Census Results! (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester: neighborhood, theater, university)

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by 1stpontiac

I think the following things are all big things that I pick up on without realizing it: is there trash lining the streets? are houses maintained (painted, no cracked windows, etc)/ are there broken-down cars sitting around? are the people on the street smiling or yelling?

I think its pretty natural that you feel safe with what you are familiar with, so if you go somewhere that people or buildings are different, you feel more unsure of yourself and associate that area with being less safe.

Don't ever move to South Dakota.

But seriously, I'm fascinated by your post- is it possible that some of the irrational fears of certain areas are related to Minnesotans' obcession with cleanliness??? Granted, I live in a very clean, well-kempt area of a broader area with a bad external perception, but when I first took a job working in the heart of the Jordan Neighborhood of Minneapolis some years ago, I really didn't get what all of the fuss was about. Sure I knew there were a lot of problems in the neighborhood related to poverty, drugs, etc., but when I first walked/drove around the neighborhood, it looked and felt like any number of neighborhoods I spent time in in Sioux Falls, SD, with the exception of it being a LOT more diverse (or maybe not, depending on how you look at it).

One thing that has ALWAYS struck me about Minnesota, comparative to growing up in both small towns and major metropolises (haha) of South Dakota, is how much cleaner Minnesota is- the roads, the towns, the cities- virtually everything you encounter feels shinier, tidier, and more established in comparison.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by audadvnc

In some parts of the country, "shady" is a derogatory synonym for "colored"... just so you know. Since you're from some town known for, um, lots of wind, I'll just assume they never taught you any manners, or about life in the real world.

Really? Where? It's surely not the case in the Twin Cities or Atlanta.

Shady to me is something out of the sun, or something which may be marginally illegal. I suppose you could also combine the two. But colored? Most black folks down here like the term black, BTW.

[greezy]

Is it me or do some of these statistics seem really off? I would have thought that Brooklyn Center/Brooklyn Park's Black population would be the majority. Columbia Heights, Fridley, and Coon Rapids also seem to be pretty off. This is just my opinion, becuase i have expirience in all of these cities and the statistics just seem off to me. And apperently Roseville is now 100% White lol.

[joemits]

CITY DATA GUY and all others that want invd. city population stats this link is the bomb.
Census 2010: Minnesota - USATODAY.com

[1stpontiac]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Don't ever move to South Dakota.

But seriously, I'm fascinated by your post- is it possible that some of the irrational fears of certain areas are related to Minnesotans' obcession with cleanliness??? Granted, I live in a very clean, well-kempt area of a broader area with a bad external perception, but when I first took a job working in the heart of the Jordan Neighborhood of Minneapolis some years ago, I really didn't get what all of the fuss was about. Sure I knew there were a lot of problems in the neighborhood related to poverty, drugs, etc., but when I first walked/drove around the neighborhood, it looked and felt like any number of neighborhoods I spent time in in Sioux Falls, SD, with the exception of it being a LOT more diverse (or maybe not, depending on how you look at it).

One thing that has ALWAYS struck me about Minnesota, comparative to growing up in both small towns and major metropolises (haha) of South Dakota, is how much cleaner Minnesota is- the roads, the towns, the cities- virtually everything you encounter feels shinier, tidier, and more established in comparison.

heh, I don't know how much its a good idea to extrapolate from me to the broader MN population. I grew up out in the country, 20 miles from the nearest town with a grocery store, and my parent's kept the yards clean.

There is a limit to that though...I am also uncomfortable in those brand-new developments with the trendy shopping areas and no houses more than 5 years old. Too shiny and polished for me.

[golfgal]

I guess I don't understand why someone would NOT want to keep their property in good repair. People spend a lot of money on their homes, why would you let it fall apart? It isn't about being "clean" it is about being responsible.

We also lived in Sioux Falls and the only neighborhoods I can think of that are like you are describing (unkempt yards, pealing paint, etc.) were in areas that had a heavy concentration of rental properties. The other areas of Sioux Falls were just as "kept up" as you find here.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I guess I don't understand why someone would NOT want to keep their property in good repair. People spend a lot of money on their homes, why would you let it fall apart? It isn't about being "clean" it is about being responsible.

We also lived in Sioux Falls and the only neighborhoods I can think of that are like you are describing (unkempt yards, pealing paint, etc.) were in areas that had a heavy concentration of rental properties. The other areas of Sioux Falls were just as "kept up" as you find here.

I took a drive around some neighborhoods in South MPLS last night/yesterday and was asking the same question. Why in the world are some people so content with having their yards/homes look like dumps? You can cry 'money' 'money' all you want, but it doesn't cost much to pick up and remove junk from your yard or fix a window or slap paint on the facade of your house... I find it very weird.

[west336]

^rental properties?

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Yeah, rental properties, probably. You could go either way on who owns the junk, but a renter usually wouldn't, and often can't (as part of the lease), paint their house or apartment. As to the absentee landlords, I don't know why they do that, other than money. Lots of them are just looking to spend the least amount on their building as possible until the value goes up and they can sell it for a big profit.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I guess I don't understand why someone would NOT want to keep their property in good repair. People spend a lot of money on their homes, why would you let it fall apart? It isn't about being "clean" it is about being responsible.

We also lived in Sioux Falls and the only neighborhoods I can think of that are like you are describing (unkempt yards, pealing paint, etc.) were in areas that had a heavy concentration of rental properties. The other areas of Sioux Falls were just as "kept up" as you find here.

Neighborhoods like this would include most of the near-East side of Sioux Falls (e.g. directly to the east of DT areas), just about the entire north side of Sioux Falls (areas not far from the airport, penitentiary, etc.), and a lot of areas around West 12th Street heading west out of downtown. Even post-war neighborhoods on the eastside, although generally a little tidier, weren't what most would view as "well-kempt". I'm going to take a crack at guessing Golfgal that you either lived south of 229 (newer areas in the south, or if in the SE area, south of E 26th St), or west of 29 (maybe somewhere around Roosevelt HS like Kingswood?). And if not in one of these newer areas, I would guess that you lived either in the vicinity of Lincoln HS, McKennan Park, or the VA. I'd first guess one of the newer areas, however, as these are where the non-natives there for corporate jobs in the area tended to pick up homes.

How close am I?