Maybe moving to Twin Cities (Minneapolis, St. Paul: fit in, apartment, rent)

[somethingsomething]

Situation:

Currently live in suburb of Los Angeles
Potential Job Opportunity in Minneapolis
Have two kids in elementary school

Preferences:

Areas with diversity, especially Asian, and excellent schools
Close to downtown Minneapolis
Housing cost is not a concern (especially coming from LA)

Questions:

Where are some cities I should consider?

[ManBearPig1]

Apartment, condo, SFH? Do you want to be in the city or a suburb? You want to be close to downtown, but also ask what "cities" to consider. Not sure what you're looking for there. What kind of commute are you looking for? Is transit access important? Do you plan to drive to work? Do you want a backyard, a walkable urban neighborhood, or some balance of the two? You say cost isn't a problem, but some sort of ballpark would help.

There are some areas with a large Hmong population in St. Paul but Minneapolis is only 5% asian, if I recall. You could consider downtown Minneapolis to be close to work. You could also consider a southwest neighborhood like Linden Hills or a suburb like Eden Praire for the schools, since cost isn't a factor. But it's hard to really recommend areas without knowing more of what you're looking for.

[danielle_pal]

Edina has great school and is close to downtown.

[west336]

Asian Demographics in the Twin Cities (U.S. Census Bureau 2010)

Larger Asian communities in the Twin Cities are (>10%):
Highlighted are areas that fit most of your criteria

Shakopee (10.3%)
Maplewood (10.4%)
Little Canada (13.1%)
Brooklyn Center (14.3%)
St. Paul (15.0%; north and east sides - up to 50%)
Brooklyn Park (15.4%)

Others with notable Asian populations (>5%):

Eden Prairie (9.2%)
Woodbury (9.1%)
Oakdale (8.2%)
Eagan (7.9%)
Blaine (7.8%)
Vadnais Heights (7.6%)
Roseville (7.3%)
Mounds View (7.0%)
Plymouth (6.9%)
North St. Paul (6.6%)
Maple Grove (6.2%)
Edina (6.1%)
New Brighton (6.1%)
Richfield (6.1%)
Bloomington (5.9%)
Rosemount (5.6%)
Minneapolis (5.6%; north side - maybe 20%)
Apple Valley (5.3%)

I have quite a fiew friends and acquaintences who are Asian in the Twin Cities and almost ALL of them live on the East Side of town (that is, East of downtown Minneapolis) in places like Roseville, St. Paul, Little Canada, etc. That area of town especially feels much more influenced and integrated with Asian culture compared to any other part of town, and I think you'll fit in best there if you get comfort being around other Asians (*note, there is NOTHING in the Twin Cities like LA in terms of Asian culture, unfortunately, so please don't expect that). One of my best friends lived in Edina when I met him and moved to Roseville, and since he's been in Roseville he went from being a nice, average guy to being one of the most popular and known people in his school and the community. What I'm saying is that we (the Edina friends) all saw how much happier he was since he'd moved, and we were happy he did for that reason.

Good luck with your search, and welcome!!

[somethingsomething]

Originally Posted by ManBearPig1

Apartment, condo, SFH? Do you want to be in the city or a suburb? You want to be close to downtown, but also ask what "cities" to consider. Not sure what you're looking for there. What kind of commute are you looking for? Is transit access important? Do you plan to drive to work? Do you want a backyard, a walkable urban neighborhood, or some balance of the two? You say cost isn't a problem, but some sort of ballpark would help.

There are some areas with a large Hmong population in St. Paul but Minneapolis is only 5% asian, if I recall. You could consider downtown Minneapolis to be close to work. You could also consider a southwest neighborhood like Linden Hills or a suburb like Eden Praire for the schools, since cost isn't a factor. But it's hard to really recommend areas without knowing more of what you're looking for.

Well, I have kids, so I am assuming that I prefer the suburbs. For the first few months or possibly a year, I would rent either a condo/townhome or SFH. I currently commute 1 hour each way to work, so anything less would be good. Transit access is not really important, because I would have a car, but if it's available, then great. In terms of rent...max $2,000?

[golfgal]

I just want to verify that your job is actually in downtown? Many companies list "Minneapolis" as their location because of how the post office works but often they are really suburban locations.

[somethingsomething]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I just want to verify that your job is actually in downtown? Many companies list "Minneapolis" as their location because of how the post office works but often they are really suburban locations.

Target building

[golfgal]

I would suggest looking in the Mounds View School District to start.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

If you're looking to stay in the city in close proximity to where you'll be working check out the Linden Hills area near Lake Harriet.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by somethingsomething

Well, I have kids, so I am assuming that I prefer the suburbs. For the first few months or possibly a year, I would rent either a condo/townhome or SFH. I currently commute 1 hour each way to work, so anything less would be good. Transit access is not really important, because I would have a car, but if it's available, then great. In terms of rent...max $2,000?

There are many areas of Minneapolis or St. Paul (the cities proper) that might fit you as they're far more suburban than LA, I'm sure. Places like Southwest Minneapolis would have good schools and with a budget of $2000 a month, I'm sure you could find something nice. If you really do want a suburb, that's there are many first ring suburbs you could find as well. You can pretty much pick anywhere and you'll be in a good school district, even in many of the Minneapolis or St. Paul public schools. This is nice, because you can focus more on locations/housing you like rather than school districts.