L.A. to Minneapolis, LOTS of Questions (St. Paul, Duluth: to rent, mortgage)

[doublesuited77]

my commute from Minnetonka to downtown is 15 minutes, 20 if it is raining or snowing. Edina will be about the same, Eden Prairie will be about 10 minutes more.

[talktobrent]

People seem to be ignoring the northern suburbs. I would say look at new brighton, roseville, shoreview, white bear lake, and others around there. All these areas are very nice to live, with good freeway access and close to lots of lakes and recreation. Traffic seems lighter over there compared to the southern suburbs. I live in shoreview and can hop on the freeway and get to Dowtown minneapolis in 10-15 minutes from my house in non-rush hours. One thing I will say though... If you are a young couple I would recommend living in Minneapolis. The suburbs here are pretty quiet and family oriented. If you want fine dining, ethnic culture, and nightlife, there is very little outside the city of Minneapolis.

[EA1114]

I would definitely think about living in Minneapolis or St. Paul rather than the suburbs. It sounds like you are a young couple who want activities and restaurants near by. The suburbs are nice but definitely family centered. I have lived in the western suburbs and now live in Saint Paul and I will never go back to living in the suburbs. I found them really boring, especially in the winter. There is just so much more to do in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. I felt like I was always driving into the cities so it made sense to just move there.

Some good neighborhoods in Minneapolis are Linden Hills, Uptown, Loring Park, Longfellow.

Some good neighborhoods in St. Paul are Summit Hill, Mac/Groveland, Highland Park, Como.

There are many more great neighborhoods, these are just some of my favorites.

[Corneeeeelius]

Originally Posted by EA1114

I would definitely think about living in Minneapolis or St. Paul rather than the suburbs. It sounds like you are a young couple who want activities and restaurants near by. The suburbs are nice but definitely family centered.

Well, it's a hard choice for us - we're definitely interested in experiencing downtown Minneapolis to the fullest, but we're also looking for space.

We're both visual artists, and we've been sharing a small (700-800 sq foot) 1-bed apartment for the past two years. This means that neither of us have a studio space to use.. and if you're an artist (or know artists), you can probably imagine how difficult it is to make stuff in the same cramped area that you relax/cook/watch tv/sleep in. Ideally, we're looking for a 3-bed, or a 2-bed with a den. That would allow us to have a communal living room area, a dedicated bedroom area, and two studios that we could use when we need to work.

We're also looking for a place that allows us to be a little louder than we've been for the past couple of years. We've lived in a cramped apartment space on the second floor, so it's meant no shoes, no music after 10:00 PM, no real privacy. And while I know that the suburbs aren't very permitting of noise, we're not looking to do anything that'll wake up the block. We just want to do more than whisper and walk on eggshells after 10:00.

As far as suburbs are concerned.. well, I went to school in Valencia for 4 years (quintessential SoCal suburb). I find suburbs kind of comforting now.. we both enjoy being close to the city, but we kind of like to experience it on our own terms. There's a huge difference between living right in Manhattan and living on the border in Jersey, you know? We're growing out of our crazier days, and while we still want things to do, we don't necessarily want to be surrounded by a bustling city every hour of the day.

On top of that.. I would much rather walk to the lake/park/forest and drive to the city than vice-versa. I spent the majority of my youth in Nowhere, VT.. I miss nature desperately after five years in LA. I want to be surrounded by green trees, I want to see leaves change, I want to bundle up and slap on some cross-country skis and go exploring.

[K-Luv]

1. Edina and Minnetonka are, for the most part, nice suburbs. These are also some of the richest suburbs in the TC, but you will get more value for your dollar in housing costs here compared to LA (that is not true in every case, though). If you want something suburbanesque I'd suggest a place like Roseville.

2. Yes and no. Once again, you'll get more house for your buck in Minneapolis, but in some cases you'll also get crap. I lived in a two story 5 bedroom apartment in the Whitier neighborhood that went for $1300 a month, but my two bedroom in Uptown went for $900 a month (actually the landlord raised the rent to $1,100 now). If you look and are patient you'll find something awesome. But, most people want to get something before the winter hits, and landlords now this so they charge what ever because they know someone will be desperate enough to pay it.



4. I have never seen, nor heard of a highway shutting down due to snow. Minnesota has the money and equipment to deal with such emergencies and they tend to be pretty efficient at it.

5. Yes, yes, and yes. There are many ethnic choices in the TC, but I guarantee that you wont be able to find a burrito as big as your head for $5. And the fish taco scene seems to be lacking.


7. As far as I know they are all about equal. Of course everybody has their favorite provider. I have T Mo and have never had a problem with them in five years.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Corneeeeelius

We're also looking for a place that allows us to be a little louder than we've been for the past couple of years.

