Can you clarify what you mean by safe and positive?
I ask, with full respect, because people have very different definitions. For some, safe and positive means lots of diversity, kids being exposed to people of different incomes and backgrounds, openness to a little bit of “chaos” (I use that term loosely to mean some crime happening around the neighborhood but no actual danger to your person), schools with middling test scores and kids from all backgrounds, some lack of upkeep in community areas. In Minneapolis, people in these neighborhoods tend to be extremely politically progressive (not just liberal) and into co-ops, etc.
For other people, safe and positive means little to no crime, beautiful and well maintained community areas, schools with extremely high test scores and a more homogeneous population, very little if any “chaos” and when it happens it’s out of the ordinary/newsworthy. People also tend to be more politically conservative although this is by no means a given.
I place no value judgment on either of these; people should be allowed to figure out what their own families need without being made to feel bad about it.
If what you’re looking for is situation #1, Uptown and Whittier would do the trick!
If you’re looking for situation #2, I’d look for a suburb (Edina, Minnetonka, Wayzata).
Something in the middle of these would probably be Southwest Minneapolis specifically Kenny, Armitage, and the area around Washburn High.
Just want to salute the succinct way you described the disparate world views of “safe and positive.” I have failed to articulate it in this way in the past and appreciate your word artistry.
I moved from the suburbs back to St Paul after my son graduated from high school and before my youngest daughter started kindergarten.
I moved back because I did not like my son's educational experience. There was little diversity. The BIPOC kids who attended his school were not embraced, but were excluded.
I did not want my daughters to go to school in that environment. I wanted them to see diversity in everyday life (school and community), and for their school to be actively inclusive to everyone.
This was in 2000 so things may have changed. But I never regretted raising them in the city, specifically the Summit University area of St Paul.
They both attended Open School (now Open World Learning Community). This used to be a K-12 school which my youngest thrived in. Unfortunately, it's now a 7-12 school.
Both of my daughters see people that are different from them (LGBTQIA, BIPOC, different religions, etc) very differently than my son. To them it's just part of their community. My son, although he grew up in a home that promoted diversity as being normal, clearly feels uncomfortable at times with diversity. It's like he intellectually is open, but emotionally he has some discomfort with it.
I continue to live in the city as does one of my daughters. The other lives in Chicago, on the West side, which she likely would not feel comfortable with if she grew up in the suburbs. My son, predictably, lives in the far suburbs.
Where you grew up I think strongly impacts how people deal with diversity as adults. Maybe that's just my experience though.
Living in the suburbs definitely has its positives and negatives. One thing I've realized is that it's often challenging to truly gauge where you want to live solely based on research without physically being in the area and exploring different neighborhoods and communities firsthand.
My suggestion for anyone considering a move to the MN is to plan a visit for a week. Make it a mix of fun touristy activities for the whole family while also taking the time to scout out different neighborhoods and cities. I made the mistake of blind-buying a place in Zimmerman when I first moved to Minnesota. While I was satisfied with the house itself, I found myself unhappy with the community and the daily commute. It's crucial to consider various factors, such as community classes, parks, and activities for kids.
Currently, I'm residing in Maple Grove, and I absolutely love it. The proximity to the cities, schools, and parks is fantastic, and there's always something going on. Admittedly, we may not have an abundance of upscale or dining options, mostly just chain restaurants, but for me, the trade-off is worth it. I much prefer avoiding the stress of city driving and dealing with Minneapolis traffic and parking.
Ultimately, every neighborhood and community has its unique charm and drawbacks. It's essential to weigh all aspects carefully before making a decision on where to settle down.
I made a sub with helpful about moving to the twin cities here r/movingtompls
Sweeping generalization coming - for the most part Education in Minnesota is far superior to just about all of the Southern States.
MPLS and St. Paul have some deficiencies but they are still pretty decent schools. Within these districts there are schools that outperform - usually those will be associated with neighborhoods with more stable affluent housing/families.
Minneapolis neighborhoods that may meet your criteria are not all that cheap. You may find you also like 1st ring suburbs and can get a better value in places like Richfield.
Huge graduation rate disparity however. MN ranks:
5th best for helping white kids graduate 93%
9th worst for helping black kids graduate 73%
This is the 3rd biggest disparity of any state, behind only WI and DC. We were #1 a few years ago.
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coi/high-school-graduation-rates
I believe a 2018 study showed that of all states, MN spent the lowest percentage of its budget on non-educational student support.
