Eagan - Anything REALLY Bad? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartments, to rent, condos)

[selhars]

Hey Minneapolis, St. Paul and Eagan...thanks in advance...

I've only heard great things about Eagan -- "If you can take the winters, it's a great place, not a bad word about it."...but I'm curious...

Is there anything not so great about Eagan that one should REALLY know about.
Such as:
-- an absolute bad crime area?, or absolute worst school district, any areas to NOT live in?

My brother will be scouting Eagan, because of the job relocation. (Lone Oak Parkway, Eagan, MN 55121)
For the first year his family will likely stay in Philadelphia. So he'll likely rent a small CHEAP place to close work while he's supporting two households. But eventually the kids and wife may move also.

Maybe coming from Philly we're over concerned -- but locals ALWAYS know things others don't -- which wrong turns NOT to make, areas not to go to, etc.

I'll be with him on a late May scouting trip that's serious business - no sightseeing other than trying to learn as much as we can before his move by fall -- apts, get the lay of the land, etc.

Anything we DEFINITELY need to know? Or should check out while we're there for three days.
We're researching now, and I do have a list of closest hotels to his job for our scouting tip and closest apt complexes for after he moves.

Thanks, again!

[Mdcastle]

In a word, "no".

Eagan is the epitome of bland, auto oriented suburbia, but a lot of people are perfectly happy with that, so there's nothing wrong with it if that's what you want.

There are suburbs that have questionable areas. I won't name them because it gets some people here bent out of shape, but will say that Eagan is not one of them, nor one you would likely to look at having a job in Eagan.

[golfgal]

Biggest issue with some parts of Eagan is airport noise. It's right across the river from the MSP airport. Generally staying east of Pilot Knob and south of Yankee Doodle puts you away from airport noise and into the best school district. There are 3 that serve Eagan. I would avoid the parts that are in the Burnsville/Savage district but the other two are fine with the Rosemount/Eagan/Apple Valley district being the better of the 2. It's also closer to where he will be working and it's a lovely area with lots of parks, trails for hiking, walking, etc. Budget will be the biggest consideration as some parts of Eagan are very reasonable, some are very expensive, $5,000,000+ expensive.

I would avoid the area closer to highway 13 in general.

[golfgal]

If you don't need fancy, I like the Microtel on Lone Oak Road in Eagan. It's clean, quiet, cheep and easy to get places. It's not far from the Lexington/Yankee Doodle area which is a good place to rent in Eagan. There are several complexes in there that are pretty nice-apartments and townhomes.

[QuietBlue]

I'd agree that if you have a choice, it would be better to be in the district 196 attendance area. There's a substantial chunk of it that is west of Pilot Knob, though. It would be best to check on a map or on the district's address locator to be certain.

As far as problematic areas, the Eagan police department has a crime mapper here that shows the last 90 days of activity:

PIMA Web

Over the years, the areas that have seemed to have the most issues are Slater Road north of Cliff (and Cinnamon Ridge Trail), Silver Bell Road, and the Coachman Road area north of Yankee Doodle. But as the mapper shows, there's isolated incidents all over at some time or another.

[golfgal]

Cinnamon Ridge Trail--I was trying to remember that name. Our son was looking for houses/townhomes and our realtor said that she will NEVER show anyone a place in that area....

[eluko]

People who tell you Eagan is the "epitome of bland" will say that about any suburb. I prefer the cities in general but if I had to compare the suburbs, Eagan would sit among the best. Its hills, lakes, trails, and regional park along with its proximity to both downtowns is what makes it desirable.

[Beenhere4ever]

Hey, good as most any other suburb. Don't pay extra for a house there, but don't pay too much extra for a house somewhere else. Their gas stations often have lowest or very low prices for their gasoline. Tons of shopping nearby.

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Cinnamon Ridge Trail--I was trying to remember that name. Our son was looking for houses/townhomes and our realtor said that she will NEVER show anyone a place in that area....

I looked at a couple condos in that area when I was looking for a place to buy eight years ago (I was living in the Cinnamon Ridge apartments at the time), and I didn't like them anyway, but yeah, time has certainly validated my decision. Had I bought, I may have chosen to walk away just to be able to leave that mess.

[chilaili]

Eagan isn't bad at all. I worked there for 10 years and the worst thing I can say about it is that it's dull. But convenient for the airport and the downtown areas.