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Old 08-22-2017, 11:55 AM
 
Location: The Midwest
2,966 posts, read 3,907,244 times
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FWIW, unemployment rate is generally not a great way to judge the economic vitality of an area/state/country. For example, (and I'll just use these two because I currently live in Wisconsin) looking at that list, Wisconsin's unemployment rate is lower than Minnesota's...yet Minnesota's economy is almost always regarded as better than Wisconsin's, especially for college-educated people looking for high-paying jobs with benefits, etc. Wisconsin doesn't have nearly the number of options Minnesota does in terms of healthcare, finance, insurance, Fortune 500 companies, etc. that MN does. If all you're looking for is employment, Wisconsin may be better, but employment might mean working a $15/hour manual labor job or waiting tables at the local pizza parlor.

OT, though.
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Old 08-22-2017, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,488,465 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strawflower View Post
FWIW, unemployment rate is generally not a great way to judge the economic vitality of an area/state/country. For example, (and I'll just use these two because I currently live in Wisconsin) looking at that list, Wisconsin's unemployment rate is lower than Minnesota's...yet Minnesota's economy is almost always regarded as better than Wisconsin's, especially for college-educated people looking for high-paying jobs with benefits, etc. Wisconsin doesn't have nearly the number of options Minnesota does in terms of healthcare, finance, insurance, Fortune 500 companies, etc. that MN does. If all you're looking for is employment, Wisconsin may be better, but employment might mean working a $15/hour manual labor job or waiting tables at the local pizza parlor.

OT, though.
No, you're not really OT. That's a good example of how statistics can be used to supposedly "prove" something there's no proof for. Colorado is quite proud of its low UE rate right now, though, and the economy is considered quite good.

As for your comment about my use of "Minne" upthread, I know, but it's just so long. It's like people from Las Vegas don't like "Vegas" and claim no one who actually lives there calls it that; the Washington DC people don't like "DC", etc.

There is this, however: Report Lists Colorado No. 1 In U.S. For Economy « CBS Denver
"U.S. News and World Report listed Colorado No. 1 for the economy ahead of New Hampshire and Minnesota."

Which just goes to show you there are many ways to "lie with statistics".
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Old 08-22-2017, 02:04 PM
 
Location: The Midwest
2,966 posts, read 3,907,244 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
No, you're not really OT. That's a good example of how statistics can be used to supposedly "prove" something there's no proof for. Colorado is quite proud of its low UE rate right now, though, and the economy is considered quite good.

As for your comment about my use of "Minne" upthread, I know, but it's just so long. It's like people from Las Vegas don't like "Vegas" and claim no one who actually lives there calls it that; the Washington DC people don't like "DC", etc.

There is this, however: Report Lists Colorado No. 1 In U.S. For Economy « CBS Denver
"U.S. News and World Report listed Colorado No. 1 for the economy ahead of New Hampshire and Minnesota."

Which just goes to show you there are many ways to "lie with statistics".
It's all good.

Frankly, they both have great economies and quality of life, so much so that the little differences in rankings aren't really worth getting hung up on IMO.
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Old 08-22-2017, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Colorado
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Well, I don't have kids, but I have lived in both places for about 20 years each (give or take). I actually live in the Springs (different culture than Denver), but all my friends are in Denver & I hang out there, more than here an hour south. No time right now to go through your whole list, but they are BOTH great cities! Both great cities to raise a family in & both around the same size. In fact, when we moved to CO, we were surprised by how much like Mpls it is. Size is about the same, people are similar (very friendly in both), lots of college grads & white collar businesses in both (neither is a heavily industrial city), weather is very different! Mpls has more "civic pride" & has a large number of F100 co's based there, which influences much of the culture. Denver has 300 days of sunshine & the winters aren't even comparable :-)

20 years ago, they were more similar, now of course, Denver has become very expensive & Mpls has become way more conservative (used to be very liberal when I lived there). To me the biggest difference is in the weather & recreational opportunities. Mpls definitely has some with the lakes, but it's not like driving up to the mountains for a weekend :-). The weather in Denver isn't even a comparison, so much milder & sunnier. Though, MN winters are still pretty sunny (I also lived in Cleveland) & with global warming they are a lot milder than they used to be. Also, Denver gets 4 foot snowfalls sometimes.