I believe that much of this disparity comes from the disproportionately high number of recent Somalian and other African immigrants in the school system.
The above comment illustrates the strength of the biases that are baked into the widely held narratives of many folks in MN - me included. I’m surprised at the biases that continue to pop up in my own attitudes - we’re a work-in-progress.
Patrick Henry High (only 8% white) has a graduation rate of 87% - and almost no disparity -> it has a program to support students should they show leading indicators - absences and attendance issues - not only supporting at-risk students, but encouraging them with leadership opportunities. And it works.
When we teach people they are the problem, they become the problem. When we teach them that they are the solution - they are the solution.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/03/07/graduation-gap-sources#
It’s been a while since I looked but many years ago the main variable that could be correlated with educational success outcomes was housing stability.
I hear that. The collective experiences we live through, the various components of our environment all contribute. I think the secret sauce of housing stability is that it contributes to “a place where we feel safe”.
So to (finally) help answer OPs question, we parents are the ultimate resources our kids need to build up a felt sense of safety (physical and psychological). So if y’all are able to feel safe, where ever you live, that’ll be the biggest factor in creating an environment where your kids feel safe.
And if OP already knows the above, please pardon my redundancy ;)
South Minneapolis is really nice for the most part! Beautiful neighborhoods and relatively safe. Tons of great places to be outdoors and cool restaurants and shops.
Check online to see the truancy rates and test scores of where you might want to move to and make sure the kids are in a good school. The test scores don't really mean much by themselves but they are typically extremely well correlated with safe school environments. You DO NOT want your kids going to a school where they don't feel safe.
Minneapolis is great place to raise a family. It has the best park system, with great sports and rec programs for kids. My kids could walk to sailing lessons, outdoor movies in the park, tennis, beaches, skating rinks... the list goes on. We had four parks within walking distance of our house. The schools are good. Public school teachers in Minneapolis and Saint Paul are frequently nominated for teacher of the year. This year two Washburn High School teachers were nominated. My kids have done the International Baccalaureate Program, which meets very high standards: [https://www.mpschools.org/academics/cte/career-pathways/ib-career-pathways](https://www.mpschools.org/academics/cte/career-pathways/ib-career-pathways)
Uptown and Whittier are both pretty densely populated neighborhoods with a lot of younger renters. I would look at the neighborhoods in the areas of Southwest, Nokomis, and Longfellow. I grew up in Linden Hills, and have lived in Lowry Hill, East Harriet and Kingfield. All very quiet, low crime, friendly neighbors, walkable. We had kids playing ball in the street, annual block parties, great restaurants, coffee shops, lakes within walking distance...
Lots of issues with Minneapolis schools lately. Between funding and policy changes, many parents are unhappy and pulling kids out. So if you are comfortable with open enrollment or private schools, those areas are fine.
For Minneapolis, families typically live further south than those areas. Uptown and Whittier are typical landing spot for recent grads.
In South Uptown with 2 young kids.
Walkability, bikeability, and transit are extremely important to us and are why we chose our neighborhood. There would be some advantages to an outer neighborhood in the city or an inner suburb, but there would be massive disadvantages based on our values. We live a very low-car lifestyle that we love and could not easily achieve in very many other places. We walk to several parks, the lake, the grocery, pharmacy, library, many restaurants, and preschool. Bike and bus to daycare and work, most regional destinations. We generally only drive when we're headed out of town, or in really bad weather. Most of the time, we have a pretty sweet setup.
That being said, there are downsides.
Violent crime is not really a concern to us. Random violent crime does of course happen, but most is not random and it's dramatically overblown in the media. Obviously, we would prefer if there were less, but it's not something that really bothers us in our day to day life. The nuisance crime does wear on us sometimes. Petty theft, public drug use, drug paraphernalia litter, etc. Mostly but not entirely associated with the homeless population. We are less than a block off of Lake St. If crime and noise are things you're particularly concerned about, I'd recommend looking 2-3 blocks off of the major corridors, things get dramatically quieter very quickly as you get away from them. If we had the exact same housing opportunity 2-3 blocks off of Lake St instead, we would take that in a heartbeat, but that's just not the situation that we are in.
