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Hello, I'm from Chicago. I've been thinking about two colleges in the areas and they're both rather similar and have the majors I want. That leads the deciding factor to the cities they're in. So, I'd like to know about the similarities and differences between the Twin Cities area and Seattle. I had been pretty set on Seattle however, my brother has gotten a job in the Twin Cities area and will be moving there soon (about a year). Now my mother wants me to go there instead of Seattle. She's paying so if I can't convince her to let me go to Seattle, I'd like to know what the Twin Cities Area is like. I don't know how these two places compare so any think you think I should know would be appreciated.
I already know know how Seattle measures up on this. So, if anyone familiar with the Twin Cities area knows about these topics:
Snakes, Spiders, Killer Bees, Mice, Rats, locusts, frogs, bats (other Poisonous animals or pests)
Crime (Is it mostly violent crime?)
Fun/Things to do
Public transportation
How clean is the area?
Urban decay/vast amounts of ghettoes
How friendly are the people there?
What are the people like there?Amount of Young People vs. Older people or People with families
Gang violence/presence
Racism/Prejudice
How Liberal are Minneapolis and St. Paul and what kind of liberal is it? (Social, Political, or Fiscal)
How similar is it to Chicago?
Night Life/Social Scene
Cost of Living (Compared to Chicago?)
Prevalence of soft drugs/hard drugs
Police Presence (Are they helpful or intimidating?)
Politics (Are there any especially crazy lawmakers, mayors, governors or people in charge of taxes?)
What's the weather like in the Twin Cities? (Is it like Chicago's weather?)
Which city is more eccentric?
Here's nothing.
Mpls. is pretty critter free. Bar mosquitos, you should be OK.
Crime is isolated in neighborhoods, the average person is fine if they are aware. You may get your house broken into, or be the couple innocent people caught in crossfire. The former is uncomfortable, the latter is rare. Use city sense (and know where you are) and you'll be fine.
There is plenty to do, both recreationally and culturally. It isn't New York, but we have alot of great live theater companies, museums, attractions, a nice (and growing) theater district. Good live music, college areas. It will keep anyone busy.
Public transportation is OK, but not great. MOst of the main, urban routes have a bus every 15 minutes or so, there is 1 light rail line between the MOA, Airport and Downtoiwn. You could live kinda comfortably w. out a car if you lived in the very heart of the city. Most people have a car, or access to one.
By urban standards, you could eat off Hennepin Avenue.
We have bad areas, but not urban prairies like Detroit and Saint Louis. Our bad areas are pretty clearly denoted, and are relatively small.
Friendly Minneapolis. That's quite a topic of conversation. It depends on your definition. We will help you when you need it, but it takes a while until you come over for dinner. It's very Scandinavian. Go to the Mpls. forum for more info. on that.
A good amount of young people, but Mpls. is more family-orientated than is Chicago.
Also quite the topic. Older people are more uncomfortable with race. There isn't large numbers of any one group. (60% white, 17% black, Hispanics, Somalis are well represented). We are tolerant and "curious" if you will. Younger people are better about it, IMO. Alot of our race issues come from the fact that we are homogenous. As far as metropolitan areas go, we are the closest to the "Black man in Dublin" syndrome. Some are fine, other get used to it, a few don't.
The city propers are pretty liberal. It is a midwestern liberal. Very live-and-let-live. Fiscally very liberal, activist. We aren't as much West Coast grunge liberal. It attacks our communal sensibilities, but back to live-and-let-live, we don't care.
Minneapolis is more spread out than Chicago. Our city is dense, but we don't have as many dense suburbs as Chicago. More Western than Chicago, more refined Eastern than Denver, holistically speaking.
COL may be a little less, but I can't say for sure.
You will find more ice in rural areas, actually. Mpls. has the stereotypical black thug drugs. I suppose, there if you want them, gone if you don't.
Police, depends on who you ask. I find them to be pretty good, it isn't like the NOLA Police (I'm white, and they scare me.) I like the Mpls. police generally.
Politics are clean (usually), but they get picky on details. The council votes when sidewalk seating moves 6" into public property, 2nd Street doesn't have any trees because they are trying to keep the "historical industrial feel" (even though there were no million dollar condos in 1880). Accessable.
Weather is less windy, but colder.
--Minnehahapolitan
I grew up and went to school in Mpls. and have lived in Seattle the last 15 years. Both great cities with different pros and cons. I can guess you're thinking of either Seattle U or one of the many St. Thomas like schools in the Twin City area? if it's one of the Seattle art schools Cornish etc.. Seattle's the place, if it's the former? here SU is on it's own realtive to the twin city schools that together really create a bigger community, the Mary's, John's, Thomas' and Kate's of the world are a nice crowd, Seattle as a city is more left than the twin cities sometimes too much so, it begins to annoy when the same crowd protests every week just because they're caffeined up. As I say it depends on your sesnsibilities and your priorities if school is the main thing the Twin Cities, if city where school is is the thing then perhaps Seattle. Many of the questions you ask re: critters and crime the answers are the same except for mosquito's none in Seattle mnay in Minny, crime same in either town just need to be aware, I would say there is much more going on in Seattle and it's a technology center, MN is much more real in terms of people. Good luck
Since you're familiar with the midwest, I'd go to Seattle.
Probably more expensive, but access to a lot of neat stuff you won't find in the midwest, like mountains, rainforest, ocean, other neat cities like Portland OR and Vancouver BC.
No venomous creatures in Seattle, and I think I got 1 mosquito bite in 4 years in the area.
Seattle: Long, dark, rainy winters, but never too cold.
Compare to the long, dark snowy, much colder winters in MPLS.
If you like snow sports, you can go up to the Cascade mts and have more snow than you ever imagined.
Seattle: Beautiful, sunny, dry, not too hot summers, compared to hot, humid, thunderstormy weather in midwest.
Seattle: earthquakes and exploding volcanoes
Midwest: blizzards and +/- tornados
Take your pick!
Go to Seattle but make sure you spend time exploring the great NW!
Since you're familiar with the midwest, I'd go to Seattle.
Probably more expensive, but access to a lot of neat stuff you won't find in the midwest, like mountains, rainforest, ocean, other neat cities like Portland OR and Vancouver BC.
No venomous creatures in Seattle, and I think I got 1 mosquito bite in 4 years in the area.
Seattle: Long, dark, rainy winters, but never too cold.
Compare to the long, dark snowy, much colder winters in MPLS.
If you like snow sports, you can go up to the Cascade mts and have more snow than you ever imagined.
Seattle: Beautiful, sunny, dry, not too hot summers, compared to hot, humid, thunderstormy weather in midwest.
Seattle: earthquakes and exploding volcanoes
Midwest: blizzards and +/- tornados
Take your pick!
Go to Seattle but make sure you spend time exploring the great NW!
LOL.......I love this post.....Seattle: earthquakes and exploding volcanoes....hilarious!
Both are nice cities. Seattle is very beautiful, and will offer you more than Minne.
Having Vancouver B.C. (which is beautiful also) and Portland right within arms reach, is always nice for most. (Even though I don't really care for Portland all that much) there are people that do.
The above descricptions are pretty accurate.
Explore Seattle, and the northwest. I'm sure you'll be glad you made that choice.
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