I'll try to address the specific areas later.
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Old 08-22-2017, 03:15 PM
 
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I didn't cherry pick. I just searched each question and looked at the top several links by sources I recognized. I took the theme from them. I didn't decide to do a masters thesis on it so I just shared some reasons why some response Minnesota might be a good place to live. A lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about MN.

As for accusing me being sarcastic about Colorado and living there. I am sure it's great. It was on my top list when we started researching moving. There were a few reasons like COL, no top jobs for my husband's career and the conservative nature of the smaller cities that did meet our priorities. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad place to live.

Why I suggested the OP go visit because if it's down to two cities, I think there isn't anything you can read that will really help. Just visiting and getting the feeling and first hand experience is really ideal.
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Old 08-22-2017, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Colorado
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I have a bit more time now, but as I review the list, any question that starts with "better" is subjective. It depends on what you're looking for. Having spent about 20 years in each, as I said in my prior, more general post, they are very similar cities.

Hispanic/Asian population?

Denver has a much greater Hispanic population. I'm not going to look up statistics, you have google. Also, Mpls has changed a lot since I lived there, so I don't feel qualified to talk about it's current makeup. I will say that there was a large immigration of Hmong to Mpls & MN in general, so I'm going to guess that they have a higher Asian population.

better zoo?

The Denver zoo is fabulous, the MN zoo is fabulous. Como Zoo is just a little zoo, not very impressive. The MN zoo is very different from the Denver zoo, it's much larger land wise (or at least it seems that way, again I'm not looking up statistics, just giving my impression) & is fairly new, so was designed & built when zoos were all about replicating natural habitats as much as possible, with large expanses of land & a monorail to take you from 1 exhibit to another. They also had a fantastic concert venue at the MN zoo, don't know if it's still there. It's been 2 decades since I've been there so may have changed. I think both cities are pretty equal in this respect. Denver zoo is in the city, MN zoo is in the far out burbs.

theme parks? No idea, not interested.

better next door state? Totally subjective. For me it's CO, b/c I love the west & that makes AZ & UT great to explore.

better for families? singles? Again, very subjective. The cities are quite similar & are both considered great places to raise a family with a high quality of life. Denver seems to have a more active singles scene.

more conservative? liberal? moderate? Both are somewhat similar in that the big cities are more liberal & the outlying rural areas are more conservative. I do know rural MN too. MSP used to be VERY liberal, when I lived there, but I know that has changed a lot. Also, an hour outside of Denver, in Colorado Springs lies one of the most conservative areas in the US, despite Denver being very live & let live.

geography? Well again, subjective. I love Denver b/c the mountains add so much interest. MSP is flat, but hey, it has those 10K lakes. It's all about what you like to do! I will say that the minivan I had when I moved to CO, had to go, b/c the engine was powerful enough for flat MN roads, but did not have the needed power for mountain roads. Some people find the desert landscape & dry air in CO to be a surprise or a negative. Many people don't expect it to be so "brown". Also, your skin can suffer in the winter b/c it's so dry. Another thing that was a big surprise to me was the difference in the way weather is forecasted (or not as the case may be). In MN, weather is predicted very well. In CO, the mountains make prediction of storms very difficult & so forecasts are really often not made until the weather is upon you. A difference of 50 miles can mean the difference between 2 feet of snow & no snow & they don't know in advance which it's going to be LOL. Same with Summer t-storms. There are also lots of little microclimates in CO, so an area 2 miles from me regularly gets much more rain & fog than we will. There are known 'wind tunnel' areas on the Front Range Metro, due to the mountains. Oh & CO soils can be unstable, definitely need to check into expansive soils before purchasing here. For rural properties, water can also be an issue in CO. Would not be the case for metro Denver though. Water is rarely a problem in MN.