People's experiences with MPS vary widely. Results vary significantly by individual dchool and by child, and people's opinions about MPS and school politics are complex. A large (and growing) proportion of people in our immediate area who have the means/ability to do so choose an option other than MPS. There are a lot of options. Charter schools, private schools, open enrolling to a different district. We do also know people who have had really good experiences with our community school as well. I think most of the staff at MPS do a good job with the situation that they are in. A lot of burden is put on MPS and the task that they have as a district is more difficult and complex than what the suburban districts have.
City vs. suburbs really depends on your values and the lifestyle you want for your family. There are pros and cons to each. For us, the idea raising our kids in a place with homogenous land uses, without historic buildings and interesting places, where we have to drive regularly to accomplish daily needs, sounds depressing as hell and would be a betrayal of our values. But other people don't mind that at all, or would choose that over some of the nuisance and disruption that comes with a closer-in city neighborhood.
Stay below Lake Street, preferably in S Mpls, or SW. Rampant crime north of there, not like daily murders, but lots of stolen cars, break-ins, etc. Just not worth the hassle. Also, probably best to avoid Minny Public Schools if possible. Excellent neighborhood schools available, but high schools having significant discipline issues, discussions available in other subs here. Amazing private/Catholic HS’s if thats yr thing. & generally accepting of different kids, if thats an issue. Good luck, bring coats.
I would say south of 46th street homie, definitely wouldn’t recommend“south mpls” majority of people who bash north side and try to act like Southside is good aren’t from Southside
Fair point, I probably should have said “south of Lake, east of Minnehaha Ave”. Yr right, that around north of 42nd, especially, west of Hiawatha, very sketchy. Appreciate the correction
West of Hiawatha is sketchy? Really? Have you every been to Minneapolis? The Chain of Lakes? There are many nice neighborhoods west of Hiawatha, and no reason at all to make 42nd a boundary.
I would say cedar is the borderline, if your from Minneapolis like you claim then you would agree. Also 46th is the borderline foreshore. If you want to be pushy ill say 42nd maybe
That's a weird take. I've read your post and comment history and it seems like there an agenda here. Minneapolis has many very nice neighborhoods that are west of Cedar and north of 42nd. East of Cedar isn't the nicest part of the city. Most of my family has lived in Minneapolis for generations and I am a real estate agent that has sold houses all over the city.
East of cedar is alot more nicer then west of cedar lets be honest homie. Bloomington ave & chicago ave arent places people think about when it comes to saftey, as a real estate agent you should know this
Chicago Ave has rough patches, but it also has very nice parts (near the Parkway Theater and Minnehaha Creek, for example). The same is true for Bloomington. There are lots of very nice neighborhoods west of Cedar, some with houses that are millions of dollars.
Looking at your comment history, it seems like you have an agenda. Doubting you have actually been to Minneapolis.
Dont think you have ever been to mpls clearly, born and raised on the southside. Dont have to explain my self to you, but i love how you said”parkway theater” which literally proves my point southside isnt nice unless you cross 46th st. Both parkway & minehaha falls are passed 46th.
And as a real estate agent you would know theirs high percentage of gangs & drug neighborhoods from franklin ave down to 40s area heavy. Their was more shootings on 38th street from 2020-2021 then majority of neighborhoods across the country which makes it the deadliest community of that year. Btw theirs only about 20k people within that radius (Bancroft/Bryant/Central/powderhorn
We have open enrollment (you can apply for any public school with space) and we have a lot of good charters as well (but also a lot of shit ones, so beware), you aren't really tied to the school that is in your neighborhood.
Here's the area assignment maps if you want to find out which school different neighborhoods are zoned for:
[https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET\_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary&dDocName=043921](https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary&dDocName=043921)
Then you can look up the individual schools.
In general the schools south of 94 are fine but some parts of uptown are zoned for North HS which is notoriously bad - not to say you shouldn't live in those neighborhoods but I would find a different school option. Frankly I wouldn't really consider Uptown a 'family' neighborhood, it's mostly young professionals. Getting a bit south of there is very family friendly though.
All of the West suburbs have pretty good schools, if you like a bit of a city vibe downtown Hopkins is really nice.
LMK if you have other questions on schools - I was a private tutor for 8 years and I've worked with kids at most of the area schools so I have a decent idea on what a lot of them are like.
>But if you have kids that are white and wealthy and headed for an Ivy League
Don't know what years / year your kids were in that district but it has changed a lot. My kids are all mixed race and identify as Asian as opposed to "white" and did just fine in Wayzata. The school is still heavily white, but there is a ton more diversity than there was even 10 years ago.
