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Minneapolis=winters too damn cold,summers too humid,and giant blood-thirsty mosquitoes!
Seattle wins by a loooooong shot!
Summers too humid... Like Ohio? The Summers in Minneapolis aren't that humid when measured by dew points. They are actually pretty comfortable. The Winters are rough but again the Summers are some of the best in the country.
Follow this link and review the dew point section and let me know again how you can back up your claim that Minneapolis has muggy Summers. Just because it does occasionally get muggy and hot doesn't mean its sustained all Summer like the Southeast. Average Weather For Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - WeatherSpark
Summers too humid... Like Ohio? The Summers in Minneapolis aren't that humid when measured by dew points. They are actually pretty comfortable. The Winters are rough but again the Summers are some of the best in the country.
Follow this link and review the dew point section and let me know again how you can back up your claim that Minneapolis has muggy Summers. Just because it does occasionally get muggy and hot doesn't mean its sustained all Summer like the Southeast. Average Weather For Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - WeatherSpark
It appears from the chart on that website that the dewpoints are generally 60 or above in the months of June, July, and August- anything above 60 for a dewpoint is in fact muggy. It looks like July and parts of August are closer to 65- that 65-70 range is really muggy, in fact. Maybe not quite as bad as places like the Gulf coast, but still quite muggy. I am originally from an area fairly nearby with a similar climate- far Eastern South Dakota- and I can attest to the fact that much of the summer in that area does feel quite muggy.
I moved to Seattle over one year ago now after living in Minneapolis for the last 5. Overall this is an apples to apples comparison and the differences only lie in weather and topography.
-access to nature and associated sports activities: Before I moved to Seattle, the way I read reviews about Green Lake and other places I thought it would win for sure. Green Lake is eerily similar to Lake Calhoun, showing once again how these cities are sisters. I would actually say I miss MN for bike riding because of the trail system that spans for miles. Sports: both cities have major league teams - and Seattle actually has a ring rather than chokes trying to get one
One thing that needs noting here is that there is far more to the nature than Green Lake in Seattle. Green Lake is really not all that impressive- there are much nicer areas within the Seattle city limits such as Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Discovery Park, Madrona park on Lake Washington, etc. Then you also have the stunningly gorgeous views across the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains, you have the jaw dropping beauty and rugged nature of the mountain areas not far outside of the metro area for countless hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, etc. activities. Then you have Mount Rainier National Park nearby, which is an incredible place to visit.
That is the key difference between Seattle and the cities back in the Midwest- you just don't find that kind of amazing, raw nature back there.
It appears from the chart on that website that the dewpoints are generally 60 or above in the months of June, July, and August- anything above 60 for a dewpoint is in fact muggy. It looks like July and parts of August are closer to 65- that 65-70 range is really muggy, in fact. Maybe not quite as bad as places like the Gulf coast, but still quite muggy. I am originally from an area fairly nearby with a similar climate- far Eastern South Dakota- and I can attest to the fact that much of the summer in that area does feel quite muggy.
I think you are mis reading the chart. There is about a. 2 week period where the dewpoints are in the uncomfortable range. It is charting the highs and lows. Which is why most of the Summer is defined as comfortable. The dew points for the Twin Cities most certainly average below 60 for most of the year Summers included.
Direct quote:
There are two periods in the year that are most comfortable: The first is between May 17 and July 12 and the second is between July 28 and September 28. The air feels neither too dry nor too muggy during these periods.
I was born in Western South Dakota which would also has a much different climate than Eastern South Dakota as well. The TC metro doesn't share the exact same weather as eastern SD considering the TC metro borders Wisconsin.
Last edited by polo_golf_guy; 08-14-2014 at 09:13 AM..
One thing that needs noting here is that there is far more to the nature than Green Lake in Seattle. Green Lake is really not all that impressive- there are much nicer areas within the Seattle city limits such as Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Discovery Park, Madrona park on Lake Washington, etc. Then you also have the stunningly gorgeous views across the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains, you have the jaw dropping beauty and rugged nature of the mountain areas not far outside of the metro area for countless hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, etc. activities. Then you have Mount Rainier National Park nearby, which is an incredible place to visit.
That is the key difference between Seattle and the cities back in the Midwest- you just don't find that kind of amazing, raw nature back there.
I lived in Minot,ND for 4 years while my dad was stationed there until he retired. The most hated place we were ever stationed in 26 years!
My mom's family lived in Washington State,ID,and MT,and that is where we spent our summer vacations,because my dad totally loved the PNW,and chose to retire to Spokane. It's winters are too cold for me,but nothing like the Dakotas and Minnesota which is often even colder/snowier than the Dakotas! Months and months of snow,ice,blizzards is pure hell to live with!
Give me drizzle and rain that you don't have to shovel and scrape,and slip and fall and break your body on,anyday.
