Hello TCMC,
I am moving to Minneapolis (Gen Mills) for work this June 23rd from Cincinnati (cincyexpress.org).

I am looking for an area to live in through October/November. Where I can get some solid biking miles in with good access to Gen Mills and good locations for socializing outside of work/training. (Caribou is already my coffee of choice).

If you have any ideas (downtown, west side, etc) I would really appreciate it.

Planned IMW and IMFL this season.

I will peruse the boards for training groups/rides/open water swims.

Thanks all,
kevin.severs@gmail.com

I'm assuming you'll be at the General Mills complex at 169 & 394?

There should be a lot of housing options close to there. Golden Valley, Hopkins, St. Louis Park and the east side of Minnetonka would probably be your best bet if you want to keep the commute reasonable.

There's a nearly endless supply of county roads with wide rideable shoulders out in the West Metro (Lake Minnetonka and surrounding area). I train on those roads a lot and always see a ton of other cyclists out and about. It would be a 20-30 minute easy spin through suburbia to get out there from any of the cities listed above.

For the social stuff, I can't be much help. I think its impossible to be more than a mile or two from a Caribou anywhere in the metro area. If your looking for the bar/club scene, I would guess downtown is your best bet, but I'm old and boring so I can't really offer much advice there.