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Renting an Apartment in Plymouth
What You Should Know
Plymouth is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The
population was 65,894 at the 2000 census, making it the seventh largest city in
the state of Minnesota. Plymouth operates under a council-manager form of
government. The council comprises a mayor and six council members.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.3
square miles (91.5 km�)—32.9 square miles (85.2 km�) of it is land and 2.4
square miles (6.2 km�) of it (6.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census� of 2000, there were 65,894 people, 24,820 households, and
17,647 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,002.0 persons
per square mile (773.1/km�). There were 25,258 housing units at an average
density of 767.4 per square mile (296.3/km�). The racial makeup of the city was
91.36% White, 2.71% African American, 0.33% Native American, 3.79% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.64% of the population.
There were 24,820 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all
households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average
family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.4%
from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there
were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $77,008, and the median income
for a family was $90,134. Males had a median income of $59,751 versus $38,111
for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,309. About 1.5% of
families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0%
of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
Plymouth's history can be traced back to the pre-Colombian period, 1400-1500
AD.[1] The original inhabitants were the Dakota. Their encampment was at the
north end of Medicine Lake, whose name is derived from the Native American word
"Mdewakan," meaning "Lake of the Spirit." The Dakota named it after a warrior
overturned his canoe and his body was never recovered.
Antoine LeCounte, a guide and explorer, was the first settler to this area. He
arrived in 1848, but did not settle until 1852. He carried mail from the Red
River country to points south, trading goods to Native Americans for horses on
the way. LeCounte built the first cabin at what is now East Medicine Lake Blvd.
at 29th Ave. N. Plymouth's beginning as a town occurred in 1855 on the northwest
shores of what is now known as Parkers Lake. A gristmill and other structures
were built in the area. In the spring of 1857, when Parkers Lake flooded, the
mill was taken down and moved to Freeport, Minnesota, known today as Wayzata.
As new settlers came to the area, they decided to organize. The Hennepin County
Board of Commissioners named the new settlement Plymouth. On April 19, 1858, a
group of townspeople met at the home of Francis Day to open elections for town
offices. On May 11, 1858, the group voted to change the town's name to Medicine
Lake. This was used once at the town meeting, but for reasons, which were not
recorded, it was never used again.
In 1862, during the conflict between white settlers and the Dakota at Fort
Ridgeley, near New Ulm, the settlers of Plymouth formed a militia. When the
Civil War started, Plymouth paid its volunteers $25 to enlist. At about this
time, Plymouth's growth began to take on a new look. Schools and churches were
built and a post office was located in Plymouth. By 1863, hotels were being
built.
More changes occurred after the Civil War. By 1880, Plymouth boasted a
population of 1,074, and reaped $667 in annual taxes. Farming became the trade
of most settlers. Roads were built across Plymouth, making access to other towns
possible. Medicine Lake had become a major tourist attraction and resorts were
built around its shores.
As the character of the community evolved, so did local government. Plymouth
incorporated as a village on May 18, 1955. The City adopted the Council-Manager
form of government on August 1, 1968. Plymouth became a statutory city on
February 7, 1974. It remained a statutory city until voters opted to make it a
home rule charter city by adopting a City Charter on November 3, 1992. The City
Charter went into effect on January 1, 1993. The Charter continued the
Council-Manager form of government, and increased the size of the City Council.
Prior to the adoption of the Charter, the City Council was made up of five
members elected at-large. The Charter increased the Council to seven members
elected from four wards.
Education
Public schools
Four school districts serve Plymouth - Wayzata District 284, Robbinsdale
District 281, Osseo District 279 and Hopkins District 270. The majority of the
city (western and southern areas) is served by Wayzata Schools. Robbinsdale
Schools serve the east-central area of Plymouth. The Osseo District includes the
northeast area and Hopkins includes the southeast corner of Plymouth.
Wayzata School District
* Wayzata High School
* Wayzata Central Middle School
* Wayzata East Middle School
* Wayzata West Middle School (Wayzata, MN)
* Birchview Elementary School
* Gleason Lake Elementary School (Plymouth / Wayzata, MN)
* Greenwood Elementary School
* Kimberly Lane Elementary School
* Oakwood Elementary School
* Plymouth Creek Elementary School
* Sunset Hill Elementary School
Robbinsdale School District
* Robbinsdale Cooper High School
* Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
* Robbinsdale Plymouth Middle School
* Zachary Lane Elementary School
* Pilgrim Lane Elementary School
Private schools
* Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Seminary
* Providence Academy
Some Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to
think through what are the most important things to you in an apartment
and plan your search based on those priorities. Here are some things to
consider when planning your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in
the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in
unit laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air
conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application
More Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth
countries) is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a
building. Apartments may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by
tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which
the residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or
development; or in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments
and share ownership of the public spaces. Most apartments are in
buildings designed for the purpose, but large older houses are sometimes
divided into apartments. The word apartment connotes a residential unit
or section in a building. Apartment building owners, lessors, or
managers often use the more general word units to refer to apartments.
Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment,
the lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each
vacancy represents a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the
time the apartment is vacant (i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are
often to minimize the vacancy rate for their units. The owner of the
apartment typically transfers possession to the occupant by giving
him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any other keys need
to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other common
areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency,
bed-sit, or bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with
the cheapest rents in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually
consist mainly of a large room which is the living, dining, and bedroom
combined. There are usually kitchen facilities as part of this central
room, but the bathroom is its own smaller separate room. Moving up from
the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where one bedroom is a
separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have
only one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits,
perhaps a door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the
building design, the entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside
or to a common area inside, such as a hallway. Depending on location,
apartments may be available for rent furnished with furniture or
unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in with his/her own
furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all
the tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built
and the design of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and
electric may be common for all the apartments in the building or
separate for each apartment and billed separately to each tenant
(however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal to split a water
bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the premises).
Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always
billed separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar
amenities are extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra
storage space may or may not be included with an apartment. Rental
leases often limit the maximum number of people who can reside in each
apartment. On or around the ground floor of the apartment building, a
series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location accessible to the
public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit typically gets
its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large apartment
buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a
doorbell) for each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such
as two- or three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of
in trash containers similar to those used at houses. In larger
buildings, garbage is often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster.
For cleanliness or minimizing noise, many lessors will place
restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to
refer to a new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a
building, whereas the word flat means a converted self-contained unit in
an older building. An industrial, warehouse, or commercial space
converted to an apartment is commonly called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's
family member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny
flat, though these (sometimes illegally) created units are often
occupied by ordinary renters rather than family members. In Canada these
suites are commonly located in the basements of houses and are therefore
normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly
becoming popular with travelers.