Edina, Minnesota

The people that reside in Edina are mainly families—young and old, as well as retirees. The young families tend to reside in the older part of Edina and are starting out with their family; often they have young children and/or a baby. The younger families are usually transplants from the nearby south Minneapolis neighborhoods. Older families tend to be in the wealthier part of town and are the ones who often frequent the elegant Galleria Shopping Center as well as the chic boutiques located at “50th & France,” Edina’s charming downtown. The downtown however offers an equal amount of attractions for the young families as well,including special events, such as a craft and art fair and the Pumpkin Family festival.

Edina offers numerous restaurants, from popular chain restaurants such as P.F. Changs and the Macaroni Grill, to exciting and lively mom & pop restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops, inlcuding Pearson's Edina Restaurant and Beaujo's Wine Bar & Bistro, and Salut Bar American.

If you like the club, party and dance scene, Edina is not the place for such activities, however it is very close to nearby downtown Minneapolis which does offer numerous venues to feed these desires.

Rent in luxury apartment complexes averages at $850 for a one bedroom; $1,000 for a two bedroom, and up to $2,500 for a 3 bedroom/3 bath. Depending on what you find, often the value can be quite good as rental facilities often include indoor pools, fitness rooms, and free heated garage parking.

Homes are often up for rent in Edina and can be anywhere from $900 to $3,900 per month. Similar, older homes and apartment building can be found that will offer more charming units at such rates as $750 for a one bedroom.

Depending on what you want, Edina offers a various range of living possibilities. Probably best if you wish to rent a house.

It is best to have a car if you’re going to live in Edina because the city is so spread out. Also, Edina is convenient to other major hubs of the Twin Cities area as it's surrounded by four of the Twin Cities’ major highways: Hwy 169; Hwy 100; Hwy 62; and Hwy 494. These highways can get you quickly to the Mall of America in Bloomington, the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, downtown Minneapolis, and to St. Paul.

Parking is free anywhere in Edina, including the parking ramps found in the charming downtown area “50th & France.”

The Metro Transist does have buses that service Edina with specific routes and schedules that can accessed at www.metrotransit.org.

Visit the neighborhood! Walk around, get a feel for the community on your own, then walk around looking for posted "for Rent" signs! If you can't do that then definitley keep reading this site!

For recreation, Edina offers many public parks, including the unique enclosed Edinborough Park. This indoor public park consists of over 6,000 plants and flowers and a junior-Olympic size swimming pool, a running track, fitness area, and a playground.

In addition, Edina also has the Braemar Golf course that has hosted numerous state and national amateur tournaments and championships, including a PGA tour stop. There are also two major movie theaters in Edina offering two separate experiences. At the Southdale mall is the popular stadium size seating facility, while in Downtown is an older, historic theater that has even been host to popular movie premieres straight from Hollywood.

If you're a young professional or a new family, I highly recommend living near "50th & France." The neighborhood here is seriously charming and chock full of cute boutiques—even though some are catered to older retired ladies. A few cute gift shops, and a funky salon add spice to the area and make it very artistic and fun. Also it's very clean and does include a movie theater, an Anthropology retail shop, coffee shops, a bank, a medical facility, and the Lund’s Grocery Store. So you wouldn't always have to use a car if you resided in this part of town, and you'll still feel like you're in a very artistic, fun community.

Like many metropolitan areas, Edina offers the major banking intuitions as well as fitness facilities. They also have grocers offering great deals and good produce, but also have upscale establishments with eclectic finds and equally quality, if not interesting, ingredients. Grocers you will find here include Byerlys, Lund’s, Cub Foods, Whole Foods Market, Driskill’s Food, and Trader Joe’s.

With so many shopping centers in town, certainly a job in retail would be easy to find. But if you don’t want to work retail there is also the hospital, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina Public Schools, and major corporations, including Lawson Software.

Since Edina is located in Minnesota, you can guarantee cold winters, but they will be beautiful as the winter and Christmas in Edina—especially at "50th & France"—never looked so beautiful. The seasons are very noticeable in Edina and each season brings with it beauty and activity to the town. In the fall there is a pumpkin festival and in late spring/early summer and art fair.