Help! Moving to the Twin Cities area (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartments, rentals)

[Mo-Rich]

My husband and I are seriously planning a move to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area soon. My husband is considering attending William Mitchell Law School in the future, so we would like to live somewhere close enough to commute there. I don't know anything about the suburbs around the Twin Cities, but I did hear that rent is cheaper in the 'burbs. My husband is a social worker so we will be living on a fixed income, but he does have his master's degree. We are trying for a baby, so we would like to budget based on a single income household for the time being. We do not live extravagantly but would like to live in a safe neighborhood. Any suggestions about cheap/safe places to live? Is it possible this day and age to live on a single income? I appreciate your responses!

[Kebinminn]

We've lived on one income for years, it's manageable. Of course a lot depends not only on your income but your ability to manage it. Prior to the recession we lived on one income then when that hit we lived on one lesser income for some time and it was a lot less than people think you need to live on here. We also grew our savings in that time. With that we did let some things slide, we need to replace windows now and so on so we couldn't go indefinitely but we were still able to go enjoy life. There's a lot of free and low cost things to do around here.

As far as rent you can balance that with gas for commuting. A lot really depends on what you want in a lifestyle. I'm a suburban girl so I get the appeal of them but I also don't like long commutes. I like Roseville although it's so central I'm not sure the prices will be much different than St. Paul proper. I don't know much about the area where he'll be going to school but I'm thinking it's pretty nice.

[dravogadro]

There are a number of people that live on a single income because the other spouse/partner decided they would rather stay home with the kid(s) instead of most of that income going to childcare.

[Mo-Rich]

Thank you for the responses, it is very encouraging to hear that it is possible to live on one income. I don't have the best degree so once we have more than one child daycare cost would virtually eliminate my paycheck. Any suggestions on areas where we could find affordable housing that is also safe for a small family? We are planning to rent when we first get there, I know apartments can be hit or miss. Any information about the area would be extremely helpful! We would like to pay less than $800 a month, and we are comfortable moving into a one bedroom if necessary (since we plan to buy a house within a year). Again, we don't want to live in the ghetto, but we will be on a limited income. Thanks!

[uptown_urbanist]

Sure, it's possible to live on one income. It depends on what that income is, of course, but given all the costs that come along with working (childcare for young children being the big one!) that second income might not make as much difference as you think. Since you're planning on buying a house so soon and do not yet have a baby, I'd go for a cheap one-bedroom. You can easily find 1-BRs under $800 all over the metro area, so it comes down to what kind of neighborhood you like. Also, do you want to rent in the same neighborhood where you will be buying? That could also make a difference. (for example you can find a 1-BR apartment in Uptown to rent for under $800, but when it comes to buying you'd run into problems, as the housing to buy is not affordable) Since you're thinking William Mitchell, I'd concentrate on the St. Paul or St. Paul adjacent neighborhoods; lots of nice, affordable options over there.

I would strongly encourage, when it come time to buying a house, picking a location where you can live with just one car; you'll save a tremendous amount of money.

[Mo-Rich]

Thanks for the suggestions! Based on the jobs he is applying for, we are realistically expecting him to start out in the lower $40Ks. Again, we aren't extravagant people, but we do have a small car note and student loans. A one bedroom sounds great, we figured that if we are successful in getting pregnant having an infant in a one bedroom apartment would be no big deal. We aren't expecting to rent in the neighborhood we buy, simply because we don't know much about the area. We are an interracial couple, so I would love to live in a diverse neighborhood if possible, or at least a neighborhood that is open to that (we are from the South, and we have had people walk up to us in the grocery store to express their disapproval). We would like to live close enough to the city that my husband will not have a long commute to work, but we don't have to live in the city itself if we can find something more affordable elsewhere. Safety is a huge issue for me, so I'm hoping we can find a nice blend of safe and cheap. I'm hoping that once we've been in the area for a year we'll have a better idea of where we want to look for a house. I'll check out some areas around St. Paul for convenience, I appreciate the suggestions!!

[dravogadro]

I feel that the Twin Cities are one of the better cities to be in an interracial relationship, IMHO. But I don't want to assume my experiences are valid for everyone.

