Twin Cities housing recommendation

February 5, 2007 1:33 PM

Attention Minneapolis mefites: Looking for housing advice.

The wife and I are moving to Minneapolis in May (new job starts June 1). We are trying to find suitable housing. The caveats:

I'll be working at the VA hospital. We don't know where she will be working yet.

We have only one car. Proximity to public transportation will be important to us. (I am up to bike commuting so long as I don't freeze off anything vital.)

We have two indoor-only cats. We will definitely need to be in a cat-friendly location.

We will be on a tight budget, at least until my wife finds employment. I don't think we will be comfortable with payments over $1000/month and would be much happier in the $700-$800 range.

We both enjoy running, so some neighborhood that is amenable is a plus (park or trail proximity even better).

The final bit - we have a lot of crap. Furniture, bikes, etc. that we would rather have on hand. On-site storage (garage? basement?) would be best if possible.

We have been OK with apartments but happiest with townhomes/single family dwellings due to the inevitable space and noise issues.

Any help at all is appreciated!

posted by caution live frogs to home & garden (12 comments total)

I'm assuming from your payment info that you'll be renting rather than buying...if not, the analysis changes a bit.

The VA Hospital is actually smack in the middle of the perfect neighborhood for you (my neighborhood, coincidentally). It's called Nokomis, and it's ideal because it's right on the light rail line (great if you only have 1 car), and the river running trail starts right across Hiawatha Ave. There are some homes for rent in the area, but the houses are mostly owner-occupied. You might have some luck renting a little bungalow or a duplex. Check Craigslist.

Another neighborhood that would work well is the Longfellow/Seward neighborhood. It's a bit north, but is still on the river (for biking), and parts of it are very accessible to the light rail line. It's close to the University, so there's more rental housing up there.

If you're willing to live in the suburbs, you could look in Bloomington or Richfield, which are directly south of Minneapolis and the VA hospital (near the airport and Mall of America). There is more rental housing there, as well.

Post any further questions - I'm happy to help!
posted by elquien at 1:43 PM on February 5, 2007

The VA Hospital is right on the Hiawatha LRT line. (Of course, we make the distinction that it's the Hiawatha line, as if we have other rail lines. We don't. Yet.)

In any case, the line runs more-or-less along Hiawatha Avenue, connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Airport and the Mall of America. Finding housing a within a few blocks of Hiawatha Ave would be a big plus for your transportation options.

Zoom in a few clicks and look for something close to that road labeled "55" that runs SE from downtown.
http://www.housingmaps.com/?c=minneapolis&t=apa&p=0_750

$800 will actually get you pretty far for renting in Minneapolis. The south side of Minneapolis--the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods in particular--is where I'd start looking. Plenty of access to parks and lakes--Calhoun and Harriet are popular with bikers/runners, and there's a ton of mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants along Lake Street if you have an appetite for cheap burritos and tacos.

There are a ton of other great communities around Minneapolis, but the big thing that South offers (besides the plentiful lakes and parks) is the train. Kinda hard to pass that up when your workplace is right on the line, IMO.
posted by bhayes82 at 2:03 PM on February 5, 2007

Just seconding what elquien says; if you stay in the quadrant of south Minneapolis between the Hiawatha/light rail corridor and the river, you'll have some decent housing options in the modest/affordable range. The area has plenty of nice older duplexes, which is what I'd look for in your shoes (they should offer storage space in the basement and are usually cat-friendly), the River Road is nearby and wonderful for running, and the light rail goes straight to the VA.

I'd do a Craigslist search on Longfellow and Nokomis and see what turns up. Good luck!
posted by Kat Allison at 2:07 PM on February 5, 2007

I rent in Elliot Park, which is a nice little neighborhood in downtown Minneapolis, very close to the lightrail line (my girlfriend rides it back and forth to work), full of old brownstones, and definitely on the uptick (we live a few blocks from Al Franken.) Rent here is below $800 for a one bedroom, good sized apartments -- worth checking out. Being walking distance from downtown is definitely a plus for us.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:09 PM on February 5, 2007

elquien is on the money with Nokomis and Longfellow. Nokomis should be particularly full of good rental deals. Another good place to look is just west of Lake Nokomis-- Chicago Avenue south of 42nd street is lined with duplexes that should be close to your price range, with garages and basements. And if you're anywhere in south Minneapolis, you'll be in good shape as far as trail and park access. This town's very trail-y.

