Minneapolis, MN

[Replaces]

Another incoming UMN grad here Switching camps from Badgers to Gophers...

So it seems pretty much impossible to find a studio/efficiency unit within the immediate proximity of the east bank campus (~20 min walk) that is NOT overpriced and will remain quiet... I am starting to lose my hopes!

I started wondering if there are any viable options for grad students in the Dinkytown area or within ~20 min walking distance to the west of the east bank campus...

Anyone familiar with Marcy Holmes area? And... Tairrie House / Argyle House next to the superblock???

P.s. light rail seems to be referred to by multiple names... I'm confused! ;(

Edited March 23, 2014 by Replaces

[abeilles]

 some of the locals thought they were doing good to import/rescue a bunch from Somalia 15-20 years ago and many of them just learned how to get on the handout programs so it has now become a burden for the city. 

 

this comment is offensive & entirely unnecessary

[BeingThere]

I am considering signing a lease.  Before I do, does anybody have any experience with - or know the reputation of - Elmwood Properties (they manage a few apartment buildings/rental houses in the part of Como that is just north of Dinkytown)?  Any input would be much appreciated.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Bren2014

[ns418]

My partner was just accepted into a PhD program at UMN and we're trying to research good places to live and such.  He and I have a 1-yr old daughter together, but I like to think we're still young and fun (I'm 33, he's 28)…that said, we're over the partying single life, but still like to explore the city and have social lives, so we'd probably want our neighborhood to reflect similar values.  He studies Theatre and I'm an artist and writer.  We also (like everybody else) want to keep rent as affordable as reasonably possible.  He's already visited the city and campus but I won't have the opportunity to before we move and start shopping for rentals.  Suggestions for neighborhoods to check out?  

 

Also, finding some community will be huge for us.  We're living in LA now and that aspect has really been lacking, given that we have a child and he's still only an undergrad (graduating this spring).  LA traffic doesn't help our cause much either.  Ha.  Anyone have ideas or resources for grad students with families?  And what about daycare?

 

If anyone has some good sources (websites or books) for general info on life in Minneapolis, neighborhoods, the city's personality, etc., I'm all ears.  There's so much garbage on the internet…..most of what I'm finding is either your typical tourist stuff or quotes for moving trucks, and the like.  

 

Thanks in advance!

[BeingThere]

On 4/1/2014 at 11:54 PM, ns418 said:

My partner was just accepted into a PhD program at UMN and we're trying to research good places to live and such.  He and I have a 1-yr old daughter together, but I like to think we're still young and fun (I'm 33, he's 28)…that said, we're over the partying single life, but still like to explore the city and have social lives, so we'd probably want our neighborhood to reflect similar values.  He studies Theatre and I'm an artist and writer.  We also (like everybody else) want to keep rent as affordable as reasonably possible.  He's already visited the city and campus but I won't have the opportunity to before we move and start shopping for rentals.  Suggestions for neighborhoods to check out?  

 

Also, finding some community will be huge for us.  We're living in LA now and that aspect has really been lacking, given that we have a child and he's still only an undergrad (graduating this spring).  LA traffic doesn't help our cause much either.  Ha.  Anyone have ideas or resources for grad students with families?  And what about daycare?

 

If anyone has some good sources (websites or books) for general info on life in Minneapolis, neighborhoods, the city's personality, etc., I'm all ears.  There's so much garbage on the internet…..most of what I'm finding is either your typical tourist stuff or quotes for moving trucks, and the like.  

 

Thanks in advance!

Hi ns418,

 

I'm moving up there also and have been searching for reliable info.  Also a non-traditional grad student.  I found this site pretty informative:  http://www.city-data.com/forum/

 

Good luck!  (BTW, I am a theatre ex-patriot -and visual artist- but making a career change.  Congrats to your husband for getting into their program!)

 

I wish I had more info for you but everything I think I know has been from my very short visit, this forum, and the City Data forum.

[cesarchavez90]

!

My partner was just accepted into a PhD program at UMN and we're trying to research good places to live and such.  He and I have a 1-yr old daughter together, but I like to think we're still young and fun (I'm 33, he's 28)…that said, we're over the partying single life, but still like to explore the city and have social lives, so we'd probably want our neighborhood to reflect similar values.  He studies Theatre and I'm an artist and writer.  We also (like everybody else) want to keep rent as affordable as reasonably possible.  He's already visited the city and campus but I won't have the opportunity to before we move and start shopping for rentals.  Suggestions for neighborhoods to check out?  

