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Getting a house in Minnesota
Fizban140
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
I am thinking about getting a house in Minnesota and I want something close to the University of Minnesota the only problem is I don't know where is good and where is not. I am being told that all of Minneapolis is a ghetto and that I need to stay away from or it is far too expensive. Is there any decent suburb close to the university? I really have no idea about the area since I grew up in the suburbs.
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Prospect Park: Great neighborhood, probably the best you'll find super-close to the U
Dinkytown: Aforementioned fratboys
Como: Nice, most areas quiet, fratboys abount near the U, tho
Franklin Ave: Not terrible, but kind of sketchy
Uptown / Lyn-Lake: Heart of the non-downtown bar scene, artsy but high-traffic and expensive
Loring Park: Downtown living, and everything that entails
Downtown East / Cedar Riverside: see Franklin Ave:
South St Anthony: Quiet living, kind of like Prospect Park but farther from stuff
All the places I've listed so far are easily bike/busable to the U. I hope this helps, and if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask.
I'd add these to the list as well:
NE Minneapolis: some places are bad, others reasonably priced. Feels like its going up in niceness overall, but there's still places to avoid.
Lauderdale: A small suburb bordering Roseville, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Near the St. Paul Campus and pretty cheap. I'd look around there first.
Falcon Heights: Same as Lauderdale
If you're looking for affordability I'd go for a suburb. Some of the places 'close' to the U aren't faster to get there, especially with the express buses from the suburbs. The light rail will be expanding through the U so anything on that will eventually be 'close' and also will likely rise in value to reflect it.
Taxes in Minneapolis are more than everywhere else, so that's something to keep in mind. Also there's more to do there. I lived at Lake/Hennepin for a year and it was ok. If you're into bars/clubs and all that then it would be great since you can easily walk there/home. Otherwise it was overpriced, took surprisingly long to get anywhere, and hard to park.
Also, are you going to be commuting to the U everyday, or are there other reasons you want to live near it?
Most of the advice given so far is solid. The only thing I might quibble with is I wouldn't really call Franklin Ave sketchy, especially if you are over by The Seward Co-op. Seems like a neighborhood that's on the upswing to me.
I think it's some kind of cosmic law that you need to rep your own 'hood in threads like this, so I might as well chime in for Highland Park or Mac-Groveland. Very quiet and neighborhoodly while still having lots "city" to them. If you live close to Snelling it's a 20-minute ride to the U on the 144 (assuming leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening).
I don't know much about the west-of-the-cities suburbs, but really there are very very few areas in the whole metro that are really "OH SHIT DON'T LIVE THERE" so your best bet might just be to shop around a lot (If you are buying, Edina realty has a very nice MLS search thingy).
What is your price range? What makes a neighborhood "not nice" to you anymore?
Not nice to me, pretty much anything out of The Wire. I don't want to have neighbors that are training pitbulls to be fighters and the other neighbors with a dirt lawn and four broke cars.
You sure have strange ideas about what the Twin Cities are like. This isn't Detroit.
but they're listening to every word I say
Just about anywhere will work for you then. That being said, I still wouldn't live in North Minneapolis.
North Minneapolis is about as bad as it gets and it's still way better than the shitty areas in other cities. The cold keeps the riffraff out. I live out in the suburbs though, most of which are pretty nice and include an express bus to the U.
Wow, I grew up in Maple Grove, did you go to school there? The internets is crazy
I agree that I would avoid North Minneapolis but even that part pales in comparison to the horrible parts of other cities.
The savior has a good list, but I think his/her definition of "sketchy" is different from mine. I would live in Seward or Cedar-Riverside near Franklin ave - I wouldn't consider those areas "sketchy" in the least bit.
Are you going to grad school or undergrad? Regardless, you're going to want something that isn't a 40+ minute bus ride away from school. And those buses that you would take into the city are commuter ones, which means they'll run at specific times in the morning to go in, and specific times in the evening to leave. So you'll be constrained as to when you can take classes.
Are you going to have a car?
House is probably expensive there.
but they're listening to every word I say
The Seward are is quite nice, yeah. If the OP feels threatened by public transportation (It's really quite safe, BTW) then I don't think s/he would like to live too far west of there, at least in some places.
Mac Groveland is nice, but kind of out of the way, especially if you're looking for a 20 min commute. If you'd be biking this would be a lot more practical.
Maple Grove is, IMO, a wasteland of strip malls and chain restaurants. Plus, if you hit rush hour each day your commute will be hellishly long.
If you're looking for something suburbish but close to the U, Lauderdale or Falcon Heights might be your best bet. They're not as crowded as most of the other areas listed, but are close to the St Paul campus, which has a free connector bus to the Minneapolis (primary) campus. They're also close to 35W, so you can drive straight to campus if that's your thing.
You give the impression that you're uncomfortable moving to the city, and I think you're overreacting a bit. The Twin Cities are IMO one of the better kept secrets in the US - it's nice almost everywhere (provided you can deal with the cold
Also Maple Grove has change a lot since I left, like triple the number of strip malls.
There are some not-so expensive houses in the area right now actually. I rent currently though. If I had to drive to Minneapolis on a daily basis I probably won't live here. Luckily my job is the opposite direction of traffic.
You missed out on the chance to experience a great city. Your mom is being a silly goose.
About the Metro Transit buses, they are generally on time and clean. The kind of people you'll be riding with depend greatly on the route and time. Express buses in from the suburbs will be filled with boring people going to work. They are convenient if (and only if) you are leaving in the morning and coming back in the afternoon.
Is Franklin and Park bad? Someone said it is a little sketchy but my step mom laughed when I said I was looking at that are, they said it is incredibly high crime and that she volunteers down there to help homeless people right down the street. I think they are being stupid.
Anyways are these prices about right? Finding an apartment sucks, I have made probably 50 calls and got about 10 back.
I pay 620 for a two bedroom in St. Cloud. Granted it is kinda a bit nicer than by campus and has a walk in closet, but those prices sound pretty good to me.
Given that price I wouldn't expect them to be too nice. All depends on the place though.
I would expect more between the 800 - 900 dollar range, especially if you can deal with 1 bedroom. 1 bedroom and den is more do-able for you probably.
but they're listening to every word I say
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/crime-statistics/codefor/statistics.asp