San Diego, Seattle or Minneapolis ST Paul: battle of the 3M metros

[rogead]

Originally Posted by T. Damon

I've heard great things about Minn/St. Paul, nearly all the pics I've seen also place it in a very good light and I agree it compares very favorably with the other two in many ways. I've never been though it is a place I'm sure I would totally enjoy if I ended up there for some reason (even in the dead of winter for a short time, because that would be a novelty to me) but as poster above mentions I don't think it is a city that draws near as many folks to experience it as the other two.

I've actually lived in all three, and each of them has strengths and weaknesses. I think you're right about how few people have experienced MSP. There was a poll on here a couple of years ago (I don't remember the thread title, so I was unable to find it in a search) which listed most major American cities. The poll asked how many people had visited each of the listed cities. If I remember correctly, of the cities over three million, MSP was by far the least visited. In fact, many smaller cities were more visited. I also think San Diego often falls under the radar due to its proximity to LA.

The truth is that cities are a lot like people: If we don't know them, we revert to our personal biases and pop culture impressions. At any rate, all three of these cities are well worth spending some time in, even if you'd rather not live there.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

[quote=JakeDog;28878123]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Yet it's larger than SD...the more and more some of you Coastal types speak and less and less respect I have for you. Talk about provincial![/QUOTE

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but Min isn't a place people strive, save, and plan to move to from other places. My limited (and you can jump on that) experience is that most people have some historical connection to the city, the state or the upper mid-west whereas Seattle and San Diego attracts more folks from all over. I think to suggest otherwise is ignoring reality. Most people who are not from there don't want to live in Min.

Edit to add- Brussels metro area has 1.8 million people. Milwaukee metro has 2 million. San Antonio metro has over 2 millon. Population doesn't make a place more "worldly" or less provincial.

I agree with most of what you're saying, and I'd also agree that Minneapolis is not as popular as SD or Seattle, but I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that it's not at the same level in terms of attractivenss/amenities or weather (except SD). I think it's mostly to do with the fact that the region has always been quieter, somewhat reserved, and doesn't flaunt itself. If this were high school kids, Minneapolis would NOT be that kid who jumps up on a cafeteria table to do the Harlem shake (inside MSP joke), it'd be the kid whose head is down buried in books but has a great personality.

I also don't think population is 100% directly correlated with "worldliness", but I do think that population is the direct effect of a.) attractiveness, b.) cost, and c.) proximity. So Minneapolis might be most heavily weighted in (b) or (c), where Seattle and SD might be heavier in (a), but the populations are roughly the same across the board because all three factors impact population (there's also other factors I'm sure -- like opportunity or weather -- but these three stand out the most to me). I'd be willing to bet that all three cities have a fairly equal amount of amenities that would draw people in or keep people who moved there. Each has strengths that are above the others. I also think you may be surprised that there are people who strive to live in Minneapolis (mostly from the Midwest, but also the South and even the coasts), but it's rarely the person who lives on a whim or flies by the seat of their pants. That's also not something that Minneapolis is desperate to attract. It's been flying low and steady under the radar for decades, and it seems to do well that way. Other cities ebb and flow and they prefer that method of growth and progression. To each their own.

*Edit: something funky is going on with the quoting mechanism but I am not quoting myself, I'm trying to quote Jakedog.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by rogead

I've actually lived in all three, and each of them has strengths and weaknesses. I think you're right about how few people have experienced MSP. There was a poll on here a couple of years ago (I don't remember the thread title, so I was unable to find it in a search) which listed most major American cities. The poll asked how many people had visited each of the listed cities. If I remember correctly, of the cities over three million, MSP was by far the least visited. In fact, many smaller cities were more visited. I also think San Diego often falls under the radar due to its proximity to LA.

The truth is that cities are a lot like people: If we don't know them, we revert to our personal biases and pop culture impressions. At any rate, all three of these cities are well worth spending some time in, even if you'd rather not live there.

That's so true about MSP being the least visited, and I can often sense it in a poster's tone that they're basing their opinions about MSP off of pictures or books or TV, but haven't actually experienced the city. The ironic thing is that SD and Seattle are both fairly isolated, being in the corner of the country and aren't cities you can easily pass through en route somewhere. But you could also say that about MSP, unless you drove there from Chicago to Seattle or something.

