Need Advice from Local Moms in 55410 Area ... Am Brand New Here with 3 Kids!!

I used to live on the other side of downtown in NE Minneapolis. I loved that area and really miss it! We lived at 19th and Cleveland, and the neighborhoods near Stinson between 18th and 30th are fabulous. My kids weren't in school there, but there was a great neighborhood feeling. We could walk to both Target and great local places, and there were tons of kids.

Perhaps it isn't quite as trendy as Linden Hills, but it is a really great place to live, too.

Hi there - I've lived in MN for several years now - but I'm sorry I don't have any info. on the area that you're looking in.

The one thing I did want to let you know is that if you're looking for a cheap camp (and only need a few hours) look into a VBS Camp at any local church (Vacation Bible Study) they are really cheap ($40 per child) and the kids love them. Not a lot of coverage for yo, but for the cost its a great deal.

Also - hate to break it to you but we don't really have 4 seasons in MN!!! Just 2 - REALLY cold for about 5 - 7 months and REALLY hot and humid the rest of the time!!!

While you wait for the perfect "in" to Linden Hills, consider the surrounding neighborhoods. If you follow Minninhaha Parkway east you will discover a lot of great areas from Kenny to the Nokomis area. Also consider neighborhoods to the south and west of Lake Harriet. All within a short drive of great amenities and schools. While Linden Hills is really picture perfect, it's also a little "land-locked" by the Lakes for me. I find it tedicious to get to unless you are using France Avenue as a main artery. If your school and general focus is westward, it shouldn't be a problem. As for Uptown, I tend to think of it more for younger folks than families only because of the traffic and sheer number of rentals.Good luck on your search and welcome to Minnesota!

The Uptown area is beautiful as well as the SW part of Minneapolis. If you want a great neighborhood with fantastic schools I encourage you to check out Edina. Wayzata is also really nice, but further away from Minneapolis.

For camps, you can check out the park and recs in your neighborhood. They have playground camps. However, I know that most of them are coming to an end. There is also the YMCA.

If you're looking for a Mom's group check out MOMS Club. They have chapters all over the area. Parentsconnect.com is also a great resource that lists lots of places to go to and activities that are happening. The library also has free passes to some interesting places in MN.

For running, there is a class called Stroller Strides. I think your kids might be old for this group though??? You can also google running groups in Minneapolis and a couple will pop up. When I first moved here 7 years ago I was a runner and had found a group. But, the winters have made me a non-runner and I have found different exercises to do. With that being said, I know there are running groups here, I just can't remember the name.

Good luck!

I live in Lynnhurst & our kids go to Burroughs. LOVE that school! You can't go wrong with schools in SW Minneapolis. The same for Edina. Like someone else already said, you're in one of the most expensive rental areas of the Cities. If you can swing it financially, it's TOTALLY worth it. As someone else said, it's such a fantastic place to live!

But, if you go out further into western and southern Edina (but still within the 494 loop), you can find something more reasonably priced. Esp. with western Edina, you can be in Edina, but be in Hopkins schools instead, so make sure you check that out.

Glad you found Camp Kici Yapi. It's great!!

Edina has a great public pre-k program. Not sure about the extent of your one twin's IEP needs, but there's a specific pre-k class that combines special needs kids with non-special needs kids. Here's a link:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/community/familycenter/ecfe.html
They also have great "beyond ECFE" classes that meet monthly for parents of kids in elementary school (and beyond).

There is a great Minneapolis MOMS Club and like Linden Hills is within the boundaries for the group. Here's the website:
https://sites.google.com/site/momsclubmplslakes/
I would recommend joining the group now because if you're outside of the boundaries after you move, you won't be able to join. (The national MOMS Club is really strict about that--lame, I know.) It's a fantastic group of women (myself included) who plan lots of playdates & MNOs.

There's also a meetup group that meets all over the area:
http://www.meetup.com/Minneapolis-Area-Moms/

Oh, forgot to mention that sittercity & care.com are good places to find sitters if you don't know anyone. Also ask your neighbors.

Good luck!
E.

I would also suggest expanding south from Linden Hills into Fulton, Armatage, and Kenny. Be careful because some of the rentals are awful and clumped together on busy streets, but some are very appropriate and mixed in with owner occupied homes. (I know from our search 7 years ago in your situation!)

I'm sorry to say I can't answer more questions because my kid is younger than yours and we have relied on other contacts for babysitters, but I just want to let you know I've been where you are and please feel free to message me if you need any support!

We live in the East Harriet neighborhood and love it! We have been here five years. My kids aren't in school yet, or camps, and I don't run so I'm not much help there. :) We live near 46th street and Lyndale and there is so much to walk too.... Award winning French bakery Patisserie 46, Cafe Ena, Kings Wine Bar (all three of those are on one intersection!), Jack's Cafe, Fuller Park, Lyndale Farmstead, Lynnhurst Park, Guse Green Grocer. Can you tell we love our neighborhood?? We, too, have no family here and I found our first round of sitters on Craigslist and then added to our list as neighborhood girls got old enough. Welcome to Minneapolis!

Hello from another 55410 mom!

My daughter (9) and I have lived in the Linden Hills neighborhood for about four years and I am still getting to know my way around Mpls! We rent a 1 bedroom condo, and I am aware that rental options are limited, depending on your budget. Linden Hills is one of the most expensive area in Mpls. We've managed it because we only need a small space. There are other nice neighborhoods surrounding here, that I would suggest looking into, also.

Have you found this website yet? http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/neighborhoods/
It's been helpful for me when trying to understand the different neighborhoods in Mpls.

My daughter attends school in the suburb of Eagan, since her dad lives there, but my friends have good things to say about these schools: Lake Harriet upper/lower, Hale, Kenny, and Field. Two of my friends have kids on IEPs, one attends Kenny and the other Hale.

I'm a casual runner and normally run alone, but here is a site that lists several running clubs in MN: http://www.runningintheusa.com/Club/List.aspx?State=MN
Club Run Minneapolis is based right by Lake Calhoun, so in this area.

For summer camps, I would check with the YMCA and YWCA. My daughter has gone to YMCA Camp Kici Yapi for three years now and likes it a lot. It's a daycamp out in the suburb of Prior Lake. The YMCA provides bus pickup from several locations around Mpls. They also offer a Summer Power camp program onsite at local YMCAs. I'm not familiar with the YWCA programs.

If you don't mind driving farther, the MN Zoo in Apple Valley still has openings in their camp programs.

Leonardo's Basement: http://leonardosbasement.org/1history.php is right here in Mpls and offers cool classes/camps if your kids like building things.
The Bakken Museum is another cool place: http://www.thebakken.org/summer-science-day-camp/ But it looks like they are full.
Or the Science Museum in St. Paul: http://www.smm.org/classes

I haven't had to search for a babysitter, so I'm afraid I'm not help there.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions!

S.

Momslikeme.com has a local Mpls moms section.

Other neighborhoods: Edina & Hopkins (check out main street in Hopkins...really cute! And great school district too).