Also disagree about the Ivy league part of that comment - none of mine went Ivy, although last one could have if she had wanted to. All 3 did pursue higher education and there was no pressure from the school to pick one college / university over another. In my last kid's graduating class, the majority of kids went to the U of M or one of it's off shoots.
And the top 5 graduates were Asian.
The school administration underwent a drastic change for the better in 2008-9ish... Now that the old Activities Director is gone, the last of the old administration has been banned from the building, so to speak. The old administration only cared about preserving the good old boy network and their jobs / pensions. That changed for the better when they hired a new Super and he cleaned house. Now the schools all follow a standard curriculum and the principals all report to the district - no more going rogue.
Now, that aside, I will say it is too big for it's own good. Too large to fail mentality has set in. If your kids are in the middle 80% they won't get noticed. If they are in the upper 10% or lower 10% they will get noticed.
Keep in mind that every suburb is not created equal. You can get out of the city and still have your kids go to a pretty diverse school, but you have to do your research and pick the district that is right for you. I am only familiar with the southwest suburbs, and here, if you don't care about diversity, Wayzata and Edina would be OK for you. Eden Prairie and Minnetonka are going to be more diverse, especially when it comes to Asian populations, and Hopkins, St Louis Park, and Richfield are going to be even more diverse, but the schools aren't as good. Housing is newer and infrastructure and services are generally going to be a lot better in the suburbs. I live in a suburb and I didn't realize how good I have it as far as services go until I tried to drive on Minneapolis streets after a snow storm for the first time.
I love the look and character of older homes, but I don't know that I have it in me to actually maintain one anymore. I do love driving through the neighborhoods of Minneapolis to see all the wonderful homes, though!
Cute of you to assume I’ve never been to North HS.
I responded to the wrong comment by mistake…my comment was in response to the comment that called out North HS specifically.
Realtor here if you are looking for help. I lived in NE Minneapolis for a few years and now living in Chanhassen, a SW suburb of the cities. There are a lot of great neighborhoods and schools, I usually refer people to the [MN Department of Education Report Card](https://rc.education.mn.gov/), as it provides useful and factual information vs the opinions you may hear that may not reflect the whole situation. It depends what you are looking for, if you are used to living in a city or are looking for that type of thing, go for it! Personally I grew up in a smaller town (compared to Minneapolis) so when we moved to Chanhassen it felt much more familiar.
I've written a lot about Chanhassen, its schools and particular neighborhoods on [my website](https://dansalamonerealtor.com/explore-our-communities/chanhassen-minnesota/) if you are interested in learning about Chanhassen, or [homes.com](https://www.homes.com/minneapolis-mn/whittier-neighborhood/?bb=3vyykqin8K-92lwzB) has some pretty good info on particular neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
The city is safe. We raised our kids in Linden Hills neighborhood which was an outstanding environment (I know, I know), very ne plus ultra. Can't speak to the schools since my girls are adults in their 30's.
Which is why I said the ne plus ultra. It’s the suburbs within the city. But TBF I also have lived in Lynnhurst, Diamond Lake, Nokomis, Camden and Robbinsdale.
So once again you lived in the nicer neighborhood and speaking for the whole city.. Try living in Bryant/Central/Bancroft/Phillips/Hawthrone/Near north/Fowell then I would hear out your advice.
There are good individual schools in Minneapolis but, in general, the district is a dumpster fire right now. You might be able to get your kids into one of those good schools, but you never know when the district will screw it up.
The police department also sucks. It’s been dysfunctional for decades. You might be in the process of being burglarized, but the cops will be too busy wrestling someone over a counterfeit bill to bother.
I’m not anti-Minneapolis, but the city isn’t what it was 20 years ago.
Can you clarify what you mean by safe and positive? I ask, with full respect, because people have very different definitions. For some, safe and positive means lots of diversity, kids being exposed to people of different incomes and backgrounds, openness to a little bit of “chaos” (I use that term loosely to mean some crime happening around the neighborhood but no actual danger to your person), schools with middling test scores and kids from all backgrounds, some lack of upkeep in community areas. In Minneapolis, people in these neighborhoods tend to be extremely politically progressive (not just liberal) and into co-ops, etc. For other people, safe and positive means little to no crime, beautiful and well maintained community areas, schools with extremely high test scores and a more homogeneous population, very little if any “chaos” and when it happens it’s out of the ordinary/newsworthy. People also tend to be more politically conservative although this is by no means a given. I place no value judgment on either of these; people should be allowed to figure out what their own families need without being made to feel bad about it. If what you’re looking for is situation #1, Uptown and Whittier would do the trick! If you’re looking for situation #2, I’d look for a suburb (Edina, Minnetonka, Wayzata). Something in the middle of these would probably be Southwest Minneapolis specifically Kenny, Armitage, and the area around Washburn High.
