Every week I talk to families relocating to the Twin Cities who ask the same question: "Which suburb should we be in?" The honest answer is that it depends on your priorities — but there are clear differences between suburbs that most relocation guides don't tell you.
I've helped hundreds of families land in the right community. This guide reflects what I've seen work, backed by current school ratings, crime data, and median home prices as of early 2025.
How We Ranked These Suburbs
Each suburb was evaluated on five factors:
- School quality — GreatSchools ratings, graduation rates, college readiness scores
- Safety — crime rates per 1,000 residents (FBI UCR / local police data)
- Affordability — median home price (Zillow, March 2025)
- Commute — drive time to downtown Minneapolis and the 494/694 beltways
- Family amenities — parks, youth sports, community programs, walkability
1. Eden Prairie — Best Overall for Families
Eden Prairie
Consistently ranked among the best cities in America to raise a family (Money Magazine, Niche.com), Eden Prairie combines top-tier schools with an extraordinary park system — over 170 miles of trails and 300+ acres of preserved land. The school district posts a 97% graduation rate and regularly ranks in the top 3% in Minnesota for test scores.
The tradeoff: homes here are priced at a premium. You're paying for the best, and the market reflects that.
2. Maple Grove — Best Value for Families
Maple Grove
If Eden Prairie is the Lexus, Maple Grove is the well-equipped Camry — excellent on every metric but more affordable. The Osseo School District serves most of Maple Grove and consistently earns strong marks. The suburb itself is masterplanned with retail corridors, walking trails, and youth athletic facilities throughout.
Maple Grove is especially popular with families relocating from the midwest — the layout and feel are familiar, the amenities are excellent, and prices are $80-100K lower than Eden Prairie for comparable homes.
3. Woodbury — Best for East Metro Families
Woodbury
East of St. Paul, Woodbury is the fastest-growing suburb in Minnesota for good reason. South Washington County School District is exceptional — one of the highest-performing in the state. The suburb is newer construction-heavy, so homes tend to be larger and more modern for the price than west metro alternatives.
Great choice if you work in St. Paul, the east metro, or near the Wisconsin border. Also very popular with families from Illinois and the Chicago area who like the midwest feel.
4. Lakeville — Best for Affordable Space
Lakeville
South of the metro, Lakeville offers the most square footage per dollar of any suburb on this list. The Lakeville Area School District is strong (8/10 GreatSchools), and the city has grown dramatically in the last decade with new parks, retail, and community infrastructure to match. Expect larger lots, newer homes, and a more spacious feel than the inner-ring suburbs.
The only real tradeoff is commute — downtown Minneapolis is 30–40 minutes depending on traffic. Many Lakeville families work remotely or in the south metro tech and medical corridors (Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley).
5. Eagan — Best for Commuters
Eagan
Eagan sits at the intersection of I-35E and I-494 — one of the best highway positions in the entire metro. You can reach downtown Minneapolis in 20 minutes and MSP Airport in 10. It's home to a major Delta Airlines hub and dozens of corporate campuses. Eagan is a strong choice for dual-income families where one or both partners have commute-heavy roles.
Schools are solid but slightly behind Eden Prairie and Woodbury. Home prices reflect this — you're getting excellent location at a lower premium than the top-tier suburbs.
6. Edina — Best for Walkability & Urban Feel
Edina
Edina is the closest thing the Twin Cities has to an upscale walkable suburb. The 50th & France area, Galleria shopping district, and proximity to Minneapolis lakes give it an urban energy that other suburbs lack. Edina School District is consistently ranked #1 or #2 in the state. If you're coming from a city where walkability matters to you, Edina will feel most familiar.
It's the priciest suburb on this list — and inventory is tight. But families who want top schools plus proximity to Minneapolis consistently choose it.
The Bottom Line on Suburb Selection
For most families relocating to the Twin Cities, Maple Grove or Eden Prairie will be the right fit — excellent schools, strong safety, reasonable commutes, and well-established communities. If you're working in the east metro, Woodbury is the clear choice. On a budget? Lakeville gives you the most home for your money without sacrificing school quality.
How to Narrow It Down Further
The suburb question is really a combination of four inputs: your work location, your budget, your school preferences, and what you want your daily life to feel like. I help families work through this matrix on every call — it usually takes about 20 minutes to get clarity on where to focus your search.
If you're not sure where to start, check out the full suburb explorer or our school district guide for more detail on each community. Or just book a call — I'll ask you 5 questions and tell you exactly which 2–3 suburbs to focus on.
* Data sources: GreatSchools.org, Zillow Research (Q1 2025), Minnesota Department of Education, FBI UCR Crime Data, Niche.com. Prices are medians and vary by neighborhood and property type.