Help us find a home in Minneapolis
March 21, 2010 6:05 PM Subscribe
Moving to Minneapolis area -- working in Golden Valley -- what are good neighborhoods in which to look for a nice three-plus-bedroom home for a family with two very young kids? -- would love a short commute, would love a Craftsman/Bungalow house, would love to be near a food co-op -- what comes to mind, Minnesotans?
Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Mpls would fit the bill. Also, hey! Golden Valley, which has a few vintage neighborhoods, plus a good school district. North west Mpls (Camden and Victory) have charming houses, but many forclosed homes, and abandoned stores. St. Lois Park and Hopkins have smaller starter homes, but are a great value. South Mpls has a huge diversity of great homes and neighborhoods, but prices are a little higher, and there is no super quick route from say, Uptown or Powderhorn neighborhoods to Golden Valley.
posted by Malla at 6:19 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by Malla at 6:19 PM on March 21, 2010
Actually, the Seward neighborhood might be ideal -- lots of good eats, bungalows, close to parks and the river, and close to the highway for your commute.
posted by Malla at 6:24 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by Malla at 6:24 PM on March 21, 2010
Assuming that you're working along 394 or Highway 55, choosing something in the City itself would give you a reverse commute, although you might have to fight through the 35/94 mess just south of downtown first.
St Louis Park and the Morningside part of Edina are perfectly nice, my impression is that they're a bit expensive for what you'd get. Likewise the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis and the neighborhoods just to the south of it (west and southwest of Lake Harriet). Your drive to work would probably be along local streets from those areas, or possibly up Hwy 100 (which can be crowded).
I could go on at length, kind of depends on how long a 'short commute' is to you (there are people who drive in to downtown Minneapolis from Wisconsin, which I think is insane), how much you're willing to spend, what your comfort level is with various neighborhood situations like crime, noise, traffic.
If you consider the city, Minneapolis does publish crime statistic maps. Finding comparable info for the suburbs is tougher, since they're a patchwork.
posted by gimonca at 6:38 PM on March 21, 2010
St Louis Park and the Morningside part of Edina are perfectly nice, my impression is that they're a bit expensive for what you'd get. Likewise the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis and the neighborhoods just to the south of it (west and southwest of Lake Harriet). Your drive to work would probably be along local streets from those areas, or possibly up Hwy 100 (which can be crowded).
I could go on at length, kind of depends on how long a 'short commute' is to you (there are people who drive in to downtown Minneapolis from Wisconsin, which I think is insane), how much you're willing to spend, what your comfort level is with various neighborhood situations like crime, noise, traffic.
If you consider the city, Minneapolis does publish crime statistic maps. Finding comparable info for the suburbs is tougher, since they're a patchwork.
posted by gimonca at 6:38 PM on March 21, 2010
Best answer: Seconding Bryn Mawr. It's a wonderful neighborhood for families with kids, and the commute to Golden Valley is unbeatable. There are beautiful craftsman/bungalow homes in that area. Nearest grocery store is probably the new Rainbow Foods in the new "West End" development of St Louis Park, which is decidedly not a co-op.
I'm not sure what your price range is, but Kenwood, Lowry Hill, East lsles, and Cedar-Isles-Dean are all very nice neighborhoods with good commutes there as well (there's a sort of secret on-ramp to 394 off Dunwoody, which would make things super easy for the commute). Lowry Hill and East Isles are in walking distance of the Wedge co-op, Kowalski's, restaurants, coffee shops, pharmacies, bakeries, stores, etc. Living around the lakes is awesome, and there are nice parks and playgrounds for the little ones. Housing is spendy there, though.
You also might want to consider the Fern Hill, Triangle, and other neighborhoods in St Louis Park around Highway 100. Nice homes, easy commute, but fewer things to walk to (and the nearest co-op is still the Wedge). If you stick around for a couple years, though, I hear the St Louis Park schools are quite good.
Golden Valley itself isn't that bad, and it's actually got things going for it in a post-WWII vintage housing sort of way. Funny how mid-century modern is coming back again. It's got close proximity to Theodore Wirth Park, shopping at the West End, and easy access to downtown Minneapolis.
Personally, I think the commute from Seward or Prospect Park would be a pain -- 94 around the Lowry Hill Tunnel is always congested in both directions. Your best bet is if you can avoid that junction all together (it's where 94, 394, and Hennepin/Lyndale all meet, on the SW side of downtown Minneapolis). I had to do that commute for a couple months from St Paul, and it was frustrating.
Shoot me a message if you have any questions or want to pick my brain.
posted by Maarika at 7:20 PM on March 21, 2010
I'm not sure what your price range is, but Kenwood, Lowry Hill, East lsles, and Cedar-Isles-Dean are all very nice neighborhoods with good commutes there as well (there's a sort of secret on-ramp to 394 off Dunwoody, which would make things super easy for the commute). Lowry Hill and East Isles are in walking distance of the Wedge co-op, Kowalski's, restaurants, coffee shops, pharmacies, bakeries, stores, etc. Living around the lakes is awesome, and there are nice parks and playgrounds for the little ones. Housing is spendy there, though.
You also might want to consider the Fern Hill, Triangle, and other neighborhoods in St Louis Park around Highway 100. Nice homes, easy commute, but fewer things to walk to (and the nearest co-op is still the Wedge). If you stick around for a couple years, though, I hear the St Louis Park schools are quite good.
Golden Valley itself isn't that bad, and it's actually got things going for it in a post-WWII vintage housing sort of way. Funny how mid-century modern is coming back again. It's got close proximity to Theodore Wirth Park, shopping at the West End, and easy access to downtown Minneapolis.
Personally, I think the commute from Seward or Prospect Park would be a pain -- 94 around the Lowry Hill Tunnel is always congested in both directions. Your best bet is if you can avoid that junction all together (it's where 94, 394, and Hennepin/Lyndale all meet, on the SW side of downtown Minneapolis). I had to do that commute for a couple months from St Paul, and it was frustrating.
Shoot me a message if you have any questions or want to pick my brain.
posted by Maarika at 7:20 PM on March 21, 2010
Marcy Holmes or Northeast will get you into Golden Valley in less than or equal to twenty minutes there, 25 minutes back.
posted by mlo at 7:16 AM on March 22, 2010
posted by mlo at 7:16 AM on March 22, 2010
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posted by mixer at 6:13 PM on March 21, 2010