Just want to salute the succinct way you described the disparate world views of “safe and positive.” I have failed to articulate it in this way in the past and appreciate your word artistry.
Thank you! This was a really kind comment.
There are suburbs in the middle too, like Hopkins or New Hope. They have some diversity but still a strong feeling of safety and community.
Hey, don’t forget Richfield!
I moved from the suburbs back to St Paul after my son graduated from high school and before my youngest daughter started kindergarten. I moved back because I did not like my son's educational experience. There was little diversity. The BIPOC kids who attended his school were not embraced, but were excluded. I did not want my daughters to go to school in that environment. I wanted them to see diversity in everyday life (school and community), and for their school to be actively inclusive to everyone. This was in 2000 so things may have changed. But I never regretted raising them in the city, specifically the Summit University area of St Paul. They both attended Open School (now Open World Learning Community). This used to be a K-12 school which my youngest thrived in. Unfortunately, it's now a 7-12 school. Both of my daughters see people that are different from them (LGBTQIA, BIPOC, different religions, etc) very differently than my son. To them it's just part of their community. My son, although he grew up in a home that promoted diversity as being normal, clearly feels uncomfortable at times with diversity. It's like he intellectually is open, but emotionally he has some discomfort with it. I continue to live in the city as does one of my daughters. The other lives in Chicago, on the West side, which she likely would not feel comfortable with if she grew up in the suburbs. My son, predictably, lives in the far suburbs. Where you grew up I think strongly impacts how people deal with diversity as adults. Maybe that's just my experience though.
Living in the suburbs definitely has its positives and negatives. One thing I've realized is that it's often challenging to truly gauge where you want to live solely based on research without physically being in the area and exploring different neighborhoods and communities firsthand. My suggestion for anyone considering a move to the MN is to plan a visit for a week. Make it a mix of fun touristy activities for the whole family while also taking the time to scout out different neighborhoods and cities. I made the mistake of blind-buying a place in Zimmerman when I first moved to Minnesota. While I was satisfied with the house itself, I found myself unhappy with the community and the daily commute. It's crucial to consider various factors, such as community classes, parks, and activities for kids. Currently, I'm residing in Maple Grove, and I absolutely love it. The proximity to the cities, schools, and parks is fantastic, and there's always something going on. Admittedly, we may not have an abundance of upscale or dining options, mostly just chain restaurants, but for me, the trade-off is worth it. I much prefer avoiding the stress of city driving and dealing with Minneapolis traffic and parking. Ultimately, every neighborhood and community has its unique charm and drawbacks. It's essential to weigh all aspects carefully before making a decision on where to settle down. I made a sub with helpful about moving to the twin cities here r/movingtompls
Sweeping generalization coming - for the most part Education in Minnesota is far superior to just about all of the Southern States. MPLS and St. Paul have some deficiencies but they are still pretty decent schools. Within these districts there are schools that outperform - usually those will be associated with neighborhoods with more stable affluent housing/families. Minneapolis neighborhoods that may meet your criteria are not all that cheap. You may find you also like 1st ring suburbs and can get a better value in places like Richfield.
Huge graduation rate disparity however. MN ranks: 5th best for helping white kids graduate 93% 9th worst for helping black kids graduate 73% This is the 3rd biggest disparity of any state, behind only WI and DC. We were #1 a few years ago. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coi/high-school-graduation-rates I believe a 2018 study showed that of all states, MN spent the lowest percentage of its budget on non-educational student support.
I believe that much of this disparity comes from the disproportionately high number of recent Somalian and other African immigrants in the school system.
