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Relocating to Minneapolis/St. Paul...introduction
Hi Ladies! Happy New Year!
My DH and I are relo'ing to the area for his work (located at the MSP) and I could really use some local insight on different areas.
We are moving from Chicago (downtown), but spent 3 years in Indianapolis and are both Michigan natives. We are high school sweethearts, married 5+ years with our first baby due in August. Please tell me if I can survive Chicago winters that MN-Winters won't be THAT much worse!
I've been browsing the Money Magazine 2010 Top List and would like to know what are some of the differences between Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Woodbury, Eagan, and Apple Valley. Is Apple Valley really worth the #20 spot on the list? Is Maple Grove too far of a commute to the airport for my husband?
We are basically looking to buy a newer (1990's+) home in a suburb that offers plenty of restaurants, nice infrastructure, newer development and ample parks and rec. Price point < $300k.
If anyone is bored at work today or would like to help a newbie out - I greatly appreciate it!
Re: Relocating to Minneapolis/St. Paul...introduction
Welcome!
Plymouth and Maple Grove will be a b!tch of a commute to MSP (I live w/in 10 minutes of MSP). I'd say an hour in rush hour for MG, but others who actually live out there may have a better idea. Woodbury would be fine because of how you'd travel down 494 to the airport. Apple Valley and Eagan share a school district that is very well regarded, which is probably why it is ranked highly. Eden Prairie would sort of be a *** of a commute too, down 494 (opposite way from Woodbury) or 62. I don't know that I'd want to do it daily.
I'm a city girl, and there are great houses in the cities here, although not in your age range, probably. Eagan has a lot of what you are looking for, and prices have dropped so you can find something like you want in housing for less than $300k there now. A good friend used to live in Eagan, and I find it very convenient to the airport, lots of shops, etc., restaurants are chains mostly, but that's what you'll have in the burbs. It is about 35 minutes to downtown in light traffic, but that's not terrible, I guess, if you are up for it.
If I were going to be working at MSP, I'd definitely look at Apple Valley or Eagan for commuting purposes. Cedar Ave/Hwy 77 can be a pain during rush hour, but there are lots of nice neighborhoods, it's close to shopping and restaurants, and the MN Zoo is right there as well. I don't know much about the schools, but I'd be shocked if they weren't pretty decent.
Like others have said, the beset commute would be from Eagan or Apple Valley.
I used to live in Eagan and now live in Rosemount, just east of Apple Valley. Both Eagan & Apple Valley (as well as Rosemount) are in school district 196, which is highly regarded.
Housing prices will be slightly higher in Eagan than Apple Valley, but there's not a ton of difference. We looked extensively in both cities when we were house shopping, and as with most metro areas, the further you get from downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul, the more house you'll get for your money. There are plenty of 1990 or newer houses in both places, with more newer homes in AV. You should be able to get a 3-4 bedroom house with a 3-car garage and around 3,000 square feet for $300K.
As for shopping, Eagan and Apple Valley are about equal. I think Eagan has better restaurants. Apple Valley has a ton of restaurants, but they're mostly chain places.
Both cities have great parks. Lebanon Hills Park in Eagan is awesome, it's huge (2000 acres) and has tons of amenities. It's still easily accessible from Apple Valley, though.
Mr. Sammy Dog
I have lived all over the cities (mounds view, brooklyn park/center, Maple Grove, Wayzata, Plymouth, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Burnsville, St. Paul, Apple Valley and Farmington) for suburban areas, Eagan/Apple Valley/Farmington are where I would live. I do not actually love the school district in Rosemount/AV/Eagan, and if I lived there I would open enroll in Farmington or Lakeville. They are cutting, cutting, cutting, and I don't think it's going to end well.
I would love to live in Apple Valley, Eagan or Farmington. Farmington is just south of Apple Valley, adding maybe 3-5 minutes to the commute, and has a great school district.
Welcome!
Welcome!
I agree with pp about looking for housing in Eagan and Inver Grove Heights. My MIL lives in Eagan and it seems like a very nice community. Good shops, nice looking neighborhoods, close to either Mpls or St. Paul.