 

Also, finding some community will be huge for us.  We're living in LA now and that aspect has really been lacking, given that we have a child and he's still only an undergrad (graduating this spring).  LA traffic doesn't help our cause much either.  Ha.  Anyone have ideas or resources for grad students with families?  And what about daycare?

 

If anyone has some good sources (websites or books) for general info on life in Minneapolis, neighborhoods, the city's personality, etc., I'm all ears.  There's so much garbage on the internet…..most of what I'm finding is either your typical tourist stuff or quotes for moving trucks, and the like.  

 

Thanks in advance!

You'll definitely find your niche! The city has so much culture

[Artemisa]

I have also been accepted to Minnesota. Any recommendation close to campus? I have seen the dorms close to campus are full of undergrads so it might not be a good idea

[sharanbngr]

So, there is a lot of great information in this thread. Uptown seems nice but I would like to know if there are other good places, you know to keep my options open. I'm an international student so I won't be renting one till I get there in august. I also don't see myself buying a car till a couple of years at least so access to public transport would be fairly important. Moreover I don't have references obviously, would that matter?

Edited April 9, 2014 by sharanbngr

[Vene]

A 2 bedroom apartment for $1600 sounds dreadfully expensive.

[Jokenberry]

100% in agreement with you, dude. Unfortunately, that's the going rate in Uptown.

[Vene]

That explains why I don't live in Uptown and instead am in a western suburb.

[heja0805]

If you'd be interested in saving a little money on rent, you're likely to find an apartment in St. Paul cheaper than mpls and take the light rail to the U -- the route on University should be finished soon, and it'll take you all the way to campus.

[Crucial BBQ]

On 2/19/2014 at 4:49 PM, Ana Pascal said:

Responding re: rent prices, apartment locations, and heat...

 

I live in Powderhorn and it's not full of thugs. It's a super diverse neighborhood with lots of lower-income families, as well as a growing number of young professionals. My husband and I are white, late 20s. Three white, early 20s kids live above us (and drive us crazy - but that's a different story). Our neighbors on one side are a Somali family who seem to rent their house. Our neighbors on the other side are three 30s/40s adults, including one transgendered woman. Our neighbors across the street are Hispanic families in an apartment building. Down the street is an apartment building with mostly African American families. It's a total mix, and we haven't had any issues with safety. 

 

Also, I take a bus from my neighborhood to my workplace in downtown Mpls every day.

 

Our rent is 900 for a two bedroom apartment, with a garage, with a basement for storage, and with free washer/dryer. It's such a bargain! If you're looking at places in Powderhorn, I would recommend visiting first to ensure that you feel good about your specific block and neighbors, but overall there are tons of great places to live in this neighborhood. 

 

The one downfall is the heat - we have gas forced-air heat, and it DOES get very expensive in the winter.

 

@sharanbngr - what you want is steam heat or radiator heat (it's the same thing, different name). Your rent will stay the same all year when radiator heat is included, so theoretically you're paying for it all year, I guess. But you'll know up front whether you can afford the place - no massive bills to deal with in the winter. (Ours is $126 this month.)

Of course it is super diverse; that is why young white people with tattoos live there.  I should know, that was me at one point in time...although I never lived in Powderhorn myself.  First off, I am not from MPLS or Minnesota...just happened to live there for a decade.  I say that because I find that those who are from the TC have a tendency to gravitate towards being self-congratulatory and not really able to acknowledge the shtiz when it is right in front of them.  For perspective, while not being of the "type", I hung out at the Seward Cafe, Hard Times, drank at Palmer's (although I was more of a CC guy), know a good number of those in the HTBC and BLBC, the May Day Parade, and so on. 

 

With that, there is the Powderhorn Park neighborhood...and then there is the general area known as Powderhorn that includes the neighborhoods of Central, Powderhorn Park, and Concoran at least.  If you want to use the new Ward map, then Powderhorn is Ward 9 which, including those previously mentioned three neighborhoods, also includes Phillips East and West Phillips. I briefly lived near Bloomington and Lake and also near Franklin and Bloomington.  So I have a good idea of what I am talking about. 

 

To make matters confusing...depending on what map you are looking at, and what year of the NRP the map was created (Neighborhood Revitalization Program); Phillips East/West may not exist; Central may be Powderhorn West; Powderhorn Park may be Powderhorn; and Concoran may be Powderhorn East.  It may also include Bryant, Bancroft, Standish, and for some reason Whittier and Lyndale.  

