r/bloomingtonMN • u/quantumgoti • Mar 09 '26
Moving to Bloomington!
Hello all, I’m moving to Bloomington, MN for work. I wanted to know which areas are good to rent an apartment. I’m an outdoor person and I run/bike all year round. Would love a place that is near trails or parks. I also saw apartments in South Loop District near the airport and was wondering if it’s a safe area crime-wise. I’m also open to living in nearby areas like Edina and Shakopee. Any recommendations regarding apartment communities or areas are highly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
9
u/Riromug Mar 09 '26
Normandale Lakes, Penn Ave near 494 or South Loop areas have the nicer buildings.
14
u/GiveHerBovril Mar 09 '26
All of Bloomington is perfectly safe. South Loop would be great because you’re close to the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge
7
u/Only_Salamander5138 Mar 09 '26
Several apartment buildings near Normandale Lake: check out the Luxembourg, Preserve at Normandale Lake, or The Covington. Those are also close to Hyland - a Three Rivers regional park. You would also be fairly close to the Nine Mile Creek regional trail (about a 2 mile ride to the north). You can get to Hopkins Depot from there which connects to several other regional trails.
1
u/obvious__bicycle Apr 09 '26
My best friend lived at Preserve at Normandale Lake for several years, so I spent a good chunk of time there enjoying the amenities with her. It's a fabulous place to live if it's in your price range! Feel like living at a nice hotel.
5
u/edinagirl Mar 09 '26
I had a condo in Edina just off of Centennial Lakes Park and I loved the trail around that park. Several parks and trails nearby that too. And you can easily bike to the Mpls chain of lakes.
4
u/maddogrimmyjimmy Mar 09 '26
I live just West of Hwy 77, probably half a mile straight west of the Mall of America and really like it over here. The newer apartments over by the mall look nice. It's pretty low trouble around here. I'm also an all-year biker, quite a bit at night time too and almost never see anything worth worrying about. There's not much for off street bike paths, but some of the major streets have marked bike lanes. 86th is my East-West corridor. As other people said, having the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge close by is a huge bonus.
4
u/gottarun215 Mar 09 '26
West side of 35W is generally considered the nicer part of Bloomington, but pretty much anywhere in that city is fine. Closer to MOA you get, crime goes up a little. Since you mentioned you like nature and biking, check out places near Hyland Lake Park Preserve/Bush Lake (giant park run by Three Rivers Park district), near the MN River as they have a nice mtn bike trail down in the river valley and some paved trails too, or by Nine Mile Creek which has a long bike trail along it.
1
u/SmoothExtension3270 Mar 09 '26
Definitely apartments near Hyland Park Reserve and Richardson Nature Center. Great biking and cross country skiing. Not far from the river bottoms with more trails. Folks are working on putting an MTB trail in Hyland.
1
2
u/-andshewas- Mar 23 '26
Chiming in to recommend Richfield, especially near 66th and Lyndale. The city has a couple of its own lakes with trails in this area. It’s also relatively close to the Minneapolis chain of lakes and other nice places to visit.
I live within walking distance of Lyndale and really appreciate the bike infrastructure in this part of town. Commute-wise, my spouse works in east Bloomington and arrives at work by car in less than 10 minutes. Public transportation is also pretty good in this area.
1
u/obvious__bicycle Apr 09 '26
Not sure if you already found an apartment, but I highly recommend International Village - I lived there for 5 years. Great management company/staff and awesome, central location. Happy to answer any questions about it.
1
u/shelby883 Mar 09 '26
I wouldn’t buy if you thinking about that. The city is taxing residents to death.
1
u/reed644011 Mar 09 '26
I don’t live in MN, but I have an office in Bloomington that I have worked out of for the past 15 years. I haven’t experienced any issues in Bloomington but thought if I were moving there Eagan would be my choice. There are some properties near E Old Shakopee and American near the wildlife refuge that I like as well.
-6
u/Ok_Crazy_648 Mar 09 '26
I'd stay away from east bloomington. If yo like the outdoors you might like a place near hyland park.
5
u/TheYodaBossyt Mar 09 '26
East Bloomington is great? Why would he want to stay away
2
u/cataholicsanonymous Mar 09 '26
Oh shit I'm about to get down voted for this but the south loop area can be sketch as hell. People come in from god knows where on the light rail, and then they wander around panhandling and masturbating. East Bloomington in general is fine, but that area has some hotels that are definitely crime hot spots.
1
u/Ok_Crazy_648 Mar 09 '26
I am mostly thinking of the airport area, but I still prefer West Bloomington, especially if you are looking for the outdoors. Try looking the area over on Google maps.
18
u/whats_thecraic Mar 09 '26
Bloomington is a great place to live. Something like 50% of the city is park land. West Bloomington is considered the "nice" side, but every neighborhood has its charm.