Moving out of Texas for medicaid reasons and I am choosing to move to either Minnesota or Vermont

[nightlysparrow]

Tip: Do NOT claim her as a dependent on your taxes (for 2016) as that would make her part of your household for Medicaid purposes. Consult a tax expert if you have questions.
There is an ongoing discussion about the consequences here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/healt...denied-nj.html

[Pincho-toot]

If you don't mind small town life (Vermont has no big cities), lots of mountains and woods then Vermont is a good choice. Its rural but you're close to Boston, Providence, Albany, New York City, Hartford and other northeastern cities.
I've never been to Vermont though, though I'd love to go.

I've been to Minnesota though and its my favourite state. People are generally very nice, its very clean and organised. Even the roads that aren't that great are way better than the roads here in North Texas (I know you live in Austin but yea). People talk about the Minnesota cold but I see it more like this: It has four seasons, just like Vermont. Only thing is winter can have some days that are cold as balls, but most days in winter are like most of the northern US; cold enough for snow but not completely frigid. Winter average highs are in the 20s and lows in the teens. Cold but doable. Plus, people there maximise the seasons. Its not like there's nothing to do in the winter. 10,000 lakes and they freeze good. Hockey is a thing there, and those Canadians, they're doing something right with that hockey stuff lol.

I personally recommend MN but I can't help you on medicaid stuff.

[buzzlightyear00]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

If you don't mind small town life (Vermont has no big cities), lots of mountains and woods then Vermont is a good choice. Its rural but you're close to Boston, Providence, Albany, New York City, Hartford and other northeastern cities.
I've never been to Vermont though, though I'd love to go.

I've been to Minnesota though and its my favourite state. People are generally very nice, its very clean and organised. Even the roads that aren't that great are way better than the roads here in North Texas (I know you live in Austin but yea). People talk about the Minnesota cold but I see it more like this: It has four seasons, just like Vermont. Only thing is winter can have some days that are cold as balls, but most days in winter are like most of the northern US; cold enough for snow but not completely frigid. Winter average highs are in the 20s and lows in the teens. Cold but doable. Plus, people there maximise the seasons. Its not like there's nothing to do in the winter. 10,000 lakes and they freeze good. Hockey is a thing there, and those Canadians, they're doing something right with that hockey stuff lol.

I personally recommend MN but I can't help you on medicaid stuff.

I never experienced "real" seasons before. I have experienced Autumn but that was in Arkansas and it didn't really look like what the north has. I enjoy wearing sweaters and overdressing in general so I'll probably do fine in the cold.

[Drewcifer]

I live in Minnesota but based on what you are looking for I would recommend Vermont. I've never lived in Vermont but I grew up next door in upstate NY and spent a lot of time there.

The strength of Minnesota is the Twin Cities, they are about as livable as any larger metro you will find in the US, have a lot going on and generally have less of the negatives that are usually associated with large cities. They also tend to work as a society - people are invested in their community and care about what goes on around them. That said, if you are not into big cities, the allure of the Twin Cities probably doesn't make a difference in the choice. When it comes to smaller cities and towns, I think Vermont is much better at that. Most of Minnesota's smaller places are on the bland side and a lot of the countryside is boring. The two exceptions to that are Duluth and Winona, Duluth is the nicer of the two but its winter is extremely cold, even by upper Midwestern standards and its economy isn't that great which can make it a bit depressing at times. Vermont has great small towns and small cities. I love Burlington and would consider living there if I wanted to move someplace smaller. Burlington's setting on Lake Champlain with the mountains behind it can't be beat. I've also spent a lot of time Manchester and Middlebury which are both great little towns. In general Vermont is gorgeous. The people in both places are pretty similar, they tend to be a bit standoffish at first but once you become friends, they become real friends.

Edit: I should add one thing that is in Minnesota's favor. The Mayo Clinic is one of the best hospitals in the world, and is famous for it, but in southeastern Minnesota it also functions as the local hospital. This means that in Rochester and the areas around it (including Winona) you would have access to very high quality medical care.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by buzzlightyear00

I never experienced "real" seasons before. I have experienced Autumn but that was in Arkansas and it didn't really look like what the north has. I enjoy wearing sweaters and overdressing in general so I'll probably do fine in the cold.

I consider my part of Texas to have real seasons, though not as dramatic as up north. We definitely have cool fall days with the leaves change, the occasional winter snow and spring is the season Texas does best IMO. I came from Florida originally and my first autumn experience outside Florida, you know, actually seeing the leaves change was in November 2014 flying into Atlanta and then into Texas for the first time. I experienced a west Texas fall week with temps ranging from 80 down to 28!

Really its about how you dress plus your attitude. I love cold weather, I associate it with holidays and other positives.