Any Boston to Twin Cities? Missing Boston & New England too much? (Minneapolis: home)

[bostonguy1960]

I was born in St. Paul in 1960 before moving to White Bear Lake, Minn., until the end of kindergarten. No roots in Minnesota whatsoever, but returned for a few days in 2000 and even went to Duluth, Stillwater and Grand Marais on my brief self-tour of the Cities.

My brother travels for work to the Twin Cities often and had suggested I check out the area ("awesome") if I was tiring of the Boston area and needed a change.

I like your area, but not enough to leave Boston & New England.

I've met several people over the years who had moved from the Twin Cities to Boston and didn't like Boston or its people. One businessman stayed in Boston for a few days without any invitation to dinner from his Boston colleagues; supposedly, that wouldn't happen in your locale.

I have another who was excited to soon be moving to Boston, especially so she could have easy access to Nantucket weekends...wouldn't miss Minnesota at all.

Recently, I met two 20-something males from St. Paul, one of whom delighted in Boston, his 3rd time here ("I don't ever want to leave!). His buddy commented how parts of downtown (Back Bay?) look like Paris! Huh? Really? Well, that area actually is beautiful, esp. Commonwealth Avenue, modelled after the Champs Elysee.

...

Anybody here who would prefer the Twin Cities and the Midwest over Boston, New England and the Northeast/mid-Atlantic?

I'm thinking of possibly moving to Mpls., but would be leaving a special area of America.

[golfgal]

I have never lived in Boston but have visited there and you couldn't PAY me enough to live in Boston. The crowds, the traffic, no thanks. I always laugh when people here complain about traffic in the Twin Cities-a walk in the park compared to Boston.

[uptown_urbanist]

I LOVE Boston. It's a great city, and it's located in a wonderful region of the country. I always assumed I'd end up living there sometime, but for various reasons it's never happened.

That said, I also love Minneapolis. Cost of living is definitely one big bonus: you get a lot of big city amenities at a much lower price than many other big cities. And while its sense of history and place is very different than what you find in Boston, it's interesting and unique in its own way.

I love both cities, as do most of my friends who have moved back and forth between the two. (and I have a lot of friends who have lived in both; I haven't lived in Boston, but have spent extended periods of time -- months at a time, plus lots of visits -- in MA) I could be happy in either place.

I think much of it comes down to what you like in a place. Boston is going to offer more in some areas, while the Twin Cities is going to offer more in others.

If you prefer a more stereotypical modern suburban lifestyle, though, I think that is probably much easier in the Twin Cities than in Boston. I don't, but I know a lot of people do. That may have been some of what your disgruntled businessmen friends were responding to. Conversely, I like that the Boston area offers a far wider range of more "urban" neighborhoods, including many in inner-ring suburbs, or in still-thriving freestanding towns that have been encompassed by the greater Boston area. The Twin Cities don't offer that level of variety.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

In general, I'd say it all depends on what you value most. If you are a huge "homer" for Boston and the East Coast in general, and dismiss any positive things about the Midwest or even its existance at all (some people are this way!), then you may not like the switch. If you are open to change and value family, milder recreation like parks or theater, and not too detered by cold weather -- then give MPLS a chance because most likely you'll love it. I don't know enough about Boston to make the upcoming statement with any certainty......but there aren't many things Boston has that the Twin Cities can't provide -- we have a lot of variety and I think that's a huge benefit for a city of our size! Hope you enjoy whatever decision you make and if you move here in January please remember that it will only get WARMER from that point on until next year!!!

[MasstoMinn]

I'm actually moving to MSP from BOS in January -- got a great job offer which after 2 years of unemployment in the Boston market was hard to turn down! I think there will be a lot I will miss about Boston (the beach and ocean in particular) but keeping an open mind about my future home in Minneapolis. The area is beautiful and in my visits I've appreciated the cleanliness, lack of traffic (I will not miss the 1-1/2 hour average commuting time I've experienced in Beantown!) and how genuinely friendly people seem. I think you can call anyplace home if you have the right mindset....

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I'm a Twin Cities native and currently live here. I've only been to Boston once and I was impressed with the city and the people (great accent by the way). Public transportation is a big deal to me and Boston's subway system is a huge improvement to what the Twin Cities has to offer in regards to rail transit. I enjoy living in the Twin Cities but if I had a nice job offer in Boston I'd probably pursue it and check out east coast life for a change of pace.

[Ben Around]

Boston's one of my favorite cities. I could see myself living there. (I like St Paul, too!)