Honest Thoughts on Lakeville
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5/13/2019
We lived in Lakeville for 3 years (2015-18). My husband and I have traveled all over the country. We've lived in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Colorado and Minnesota. Lakeville was one of our favorite spots, and miss it but can't move back! Here are some honest thoughts:
PROS:
-Cleaner Air than Twin Cities (Higher Elevation)
-Close to the Airport, but little airplane noise
-Everything you need is nearby, we rarely needed to "cross the river" (except for work, see the CONS below)
-Lovely parks and walking trails, especially Ritter Farm Park and Antlers
-Close proximity to other parks which have wonderful mountain biking, Nordic skiing, and paved bike trails (Murphy, Lebanon Hills, Schaar's Bluff, Whitetail Woods, etc.)
-We had a great church (Berean Baptist)
-Lowest crime rate of anywhere we have lived, no homeless people, like... ever (too cold?)
-Great schools and safe place to raise a family
-Utilities are CHEAP
-Real estate is CHEAP (compared to many places in the US, depends on your perspective)
-HOA fees are CHEAP or nonexistent, and yet property owners still maintain their homes decently
-Fun Winter Sports (Skiing, Snowmobiling, Curling, Hockey, Ice Skating, etc.)
-The region is an outdoor lover's paradise (Fishing, fishing, and fishing! and FREE boat launches)
-Northern Minnesota is gorgeous (Hwy 61, Voyager's National Park, etc.)
-Minnesota has good beer and burgers (and healthy food too)
-Lots of fun day trips to places like New Ulm, Northfield, Duluth, etc.
-Beautiful Fall colors, deer, and wildlife
-No sales tax on groceries and clothing
-Very good wages compared to the cost of living
-Fun to visit mall of america (the local's don't like it too much, but they can stuff it - it's a great place to walk when it's so cold your eyelashes are frozen to your face)
-Easy to grow and maintain a lush lawn or garden in the summer (What I wouldn't give...!)
CONS
-Winters are long, incredibly harsh, and cloudy
-Spring is cold and muddy (but beautiful once May hits)
-Summers can be a bit muggy/buggy, but relatively tame compared to the South
-Crazy storms (both thunderstorms and blizzards, freezing rain)
-It's hard to find a decent job in the south metro, and the commute "across the river" SUCKS like nothing else, especially in winter weather. I commuted to various work sites: Eden Prairie, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Eagan. Of those, Eagan is the only reasonable commute from Lakeville, but your wages may take a hit. Still a very traditional mindset about working downtown as the only way.
-Outdated freeway infrastructure in the area, crumbling roads
-Minnesota has one of the "spendiest" tax systems in the United States. We save THOUSANDS every year on income and property taxes by living in another state (You betcha we do!)
Overall, it really is a nice place to live, but you gotta evaluate the pros and cons based on what you are looking for. I think if we ever moved back to the twin cities, we would base our decision on where to live on being close to work.
Mandy | Flagstaff, AZ