Living near-ish to Eden Prairie (Minneapolis, St. Louis Park: cheap apartments, rent, safe area)

[BorderGirl]

I wasn't planning on moving back to Minnesota until the spring but I had a fabulous phone interview this morning and could need to be in Minnesota in the next 3 weeks or so. The company is located in Eden Prairie and looking at Craigslist I don't think I could afford it.

I'm a Minnesota native but I'm from the northern part of the state. I visited the Twin Cities area mostly for shopping and visiting some family. I'm not really familiar with Eden Prairie beyond the fact that it is pretty pricey. What would be an affordable alternative? My number once requirement is that it is a safe area to live in. I feel very safe where I currently live in Salt Lake City and would like to keep that going. I'd like to have a walkable area where I can find a few places to eat, bars, coffee shops, the usual. If anyone is familiar with the Salt Lake area I live in Sugarhouse and we have all of that right in the heart of the area. I don't want a huge commute but would be willing to drive a bit to save some money on rent.

[Kebinminn]

Downtown Hopkins would be a great fit. It does have a downtown area so some would be walkable. Shady Oak to Eden Prairie is a nice commute. I take that route sometimes and it's not bad at all as far as traffic and you don't have to deal with the freeway in that area, which can suck.

I'd avoid anywhere that would require you to take the Crosstown (62). It gets busy. 169 is manageable but it gets pretty clogged up too.

[golfgal]

Chaska might be an option too. There are several apartment complexes right in downtown Chaska that are within a block or two of the coffee shops, etc. It's a cute, older town but on the edge of town are all the newer stores, Target, etc. It's an easy hop up 212 to Eden Prairie since they put in the new bypass or you could take 169 but getting to 169 on 41 is a pain. You can also take Highway 5 over into Eden Prairie but there are a lot of stop lights, which often helps in heavy traffic actually.

[Pisces69]

Originally Posted by BorderGirl

I wasn't planning on moving back to Minnesota until the spring but I had a fabulous phone interview this morning and could need to be in Minnesota in the next 3 weeks or so. The company is located in Eden Prairie and looking at Craigslist I don't think I could afford it.

I'm a Minnesota native but I'm from the northern part of the state. I visited the Twin Cities area mostly for shopping and visiting some family. I'm not really familiar with Eden Prairie beyond the fact that it is pretty pricey. What would be an affordable alternative? My number once requirement is that it is a safe area to live in. I feel very safe where I currently live in Salt Lake City and would like to keep that going. I'd like to have a walkable area where I can find a few places to eat, bars, coffee shops, the usual. If anyone is familiar with the Salt Lake area I live in Sugarhouse and we have all of that right in the heart of the area. I don't want a huge commute but would be willing to drive a bit to save some money on rent.

I know Salt Lake fairly well but I've never heard of Sugarhouse. It sounds interesting.

Eden Prairie isn't really a city so much as a bunch of architectural garbage plopped down around the southwest end of the 494 loop. This area is the epitome of suburban sprawl--every building has a parking lot moat and the roads are designed to shuffle cars around as fast as possible without a second thought to pedestrians. You can find cheap apartments (I think around $800/mo) in Chanhassen. And there is a large apartment complex in Eden Prairie. I'm not sure if there are cheap apartments and compact areas with nearby amenities within walking distance and visual interest. Chaska might be a good option. Or Excelsior.

[BorderGirl]

Originally Posted by Pisces69

I know Salt Lake fairly well but I've never heard of Sugarhouse. It sounds interesting.

Eden Prairie isn't really a city so much as a bunch of architectural garbage plopped down around the southwest end of the 494 loop. This area is the epitome of suburban sprawl--every building has a parking lot moat and the roads are designed to shuffle cars around as fast as possible. You can find cheap apartments (I think around $800/mo) in Chanhassen. And there is a large apartment complex in Eden Prairie. I'm not sure if there are cheap apartments and compact areas with nearby amenities within walking distance and visual interest.

I'm going to have to adjust to Minnesota's higher cost of living. I've never thought of $800 in rent as cheap! Thank you for the suggestions, I'll look into them!

[TBone101]

I would think about SW Minneapolis especially the Linden Hills area (You get lakes, restaurants, coffee shops, an ice cream shop). Commute wouldn't be too bad (15 minutes - no traffic , 25 minutes using back roads). You can get no frill 1BR apartments for around 700$ in the neighborhood.

[BorderGirl]

Originally Posted by TBone101

I would think about SW Minneapolis especially the Linden Hills area (You get lakes, restaurants, coffee shops, an ice cream shop). Commute wouldn't be too bad (15 minutes - no traffic , 25 minutes using back roads). You can get no frill 1BR apartments for around 700$ in the neighborhood.

Thanks! I'll look into that as well!

Does anyone know if the Trader Joes in St. Louis Park is the one in kind of a cute area with cobblestones? I know I was there a few years ago but I don't remember what the area looked like beyond cute and cobblestones.

[HiFi]

Originally Posted by BorderGirl

Thanks! I'll look into that as well!

Does anyone know if the Trader Joes in St. Louis Park is the one in kind of a cute area with cobblestones? I know I was there a few years ago but I don't remember what the area looked like beyond cute and cobblestones.

I don't think there are cobblestones, but the crosswalk is made of bricks. perhaps that's what you remember.

[QuietBlue]

What size/type of apartment are you looking for? I think you should be able to get one for less than $800; I don't think of that as particularly cheap either.

[BorderGirl]

Originally Posted by QuietBlue

What size/type of apartment are you looking for? I think you should be able to get one for less than $800; I don't think of that as particularly cheap either.

I just want a one bedroom. No pets, no kids. I'd like to have off street parking and some utilities included.

I just found out that they will decide early next week sometime. I'm still a strong candidate for the position. Can anyone suggest any property management companies that are pretty decent? I'm looking for all the help that I can to find a place since I'll have such a short amount of time to find a new place to live.