What's Minneapolis like? I may be moving there.

I got a call from a big organization there. I've only been through there once 7 years ago, so I'm looking for info to help make a decision.

What would it cost to rent a 4-bdrm house? What are housing prices like up there to purchase a home? What would you consider a good living wage for that area (I have a wife & 2 kids). What is traffice like getting to the Nicollet Mall area where the job is located?

Post here or send me a PM.

Thanks.

Cost of living is really high there

i was under the impression that it was reasonable - not cheap like living in fargo or something, but inexpensive as compared to most major cities

A 4-bdrm home in my neighborhood runs anywhere from $425-600,000. I'm renting a nice 4-bdrm for $1500 per month. Is Minneapolis/St Paul comparable?

anywhere from $250K to $400K. More Dems live in St. Paul, which has a bunch of really nice and quaint inner-ring suburbs. The suburbs around Minneapolis are newer and much more Republican. Do not move to Eden Prairie. Very Republican.

Nicollet Mall is in the middle of downtown. I've never had to commute downtown, but I know the traffic is pretty thick.

The Minneapolis area has a reputation as being a somewhat closed society. If you didn't grow up in the area it's tough to break in.

freeway on and off to downtown Nicoltte Mall. I loved Mple and thinking I might go back there someday.
"Uptown" mpls is a good area to live in. Lots of renovation going on down by the river which runs next to downtown and the Humpadome.
New rail system which I rode a few weeks ago.
Lots of nordics and scandi's in northern Mpls
I LOVED mpls--did not notice the Repugs. Still lots of Dems there that I know of.

There's so much more ethnic diversity than before, and even after being gone for 19 years, I haven't had trouble making new friends.

As far as commuting to Nicollet Mall is concerned, traffic is bad, Your best bet would be finding a house on a bus line. I'm totally serious here. I believe that driving to downtown Minneapolis or to the University of Minnesota is its own punishment. The bus system is mediocre, but it works for commuting downtown during normal hours.

I've never bought a house here, but I live in one of the pricier neighborhoods (near one of the renowned lakes), and houses are selling for about $300,000 and up. Other neighborhoods are less. If you wanted to live within walking distance of the Nicollet Mall in a loft, you could do that for about $300,000, too.

I lucked out on renting in an obscure family-owned apartment building, which for reasons known only to the owners, is charging only about 75% of the going rate for an apartment of this size in the neighborhood.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are "twins" with different personalities. Minneapolis was originally German and Scandinavian and got most of the lakes. St. Paul was originally Irish and German and looks more like an Eastern city. These days, Minneapolis has most of the Somalis, and St. Paul has most of the Hmong.

Cultural attractions (live theater, music, restaurants) are pretty evenly divided between the two cities. The University of Minnesota's main campus is in Minneapolis, but just a few blocks from St. Paul.

Have I left anything out?

Oh, yes, if you have kids, Minnesota has open enrollment for public schools. If you don't like your district's school, you can enroll in another district at no tuition charge, as long as they have room. When one of my brothers moved from St. Paul to a suburb, his oldest daughter stayed at her old school for a year to finish elementary school.

And another thing--be sure to meet the Minnesota DUers. We're one of the friendliest and most cohesive state groups.

you may be able to get a bus for commuting downtown. The problem with the bus is that some areas only have service during rush hour so if you need to leave work or go in late you would need to drive downtown - or at least find a park and ride with more convienent service. For the sake of your commute, I would say stay north of the Minnesota River.

Avoid Eagan as well as Eden Prairie. It is also very Republican. You might be able to find something in Bloomington (parts of which have DFL state reps, other parts have Republicans)

Francisco after having sold a house are amazed at what they can get. There are new people moving in from everywhere constantly. Neighborhoods can be friendly and the schools are generally good - top rating in math or science, I believe. Great trees, great biking, great lakes and rivers. Lots of history; for children also. Political. Socially liberal in general, but conservative fiscally, Explore commuting by public transportation as all commuting and parking by car can be rough in any direction. Downtown mall is good for eating and shopping. Suburbs can be very obviously Republican. There are many corner commercial neighborhoods with charm. If commuting is good from St. Paul, consider it - there are some housing bargains there and it is less hectic in certain parts of town. Cultural and outdoor life is good. Great running, roller blading, and biking routes in town. Canoeing, boating, and fishing everywhere. Great for day trips and week-weekend vacations. Start by picking a school - consider Linden Hills depending on income and needs. Very international - largest settlements of Hmong and possibly Somalians. Can buy nearly any kind of food and eat in nearly any kind of restaurant.

of what is available and where

I think that the housing market has cooled recently, as determined by the time it takes for a house to sell.

And, then, again, houses below $250K go faster than the more expensive ones.

Rental used to be quite expensive but I think that it has improved in the past two years as interest rate went down more people bought.

It is not so much traffic to Nicollet Mall is parking there, unless your job will pay for it.

Thus, when you come to visit and to view houses, try to drive at, say, 5:00 pm from your place of work to the house to see how it would work. I know we did it before we finalized on our house. As it is now, spouse rarely takes the freeway, preferring, instead, the scenic routes where traffic often moves faster and at least you are moving.

There is also the new light rail which goes to downtown and if you will be looking at south Minneapolis you may be able to park at the train station.

Then there is the Democratic neighborhood of Linden Hills in south Minneapolis, I think, but I suspect that the prices there are high.

What area were you looking at? It really depends on how far you want to commute. I live about 40 miles west of the cities and when I have to commute for meetings or whatever, I drive to Maple Grove and park for free and take the bus. There is one like every 15 mintues leaving and returning, I spent little time waiting for the bus. Taking the bus saves a lot of money and time! It is cheaper to live out here than closer to the cities, but you still can't touch a house (a nicer, larger and newer one anyways) for less than $200K. The market is improving slightly though.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

I'm not really new to DU, just new to posting. I've been reading the posts for over a year now, more so since the election. But, thank you for the welcome!

