We will be moving to Minneapolis Jan 1. My husband will be working in Wayzata and we are looking to rent a townhome in a nice city/town within walking distance to the town center that may have a few restaurants and cafe%26#39;s and is also within walking distance to the train station to get into the twin cities. Any suggestions? We are relocating from England although originally from WI.
Moving to Minneapolis
Hi there! Wayzata is kind of drive as it lays outside of downtown Minneapolis by like 10 miles or so. Though, you can take Hwy 12 and it turns into 394 which goes directly to Minneapolis. Sadly there are no trains that connect these 2 cities (or most cities in MN) but the bus system does. You might want to consider living downtown and then having your husband drive to work in Wayzata every day as he would always drive against rush hour traffic and then you could be downtown and able to walk/bus anywhere you want. Wayzata is a nice suburb but, it almost seems like you need to have a car most places in the burbs because everything is so spread out compared to Europe. I would consider renting downtown and getting a car to drive to Wayzata and all around the cities. But, that is me. I love having a car and downtown so I might be biased. If you end up in Wayzata I am sure you could make it work. To check places out to rent I would go to rent.com I used them once and it was nice to have someone helping me set up appointments to check out places (and they gave me maps and phone numbers to those apartments as well).
Moving to Minneapolis
Until this thread gets removed for being relocation related.....
Living downtown Mpls and commuting to Wayzata might be an option for providing the ';town center'; feel yet a fairly easy driving counter-commute (opposite of main flow) via I-394. On the other hand Wayzata is on Lake Minnetonka and there are some fairly nice areas in which to rent. It does have a fairly charming but small downtown area with a few restaurants....like Sunsets...but definitely no train station.
Another rental option is the glut of homes for rent due to owners who can%26#39;t sell in this market. Some very good bargains can be had. One agency specilaizing in this (including townhouses) is Metro Resource Group ( http://www.metrorentalsonline.com/ ).
If you really want a pedestrian lifestyle, locate close to the downtowns. I would consider N Hennepin, St Anthony Main or near one of the Lakes (there are 3 of them) in Minneapolis. In St Paul, I would consider the Grand Ave, Highland and Cathedral Hill.
Working in Wayzata will mean you%26#39;ll need a car to get around, regardless of where you settle. Wayzata %26amp; Excelsior have great pedestrian malls, but I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s that urban, community feel you%26#39;re seeking. My coworker grew up / lives in Excelsior and drives to a bus stop when coming downtown.
there%26#39;s a fairly newer development in downtown along the river - between Hennepin Avenue %26amp; Plymouth Avenue NE, tucked behind the new Federal Reserve.
A few new co-workers ended up buying there and seem to enjoy it and location.
Definitely live downtown Minneapolis! There are a variety of housing options. Also, despite no train from Minneapolis to Wayzata, there is excellent express bus service that could get your husband into Wayzata no problem, if he should choose not to drive daily.
If you%26#39;re looking for something less urban, the cities along the 394 corridor---Golden Valley and Minnetonka, both have some very nice neighborhoods and are only 10 minutes from the heart of town. I think living in Wayzata would be wonderful. It%26#39;s a bit quiet, but pretty %26amp; quaint with restaurants %26amp; shops. It, too, is maybe 15 or 20 mins from downtwon. I wish you well!
I%26#39;ll take a crack at answering for you, but more information is needed to make a good recommendation (ie. age, kids, interests, etc.). A lot of people seem to recommend downtown living, but it%26#39;s only right if that%26#39;s your thing, because in many ways it%26#39;s more expensive to live in the downtown area. Based on my own interests, I would consider the uptown/Lakes area and St. Louis Park/Golden Valley as in-between places with a good balance.
Definitely tour the areas and walk/drive around.
I work in downtown Wayzata. I recommend you live and work in Wayzata. You can walk anywhere you want in the town. You will only need one car and can take a bus downtown if you want.
Craig Beal - owner Travel Beyond
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