One thing that needs noting here is that there is far more to the nature than Green Lake in Seattle. Green Lake is really not all that impressive- there are much nicer areas within the Seattle city limits such as Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Discovery Park, Madrona park on Lake Washington, etc. Then you also have the stunningly gorgeous views across the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains, you have the jaw dropping beauty and rugged nature of the mountain areas not far outside of the metro area for countless hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, etc. activities. Then you have Mount Rainier National Park nearby, which is an incredible place to visit.
That is the key difference between Seattle and the cities back in the Midwest- you just don't find that kind of amazing, raw nature back there.
That's simply not true and neglecting of facts - The Boundary Waters Canoe Area of MN encompasses 1700 sq. miles is nestled in near of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world, with more area than the black sea, ships have sunk in Lake Superior for crying out loud. One can't simply dismiss things because they are not coastal. All the sudden you remove salt and its worthless?
Once you go past Duluth and hit two harbors, you have hundreds of miles and miles of hiking in granite carved wilderness which was carved out by glaciers during the Pleistocene era, which is the same time period that Snowqualmie and Mt Baker were given their unique "jaw dropping beauty and rugged nature." (http://www.jstor.org/stable/30069331) . Same geology, same formations.....apples to apples.
Also -Minneapolis the city has a huge trail system, 13 miles in the city core around 5 lakes, then another 50 miles around various parks and water throughout the metro. You can rent kayaks, watch dogs walk and see pretty ladies running, same deal. Just like both places, far more people come out in the summer as the weather usually is not great in either place. Minneapolis has its own waterfall at Minnehaha - it flows into a unimpressive tributary you may have heard of called the Mississippi.....apples to apples.
If you have been to both the Cascades and North of Duluth - then tell me aside from elevations of mountains due to volcanic activity where is the difference? We are talking about Seattle at latitude 47.6 and Minneapolis latitude of 44.9....
^ Was also going to address the "amazing, raw nature" comment with Boundary Waters/Voyageurs National Park, one of the nation's great raw untouched wildernesses. However, you have to admit that it won't appear as "amazing" to most people as all the elevation just outside Seattle - just a fact.
So yes, there's great nature outside the Twin Cities, and the Boundary Waters are as remote and unspoiled as anything in the Seattle area, but the scenery simply isn't as grand or majestic!
I moved to Seattle over one year ago now after living in Minneapolis for the last 5. Overall this is an apples to apples comparison and the differences only lie in weather and topography.
-location: Seattle is nestled in a megalopolis of city Between Vancouver and Portland. Minneapolis is in the middle of the country, but getting to Chicago is easier than getting from Seattle to SF, as others noted.
-built environment: not sure what that means.
-transportation options: I was surprised that public transit in Seattle lags Minneapolis. While MN expands the light rail to East West, Seattle is still expanding past the airport to downtown core. Either way, they do not compare to trains of NY or Chicago (as that is an apples to oranges comparison anyway).
-access to nature and associated sports activities: Before I moved to Seattle, the way I read reviews about Green Lake and other places I thought it would win for sure. Green Lake is eerily similar to Lake Calhoun, showing once again how these cities are sisters. I would actually say I miss MN for bike riding because of the trail system that spans for miles. Sports: both cities have major league teams - and Seattle actually has a ring rather than chokes trying to get one
-skyline / downtown
This is relative to other cities. You can walk through both DTs in about 20 mins or so. I'd say around 5th and Pike has more foot traffic during the day. Both get quieter at night except for sporting events and tourists. The neighborhoods in both cities are where the real action is, not DT.
-cultural amenities
They are both very WASP-y cities. I am not saying there are not ethnicities here. What I am saying is the dominant culture is out of the book/blog "Stuff White People Like." If you like that stuff you will find lots of cultural amenities. (Note: I am white)
-metro area as a whole
Same. Both have denser cores with younger people who are willing to get squeezed for rent so they can live in the city. Then you have nice suburbs with older people and kids and not so nice ones. Dare I say, probably like most of America.
All in all; it comes down mostly to your weather preference. Do you want 6 months of moderate to extreme cold or 9 months of mild to moderate overcast/rain? Though I did not tackle the MN Nice vs Seattle Freeze topic since it has been put to bed all over this forum, I can see no difference in that either. You'll have to work to make friends.
I have not lived in either, but this is about what I would have said. They are both two of my favorite cities so I could live in either one.
They are both pretty isolated, Seattle has Portland and Vancouver close by plus plenty of outdoor recreation, but the rest of the country is so far from the Pac NW. As big as Seattle is, flights are costly and limited to the east coast, florida etc. Minneapolis has very little around it, even Chicago is a six hour drive, but at least MSP is a pretty short flight to almost anywhere in the country.
For that reason, I would probably go with Minneapolis.
I can never forgive the Vikings for the wasted years of my life with disappointments. Yes, it is irrationally personal
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