I know there has been talks through organizations sponsored by the city to do a better job of marketing the city better nationally and putting it in a better light, but that's hard to do and unfortunately Joel and Ethan Cohen have done irreversible damage to the city/region through their film "Fargo"!

[rogead]

[quote=Min-Chi-Cbus;28882817]

Originally Posted by JakeDog

I agree with most of what you're saying, and I'd also agree that Minneapolis is not as popular as SD or Seattle, but I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that it's not at the same level in terms of attractivenss/amenities or weather (except SD). I think it's mostly to do with the fact that the region has always been quieter, somewhat reserved, and doesn't flaunt itself. If this were high school kids, Minneapolis would NOT be that kid who jumps up on a cafeteria table to do the Harlem shake (inside MSP joke), it'd be the kid whose head is down buried in books but has a great personality.

I also don't think population is 100% directly correlated with "worldliness", but I do think that population is the direct effect of a.) attractiveness, b.) cost, and c.) proximity. So Minneapolis might be most heavily weighted in (b) or (c), where Seattle and SD might be heavier in (a), but the populations are roughly the same across the board because all three factors impact population (there's also other factors I'm sure -- like opportunity or weather -- but these three stand out the most to me). I'd be willing to bet that all three cities have a fairly equal amount of amenities that would draw people in or keep people who moved there. Each has strengths that are above the others. I also think you may be surprised that there are people who strive to live in Minneapolis (mostly from the Midwest, but also the South and even the coasts), but it's rarely the person who lives on a whim or flies by the seat of their pants. That's also not something that Minneapolis is desperate to attract. It's been flying low and steady under the radar for decades, and it seems to do well that way. Other cities ebb and flow and they prefer that method of growth and progression. To each their own.

*Edit: something funky is going on with the quoting mechanism but I am not quoting myself, I'm trying to quote Jakedog.

I remember reading an interview with a corporate headhunter. He said that it was difficult to get people to move to Minneapolis, but for those who had lived here for a while, it was difficult to convince them to leave for a better job.

[FierySun]

[quote=rogead;28883855]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

I remember reading an interview with a corporate headhunter. He said that it was difficult to get people to move to Minneapolis, but for those who had lived here for a while, it was difficult to convince them to leave for a better job.

This has been said many times. The great thing about Minneapolis is that it has a abundance of high paying jobs but the cost of living as much lower than in coastal cities. You really get a lot for your money there: big city, lush green scenery with urban lakes, and extensive parkway and an urban waterfall adn river bluffs, top notch schools, fresh food and produce, tons of co-ops and farmers markets, some of the cleanest air and water quality in the nation, and a bonus city right next door in St.Paul to boot.

[sandlapper]

[quote=FierySun;28884544]

Originally Posted by rogead

This has been said many times. The great thing about Minneapolis is that it has a abundance of high paying jobs but the cost of living as much lower than in coastal cities. You really get a lot for your money there: big city, lush green scenery with urban lakes, and extensive parkway and an urban waterfall adn river bluffs, top notch schools, fresh food and produce, tons of co-ops and farmers markets, some of the cleanest air and water quality in the nation, and a bonus city right next door in St.Paul to boot.

That's funny, the main things that stood out with us in MSP were the high paying jobs, many amenities, relatively low cost of living, and centralized airport (being 3-3.5 hrs to either cost is really nice! We also compared it with the contemporaries; Denver which had (lower wages, with similar amenities), Seattle (equal pay but much higher cost of living with similar amenities), Southern California (more amenities, more congestion, much higher cost of living, and high salaries), and finally Northern California (high salaries, more amenities, much much higher cost of living, jobs were fewer and farther between). So in the end, it wasn't that hard to move here. Winter become a wash after the second year, (and I'm from the South). Given what we have established here it is hard to leave now. My wife turned down two administrative level opportunities with the States of Colorado, and Oregon within the past year. It would take quite a bit to get me to move now. However I would listen to any offers greater than 500K, lol!

[indy771]

Shopping: San Diego
Economy: San Diego
Skyline: Seattle
Schools: Minneapolis
Housing Prices: Minneapolis
Universities: Minneapolis
Climate/Weather: San Diego
Public Transit: Seattle/Minneapolis
Traffic: Minneapolis
Suburbs: Seattle
Better Location: San Diego
Art Scene: Seattle
Music Scene: Seattle
Airport: Seattle
Scenery: San Diego
Better Vibe(To you): San Diego
the one you choose: San Diego