Minneapolis, MN

[khigh]

I will probably put the first post up this evening. Honestly, winter isn’t that bad. Even -20 is easy to deal with because there is almost no humidity. You do need to start your car a few times a day to let it warm up. Snow is great. We got 17” in uptown on Monday and only had one bad day of driving. They had the highways cleared by Tuesday morning and the neighborhoods by Wednesday morning. 

The U has a tunnel system, so you never have to go outside on campus if you don’t want to. 

Minneapolis is the most educated city in the USA. We have more Fortune 500 companies per capita than anywhere else in the US. We are now the most bikeable city, beating Portland and Seattle. We have the most green space out of all US cities. There are ski resorts within the city (well, the burbs) and you can cross country ski on any of the bike trails in the winter. Ice skating is free, including skates, on city lakes. 

Minne is diverse. We pride ourselves on the way we take care of refugees, so there are large Syrian, Somalian, and Hmong populations. That means great food. 

Traffic is not bad at all for a major city. I work 20 miles away on the other side of the city and even during rush hour, it’s only a 45 minute drive. You do have to get used to the stoplights on the on-ramps. That’s so people are nice and alternate getting on the interstate. 

Coffee is Caribou or Tim Hortons (or Dunn’s). We don’t do a lot of Starbucks here. Amazon has a big presence in the city, so we all use Amazon Restaurants. You can have any food delivered to your home from places within 10 miles. In my area, that’s anything from Mediterranean to Chinese to Indian to bar food. 

I live in the Carag neighborhood. It’s old Victorian apartments. I am three blocks one way from Lake Calhoun and three blocks another way to Lake Street, which is a trendy place full of bars, restaurants, shopping, and local amenities. Target is king here (headquartered in Minneapolis) and Walmart is only in the burbs. 

I honestly moved here for two reasons. The boyfriend is from Bloomington (Mall of America). And, I was tired of summer. Summer here is great. It’s never too hot. You may have a few 90 degree days, but most of the time, it’s in the 70s and 80s. 

Sorry that was so long, but I love this place. There is a reason that it is said that it is impossible to get people to move to Minneapolis, but once they get here, it’s impossible to get them to leave. 

[rrk686]

58 minutes ago, khigh said:

I LOVE Minneapolis. You will find a lot of similarities with NYC (We are sometimes called the Little Apple), but it's much safer and they are only talking about the food and theater. For 800-900 a month, you could live in a one-bedroom in Uptown or Downtown in one of the older buildings, which I love. I live in a Victorian era building with all the Victorian features. In Uptown, you can walk to the lakes (Calhoun, Harriet, Lake of the Isles) and Lake St, which has tons of restaurants, bars, shopping, and theaters.

I'm just going to go copy what I wrote elsewhere here. I could type for hours about the joy of Mpls. 

Thank you! That's very helpful. Sounds like a great place!

Another question: What are some of the affordable neighborhoods with relatively easy access to the campus? The one you've described sounds lovely, and I'm wondering if there are any others.

[khigh]

On 2/2/2018 at 9:59 AM, RK092089 said:

Thank you! That's very helpful. Sounds like a great place!

Another question: What are some of the affordable neighborhoods with relatively easy access to the campus? The one you've described sounds lovely, and I'm wondering if there are any others.

Downtown, Uptown, Dinkytown (mostly undergrads). Public transportation is great here. Uptown is about 3 miles from campus and a lot of people bike it in the spring and summer.

[ducournau]

Any thoughts about especially dog-friendly areas? Thanks guys!

[pataka]

Hey Minneapolis folks,

One of my friends is subletting her apartment (she had someone back out at completely the last minute, so it is available immediately)! It is super close to campus in the Seward neighborhood. Nice, well-lit one bedroom apartment in a building with ammenities such as a pool, sauna, and workout room. It allows cats and has optional heated underground parking. Rents for $1155/month. Please message me if you or anyone you know is interested. Thanks!

[Sandmaster]

I just officially signed my lease. I can not wait to move out to Minneapolis and start classes!

[History&Baseball]

Hey people already in or soon to be going to the Twin Cities,

I will be joining UMN as a history PhD this upcoming Fall and am looking for advice on living in the Twin Cities.

