I recently learned that I will be relocating to the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. We will be making a trip up there in the next month to look at neighborhoods and communities. My realtor is pushing me to look at the SW Minneapolis neighborhood, but I want more ideas.

I'll be working in downtown Mpls and we have 2 school aged children. Like older neighborhoods with character, but could be convinced to do the newer development thing.

Natives - give me some ideas!

I'm far from a MN native, but a very good friend of mine has found her ideal small town in Hopkins, MN. She lives in a charming older neighborhood, loves the schools and raves about the community programs and activites for the kids, and the local farmer's market. She works in downtown MSP and says her commute is not bad. The main campus of the Blake School is in Hopkins, which was one of the town's selling points for her, but so far she has been happy with the public schools.

Likewise, I have friends who moved to Wayzata on the west side and love it. Quaint downtown area, some older homes, and situation right on a pretty lake. I recall it being a very manageable distance (15 mins) from downtown.

Another Wayzeta vote! My sister loves sailing on Lake Minnetonka??? Great town!

SW Minneapolis has some lovely areas, especially around the Linden Hills neighborhood and close to the lakes, mainly Harriet or Calhoun.

Start a day at Turtle Bread on 44th in Linden Hills and explore northeast toward the lakes.

We lived in Edina at one time and still go back there and still love it. Also would recommend Wayzata and SW Mpls. around Lake of the Isles and other areas on the West side of town. Hope you love it there as much as we did. We still miss it and get back to see old friends when we can.

Check out the Crocus Hill neighborhood of St. Paul. It's a fast, easy commute into Minneapolis (10-15 minutes), and many of the homes were built pre-WWI. Lots of character. The independent business charm of Grand Avenue is lovely.

Thank you for your responses. In addition to Wayzata and Edina, my realtor has also suggested I look at these areas:
- St. Paul Highland Park
- Powderhorn (?)
- Excelsior
- Deephaven

I know those areas are all over the map, but does anyone know them well?

Get a new realtor.

If he/she included Powderhorn with those other areas, it's likely because he/she gets crack nearby. Or perhap there's a dog listing in the area that the realtor's agency is stuck with.

Give us an idea of the housing price range and we'll steer you better.

Excelsior and Deephaven are quite a drive. Once you exit highway 394 West at Wayzata its two lanes around the lake to Excelsior or Deephaven. Slow going for an everyday commute especially in the snow. And while the lake communities do have a certain charm - they can get pretty deserted in the winter. They can also be very pricey as can the downtown lakes area - Calhoun, Harriet and Isles, but maybe that isn't an issue.

If you want to consider a more suburban atmosphere, take a look at Maple Grove. It is a very hot area with lots of growth, good schools, shopping, and about a 20 minute commute to downtown on west side freeways.

Ask your realtor about the "Tangle Town" area of Minneapolis on Minnehaha Parkway or the 50th & France district of Edina. Both have lots of charm.

Welcome to town.

i agree with Wayzata, Edina and Minnetonka. If you want to be in the city, look in the areas surrounding Lake Calhoun, Harriet and also the Minnehaha Creek area. Eden Prairie is also very nice - no where in Minneapolis is a horrible commute downtown. The only issue is that you don't have the mass transit of, say, a Chicago, DC or NYC.

Sounds like you like older neighborhoods with some charm and life. I live in Deephaven, and would recommend these Lake Minnetonka communities:

Wayzata - As has been well advertised on this thread, Wayzata is a very liveable place. 20 minutes tops to Mpls and a good housing stock. Also a newly rehabbed downtown area with plenty of shops. If you are on the "inside" of Hwy 12, you'll be walking distance to everything. Go outside of 12 and you will be just a short drive away.

Deephaven/Greenwood. More of a bedroom community, but homes range from 1900's cottages to newer mini-mansions. The beauty of this area is that everything is very tucked away in ravines and on peninsulas. Not like your new subdivisions that seemingly arise out of a corn field.

Excelsior - Very close to where I am. Excelsior is a 150 year old village with an eclectic blend of housing. You have everything from your mansion on the lake to the 2 br cottage that grandma lives in. Also a very genuine downtown with character, a cinema, restaurants all on the shoreline.

As someone pointed out, these areas are a little further from Minneapolis, but my commute to downtown takes only 25 minutes with light traffice or 40 with heavy traffic. Pretty in line with what alot of people do every day. Also, I'd caution you that the price to get into a decent family home in these neighborhoods now starts in teh $400,000 range.

Hi all. Just wanted to report back... we are in Minneapolis visiting neighborhoods this weekend. Saw the following neighborhoods last night and today:
50th and France - Just fabulous, but too expensive!
SW Minneapolis - Liked alot of pockets, great parks for the kids
Linden Hills - Very nice, might be the frontrunner right now
Lake Minnetonka - Liked a couple areas of Wayzata, and thought that the small village of Excelsior was just charming on the south shore.....

Tomorrow, it is more of SW Minneapolis and a trip over to Highland Park. Wish us luck and keep the ideas coming. p.s. Where's the snow?

Snow!.......now aren't you sorry you had that dreadful picture in your head of a realtor showing you igloos?

Good Luck and welcome to sunny Minnesota.