Ten miles from the downtowns of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Arden Hills is a quiet, densely populated suburb that's only increasing in desirability. "You've got the lakes, you've got the trails, you've got the schools, you've got the low crime rate, you've got housing that maintains its value," says Mayor David Grant. Home to esteemed universities and the world headquarters of Land O'Lakes, Arden Hills has more jobs than residents, attracting many for its employment opportunities. In 2024, Niche named the Arden Hills the third-best suburb to buy a house in Minnesota. City Councilmember Emily Rousseau agrees: "We have neighborhoods filled with laughing children riding bikes and amazing neighbors."
Aerial view of the Arden Hills and I-694.
Arden Hills offers residents a dense suburban feel.
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Housing that maintains its value, in all architectural styles
"We don't have a ton of inventory — demand is higher than supply," says Realtor Jim Diffley, who's sold in the area for 15 years. Arden Hills has a wide variety of architectural styles, with early 20th-century builds like American Foursquares, midcentury options like ranch-style and split level, late 20th-century suburban-style homes and the traditional builds of the new millennium. Most homes were built between the 1950s and 1990s, and "They went heavy hitter with the Tudor style in the 80s and 90s," Diffley says. Regarding pricing, he adds, "The majority of the homes are going to be $500,000 to $700,000. You could be on a lake for over $1 million or in a townhouse or small ranch-style home for $350,000." Lakefront homes are naturally the most sought-after properties, but housing in Arden Hills in general tends to maintain its value. "When the housing crisis hit, we were one of the last communities to feel the impact, and we were one of the first to rebound," Grant says. Realtor Michael Kootsikas, who's sold in the area for nearly 10 years, elaborates: "Minnesota continues to grow. Home prices have not subsided at all. Last year, they grew only 2%, but we have not seen a directional turn in terms of growth."
Row of split-level homes in Arden Hills.
A contemporary ranch home on Siems Court.
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A-rated Mounds View Public Schools
"This community has really good schools — top-rated schools," Grant says. Arden Hills is served by Mounds View Public Schools and Roseville Area Schools, but most homes fall within the Mounds View boundaries. The district received an overall A grade on the educational review site, Niche. There are several different school pipelines students in Arden Hills might follow, but one includes kindergarten at Snail Lake Kindergarten Center, first through fifth grade at Island Lake Elementary, sixth through eighth grade at Chippewa Middle School and ninth through twelfth grade at Mounds View High School. Snail Lake received an A-minus on Niche, and the rest received As. In 2024, the NAMM Foundation named Mounds View Public Schools one of the country's best communities for music education for the 12th year in a row, and Mounds View High School offers students various opportunities to earn college credit while in high school. "Many people here feel like it's a private education, but at a public-school cost," Diffley says. Arden Hills is also home to two private Christian universities, Bethel University and the University of Northwestern, which are major employers in the area.
Mounds View High School is home to the Mustangs.
Welcome to the University of Northwestern.
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Days on Lake Johanna
Arden Hills has 14 established parks covering over 100 acres. "I kayak at Lake Johanna. I like the size; it's very picturesque," says Grant. Lake Johanna is one of six lakes in Arden Hills, where residents can enjoy activities like fishing, swimming and kayaking. Lake Johanna's adjacent Tony Schmidt Regional Park is a vast green space where residents can explore wooded trails when swimming is out of season, and smaller parks provide additional recreational amenities. Through Arden Hills Parks and Recreation, parents can enroll their children in youth summer camps and sports leagues and sign themselves up for day trips and yoga, art and gardening classes.
Aerial view of Tony Schmidt Regional Park and Lake Johanna.
Fishing dock and plenty of watersports available at Lake Johanna.
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Shopping and dining couldn't be more convenient
Mornings in Arden Hills start with Dunn Brothers Coffee, where many residents hang out to get work done — it even has private meeting rooms and a play area for kids. They'll grab lunch at The Tavern Grill, which serves American fare like pizza and burgers, and dinner is a pick between Lindey's Prime Steak House and Namaste India Grill & Brewhouse. "Lindey's is a supper club that is a complete time capsule to 1955," Diffley says. "It's very unique and cool." Of Namaste, he adds, "Their food is really good, top to bottom, very authentic." Between meals, residents can knock out shopping at the retail strips along Lexington Avenue from stores like Trader Joe's, Target and Cub Foods.
Lindey's is the place for steak in Arden Hills.
Many Arden Hills residents shop at Cub Foods off Lexington Ave.
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Close to both downtowns
Arden Hills is 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul, and it's a 15- to 20-minute drive to either. Arden Hills has a few bus routes, but most residents rely on cars to get around. The closest hospital to Arden Hills is M Health Fairview St. John's Hospital, which is about 15 minutes away. Getting to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport generally takes 20 to 25 minutes.
Celebrate holidays with neighbors
"Our [community] has an annual Halloween party with hundreds of children. Even during the pandemic, we still got together and felt like a community through socially distanced Food Truck Fridays," Rousseau says. "Neighbors get together and have St. Patrick's Day parties and Easter egg hunts — you know your neighbors," Grant says. "It's a great place to raise a family."
An upcoming mixed-use development
Because Arden Hills is so close to the downtown areas, new construction is limited. The community is largely built out, except for a 427-acre parcel, formerly the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, that was purchased from the federal government by Ramsey County in 2013. The county plans to create Rice Creek Commons, which will contain residential and commercial developments surrounding a town center.
Joe Kasel has been a Full Time Realtor in the Twin Cities since 2004. Over the past 20 years as a top Sales Executive he consistently wins sales awards and prides himself in providing highest evel of customer service. He graduated from University of St. Thomas and has extensive sales/marketing experience working for companies such as Best Buy and Xerox Corp.
Joe grew up in Roseville and raised his family in Saint Anthony Village. His wife Cindy stages his client's homes to help them sell for the highest possible price. His favorite hobbies are fishing , hunting and spending quality time with his grandchildren.
Give Joe a call today 612-532-1177 to schedule an appointment for a Free Market Evaluation on your home
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
