Where Are All the Garages?? Answer: Hidden in Back

Guess which of the following statements about the historic Country Club district in Edina are true:

A. Fruit trees may not be planted on the boulevards.
B. Country Club is known for relatively small lots.
C. Front-loading garages were originally prohibited (and are still rare).
D. Property taxes are famously high.

Answers: all true except “D.”

While Country Club homes are certainly pricy — they list for an average of $1.89 million now — the attendant property taxes there (and Edina generally) are a relative bargain, at least compared to Minneapolis.

That’s because Edina has so many expensive homes contributing to the city’s budget; and due to all the corporate office parks located in southwest Edina, which remit property taxes to the city, lessening the burden on residential real estate.

Bonus question: what was the putative reason for the relatively small lots? (developers always have an economic incentive to build more house on less land).

Answer: so that residents would congregate at the neighborhood country club to socialize, not in their backyards.

P.S.: if you are a non-Minnesotan reading this blog, Country Club is one of the Twin Cities’ toniest neighborhoods, known for its gorgeous, immaculately kept Colonials, Tudors, and Federal-style homes. The historically designated district has about 540 homes in total.

As you may have already guessed, Edina is also the Twin Cities suburb where Edina Realty originated . . . in 1955.

See also, “Bet on Country Club.”

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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