I agree with u_u that you will have plenty of choices for safe, affordable and convenient.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Mo-Rich

Thanks for the suggestions! Based on the jobs he is applying for, we are realistically expecting him to start out in the lower $40Ks. Again, we aren't extravagant people, but we do have a small car note and student loans. A one bedroom sounds great, we figured that if we are successful in getting pregnant having an infant in a one bedroom apartment would be no big deal. We aren't expecting to rent in the neighborhood we buy, simply because we don't know much about the area. We are an interracial couple, so I would love to live in a diverse neighborhood if possible, or at least a neighborhood that is open to that (we are from the South, and we have had people walk up to us in the grocery store to express their disapproval). We would like to live close enough to the city that my husband will not have a long commute to work, but we don't have to live in the city itself if we can find something more affordable elsewhere. Safety is a huge issue for me, so I'm hoping we can find a nice blend of safe and cheap. I'm hoping that once we've been in the area for a year we'll have a better idea of where we want to look for a house. I'll check out some areas around St. Paul for convenience, I appreciate the suggestions!!

People aren't going to give it a second thought here. Keep in mind, it's MN, it just isn't all that diverse here and if you do move into a "diverse" neighborhood--which on this board is typically described as mostly black people, you are going to land in a very not so nice neighborhood. If you take diverse for the real meaning you can live pretty much anywhere in the metro.

Living off $40K/year is going to be a bit of a challenge but since you can get by with a 1 bedroom, you should be fine. Wait to see where the job is and then we can narrow it down some but places like Eagan, Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury have a lot of nice rentals that would be affordable on that salary as well as having easy commutes to the law school. I would suggest getting a 2 bedroom if you can afford it for when the baby comes. Babies make a lot of noise when they sleep and if your DH is working full time and going to school, he is going to need his sleep, that and relatives will want to come visit to see the baby.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by golfgal

People aren't going to give it a second thought here. Keep in mind, it's MN, it just isn't all that diverse here and if you do move into a "diverse" neighborhood--which on this board is typically described as mostly black people, you are going to land in a very not so nice neighborhood. If you take diverse for the real meaning you can live pretty much anywhere in the metro.

Living off $40K/year is going to be a bit of a challenge but since you can get by with a 1 bedroom, you should be fine. Wait to see where the job is and then we can narrow it down some but places like Eagan, Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury have a lot of nice rentals that would be affordable on that salary as well as having easy commutes to the law school. I would suggest getting a 2 bedroom if you can afford it for when the baby comes. Babies make a lot of noise when they sleep and if your DH is working full time and going to school, he is going to need his sleep, that and relatives will want to come visit to see the baby.

What "not-nice", black-majority neighborhoods is anyone suggesting? There are so few in the metro area as a whole that this is a bit laughable.

[uptown_urbanist]

Are there any black majority neighborhoods in the Twin Cities? I think the vast majority of posters on this forum just mean a neighborhood that isn't 80% white. (or 80% any race, but I don't think there are any neighborhoods in the Twin Cities that fit anywhere near that category other than the white neighborhoods)

That said, I don't think anyone will care about an interracial family, even in those neighborhoods that are 90, 95% (or in some cases even more) white. The Twin Cities has many very, very white neighborhoods, but that doesn't mean that the people who live in those neighborhoods are themselves racist. (and most are probably somewhat embarrassed at how little diversity they have and can be a bit touchy on the subject!)

I also agree that it makes sense to see where the job is before you pick a neighborhood. I would spend some time thinking about exactly what kind of community you like, however. As you can see by the range of neighborhood suggestions, people have very different tastes (I would absolutely HATE living in Eagan or Woodbury, for example), and you'll have a wide range of safe, family-friendly options to choose from, so if you can narrow it down a little more it would help us to give you some suggestions that fit what YOU like. Some things to think about: do you like modern? Brand-new? Is post-war okay? Do you like older vintage buildings? Do you want to be able to walk to stores? Do you care about sidewalks? Do you like modern suburban subdivisions? Small-town "village" vibes? More urban? What kind of businesses do you like in your neighborhood? What kind of businesses do you NOT like in your immediate neighborhood? Are you more of a stroll to the local independent coffee shop kind of couple, or a drive to Starbucks kind of family? Will you have two cars? Is public transportation something you will be considering?