I live about one mile straight west of downtown, in a very quiet, safe, family- and gay-friendly neighborhood (believe it or not). Most of the housing stock in my 'hood dates from 1930-1950, and runs about $300k for approx 1800 sq. ft. Housing costs have been soaring in the inner cities lately, due to a variety of reasons. However, it's still possible to get a decent house in a decent neighborhood for less than you would in many other big cities.

I am literally five minutes from Nicollet Mall, on a good day. My wife works downtown and takes the bus home most evenings, which takes 10-15 min. on average. The bus service to and from the downtowns is pretty good, but is severely lacking for inter-neighborhood connections. Chances are you could commute downtown on the bus (or light rail) for a fraction of what it costs to drive and park.

Wages are higher than the national average, IIRC. However, the cost of living is typically much higher than other midwestern towns. I'd say we're more comparable to Chicago than to Omaha, for example.

I was born and raised in the area; however, most of my friends are NOT native MNans, believe it or not. Sure, MN folk can be a bit insular, but most people are friendly and like to make new friends.

We have a lot of cultural attractions here, and recent years have seen a lot of new immigrants from all over the world. It's not uncommon to walk a street downtown and hear conversations in Spanish, English, Somali or Hmong. It has really enriched the city and state, and most Minnesotans are quite happy to have new immigrants here.

Feel free to PM me if you want any info on the city-- I've got a couple friends in real estate who could help you with home prices, etc. :hi:

Search for houses here . . .
http://www.mlsfinder.com/mn_rmls/greatmn/index.cfm

Here is a great site for visual introduction to the city . . .
http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/

Traffic can be a pain, so best find a location within several miles of downtown on transit (bus or hiawatha lrt) lines.


This is Nicollet Mall viewed from overhead between Marshall Fields and the IDS Tower. The intersection in the background is 8th Street, with the US Bancorp Center on the other side of the street.


This is Loring Lake (in Loring Park) during the Pride Festival.


You are standing on West Franklin Avenue looking west at the intersection with Hennepin Avenue South. The Burch Pharmacy is on the right, Nokomis Cleaners is on the left. The number 2 bus goes down Franklin from here to 24th street. Buses on Hennepin go downtown(north, to the right) and to Uptown, Southdale, and St.Louis Park(south, to the left).


You are at Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue South, the crossroads of "Uptown". This view is looking north up Hennepin Avenue. Calhoun Square is behind you.

I used to live right behind Burch Pharmacy about nine years ago, before I got married. In fact, you can see my apartment in the photo: it's the one on the first floor, in the corner on the right-hand side-- right under the vertical "Belmont" sign, in fact.

That was a great place to live, as a single person. I worked downtown, and tons of buses go right through that intersection. The only downside was the summer, as our building didn't have air conditioning, and the traffic could be a little loud at times.

Thanks for the photos!

map of the Skyway(s.) Connects all the second floors between many, many blocks.

I lived for a long time just south Franklin and Harriet, a few blocks from one of those pictures. I really miss Uptown :(

Not sure about Las Vegas, though. Avoid all of the western suburbs of Minneapolis if you do not wish to be surrounded by republicans.
Both Minneapolis and St Paul are beautiful cities. You'll love it here!

Also, once you learn some of the back roads, driving to DT MPLS isn't too bad at all. I would recommend looking into the Como/Crokus Hill area or the Highland area. All of those areas are withing ten miles of the Nicollet Mall area, and again, if you stay off the highway, it's a thirty minute commute at worst.

I've been here for twelve years--East Coaster--and it's different. It took me awhile to adjust, but I'm very happy here despite the cool winters (they're really NOT that bad).

You definitely want to live in the city; it's a Republican state except for the Cities.

along the Mississippi southeast of the Cities it is pretty Democratic.

There are also pockets in out-state college towns (St Cloud, Mankato, Morris, etc...).

The 8th is holding on with the union heritiage, but much of farm country is GOP territory.

before you say that. The Iron Range appears to be pretty blue and Duluth had a very high voter turnout and went 70% for Kerry. We have been looking very carefully at Duluth as a home now that we are retired. We looked at the Twin Cities also, but in recent years we have been very turned off by the traffic. Anyone who is going to work downtown should try to find a place where they can use public transportation. There are many great neighborhoods to consider and the internet sites are very helpful in getting a general picture of what is available.

I am originally from New England and have lived in Minneapolis for 25 years. We bought our house 17 years ago and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else but right here in south Minneapolis, close to the Lakes and the Minnehaha Creek Parkway, great schools, wonderful people. The cost of living here is considerably lower than big cities on both coasts, and the crime is considerably less than Vegas (or so I hear, now that our governor is pushing gambling at the Mall of America.)

Right on the Lakes or Creek the prices are much higher, but I live .3 mile from the lake and the housing prices are more reasonable: 5-bedroom, 2-bath house for $250,000.

Nicollet Mall is an easy place to get to via public transportation from anywhere in Minneapolis, which is the way to go to avoid the hassle of parking and traffic. Of course if you pedal, there are some great bike paths to get you downtown and many buildings have their own bike lockers (ask your new company). Some companies even give you a deal on bus(or light rail train) passes. I take the light rail every week and love it.

Before settling on any neighborhood, bring a lawn chair and sit in front of your prospective house from 5pm to 7 pm to see what kind of traffic noise AND airport noise your neighborhood is subjected to. Mine is rather quiet, but I have visited friends in the city that are rather noisy.