove Heights-mostly residential, less expensive, still convenient.
Grand Avenue Area in St. Paul- safe city life with all the convenience and culture you would need.
Stillwater- picture perfect rivertown about 30 mins from the cities
Duluth - way up north but great town, lots of character, shopping and restaurants, likely cheaper (?)
Rochester- 1 hour south, great healthcare, healthy community, cheaper prices, shopping and restaurants

Good luck!

Thanks for the information. I have often wondered about the differences between Minneapolis and St Paul. I have not really investigated St Paul. We stayed one night in Roseville and I went to Xcel Energy to see the Wild play. From the light rail I walked. I liked what I saw. But it was freezing. LOL. Still working on convincing my other half. But now everything is on hold because my cancer came back and I am doing more chemo. Still hoping to make a trip to see the Gopher play again. If I could choose any city to live in it would probably be Rochester or Stillwater. I live in PDX and I am tired of the noise, crime, homeless camps and excessive people. :-)

[Kavalier]

Originally Posted by TY2012

Hello all, I am considering a move from Austin, Texas to Minnesota. I know Minnesota is big but I am hoping to get some information on what areas to avoid when it comes to crime, what areas are safe and affordable. I am a single woman in my 40's moving with no kids and I am looking for an apartment or rent no more than $1300 per month. I'm not into the night life but would like to be in an area where there are shops and restaurants close by. What are some cities that you would say is safe and around that price range? I am just now starting my research on Minnesota and have came across so cities like Maple Grove, Wayzata, Woodbury, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Shorewood, Deephaven, Chanhassen, Falcon Heights, Edina, Eden Prairie, etc but have noticed that the prices are kind of high. Can anyone help me please?

The Met Council (read up on them - they are something else) are trying to change all of those places and they will, in due time.


You could look in Stillwater (or even Hudson across the river), Lakeland, Forest Lake. On the Eastern side of the Cities, at least.

[CrazedCamper]

Avoid Minneapolis. I would be heading to Detroit Lakes if Minnesota wasn't a blue state.