go to sites like www.rent.com or www.apartments.com or www.startribune.com/rentals and check out apartments. sometimes you will find good deals on these websites. west suburbs... hopkins, st louis park, golden valley, bloomington are good areas to live. Uptown is fun too. If you are working at target or anywhere in downtown all of these cities have good bus service to downtown....craiglist is a good place to search too if you don't mind sharing room in a house or apartment.