First off, where is the best place to live?  I've been doing my own research on this topic, and have read previous posts on this thread.  I was thinking that it might be better to live somewhere near to the university during my first year....so somewhere either north of the school, Marcy-Holmes etc. or along the light rail route towards St. Paul.  I would be open to living somewhere around Uptown if that looks like the best option (I do like the way that part of town sounds in terms of stuff going on etc.).

And second, I'm curious if there are any other incoming or current UMN grad students who might need a roommate or who want to jointly search for a place.  Just let me know if you are interested.

Any other advice about moving to and living in the Twin Cities is appreciated too!  I am very excited to be moving to such an exciting place.

[pataka]

On 5/1/2018 at 3:49 PM, History&Baseball said:

Hey people already in or soon to be going to the Twin Cities,

I will be joining UMN as a history PhD this upcoming Fall and am looking for advice on living in the Twin Cities.

First off, where is the best place to live?  I've been doing my own research on this topic, and have read previous posts on this thread.  I was thinking that it might be better to live somewhere near to the university during my first year....so somewhere either north of the school, Marcy-Holmes etc. or along the light rail route towards St. Paul.  I would be open to living somewhere around Uptown if that looks like the best option (I do like the way that part of town sounds in terms of stuff going on etc.).

And second, I'm curious if there are any other incoming or current UMN grad students who might need a roommate or who want to jointly search for a place.  Just let me know if you are interested.

Any other advice about moving to and living in the Twin Cities is appreciated too!  I am very excited to be moving to such an exciting place.

- I live in Uptown now and it's really nice and there are express buses to the UMN campus... but it can be pricey to live here. If you found a roommate or two, this would be a good option. Lots to do in Uptown and good for if you like to keep your home and school life separate to a degree.

- Along the light rail into St Paul (Prospect Park and beyond) is an option, but for the decent-to-nice apartments the price is inflated, and it's not as nice of an area as Uptown. 

- Marcy-Holmes near St Anthony Main and the Stone Arch Bridge (campus side, not downtown side) is a great with a mix of older undergrads, grad students, and young families (there is an elementary school and a high school around there). It's walkable to campus or there is a bus that takes roughly 5-10mins. I lived in this neighborhood for 5 years, as an undergrad and a few years post-graduation, before moving to Uptown and I loved it. I would look there first for housing.

I love Minneapolis, and though I'm moving out-of-state for grad school this fall, feel free to message me if you have any questions about the Cities

[GoGophers]

Hey guys,

I am relocating to Minnesota next summer to start my graduate study. I have been reading this lengthy post which extends back to 2009.However, I am having hard time looking up prices for studios around the U. because it is required to contact the renter in order to know the price. Do you know websites that enable me to search for studios and find prices immediately?

[devotee]

Hello people. Do you think 20K~ would be enough to survive in Minneapolis? Thanks.

[Leznver]

6 hours ago, devotee said:

Hello people. Do you think 20K~ would be enough to survive in Minneapolis? Thanks.

If you are frugal, yes. Rent will probably cost you $1,200 a month if you want a decent place. The UMN will give you an unlimited metro transit pass for $100 a semester. Don't party too much and you'll be good. Part time job wouldn't hurt. 

[devotee]

On 3/14/2019 at 6:13 PM, Leznver said:

If you are frugal, yes. Rent will probably cost you $1,200 a month if you want a decent place. The UMN will give you an unlimited metro transit pass for $100 a semester. Don't party too much and you'll be good. Part time job wouldn't hurt. 

20K a year is about 1.7K a month. So, with 1.2K going out to rent, you are basically saying that with 500 $ in your pocket you can survive? It is quite doable then, better if you can find some place below 1K.

[SPEDucator]

On 3/18/2019 at 8:20 AM, devotee said:

20K a year is about 1.7K a month. So, with 1.2K going out to rent, you are basically saying that with 500 $ in your pocket you can survive? It is quite doable then, better if you can find some place below 1K.

also consider whether you will need to pay taxes on the 20k. That will make the per month amount less.

 

[osunflower]

I got accepted to University of Minnesota for an Art History PhD (on the Minneapolis campus). My stipend is 20,000 a year (before taxes I think). I will be moving with my partner (who will be looking for work once we get there) and am looking for housing. We do not have a car. Any recommendations for neighborhoods to live in? Places to rent from? Places to avoid? Rent seems astronomically high so I am very worried about finding safe and affordable housing. Also any suggestions for employment for my partner (they are a recent film school graduate who also has a lot of baking experience)?