As for the weather - you'll do just fine. It can be cold, but we don't have the constant wind that Chicago is famous for. I was there for a conference in December and brr! That wind just takes your breath away!
And congrats on the upcoming arrival of your baby!
Thank you all sooo much for the warm welcome and really good insight. Yes, we will miss all of the non-chain restaurants Chicago has to offer...but we are excited to get back to living in suburbia, chain restaurants and strip malls aside.
I'm coming in this weekend, I think I'll check out the AV/Eagan specific communities and maybe over to Woodbury.
I certainly look forward to meeting you all at a GTG sometime soon...
Thanks again!!
i currently live in eagan. i am a complete city girl but my husband owned a home here so this is where i moved when we got married. honestly, my city bias aside, it's pretty excellent. we live in a cul de sac consisting of about 10 houses and we ADORE our neighbors. (to the point where i wish i could pack them all up and move them with us when we move next year)
my son actually goes to school in minneapolis but i've heard good things about the eagan schools.
homes are priced in the low-mid 300s in our neighborhood.
lots of parks, great community center w/ outdoor water park, close to the river mountain biking trails.
convenient to lots of shopping/eating. some good local eats too!
Welcome to the board and soon, to Minnesota!
I grew up in Woodbury, and both of my parents worked at the airport, so while it is a bit further of a drive than Eagan, it is still manageable. I also agree that Inver Grove Heights would be a nice area.
Woodbury is definitely suburbia, but it is a short 10 minute drive to downtown St.Paul, and literally has EVERYTHING. Shopping and restaurants galore, lots of parks, a good library, good schools, movie theater, etc. There are lots of fun neighborhoods ranging from older homes with mature trees, to new upscale, designer homes. I spent the last year working in politics in Woodbury, and I got to know a lot of the neighborhoods really really well, so I would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
Good luck, and hope we can be of help as you make the transition!
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Hi & Welcome!
I would also suggested looking in Eagan, Apple Valley, and Woodbury. I've also lived in Inver Grove Heights, which is very close to the airport. It's near St. Paul and Eagan, but less expensive. I live near Woodbury which really does have everything, but it's a little farther away. Good luck!
Welcome!
I currently live in Eagan. I moved here last year kicking and screaming after spending my entire adult life in St. Paul. I moved here to get a much better commute to work and I have to admit, I actually really love it here. We're starting to think about buying and are strongly considering staying in this area.
Personally, if I were working at the airport, I'd stay far away from Maple Grove or Plymouth and would be pretty wary of Woodbury and Eden Prairie (EP isn't that far from the airport, but I hate the road that connects the two with the fire of a thousand suns). My BFF lives in Maple Grove and it takes me about 45 minutes to get to her house from mine (I'm 10 min from the airport). For me, this is way too far and a waste of both time and gas money.
Eagan will be cheaper than Apple Valley, probably by quite a bit. It's a lovely area, but you will likely spend less for the same house in Eagan. I know someone else said Eagan will be more expensive but I've found the opposite when I've been looking at homes to purchase. I also really hate the "main" area of Apple Valley. It's super busy and I find it an absolute pain in the a$$ to drive through.
All that said, I feel like I live really far away from downtown Minneapolis (it takes about 25-30 min to get there from my house) and pretty far from downtown St. Paul (about 20-25 min). We don't go downtown very often, but I do wish I was closer. If that's a concern to you, I might look into a closer suburb like Bloomington, Mendota Heights or Edina or even south Minneapolis.
We found the opposite when we were looking at houses down there. I would probably choose Eagan over AV, but we found it more expensive. One thing to look at too is taxes. the property taxes in the south metro are insane.
I would definitely recommend Bloomington, based on the schools. I'm biased because I work there, but it's easily the best district I've worked in.
Welcome!
I live in Richfield near 35W & 494 and my husband and I love it. There are plenty of restaurants and stores in our area. We did our homework on airport noise and only get one loud plane a day. The noise level was important to us.
I have lived and worked in Bloomington, as well, and enjoyed that area too.
It might be an area thing. Eagan is kind of divided between fairly standard regular suburbia and the huge McMansions in the Pilot Knob area. I think that obnoxious area drives up the average cost off the area.