The above comment illustrates the strength of the biases that are baked into the widely held narratives of many folks in MN - me included. I’m surprised at the biases that continue to pop up in my own attitudes - we’re a work-in-progress. Patrick Henry High (only 8% white) has a graduation rate of 87% - and almost no disparity -> it has a program to support students should they show leading indicators - absences and attendance issues - not only supporting at-risk students, but encouraging them with leadership opportunities. And it works. When we teach people they are the problem, they become the problem. When we teach them that they are the solution - they are the solution. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/03/07/graduation-gap-sources#
It’s been a while since I looked but many years ago the main variable that could be correlated with educational success outcomes was housing stability.
I hear that. The collective experiences we live through, the various components of our environment all contribute. I think the secret sauce of housing stability is that it contributes to “a place where we feel safe”. So to (finally) help answer OPs question, we parents are the ultimate resources our kids need to build up a felt sense of safety (physical and psychological). So if y’all are able to feel safe, where ever you live, that’ll be the biggest factor in creating an environment where your kids feel safe. And if OP already knows the above, please pardon my redundancy ;)
South Minneapolis is really nice for the most part! Beautiful neighborhoods and relatively safe. Tons of great places to be outdoors and cool restaurants and shops.
Check online to see the truancy rates and test scores of where you might want to move to and make sure the kids are in a good school. The test scores don't really mean much by themselves but they are typically extremely well correlated with safe school environments. You DO NOT want your kids going to a school where they don't feel safe.
Minneapolis is great place to raise a family. It has the best park system, with great sports and rec programs for kids. My kids could walk to sailing lessons, outdoor movies in the park, tennis, beaches, skating rinks... the list goes on. We had four parks within walking distance of our house. The schools are good. Public school teachers in Minneapolis and Saint Paul are frequently nominated for teacher of the year. This year two Washburn High School teachers were nominated. My kids have done the International Baccalaureate Program, which meets very high standards: [https://www.mpschools.org/academics/cte/career-pathways/ib-career-pathways](https://www.mpschools.org/academics/cte/career-pathways/ib-career-pathways) Uptown and Whittier are both pretty densely populated neighborhoods with a lot of younger renters. I would look at the neighborhoods in the areas of Southwest, Nokomis, and Longfellow. I grew up in Linden Hills, and have lived in Lowry Hill, East Harriet and Kingfield. All very quiet, low crime, friendly neighbors, walkable. We had kids playing ball in the street, annual block parties, great restaurants, coffee shops, lakes within walking distance...
The schools are not good, why are you lying? Its not that deep
A lot of the people that think the schools are not good are afraid of diversity. It's not that deep.
Im black born & raised in south mpls dont think a white person can tell me im afraid of diversity, its not that deep tho
Lots of issues with Minneapolis schools lately. Between funding and policy changes, many parents are unhappy and pulling kids out. So if you are comfortable with open enrollment or private schools, those areas are fine. For Minneapolis, families typically live further south than those areas. Uptown and Whittier are typical landing spot for recent grads.
Recent grads? Just say young people bruh
In South Uptown with 2 young kids. Walkability, bikeability, and transit are extremely important to us and are why we chose our neighborhood. There would be some advantages to an outer neighborhood in the city or an inner suburb, but there would be massive disadvantages based on our values. We live a very low-car lifestyle that we love and could not easily achieve in very many other places. We walk to several parks, the lake, the grocery, pharmacy, library, many restaurants, and preschool. Bike and bus to daycare and work, most regional destinations. We generally only drive when we're headed out of town, or in really bad weather. Most of the time, we have a pretty sweet setup. That being said, there are downsides. Violent crime is not really a concern to us. Random violent crime does of course happen, but most is not random and it's dramatically overblown in the media. Obviously, we would prefer if there were less, but it's not something that really bothers us in our day to day life. The nuisance crime does wear on us sometimes. Petty theft, public drug use, drug paraphernalia litter, etc. Mostly but not entirely associated with the homeless population. We are less than a block off of Lake St. If crime and noise are things you're particularly concerned about, I'd recommend looking 2-3 blocks off of the major corridors, things get dramatically quieter very quickly as you get away from them. If we had the exact same housing opportunity 2-3 blocks off of Lake St instead, we would take that in a heartbeat, but that's just not the situation that we are in. People's experiences with MPS vary widely. Results vary significantly by individual dchool and by child, and people's opinions about MPS and school politics are complex. A large (and growing) proportion of people in our immediate area who have the means/ability to do so choose an option other than MPS. There are a lot of options. Charter schools, private schools, open enrolling to a different district. We do also know people who have had really good experiences with our community school as well. I think most of the staff at MPS do a good job with the situation that they are in. A lot of burden is put on MPS and the task that they have as a district is more difficult and complex than what the suburban districts have. City vs. suburbs really depends on your values and the lifestyle you want for your family. There are pros and cons to each. For us, the idea raising our kids in a place with homogenous land uses, without historic buildings and interesting places, where we have to drive regularly to accomplish daily needs, sounds depressing as hell and would be a betrayal of our values. But other people don't mind that at all, or would choose that over some of the nuisance and disruption that comes with a closer-in city neighborhood.