 

Anyways....if you look at crime stats for the neighborhoods, Central, Powderhorn Park, and Concoran are some of the highest in South Minneapolis although strangely Whittier is higher (but I know why...has to do with "not doing crime in your own neighborhood...many cross 35 into Whittier to steal cars and so on).  However, if you look at ShotSpotter (the technology that detects, locates, and maps shots-fired), you will see that for South Minneapolis the majority fall within Powderhorn on a weekly basis:

 

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/statistics/crime-statistics_codefor_shotsfired

 

Nowhere near as bad as Near-North or Jordan...but still.

 

And tell me that Cedar, 17th, Bloomington, and Chicago are cool streets to live next to.  Of course the closer you get to Minnehaha PKWY the better.  

 

 

 

 

Will you be safe?  More-than-likely yes as long as you do not do anything stupid. However in my opinion if one is to attend the U and wishes to live in South Minneapolis I would personally suggest Whittier, Lowry Hill East, Carag, and Longfellow.  Perhaps Seward, too.  Maybe Lyndale.  If you wish to live closer to the U I would suggest somewhere in Prospect Park or University...although I personally would avoid Dinkytown.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Crucial BBQ

[Artemisa]

I am going to live at University Village, so if anyone wants to be my roommate, just let me know

[Replaces]

I am going to live at University Village, so if anyone wants to be my roommate, just let me know

I've been warned again and again not to live there... if that hints you anything. lol

[Artemisa]

I've been warned again and again not to live there... if that hints you anything. lol

Oh thank you for the advice. I have a friend that has lived there for a year and he said it´s good

[Hereweare]

Hi! Has everybody already found apartment? Any recommendation or warning about Metro Park East? What about the area?

[Replaces]

Hi! Has everybody already found apartment? Any recommendation or warning about Metro Park East? What about the area?

 

The general impression from visiting personally multiple times and hints I've received from friends and acquaintances who are familiar with the area was that I should avoid "brick and mortar" housing options with fancy websites and massive marketing. Many of these housing options won't have windows that open for *energy efficiency purposes* (brutalist tactic from the 60s that will often cause people sick indoor syndrome from poor HVAC systems). If anything, they should be the last in your list in case you can't find anywhere else... since most of them will always have something available.

 

The area is mainly consisted of undergrads. I know there are some grad students that found other grad students to room with, but you'll be taking chances at noise levels when the Thursday nights come around.

 

Most of the grad students I know that live in that particular area live farther away to the south of Univ. ave, or farther down Univ. ave to the east.

Since light rail started operating since 6/15, you won't have as much problem getting to school living closer to St. Paul and get bang for your buck.

 

I was told by a few people that st. anthony village to the northwest of the campus in the east bank is very grad student friendly.

it's ~20~35 min walk depending on where your classes are in campus, but if you get a bike or a U-Pass... it shouldn't be too bad.

[Hereweare]

Hi! Thank you very much for your opinion!

 

The general impression from visiting personally multiple times and hints I've received from friends and acquaintances who are familiar with the area was that I should avoid "brick and mortar" housing options with fancy websites and massive marketing. Many of these housing options won't have windows that open for *energy efficiency purposes* (brutalist tactic from the 60s that will often cause people sick indoor syndrome from poor HVAC systems). If anything, they should be the last in your list in case you can't find anywhere else... since most of them will always have something available.

 

The area is mainly consisted of undergrads. I know there are some grad students that found other grad students to room with, but you'll be taking chances at noise levels when the Thursday nights come around.

 

Most of the grad students I know that live in that particular area live farther away to the south of Univ. ave, or farther down Univ. ave to the east.
Since light rail started operating since 6/15, you won't have as much problem getting to school living closer to St. Paul and get bang for your buck.

 

I was told by a few people that st. anthony village to the northwest of the campus in the east bank is very grad student friendly.

it's ~20~35 min walk depending on where your classes are in campus, but if you get a bike or a U-Pass... it shouldn't be too bad.

[Crucial BBQ]

On 7/28/2014 at 8:43 PM, Replaces said:

The general impression from visiting personally multiple times and hints I've received from friends and acquaintances who are familiar with the area was that I should avoid "brick and mortar" housing options with fancy websites and massive marketing. Many of these housing options won't have windows that open for *energy efficiency purposes* (brutalist tactic from the 60s that will often cause people sick indoor syndrome from poor HVAC systems). If anything, they should be the last in your list in case you can't find anywhere else... since most of them will always have something available.

