two kid-friendly houses for sale on my block in Northfield

June 10, 2012

Hey everyone-- Feel free to pass this along to friends or family if you are not

house hunting, but there are two very different houses on my block that are for

sale, and it would be great for anyone with young kids to have you as neighbors!

We are on a fairly diverse block with lots of gardeners and a couple chicken

raisers within easy walking/biking distance of downtown and Sibley Elementary

school.

The house on Woodley is a foreclosure that needs work, but has a very affordable

price. It has a fenced-in backyard with a bunch of trees, deck, huge new wooden

treehouse/playset, nice shed, brick firepit, and butts right up to our backyard.

http://www.cbsouthmetro.com/search.cfm?action=listing_detail & property_id=4161434\

& searchkey=d7cbfcd3-be06-0fd5-314b-c63188ae049a

This house is right at the entry of our cul-de-sac, was built less than ten

years ago along with ours so is a similar style, has a gorgeous shady garden in

the back with mature pines, not much lawn to mow, screened-in front porch, and

lots of kids to play with out in the cul-de-sac.

E. 9th St.

http://www.cbsouthmetro.com/search.cfm?action=listing_detail & property_id=4156825\

& searchkey=d7cb3f1b-cb6a-3802-27e7-767df65fd0c1

Take care,

July 18, 2012

, your message really resonated with me. I've been looking for a new

community for some time since neither of our families value healthy food

and living as much as we do. Are there any healthy " hot-spots " for folks

who would like to network locally for food and friendship? It just makes

sense to share plumbing, electrical, engineering, financial and gardening

skills with those who can help with foods and child development. But,

finding a property with fruit or nut trees, a gardenable area, enough space

for our tiny man to run, and a community we want to join has been

challenging. (Sorry, Alvin, I just can't move back to Stearns County.)

in Minneapolis

July 19, 2012

There are lots of CSAs down here, raw milk is a driveable distance away, we have

a small farmer's market, Just Food Coop, and farms that sell bulk grass-fed

meat. Our United Church of Christ congregation has several other foodies and is

big on social justice issues, the folks on our block are good about sharing

tools and getting together for occasional barbecues and dinners, my hubby built

rain barrels for several of the neighbors, almost all of us have fruits and

veggies in our yards, and the kids on the block range from about 14 months (my

youngest) on up to teenagers, with parents ranging from late 30s to early 50s.

Several of us are stay-at-home-parents and/or educators. St Olaf and Carleton

Colleges each have their own sustainable farms as well.

Oh, both of those houses have dropped their prices yet again to $114,000 and

$179,900. Especially for the newer house, that's a steal. Nothing wrong with

that one that I know of, the owners are itching to move to Texas.

You should come down and check them out! Maybe we could meet for coffee or

something?

>

> , your message really resonated with me. I've been looking for a new

> community for some time since neither of our families value healthy food

> and living as much as we do. Are there any healthy " hot-spots " for folks

> who would like to network locally for food and friendship? It just makes

> sense to share plumbing, electrical, engineering, financial and gardening

> skills with those who can help with foods and child development. But,

> finding a property with fruit or nut trees, a gardenable area, enough space

> for our tiny man to run, and a community we want to join has been

> challenging. (Sorry, Alvin, I just can't move back to Stearns County.)

>

> in Minneapolis

>

July 19, 2012

I forgot to mention Big Woods State Park is just a few miles south of town near

Nerstrand, and there are several farms right near there that produce wonderful

food including Shepherd's Way sheep farm. They make really good wool, cheese

and lamb products and sell at several different markets around the Cities

including the Mills City one if you want to check them out. Carleton also has

an arboretum with lots of trails and St Olaf has some trails through the woods

and prairie next to campus.