This shouldn't be a problem in Minneapolis.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Corneeeeelius

Well, it's a hard choice for us - we're definitely interested in experiencing downtown Minneapolis to the fullest, but we're also looking for space.

We're both visual artists, and we've been sharing a small (700-800 sq foot) 1-bed apartment for the past two years. This means that neither of us have a studio space to use.. and if you're an artist (or know artists), you can probably imagine how difficult it is to make stuff in the same cramped area that you relax/cook/watch tv/sleep in. Ideally, we're looking for a 3-bed, or a 2-bed with a den. That would allow us to have a communal living room area, a dedicated bedroom area, and two studios that we could use when we need to work.

We're also looking for a place that allows us to be a little louder than we've been for the past couple of years. We've lived in a cramped apartment space on the second floor, so it's meant no shoes, no music after 10:00 PM, no real privacy. And while I know that the suburbs aren't very permitting of noise, we're not looking to do anything that'll wake up the block. We just want to do more than whisper and walk on eggshells after 10:00.

As far as suburbs are concerned.. well, I went to school in Valencia for 4 years (quintessential SoCal suburb). I find suburbs kind of comforting now.. we both enjoy being close to the city, but we kind of like to experience it on our own terms. There's a huge difference between living right in Manhattan and living on the border in Jersey, you know? We're growing out of our crazier days, and while we still want things to do, we don't necessarily want to be surrounded by a bustling city every hour of the day.

On top of that.. I would much rather walk to the lake/park/forest and drive to the city than vice-versa. I spent the majority of my youth in Nowhere, VT.. I miss nature desperately after five years in LA. I want to be surrounded by green trees, I want to see leaves change, I want to bundle up and slap on some cross-country skis and go exploring.

Hmmm... intersting case...well, suburbs in Mpls are going to be a lot different than suburbs in Cali as you might imagine. That being said, most of Minneapolis proper (everything outside of Downtown, Uptown, parts of NE, SE, and North) wouldn't really qualify as "bustling city", a lot of it is actually pretty quiet. And in the metro area, unless you're in/ around the pricey Lake Minnetonka area, you probably have as good if not better chance of being within walking distance to a lake, park, or biking trails if you actually live in Mpls as opposed to a suburb (Mpls is famous for its parks system, something like 'you're never more than 6 blocks away from a park anywhere in the city'). So you may want to re-look at Mpls neighborhoods or wait to hear from suburban posters about lakes, parks, forests in their areas.

[kuan]

Originally Posted by Corneeeeelius

I want to bundle up and slap on some cross-country skis and go exploring.

You've come to the right place, although here, we have plenty of groomed trails. Not really the exploration type wilds of VT.

Check it out

Adelsman's Cross-Country Ski Page: Trails

[sugarbeet]

You said that you and your girlfriend are in your mid 20s. Is there a reason you wouldn't consider living in Minneapolis or maybe even St. Paul? I highly recommend you at least give them a look before committing to anything.

Every Minneapolis resident is 6 blocks from a park and probably walking distance from a lake. After Saturday's snowfall, you can put on your cross country skis and not be too far from the trails. Or you can just ski on the streets!

I have lived in and visited may different cities and now live in Minneapolis. I think you will find Minneapolis proper to be more like some of the suburbs of larger cities. After living in NYC, nowhere in Minneapolis even compares in terms of "hustle and bustle." The majority of the city is residential with commercial/retail areas every few blocks.

[miltysmum]

Minneapolis ranks in the top ten metroplitan cities on multiple surverys. Housing costs low, mucho culture, mixture of ethnicity. Very progressive state for "green" and clean living. First to ban cigarettes, first to recycle, first for health care reform, excellent medical care (Mayo only 80 miles away). Have you considered a condo in downtown Mpls? I've lived in The Crossngs (older condo but connected via heated skyway system. 1-3 BR units up to 1800 sq ft. Many refurbished. You might be able to rent but buying is even better. Fitness center on-site and minutes to walk climate free to downtown jobs. Huge retail in skyway. Great investment. Housing market down like in all areas, so picking up condo cheaper is high, rentals also. The Crossings allows dogs (2). Also great area for other properties off skyway along river. Many lofts. If you have children for schools, might be not as desireable. Many youny professionals live there. Bad weather is something you avoid. Summers, spring/fall is great. Downtown living has night life, good restaurants, boutiques, and major shopping. Within walking distance to MN Vikings and Timberwolves stadiums. As far as school, you would be a short bus ride to University of Minnesota. I would suggest locating near work. Traffic is a disaster right now due to poor mass transit and the bridge collapse last August. Good luck