Moving to Minnesota - where to live?

+1

One other thing....Some people have mentioned "Hyland Park." There is a neighborhood and high school in Saint Paul called Hyland Park. There is also an actual park, with around 30k of really nice CC ski trails, called Hyland Park, in Bloomington.

Just wanted to clear of the confusion.

dsffsdfsdfdfs wrote:

One other thing....Some people have mentioned "Hyland Park." There is a neighborhood and high school in Saint Paul called Hyland Park. There is also an actual park, with around 30k of really nice CC ski trails, called Hyland Park, in Bloomington.

Just wanted to clear of the confusion.

The St. Paul neighborhood is called "Highland Park," not "Hyland."

Neighborhood is Highland Park, the Three Rivers park is Hyland Park

Thanks for all the great responses. Much appreciated. Our family is also really involved in our church, I suspect it won't be a problem finding a good fit. Good running trails are a must, we are used to skiing on lots of natural snow, so the idea of skiing on manmade snow is a bit foreign, but easily adaptable. I help coach our schools XC running and ski teams currently, and would love to help out in the place where we move. Not sure how easy it is to join an established coaching staff.

We have visited the twin cities a number of times for ski events (city of lakes loppet) and the Griak CC race - and just love the culture. Where we live currently, our kids are the only ones who run and ski at their school. Would be nice to have more friends for them to participate with.

As a recent Stillwater grad myself, I would wholeheartedly support the move to Stillwater. Fantastic small-town feeling community while still being large enough to support all of your and your kids' needs. The school is fantastic and newly renovated, both the boys and girls xc and nordic teams are perennial competitors, and there is so much to do in the outdoors. More natural-feeling and scenic trails than the west side schools and closer to the real world/better weather than Duluth. GO PONIES!

I grew up in the northern suburbs, lived in St. Paul and Minneapolis after college, currently live in southern MN, and spend a lot of time in the north woods. I feel every area has its charm. It’s going to be tough to make a bad decision. Good luck!

Moving man wrote:

We also care about education, so a good school with all the above is a must.

Moving man wrote:

Our family is also really involved in our church, I suspect it won't be a problem finding a good fit. Good running trails are a must, we are used to skiing on lots of natural snow, so the idea of skiing on manmade snow is a bit foreign, but easily adaptable. I help coach our schools XC running and ski teams currently, and would love to help out in the place where we move. Not sure how easy it is to join an established coaching staff.

A number of knowledgeable responses have already been posted about different spots in the Twin Cities area, so I'll try to add to those with more of a niche response based on some of your comments.

Nova Classical Academy

This is a public charter school in St. Paul; academically rigorous education; near both the "River Road" (great for running by Mississippi River for miles) and Highland Park area (mentioned by others in this thread) of St. Paul. Their cross-country and track coach is Dennis Barker, whose history of coaching professional collegiate athletes might make him one of, if not the most, respected coaches in the state (e.g., he was the late Gabe Grunewald's coach.) No nordic ski team I'm aware of. I believe parental involvement is high. Getting into the school involves some kind of lottery process, though; no guarantee of admission.

Trinity School at River Ridge

This is a private, Christian school; classical education; "Minnesota's Only 3x High School National Blue Ribbon Recipient". Located in Eagan, MN, not that far from Highland Park and Mendota Heights. Cross country and track teams; no nordic ski team I'm aware of. I'd wager you would have a high chance of getting to help coach.

There are so many variables here, impossible to know if either of these would be the right fit for your kids, your situation, etc.

More research points for you, though; hope it works out for you and your family.

Thanks again for everyones opinion, I was somewhat hoping for a clear cut answer of - there is only one choice and it obviously is.....

Turns out there is a lot of great options. Will do some more research, and in the end will make the best of our decision.

Nobody really responded to your professional needs - maybe it isn't an important part of the equation for you. Anyway, I live in the twin cities and work in tech. Since you're running an internet business, you'll need talent and St Paul / Minneapolis and the immediate burbs have plenty. Much harder to get in the secondary MN cities (Duluth, Rochester) and practically impossible in the small towns FWIW.

Looks like the inner MSP core has been covered pretty well here. I would second highland park in St. Paul.

Other good options:

Grand Rapids- Some of the best XC skiers in the state come of GR. The biathlon program up there is top notch. They have the best man made snow loop in the state for racing and some best the best natural skiing as well.

Ely - Surpirsingly good XC skiers come out of Ely considering its size. They really don't have a need for manmade snow cause there is always natural stuff.

Duluth - It's the MN city with the best balance between awesome outdoor amenities and city living. The trails up there are amazing.

xcskier66 wrote:

Looks like the inner MSP core has been covered pretty well here. I would second highland park in St. Paul. Other good options: ...

Duluth - It's the MN city with the best balance between awesome outdoor amenities and city living. The trails up there are amazing.

Duluth is nice, but it is a big town, not really even a small city. I would love to live in Duluth about3 months a year, but would get bored after that. Just depends on what you're looking for, I suppose.

List of best high schools in MN:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/minnesota/rankings

Eden Prairie - consistently ranked as one of the top places to live in America by Money magazine.

Great business climate, great schools, great athletic programs for kids, nice running trails and parks, not far from downtown Minneapolis, not far from airport, almost no crime.

Eastview is a good option.

Most people that go there live in Apple Valley or Eagan.

Located in Apple Valley.

Top public school in MN the last 2 years education-wise.

Solid boys XC running team, improving girls XC running team and had some success in the past.

Solid girls Nordic skiing team, but not many people go out for the boys team so the boys team is combined with Rosemount and Apple Valley.

Brainerd

Floodwood is a nice, cheap town to live in.

Northfield is in a good place surrounded by most MIAC colleges and you can probably drive to most places like St. Paul, Minneapolis, Edina within 1-2hrs. There a lot of running trails, parks in the area.

Other than October through April I bet Minnesota would be a nice place to live. I would suggest somewhere in the south of Minnesota. Coming from Canada you'll think you're in Florida weather wise.