It's also verrrrrrry cold today, but it'll be nice by the time you move.
posted by COBRA! at 2:18 PM on February 5, 2007

Ditto for the lightrail (LRT) trains. I'm a Realtor in Mpls and get a lot of people from out-of-state wanting similar location traits to you, and people seem happiest in that Nokomis area.

I could get you into a home for $1000 in that area, however plus taxes and insurance it would be out of your range, unless you have a down payment.

There were some condos built near there and near the LRT -- a lot of investors bought there (stupidly) and are dying for renters... I'd check into renting a condo with option to buy if I were you.
posted by thilmony at 6:08 PM on February 5, 2007

My wife and I live in the Nokomis area and it's exactly what you are looking for. People we know are often surprised to find that we only have one car. The transit system isn't that bad and it's actually really great if you live near the train. We both take transit to work and the car stays home in the garage most days.

In warmer months we run and bike along the Grand Rounds/ Chain of Lakes. It's an incredible loop of trails that runs along the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Creek and the Chain of Lakes. It's the we're in this part of town.

There's been a big condo boom around the rail and it seems that a lot of them will be rented as apartments now that the condo market is overstocked. Many more are supposed to open soon.

The neighborhood we live in is called Standish-Ericsson and it's often called Nokomis by those outside of here.
posted by advicepig at 7:01 PM on February 5, 2007

The VA is right by the airport. So if you rent in that area make sure you ask if the place has been soundproofed.

For your price, I think you're better off renting in Mpls or buying in Richfield. Minneapolis will cost you 20-30% more for the same house in Richfield.

Cats in general are no problem around here.

You could also live right over the river in St. Paul, the Highland neightborhood is quite nice.
posted by DonnieSticks at 8:25 PM on February 5, 2007

Minneapolis as a city has a variety of weirdnesses for homeowners. The City insists on licensing plumbers separately from the state, so appliance stores won't install gas items that they deliver within city limits--you have to hire a plumber separately (or install it yourself). Garbage pickup will haul off all variety of things, but you have to have your stuff on the very lip of the alley and packaged exactly according to regulations or they leave it behind. The entire city is slowly being covered by curb-to-alley housing inspections, during which city staff hand out $100-plus tickets for things like having unpainted soffits on your garage. And don't get me started on the sidewalk inspection fiasco we had to deal with in Nordeast a couple of years ago.

Plus, city finances are in a bit of continuing turmoil, and it's uncertain how much of that will come back to hit city property owners in higher taxes.
posted by gimonca at 9:24 PM on February 5, 2007

On the plus side for Minneapolis to what Gimonca said, at least Minneapolis will snow plow the alleys and residential streets as part of services unlike St. Paul where you need to organize your neighbors to pay for plowing.

Nokomis is nice and a good location. Another neighborhood is Prospect Park which is near Seward over the river and on the border between St. Paul and Minneapolis. The bus serving the area goes straight to the light rail station.

Aside from the cold weather, the Twin Cities is a very nice location.
posted by jadepearl at 5:09 AM on February 6, 2007

Thanks for the advice, everyone! Nokomis sounds like it could be a good fit for us - I need to consult the wife and see what she thinks. May take a bit to decide but there will be some Best Answer marking when I do...
posted by caution live frogs at 9:34 AM on February 6, 2007

Well, looks like we're signing a lease about 1/2 mile from the VA, right by Minnehaha Park. Thanks all - if anyone is still checking Mrs. Frogs and I appreciate the suggestions!
posted by caution live frogs at 3:06 PM on April 7, 2007