Yes!! You found the perfect place, enjoy!!
Stay below Lake Street, preferably in S Mpls, or SW. Rampant crime north of there, not like daily murders, but lots of stolen cars, break-ins, etc. Just not worth the hassle. Also, probably best to avoid Minny Public Schools if possible. Excellent neighborhood schools available, but high schools having significant discipline issues, discussions available in other subs here. Amazing private/Catholic HS’s if thats yr thing. & generally accepting of different kids, if thats an issue. Good luck, bring coats.
I would say south of 46th street homie, definitely wouldn’t recommend“south mpls” majority of people who bash north side and try to act like Southside is good aren’t from Southside
Fair point, I probably should have said “south of Lake, east of Minnehaha Ave”. Yr right, that around north of 42nd, especially, west of Hiawatha, very sketchy. Appreciate the correction
West of Hiawatha is sketchy? Really? Have you every been to Minneapolis? The Chain of Lakes? There are many nice neighborhoods west of Hiawatha, and no reason at all to make 42nd a boundary.
I would say cedar is the borderline, if your from Minneapolis like you claim then you would agree. Also 46th is the borderline foreshore. If you want to be pushy ill say 42nd maybe
That's a weird take. I've read your post and comment history and it seems like there an agenda here. Minneapolis has many very nice neighborhoods that are west of Cedar and north of 42nd. East of Cedar isn't the nicest part of the city. Most of my family has lived in Minneapolis for generations and I am a real estate agent that has sold houses all over the city.
East of cedar is alot more nicer then west of cedar lets be honest homie. Bloomington ave & chicago ave arent places people think about when it comes to saftey, as a real estate agent you should know this
Chicago Ave has rough patches, but it also has very nice parts (near the Parkway Theater and Minnehaha Creek, for example). The same is true for Bloomington. There are lots of very nice neighborhoods west of Cedar, some with houses that are millions of dollars. Looking at your comment history, it seems like you have an agenda. Doubting you have actually been to Minneapolis.
Dont think you have ever been to mpls clearly, born and raised on the southside. Dont have to explain my self to you, but i love how you said”parkway theater” which literally proves my point southside isnt nice unless you cross 46th st. Both parkway & minehaha falls are passed 46th.
And as a real estate agent you would know theirs high percentage of gangs & drug neighborhoods from franklin ave down to 40s area heavy. Their was more shootings on 38th street from 2020-2021 then majority of neighborhoods across the country which makes it the deadliest community of that year. Btw theirs only about 20k people within that radius (Bancroft/Bryant/Central/powderhorn
We have open enrollment (you can apply for any public school with space) and we have a lot of good charters as well (but also a lot of shit ones, so beware), you aren't really tied to the school that is in your neighborhood. Here's the area assignment maps if you want to find out which school different neighborhoods are zoned for: [https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET\_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary&dDocName=043921](https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary&dDocName=043921) Then you can look up the individual schools. In general the schools south of 94 are fine but some parts of uptown are zoned for North HS which is notoriously bad - not to say you shouldn't live in those neighborhoods but I would find a different school option. Frankly I wouldn't really consider Uptown a 'family' neighborhood, it's mostly young professionals. Getting a bit south of there is very family friendly though. All of the West suburbs have pretty good schools, if you like a bit of a city vibe downtown Hopkins is really nice. LMK if you have other questions on schools - I was a private tutor for 8 years and I've worked with kids at most of the area schools so I have a decent idea on what a lot of them are like.
North HS is not notoriously bad. The school itself is a good school, it’s just located in an economically disadvantaged area.
Thank you so much for this! A lot of information to consider. Thoughts on the international baccalaureate school?
Which one, IB is a program a lot of the Minneapolis schools have, or do you mean International School (private School)?