job opportunities? In what field? In general MN is a bastion of F100 companies with many HQ'd there. I was in IT & MSP had tons of opportunity in white collar fields & business. Denver has a strong economy & of course if you're looking for work in the MJ field, it's the place to be.

future prospects? Totally subjective. Denver tends to have a more boom/bust economy & cycles, while MSP tends to be more of a steady eddy.

shopping? districts? malls? Well, Mpls has the Mall of America. Outside of that though, I think they're pretty equal. I'd say Denver has more upscale shopping than Mpls.

museums? galleries? Mpls places more value on art in general, the arts are supported & there's a lot of pride in it with the Walker, the Guthrie, The Science Museum, etc. But Denver also has great galleries & museums.

friendliness? Fairly equal IMO. I find Denver folks to be super friendly, maybe a bit moreso than Mpls, but I found Mpls to be very friendly too. I never experienced this s'posed issue with "Minnesota nice" being a veneer. I found casual relationships in both & deep relationships in both. It depends on who you're interacting with.

casinos? Both states have casinos in the outlying areas. In CO, it's mainly mountain towns.

crime? IDK, you'd have to look up statistics. I felt safe in both & I lived in many different Mpls burbs. Since I live in the Springs, crime here is different than Denver, so I can't really speak to it. It's not a big concern amongst my friends who live in Denver though.

airports? Both have large airports that are a hub for a major airline. Obviously DEN has the newer & bigger airport. Both are served well. When I lived in Mpls, I travelled for a living almost every week, so if you have specific questions, feel free to ask. I know the MSP airport has undergone a pretty major renovations since I lived there.
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Old 08-25-2017, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,488,465 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strawflower View Post
Minne? Minnesotans everywhere cover their mouths in horror
You know, I had an epiphany today. I was posting about my daughter's inlaws who live in western Massachusetts, and thought about how they always say "western Mass". Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always said "PA" (Pee-Ay) instead of slogging through all 5 syllables. Interesting the Minnesotans don't like "Minne".
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Old 08-25-2017, 06:35 PM
 
10,196 posts, read 9,851,003 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
You know, I had an epiphany today. I was posting about my daughter's inlaws who live in western Massachusetts, and thought about how they always say "western Mass". Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always said "PA" (Pee-Ay) instead of slogging through all 5 syllables. Interesting the Minnesotans don't like "Minne".
So many places in Minnesota start with "Minne" because its a sound-part of the Sioux language having to do with the big river...I think. Maybe lakes? I am not fully educated on the origin, I know its water related. Put its kind of like calling an entire city, state, town, etc "Port" or "Lake". And it also seems to disregard the history of this state.

I dunno...too new here. But people don't seem to like that abbreviation here.
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Old 08-25-2017, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Colorado
1,020 posts, read 805,456 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
You know, I had an epiphany today. I was posting about my daughter's inlaws who live in western Massachusetts, and thought about how they always say "western Mass". Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always said "PA" (Pee-Ay) instead of slogging through all 5 syllables. Interesting the Minnesotans don't like "Minne".
I always called it Minne. Too much to type out otherwise. No one seemed to have a problem with it. But then again, I'm not native to Minne, even though I lived there for a few decades.
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Old 08-26-2017, 07:19 AM
 
Location: The Midwest
2,966 posts, read 3,907,244 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
You know, I had an epiphany today. I was posting about my daughter's inlaws who live in western Massachusetts, and thought about how they always say "western Mass". Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always said "PA" (Pee-Ay) instead of slogging through all 5 syllables. Interesting the Minnesotans don't like "Minne".
I don't know the answer to this, either. I live in Wisconsin and saying one is from "Wisco" is totally acceptable, too. But, on the other hand, everyone I know from California HATES "Cali", would never be caught dead saying that unironically!
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