Can anyone tell me more about White Bear Lake? (St. Paul: transplants, amusement park)

[BonsoirLittleLuna]

My husband and I have been considering a move to St. Paul, and we are very interested in the White Bear Lake area because of the affordable home prices and its downtown area. My husband would be commuting from WBL into St. Paul.

We are aware of the current lake water level situation.

Otherwise, what is it like to live in White Bear Lake? Is it a good place to start a family? Is that commute into St. Paul (near the MN Children's Museum) doable long-term?

Thank you for any information! I really appreciate all the help I have received so far on this board.

[laxster]

It is definitely doable! I grew up in the town next door to White Bear Lake, and it is a great area to live. White Bear Lake has a nice laid-back small-town vibe, even though the metro area has grown. Close to lots of stores, yet it is also on the very edge of the metro so you'll have access to lots of recreation opportunities too - I personally love the Gateway Trail!

Commuting into downtown St. Paul is definitely doable -- my mom used to make the same trip for 2 decades. She either drove or took the express bus -- both 265 and 275 will take you downtown St Paul rapidly and your husband may find out that he prefers taking the bus to driving to work! It was about 15 minutes into St Paul by driving in light traffic.

[BonsoirLittleLuna]

Originally Posted by laxster

It is definitely doable! I grew up in the town next door to White Bear Lake, and it is a great area to live. White Bear Lake has a nice laid-back small-town vibe, even though the metro area has grown. Close to lots of stores, yet it is also on the very edge of the metro so you'll have access to lots of recreation opportunities too - I personally love the Gateway Trail!

Commuting into downtown St. Paul is definitely doable -- my mom used to make the same trip for 2 decades. She either drove or took the express bus -- both 265 and 275 will take you downtown St Paul rapidly and your husband may find out that he prefers taking the bus to driving to work! It was about 15 minutes into St Paul by driving in light traffic.

Thank you so much! I love that it's close to recreation opportunities as well. I personally prefer public transportation since I'm not a huge fan of driving, so it's great that that is an option. I am glad you like it up there - thank you for your input!!

[BPtransplant]

Very doable. We live right next to WBL and even during rush hour, it has never taken my wife or myself more than about 10 minutes to hit downtown St Paul. We jump on 35E at County E just for reference. From downtown WBL you would probably jump on at HWY 96. Traffic is pretty much non existent, especially with the HOV lanes that were just added on 35E.
Full disclosure, I moved here from LA so my idea of traffic certainly differs from others but overall, that's a very, very easy commute.
Good luck!

[malleesmom]

Where are you coming from? Are you a MN-native?

[AndreaSoup]

We loved living in WBL. Commuted to downtown St. Paul, using backroads. Took about 30 minutes. Highway would have been much faster, but neither of us like the highways.

[Grizzly Addams]

The only downside of living in White Bear Lake is that 35E, north of 694, seems to be perpetually under construction, or at least it seems that way.

[AtlasTraveler]

WBL is such a cute area... I'll always remember a few things 1) walking to the lake (about 15 min to Belleair beach from my parents house) 2) fireworks during 4th of July over the lake 3) Marketfest Downtown

I grew up in WBL. It used to be a small resort town on the outskirts of St. Paul (Wildwood amusement park, lake homes, etc.). It's now a suburb. It has an interesting history.

I love the "small town" feel of its downtown. Many people I knew around there were from generations of families who lived there. It always felt crazy to me -- these people were there for generations. (Disclosure: My parents were MN transplants from the Coasts and my relatives seem to move around a lot. I currently live in CA, so the thought of living somewhere for generations seems crazy but enduring)

WBL is basically divided between "North" WBL (White Bear Township I consider part of this) and "South" WBL which is more like Mahtomedi

North: small town feel with distinct downtown. It's older and more settled. Families have lived there for generations. It's also more of a lake town. It can be "hodge-podge" in its development similar to other lake towns.

South: 60s/70s suburban development; suburban sprawl. It is the recently (relative) developed area of WBL. It feels more like other "suburbs" of the Twin Cities, but more distinct. It's very similar in culture to Mahtomedi and some parts of Vandals Heights/Oakdale. It's very close to 694 making transportation easy (10 min downtown STP or 15 to MPLS).

I believe the middle school school system is even split up "north" vs "south" (at least it was when I lived there). High schools vary depending on grade: fresh-soph up North and the junior-seniors down South.

I always went to private schools, so I can't speak to what they're like.

[gophers1991]

I grew up in White Bear. While I wouldn't say it feels like a small town, I'd agree that it has its own distinct vibe. The White Bear area can feel like its own bubble, separated from the rest of the metro. But still close to everything.

The community has a very tight knit feel, especially the north side which is like a little village. The south side, as the above poster aluded to, is more generic suburban and somewhat difficult to distinguish from Maplewood. There's a lot of community pride. Every other house has a bear statue on their front step. Many houses fly a blue and white White Bear flag. But with such a tight community, you do encounter a lot of what we called 'lifers' - people that haven't seemed to have set foot out of the town for fifty years. Which could make it somewhat intimidating for newcomers. But it's still close enough to the Twin Cities that's it's much more welcoming than a real small town out in the middle of nowhere might be.

You can't go wrong though if you're looking to raise a family in a community. Emphasis on community. It's one of the few places left in the metro that haven't fallen full fledged into generic suburbia. And it's as close a representation as you're going to get to a Norman Rockwellesque Americana in 2016

[191185]

Absolutly ! it is awsome, and very safe !

I would consider white bear lake a step above living in North st paul ( where I live ) and maplewood..

The only city I think is nicer, in that area would be Woodbury, which your talking $700,000 houses. .