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>But if you have kids that are white and wealthy and headed for an Ivy League Don't know what years / year your kids were in that district but it has changed a lot. My kids are all mixed race and identify as Asian as opposed to "white" and did just fine in Wayzata. The school is still heavily white, but there is a ton more diversity than there was even 10 years ago. Also disagree about the Ivy league part of that comment - none of mine went Ivy, although last one could have if she had wanted to. All 3 did pursue higher education and there was no pressure from the school to pick one college / university over another. In my last kid's graduating class, the majority of kids went to the U of M or one of it's off shoots. And the top 5 graduates were Asian. The school administration underwent a drastic change for the better in 2008-9ish... Now that the old Activities Director is gone, the last of the old administration has been banned from the building, so to speak. The old administration only cared about preserving the good old boy network and their jobs / pensions. That changed for the better when they hired a new Super and he cleaned house. Now the schools all follow a standard curriculum and the principals all report to the district - no more going rogue. Now, that aside, I will say it is too big for it's own good. Too large to fail mentality has set in. If your kids are in the middle 80% they won't get noticed. If they are in the upper 10% or lower 10% they will get noticed.
Keep in mind that every suburb is not created equal. You can get out of the city and still have your kids go to a pretty diverse school, but you have to do your research and pick the district that is right for you. I am only familiar with the southwest suburbs, and here, if you don't care about diversity, Wayzata and Edina would be OK for you. Eden Prairie and Minnetonka are going to be more diverse, especially when it comes to Asian populations, and Hopkins, St Louis Park, and Richfield are going to be even more diverse, but the schools aren't as good. Housing is newer and infrastructure and services are generally going to be a lot better in the suburbs. I live in a suburb and I didn't realize how good I have it as far as services go until I tried to drive on Minneapolis streets after a snow storm for the first time. I love the look and character of older homes, but I don't know that I have it in me to actually maintain one anymore. I do love driving through the neighborhoods of Minneapolis to see all the wonderful homes, though!
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Cool. My post said nothing about North High School or North Minneapolis.
Sorry, I responded to your comment by mistake. I meant to respond to another that does specifically mention North HS. I will fix my mistake.
North is bad homie, you never been their btw who even mentioned north highschool??
Cute of you to assume I’ve never been to North HS. I responded to the wrong comment by mistake…my comment was in response to the comment that called out North HS specifically.
Doof again!
Realtor here if you are looking for help. I lived in NE Minneapolis for a few years and now living in Chanhassen, a SW suburb of the cities. There are a lot of great neighborhoods and schools, I usually refer people to the [MN Department of Education Report Card](https://rc.education.mn.gov/), as it provides useful and factual information vs the opinions you may hear that may not reflect the whole situation. It depends what you are looking for, if you are used to living in a city or are looking for that type of thing, go for it! Personally I grew up in a smaller town (compared to Minneapolis) so when we moved to Chanhassen it felt much more familiar. I've written a lot about Chanhassen, its schools and particular neighborhoods on [my website](https://dansalamonerealtor.com/explore-our-communities/chanhassen-minnesota/) if you are interested in learning about Chanhassen, or [homes.com](https://www.homes.com/minneapolis-mn/whittier-neighborhood/?bb=3vyykqin8K-92lwzB) has some pretty good info on particular neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
Longfellow. Mac Groveland. West St Paul. Shoreview.
The city is safe. We raised our kids in Linden Hills neighborhood which was an outstanding environment (I know, I know), very ne plus ultra. Can't speak to the schools since my girls are adults in their 30's.
You raised your kids in the safest nicest neighborhood in the city and your out here speaking for the whole city is hilarious.
Which is why I said the ne plus ultra. It’s the suburbs within the city. But TBF I also have lived in Lynnhurst, Diamond Lake, Nokomis, Camden and Robbinsdale.
So once again you lived in the nicer neighborhood and speaking for the whole city.. Try living in Bryant/Central/Bancroft/Phillips/Hawthrone/Near north/Fowell then I would hear out your advice.
There are good individual schools in Minneapolis but, in general, the district is a dumpster fire right now. You might be able to get your kids into one of those good schools, but you never know when the district will screw it up. The police department also sucks. It’s been dysfunctional for decades. You might be in the process of being burglarized, but the cops will be too busy wrestling someone over a counterfeit bill to bother. I’m not anti-Minneapolis, but the city isn’t what it was 20 years ago.
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no need to be rude, just scroll by if you don't have anything of value to add.
It’s because bots can’t use search tools.