Young Couple Moving from NY to Minneapolis...help!

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Sleven Kelebra was not wrong in his generalization, IMO. I think you are grasping at straws on this one......I think he hits the nail on the head when it comes to generalizing Uptown, especially to a transplant looking for its demographics.

Seriously, check the numbers. 12% of the residents are under 24 -- that's FAR from the majority cited earlier. When people talk about Uptown being "young," they're talking older 20s and 30s. Not to say that 12% is insignificant -- that's still a large number, given the total population. But as a percentage, it's not huge, and it's been steadily falling. It's certainly no Dinkytown or Stadium Village. That said, I think it would make an excellent neighborhood for a young couple or single moving to town. Because really --- I think 22 year olds and 28 or 32 year olds are going to like the neighborhood equally well. But it's flat-out wrong that the majority of Uptown residents are barely legal. If someone wants a neighborhood with a very young vibe, they're better off with somewhere like Dinkytown.

[KWoods522]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Because really --- I think 22 year olds and 28 or 32 year olds are going to like the neighborhood equally well. But it's flat-out wrong that the majority of Uptown residents are barely legal. If someone wants a neighborhood with a very young vibe, they're better off with somewhere like Dinkytown.

Perfect because I'm 21 & my bf is 27 haha. We just want to be in an area that has people...I'm used to an "older" crowd being that all of our friends are around my bfs age anyway so I'm not looking to be around the "barely legal" population, even if I, myself qualify under that label lol. We want to be in an area where we can easily meet people and establish some sort of friendly base while we're in the area, being that it will be the two of us essentially not knowing a single soul in MN. From what I've heard, Uptown is a mix of people which being in NY, we're used to.


Still looking for any one with reviews/thoughts/opinions of Oak Grove Towers???

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Seriously, check the numbers. 12% of the residents are under 24 -- that's FAR from the majority cited earlier. When people talk about Uptown being "young," they're talking older 20s and 30s. Not to say that 12% is insignificant -- that's still a large number, given the total population. But as a percentage, it's not huge, and it's been steadily falling. It's certainly no Dinkytown or Stadium Village. That said, I think it would make an excellent neighborhood for a young couple or single moving to town. Because really --- I think 22 year olds and 28 or 32 year olds are going to like the neighborhood equally well. But it's flat-out wrong that the majority of Uptown residents are barely legal. If someone wants a neighborhood with a very young vibe, they're better off with somewhere like Dinkytown.

Who defined "young" as under 24? I consider "young" to be anyone without kids, basically, and probably under 35.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Who defined "young" as under 24? I consider "young" to be anyone without kids, basically, and probably under 35.

I would agree with this. Under 24 I would define as "college students", not "young couple", not that they can't be both, however if they want the "college life" Uptown is NOT the place for that.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by KWoods522

Still looking for any one with reviews/thoughts/opinions of Oak Grove Towers???

My buddy owns a condo VERY nearby in one of the twin towers that looks very much like Oak Grove Towers (same height, color, style, etc.), and I thought that's what you might be referring to, but it's a different place. I can tell you the area is fairly ideal for somebody used to NYC places like Brooklyn, Queens, etc. There's nothing in MN really that's going to emulate NYC and make you feel as though you never left, but Loring Park is pretty much your best bet for "high urban living". Loring Park itself is very old and is almost entirely multi-family housing, neighborhood-wide. There are turn-of-the-century brownstones everywhere and mixed in with those are 60's, 70's and 80's high-rises between 20 and 35 stories tall scattered everywhere. The newest developments look very nice and upscale but none are high-rises as the neighborhood is generally opposed to much of the new development proposals, as it's a historic neighborhood. There IS one new tower that will likely be coming to the neighborhood at 1368 LaSalle Ave. I mention this because there's a CHANCE it could block your views.....just something to keep in mind.

My buddy loves the area and he almost never drives his car when he goes out or needs to get 1 or 2 things. The neighborhood is MOSTLY safe and quiet. It's not a nightlife hot-spot or anything but you're between a few areas that do have nightlife and restaurants, so it's ideal in that regard too.

Good luck!

[KWoods522]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

My buddy owns a condo VERY nearby in one of the twin towers that looks very much like Oak Grove Towers (same height, color, style, etc.), and I thought that's what you might be referring to, but it's a different place. I can tell you the area is fairly ideal for somebody used to NYC places like Brooklyn, Queens, etc. There's nothing in MN really that's going to emulate NYC and make you feel as though you never left, but Loring Park is pretty much your best bet for "high urban living". Loring Park itself is very old and is almost entirely multi-family housing, neighborhood-wide. There are turn-of-the-century brownstones everywhere and mixed in with those are 60's, 70's and 80's high-rises between 20 and 35 stories tall scattered everywhere. The newest developments look very nice and upscale but none are high-rises as the neighborhood is generally opposed to much of the new development proposals, as it's a historic neighborhood. There IS one new tower that will likely be coming to the neighborhood at 1368 LaSalle Ave. I mention this because there's a CHANCE it could block your views.....just something to keep in mind.

My buddy loves the area and he almost never drives his car when he goes out or needs to get 1 or 2 things. The neighborhood is MOSTLY safe and quiet. It's not a nightlife hot-spot or anything but you're between a few areas that do have nightlife and restaurants, so it's ideal in that regard too.

Good luck!

What's the name of that building that looks like OGT? We currently live an hour north of NYC so we're not directly in the city but live in a somewhat busy area - bf works in the city and we often spend time there but the price of an NYC pad is thousands and your first born son for the size of a matchbox. I'm not expecting MN to be like the city, like I said I just want to be around people. I love the idea of being able to go out and run errands and what not without a car...where we live now there aren't even sidewalks. I also like that it's not right in the action but close to it. I don't even mind about the view... I'm just happy with the rent/amenities/layout of Oak Grove, so far anyway. Awesome info though, thank you!

I'm also curious about fire & EMS in the area ... are they all volunteer/all paid, a mixture of both? Just curious for my bf's sake.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Who defined "young" as under 24? I consider "young" to be anyone without kids, basically, and probably under 35.

The earlier poster did, not me. He said something about the neighborhood primarily catering to the hipster crowd with the majority being between 20 and 25. I didn't have the numbers for 25 and under, but the marketing study for the Uptown Small Area Plan used 24 as their divider between demographic bands, and I used their numbers since they'd already done the heavy lifting as far as crunching the numbers.

I also agree that when people are talking about "young" Uptown they mostly mean 20s and 30s (and under 35 residents do make up a big portion of the neighborhood -- almost half, at least for now). I wanted to make that distinction clear for the OP and anyone else considering a move to Uptown. To me, a neighborhood with mostly people in their early 20s would (agree with GG here, too) suggest a college neighborhood, and that's not really Uptown's vibe. It's more working professionals and grad students (and at the older spectrum of the young residents, families with young kids.). It's not the age-segregated ghetto that I think the earlier poster was making it out to be. It's young -- just not THAT young.

I think perhaps the earlier poster was confusing Uptown for Whittier, at least that's my take. Head east to Lyndale and into Whittier and the overall percentage of very young residents (college kids and recent graduates with their first jobs and apartments) gets much higher, and the percentage of hipsters goes way up. The earlier post referenced rents priced for young people and a hipster vibe, and that would, I think, fairly well describe Whittier just east of Lyndale. Cheaper, younger, more hipster than Uptown. I hate to push the stereotypes, but if going by stereotypes, Uptown would be more yuppie, Whittier more hipster. (speaking in broad generalities, and recognizing that there is overlap.)