Author Topic: Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis  (Read 2464 times)

bayes11

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Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis
« on: June 25, 2017, 10:14:54 AM »
Due to family reasons (kid #2 on the way), my wife and I are considering relocating from MMM Ground Zero to Minnesota to be near family. We see this as an opportunity to hit the reset button in many ways, as we currently live in a 4000+ square foot house and I have a 40 minute commute. I'll be working remotely and we want a smaller, more efficient house with a walkable/bikeable community. SW Minneapolis looks ideal due to easy highway access (family is almost all on the west side of the suburbs) and proximity to Minneapolis. Armitage seems like a great neighborhood, but are there any others we should consider? Also, are there any key points to living the MMM lifestyle in Minneapolis, especially when winter rolls around (eg. close to grocery stores?).  I spent the first 18 years of my life in Minnesota but we were waaay out in the suburbs, so my understanding of the Twin Cities is somewhat limited. Thanks!!!

clarkfan1979

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Re: Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2017, 11:24:23 AM »
How does the cost of living compare? Just to play devils advocate, you could downsize in Longmont as well.

bayes11

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Re: Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2017, 11:44:30 AM »
The cost of living is slightly lower in MN: housing is less but taxes are more, utilities are about the same, etc. Ultimately the family network is what's pulling us up north (plus the chance to work remote and spend more time with the kiddos). That said, I absolutely hate all of the moving-associated costs...

joestash

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Re: Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2017, 05:31:04 AM »
For what you're looking for Armitage (and the surrounding neighborhoods) sounds ideal.  It's a great balance between good schools and reasonable home prices.  Only downside is the airplane noise in that area (but I'm a snotty St Paul resident that prefers it quiet :)

BTW, I'm assuming you are sending your kids to public school and school ratings are very important to you?  If not, there are far cheaper places to live in Mpls...

scantee

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Re: Relocation from Longmont CO to SW Minneapolis
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2017, 08:13:42 AM »
I live in this neighborhood and I love it! Proximity to trails, lakes, and downtown, good schools, plus it's close to some of the more suburban amenities in Edina. You'll also want to check out the Kenny neighborhood, which is just to east of Armatage, it's also quite nice. In Armatage, we have a number of grocery stores within a mile or two, but none that are in short walking distance. If that's important to you, the eastern part of the Kenny neighborhood does have a nice grocery store that is in walkable distance.

This is a great area to "live a MMM lifestyle". You can easily have just one car (or no car!) and it's very close to lots of free activities and outdoor spaces. Probably the biggest drawback, if there is one, is the housing cost: it's definitely more expensive than if you went to an inner ring suburb like Richfield. I, personally, think it is completely worth it because of the benefit of being so close to so many the things I like to do, but of course it's a trade-off that doesn't work for everyone.