What do you think of the Richfield area? tia!

LifeInANutshell · July 2011

Any input is greatly appreciated... my husband and I are moving up to MN in August and are going to rent for a while prior to getting a permanent home...

So what do you think of the Richfield area? Good/bad? Safe/scary? Too far from everything? Crazy people love it there? etc.

Thanks again.

MrsKizdoodle · July 2011

Like any suburb it has its nice parts and maybe some not-so-nice parts. When we were house hunting and possibly considering Richfield people who grew up there told us to definitely stay west of Nicollet Avenue.

We ended up in St. Louis Park which I think is a great suburb. North central Bloomington might be an option for you too. I grew up in Bloomington (as far north and west as you can get) and liked it.

Are you moving for work? Will you or your DH be working in Richfield?

LifeInANutshell · July 2011

MrsKizdoodle:
Like any suburb it has its nice parts and maybe some not-so-nice parts. When we were house hunting and possibly considering Richfield people who grew up there told us to definitely stay west of Nicollet Avenue.
We ended up in St. Louis Park which I think is a great suburb. North central Bloomington might be an option for you too. I grew up in Bloomington (as far north and west as you can get) and liked it.
Are you moving for work? Will you or your DH be working in Richfield?

Love Love Love Love your dogs!

We are moving for DH to work downtown at a large corp. I work virtually out of our home so I'm okay as long as there's a good ISP available.

Speaking of dogs... this particular building doesn't allow them and its eating me to pieces that we'd have to leave my 5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback baby in Florida with my mom Sad

We'd be happy to buy a place but with being so new to the area and having so little time it just doesn't seem to be an option right now.

MrsKizdoodle · July 2011

Thanks on the compliment on my boys. I love them to pieces. :-)

Have you already signed a lease on a place? I know there are websites that list pet friendly apartments. Or maybe a house rental where you could bring your dog might be a good idea?

I think it's smart to rent for awhile in a place that is completely new so you can get a feel for the area.

We live in the northern central part of St. Louis Park and it's easy peasy to hop on 394 and buzz right downtown. Southern Golden Valley along 394 might be a good option for you too in your eventual house hunt. There are lots of great neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. It's also a very dog friendly place with lots of dog parks.

Welcome! :-)

SoEnamored · July 2011

When I think of Richfield I think of an older suburb with lots of rambler type homes.

mrsdawnmarie · July 2011

I wouldn't live in most parts of Richfield, but that's just me. The eastern part is not very friendly, in my experience, and the western part is pretty old.

I would look at Bloomington as a nearby alternative. I like Bloomington a lot.

If your husband is going to be commuting downtown, I never had an easier bus ride to downtown than from Apple Valley. I also worked from home in Apple Valley. There are LOTS of townhome/home rentals in the southern metro too that may allow you to bring your dog.

sjb&apa · July 2011

I lived in Richfield years ago, 1998-2000, right after I finished college. It's a first-ring suburb so the housing there is older. I lived near 76th & Lyndale. It's not a bad area, but not great either. I agree about the "stay west of Nicollet" rule. Actually, I would apply that rule to Bloomington too, stay west of Nicollet.

There are lots of cheap apartments in Richfield, but they're also not luxurious by any means. I didn't make a lot of money when I lived there, so cheap was important. The apartment complex I lived in allowed dogs, but I don't remember the name of the complex. I'll do some research and post again later.

I agree that Bloomington might be a better alternative. Or SLP where Kiz lives.

Another option is Eagan. I lived in Eagan for 3.5 years, and I work at the U of M Minneapolis campus, which is right next to downtown. It's about a 25 minute drive, or there are great public transportation options into downtown from Eagan via Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. Lots of nice rental housing in Eagan too - there are tons of people renting out townhomes and many would allow pets.

pattymctatty · July 2011

I work in Richfield. Also - from Richfield to get downtown is a super easy drive. My MIL also lives in Richfield.

I would look into the area from 66th & Penn east to 35W and then south to about 70th (the cemetery area). Also, another good area to look into renting is the condos right by the Southdale library and near Target and the Galleria in Edina. It's a great area, easy access to highways/freeways and it's a very convenient location.

Another second for St. Louis Park. Live here and love it! Golden Valley is really easy too.

Also - another surprising area to look in would be the Bryn Mawr area of Minneapolis. It's right off of Cedar Lake Road and 394. We had an awesome rental house for a year and it's very convenient for working downtown.

StrawberryBlondie · July 2011

I used to live in Bloomington and live in Eagan now. I wouldn't rule Richfield completely out, but most parts I wouldn't particularly want to live in. When we were house-hunting a few months back there were a few homes in the Richfield area that we liked, but it seemed like there were a lot of smaller homes and the nicer ones seemed relatively expensive compared to houses of a similar size and age in other areas.

mrsdawnmarie · July 2011

just to be clear, when I say "older" I mean a lot of older people versus younger people. I love old homes. (And old people, but I like having younger people in my neighborhood too

mefindlay · July 2011

I like Richfield, but I'm biased because my dad is from there, so I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents. They lived close to Holy Angels school, but they were also right down the street from the cop shop on 67th St, so I always felt like their neighborhood was safe because the cop cars would drive the street a lot (not with sirens blaring or anything). The transit system is great - tons of buses go through the area, you've got major highways close by, there's a few grocery stores plus Super Target. There is a lot of airport noise, but you can get used to it. Plus there's Wood Lake too. It's definitely a blue collar suburb compared to other areas of the cities.

mac17 · July 2011

I have been living in Richfield for the past two years and love it. We live behind the Shops of Lyndale (35W and 494). Everything is very convenient for us such as Target, grocery stores, banks, and shopping. We are also in a great pocket where we only deal with airplane noise once a day. I have been very happy with this area so far.

huwehotaling · July 2011

I grew up in South Minneapolis, just about a mile north of Richfield. There are definitely some nicer parts and some not so nice parts of that suburb. Like pp said, there's a lot of older rambler homes nice neighborhoods with parks, etc. It is close to the airport. I agree that west of Nicollet is better and you could definitely look into Bloomington too (both close to freeways).

MrsKizdoodle · July 2011

I think most suburbs get airport noise, it's a hazard of living near a large international airport. You definitely get used to it though.

MKC12/22/2006 · July 2011

If it's just temporary Richfield would be fine - still check out the neighborhood and airport noise, though. My cousins live across the street from a cute park in Richfield and I like their neighborhood. They are not fans of the school district though, and wish they lived in a better school district. There's open enrollment, but that can be a pain and schools can fill up.

I'm biased toward the western suburbs- Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Chanhassen, Chaska, etc. but that may be too far away for you.

pell0079 · July 2011

We live in Richfield, my husband has owned the house for 3 years and I've been here for a year and a half. We LOVE it here.

We're right off 66th between Xerxes and Penn. I wouldn't go East of Nicollet either, it does get shady over there. Just drive around and look at neighborhoods, talk to people you see out about their area.

The houses are affordable, property taxes are very cheap, cute parks, the streets are well plowed in the winter etc. We've never had a problem with crime, or even rowdy teenagers. My husband works downtown too, and his commute is super easy. We do hear the airplanes, but you get used to it. Our street has a few older couples, but mostly young couples and families.

What do you think of the Richfield area? tia!

Re: What do you think of the Richfield area? tia!

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