[PianoPsych]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:28 AM, osunflower said:

I got accepted to University of Minnesota for an Art History PhD (on the Minneapolis campus). My stipend is 20,000 a year (before taxes I think). I will be moving with my partner (who will be looking for work once we get there) and am looking for housing. We do not have a car. Any recommendations for neighborhoods to live in? Places to rent from? Places to avoid? Rent seems astronomically high so I am very worried about finding safe and affordable housing. Also any suggestions for employment for my partner (they are a recent film school graduate who also has a lot of baking experience)?

Hi! I don't live in MN yet- but have you tried applying to Como Student Community Cooperative? It's one 10-20 minute bus ride away from campus. They are very family-friendly, and you can get a two-bedroom place for $930~1000 per month, all utilities included (this price is extremely cheap for Minneapolis). Apparently the place is quiet, safe, with a really nice community feel.

As a grad student applying with a partner, you will be given first priority out of the applications. That being said, this place is popular so I don't know if you'll get in for sure.

I applied a month ago as a single grad student, but I am in the process of sorting out alternative accommodation plans- so if you did want to apply, let me know and I'll see if I can get them to swap my place in line with yours (If/when I do get a place confirmed elsewhere).  

 

Other neighborhoods that I was recommended (I also don't have a car) include Marcy-Holmes (west of I-35), Southeast Como, Stadium Village, and Cedar-Riverside on the West Bank (I'm currently considering this). I would avoid Dinkytown- the undergrad area- as I heard it's loud and unsafe.

 

As for your partner, there are a lot of theaters around Minneapolis, so that's one avenue.. 

 

Hope this helps!

[Regression2theMean]

I agree with many of the things others have said. I also want to add that cost of living in Uptown/the Wedge has been steadily increasing and might soon outpace what most grad students can afford. There’s been a shift towards living in Northeast which is safe and still affordable. Dinkytown is definitely an option but is so populated with undergraduates that it might not be appealing long-term for graduate students. 

[tallgradstudent]

On 12/29/2020 at 12:03 PM, Regression2theMean said:

I agree with many of the things others have said. I also want to add that cost of living in Uptown/the Wedge has been steadily increasing and might soon outpace what most grad students can afford. There’s been a shift towards living in Northeast which is safe and still affordable. Dinkytown is definitely an option but is so populated with undergraduates that it might not be appealing long-term for graduate students. 

Uptown is insane. I pay about $2300 for a 1-bedroom + den. Granted, there is a pool and gym, as well as paying extra for my cats and  $100 for underground parking. Still, I live on the outskirts of uptown. Getting more on Hennepin is nuts regarding prices. Definitely recommend Northeast, and you can ALWAYS find a cheaper yet new apartment in Dinky. 

[mattdamon]

Hi! I will be moving to Minneapolis with my SO for the upcoming school year. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for specific apartment complexes / neighborhoods? I would like something that is nearby the train / walkable... other than that we just want something ~decent~ and preferably around the $1000 mark. Not really into any of the luxury apartments, really liked the como but sadly we have a cat and they said no pets! I would appreciate any suggestions!

[Crucial BBQ]

On 1/25/2021 at 9:24 PM, tallgradstudent said:

Uptown is insane. I pay about $2300 for a 1-bedroom + den. Granted, there is a pool and gym, as well as paying extra for my cats and  $100 for underground parking. Still, I live on the outskirts of uptown. Getting more on Hennepin is nuts regarding prices. Definitely recommend Northeast, and you can ALWAYS find a cheaper yet new apartment in Dinky. 

I lived on Emerson Ave. S. between 35th St. and 36th St, paid $900/month for a two bedroom at 850 sq ft.  Granted, this was over a decade ago.  Uptown has changed a lot since then even though it was still hipster back in the day, it was a lot rougher around the edges.  Uptown used to be a pretty tough neighborhood, it has come a long way since its glory days of drugs and crime.  

Northeast MPLS was always the place to be for the cool kids who fled South MPLS. 

[SportySpice]

Trying to revive this thread. I am considering going to MN for my PhD and would love to know if any advice has changed the last couple of years.