Not only is Minnesota nationally recognized as a bike friendly and best trails state, Minneapolis has been named the most bike friendly city in the country... but how do you find Twin Cities homes for sale near trails?
Unfortunately, it's not as easy as I wish it was, but the Google maps bicycle trails layer can be a big help. Looking at the map below, the green lines are bike trails. There are a lot of them throughout the metro, but you can see they are more concentrated in certain areas and lacking in others. This can give you an idea of areas to search for homes.
If you are looking for homes close to trails, the first question to ask is how you plan to use the trails... do you want to use them for recreation or for commuting? do you want to do short rides in your neighborhood or long distance rides?
Some of the outer suburbs have extensive trail systems designed for the use and enjoyment of the people who live there for recreational use. These are the kinds of trails designed for evening strolls and family bike rides on paved trails throughout the community... the kind found in suburbs like Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Woodbury, Eagan... all developed about the same time. These are great locations with trails for recreation rather than for commuting... but many of them also connect to regional trails going into the heart of the city as well as heading outstate. (FYI... Minnesota has more former railroad beds converted to bike trails than any other state.)
If you want to use trails to commute to work, it of course depends on where you work. People sometimes use a combination of MTA transit options including bike, bus, light rail and commuter rail. If you plan to commute without a car it takes research and planning to find homes to meet your needs. Minneapolis trails are awesome, and the Mississippi River trails on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul side can be great for commuting to the University and into Minneapolis... a great way to avoid stoplights and heavy street traffic.
Minneapolis has 50 miles of trails in their Grand Rounds trail system that includes the city lakes, Minnehaha Creek and Mississippi River... and the extensive Mississippi River trail system is one of the most spectacular routes in the metro area. There are even some separate walking trails where no bikes are allowed.
Unfortunately, I do not know of a home search system that intgrates trails and homes for sale yet. (Let me know if you find one!) But the bike trail feature at Google maps is a great tool. You can start by finding the trails you would like to be near at Google maps and identifying streets/neighborhoods nearby. Then do a Minneapolis-St. Paul homes for sale map search looking for homes in those areas. When you have a specific address you can again use Google maps to determine if it is close to the trails you would like to be near. Then contact me to take a look!
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - Twin Cities Trails Realtor
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