 

 

I was told by a few people that st. anthony village to the northwest of the campus in the east bank is very grad student friendly.

it's ~20~35 min walk depending on where your classes are in campus, but if you get a bike or a U-Pass... it shouldn't be too bad.

I lived in Minneapolis for ten years.  It is common for multi-unit dwellings to have heat/air supplied by the landlord/property owner.  The last thing they want is for someone to prop open a window during the winter time. Or even over the summer considering how humid it gets. College housing is no different.   

 

 

Personally, I would avoid anything in Stadium Village, Dinky Town, or the West Bank.  St Anthony Village is cool, though.  I'd also look into Whittier or the area just past 280 and University, but not quite Midway.  The name of the Neighborhood is escaping me...Hampton, or Hamden....It is just slightly past where the campus ends and St. Paul begins.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Crucial BBQ

[CreativeAnalyst]

Prospect Park (east from the Minneapolis campus between University Avenue and Franklin toward Hwy 280), besides being home to a lot of faculty, is also full of big old houses rented by groups of grad students. St Anthony Park (near St Paul campus), same thing--the free shuttle bus to Minneapolis campus takes about 10 minutes. U of M housing office has listings of off-campus housing https://hrl-ochls.oit.umn.edu/ochls/ which includes some small-scale owner-occupied multi-unit buildings.

[thedoctorphd]

Hi -- Looking to revive this thread for the 2015 admits.  Any suggestions on decent areas/apartments for a young couple with two dogs? We are interested in being near bars, restaurants, shopping, parks, etc...  However, we do not want to be in an area where there are a ton of undergraduate students.  We are looking to move at the beginning of June.  I have read through this thread and it seems that Uptown and St. Anthony park are better areas for graduate students.  We are thinking up to $1200/month for a two bedroom.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thank you in advance!

[Vene]

Hi -- Looking to revive this thread for the 2015 admits.  Any suggestions on decent areas/apartments for a young couple with two dogs? We are interested in being near bars, restaurants, shopping, parks, etc...  However, we do not want to be in an area where there are a ton of undergraduate students.  We are looking to move at the beginning of June.  I have read through this thread and it seems that Uptown and St. Anthony park are better areas for graduate students.  We are thinking up to $1200/month for a two bedroom.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thank you in advance!

$1200 for a two bedroom should be very much in the realm of possibility and I always had a good impression of Uptown. Do you plan on driving to the campus? If so, Roseville has always struck me as a decent place and has a lot of shopping on Snelling. But, St Louis Park is just west of Minneapolis and is good, it's also got a major highway that runs through it making it easy to drive into the city.

 

But, I don't think there's really anywhere that has a shortage of bars, restaurants, shopping, or parks. Pretty much every lake has a park attached and outside of the downtown region there's a lot of greenery.

 

Dinkytown is very much undergrad students, but that's about the only place I can think of that is primarily students, Como may be the other. The thing is even though UMN is a huge university there's so many other people in the city that you don't have to travel very far before you run into other demographics.

 

Mind you, this is my impression prior to moving east for graduate school and I spent most of my time in the suburbs (northern, followed by western) working as a technician.

[thedoctorphd]

$1200 for a two bedroom should be very much in the realm of possibility and I always had a good impression of Uptown. Do you plan on driving to the campus? If so, Roseville has always struck me as a decent place and has a lot of shopping on Snelling. But, St Louis Park is just west of Minneapolis and is good, it's also got a major highway that runs through it making it easy to drive into the city.

 

But, I don't think there's really anywhere that has a shortage of bars, restaurants, shopping, or parks. Pretty much every lake has a park attached and outside of the downtown region there's a lot of greenery.

 

Dinkytown is very much undergrad students, but that's about the only place I can think of that is primarily students, Como may be the other. The thing is even though UMN is a huge university there's so many other people in the city that you don't have to travel very far before you run into other demographics.

 

Mind you, this is my impression prior to moving east for graduate school and I spent most of my time in the suburbs (northern, followed by western) working as a technician.

 

Thank you for your advice!  Yeah, I plan on driving to campus for sure. 

[Vene]

Thank you for your advice!  Yeah, I plan on driving to campus for sure. 

A piece of advice, when you're searching for apartments plug in their addresses on google maps and check out what it gives you for traffic, especially if you can check out the traffic around rush hour. It can help you compare different apartments.