Minnesotans hold lakes near and dear, which also means property near these bodies of water tends to cost more. The prices are still pretty responsible though (after all you’re still in the Midwest) and there are only about 10,000 of them to go around. A two or three bedroom place might run you as much as $1,500, more near or around Thomas Lake, but if you don’t mind a jaunt to the water, you can find 2BR apartment for around $800.The rental process is pretty standard here, so expect to sign a one year lease. When estimating your monthly cost of living, don’t forget that October through April can be very cold and unpredictable in Minnesota, so you’ll want to set aside some extra cash for your heat bill.
Being a smaller suburb of St
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Grab your snow shoes and a fishing pole and you’ll fit right in to Eagan, Minnesota – the undiscovered star of the Land of 10,000 Lakes! This small city of 64,000 just south of Saint Paul is the 15th best place to live in the US, according to Money magazine and once you see the place, it’s not hard to believe. Eagan is a friendly Midwestern place, so finding a new apartment here will be painless if you keep in mind one very important piece of advice specific to renting in Minnesota: do your searching in the summer. Seriously. So let’s go! Eagan and all its suburban star power is waiting.
10,000 reasons to Love Minnesota
Minnesotans hold lakes near and dear, which also means property near these bodies of water tends to cost more. The prices are still pretty responsible though (after all you’re still in the Midwest) and there are only about 10,000 of them to go around. A two or three bedroom place might run you as much as $1,500, more near or around Thomas Lake, but if you don’t mind a jaunt to the water, you can find 2BR apartment for around $800.The rental process is pretty standard here, so expect to sign a one year lease. When estimating your monthly cost of living, don’t forget that October through April can be very cold and unpredictable in Minnesota, so you’ll want to set aside some extra cash for your heat bill.
Being a smaller suburb of St. Paul, you won’t find as many distinct neighborhoods in Eagan like you will in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Aside from lake or pond-side locales, the prices and style of apartments don’t differ greatly. Much of what you’ll find will be townhouses or complexes with clubhouses, laundry facilities, and saunas. Diffley Road at Pilot Knob Road and the NW side of the city are good areas to start your search for smaller complexes. For just under $2,000 a month, there are also many newer (built in the 1970s) 2BR and 3BR homes for rent in Eagan.
Traveling as one big happy…city
Eagan is only about 13 miles from St. Paul, but it’s also close to attractions like the Mall of America and the other twin—Minneapolis. Public transportation within the Twin Cities is efficient and sometimes it just won’t make sense to drive into the city. If you want to avoid the traffic after a Twins baseball game and maybe love the idea of being smashed elbow-to-sweaty-cheek-to-someone-else’s-elbow in a Light Rail car with a hundred other excited fans, you can utilize Park and Ride facilities. You can also easily park your car here and get to other suburbs or the Twin Cities with the help of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA).
Hobbies include scraping windows and shoveling snow
Whether you drive a smart car or a diesel truck, you may want to make sure your new place comes with a garage. In the winter months you may walk out to find a layer of cold, white stuff on top of your car transforming it from a minivan to a double-decker bus overnight. If the apartment you’re eyeing doesn’t have a garage, it shouldn’t be a deal breaker, though. Trust me when I say you won’t be a softy for long in this climate.
If you do have to park on the street, you should know that in the winter the city has parking restrictions from November 15-April 15, even if there aren’t snowflakes coming down from above. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on odd-numbered days you are required to park on the odd-numbered side of the street, and vice versa for even-numbered days and streets. Parking is allowed on both sides of the street in between these times. As confusing and silly as it may seem at first glance, rest assured that flaunting these restrictions in defiance of the weather gods will result in you fetching your wheels from auto jail. Curses!
Free money? Say what?
Whoa there, don’t get too excited. The extra money comes back to you in the form of a refund. One of the good things about renting in the state of Minnesota is that based on your income, you can receive a refund based on the taxes paid on your apartment even if you rent! Your landlord is required to send you a “Certificate of Rent Paid” at the end of the year, so be sure to hang on to it and avoid letting it get lost in the that stack of junk mail and Pizza Hut coupons.
No Apartment Hunting License Needed
You’re bound to find something that interests you in this suburb of the Twin Cities. Whether it’s shopping, fishing, snowboarding, professional sports or just a nice summer day spent at one of the 10,000 lakes, you’ll find it in spades in Eagan. Now that you know some of the basics of renting in the North Star State, get hunting! For apartments, that is. It’s not caribou season yet.
