minneapolis vs. chicago (St. Paul, Duluth, Brooklyn Park: house, income, to live in)

[Joe3rdwash]

Originally Posted by Jane0218

I've been reading a lot about how people in different regions of the country can be "possessive" and don't take too kindly to new people not from their area/region.

Being passionate about your geographical heritage (i.e.: Midwest, NE, South, etc.) is great, don't get me wrong. I love the fact that I am from the NE; I just can't afford to live there any longer!

For example, my experience in NC has been disheartening to say the least. I am from New York (I grew up on a rural farm, but that doesn't matter to anyone here). I know (from talking to current employees at jobs I have applied for---financial support positions) I have lost jobs because I am considered a Yankee, an outsider. I have a history of receiving offers on about 80% of jobs I have applied for in the past, so what I have experience here has been humbling to say the least (I was offered maybe 5% of jobs I applied for).

I have found work in a well paying organization but it took months when it should have taken weeks. My hiring manager is not from the southern Atlantic states area, by the way.

Many people do well in NC that are from the NE. But they are the type who are willing do what it takes to fit in, so they become chameleons. I don't want to do that. I want to just be myself.

I call it "geographical discrimination." Is this practiced in Minneapolis or Chicago and/or the surrounding suburbs of each city?

The Midwest is welcome especially the Twin Cities, because of MN "nice" culture

[cdubs3201]

Originally Posted by Joe3rdwash

The Twin Cities have alot of Hmong/Thai

Dude, this thread is from like 2 years ago...

[Joe3rdwash]

Originally Posted by cdubs3201

Dude, this thread is from like 2 years ago...

but the conversation is still going on

[OriginalSasha]

If you live in Minneapolis, it's got a lot of pluses, but St. Paul is way better than Minneapolis or Chicago for livability. Minneapolis has one of the most beautiful skylines, it is a great place to visit, especially in the summer. The night life has got something for everyone, at any age. We get obscure, independent films, internationally-acclaimed art, and an excellent theater scene. It depends on what you're looking for in a city, whether you'd like it or not, I could imagine you'd be bored here after a while if you're used to crowds of New York City, but you don't have to worry about shady remnants of bygone gangster day mentalities you find in Chicago: i.e. teeny tiny print warning you your car may be towed, so that when you don't see the sign, and you come out of a restaurant, you find yourself car-less and have to track it down, only to pay a huge fee to get it out of somebody's lot. Or getting a ticket in the mail for blowing a toll booth, when you know you haven't. Or having extra-corrupt politicians. When I think of Chicago I think of being fleeced. But if you're in to that type of thing, then Chicago's your kind of town. I used to love going to Chicago, drawn to the art museums & some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. You can rub elbows with the upper crust and see more plastic than can choke a horse.
St. Paul shares some gangster-roots with Chi-town however it's way more down to earth & embraced more as a style than as a threat. There is little-to-no night-life, unless you count festivals and after sporting events, but you can get your fix if you like on Grand Avenue, and still get to your car feeling safe. Believe it or not we can thank Norm Coleman for vitalizing part of downtown St. Paul, by building the XCel, Rivercenter, and bringing hockey back to MN, which has created jobs and successful businesses, which we can enjoy for the time being.
Minneapolis and St. Paul are both very clean cities. Everyone I know who comes here from out of town comments on how well-kept the cities are. I recommend avoiding North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. The mall was closed up there because of urban blight and there have been about 50 murders so far in 2010, so it's almost as bad as going to the middle east or the Mexican border towns. Nordeast Minneapolis is one of the hottest neighborhoods right now, with its variety of restaurants, and famous Nye's Polonaise Bar voted Best Bar in America [url=http://www.nyespolonaise.com/]NYE'S POLONAISE ROOM :: NAMED "BEST BAR IN AMERICA", BY ESQUIRE MAGAZINE :: NORDEAST MINNEAPOLIS :: 612.379.2021[/url] . Down here in South Minneapolis it's pretty quiet, hope it will stay so when the weather improves. But like I said, I'm a St. Paul girl. We also have several beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area, although they are not open for touring. Mr. Wright did make it to Minnesota & left his influence here as well. I like how there are yards here in the urban neighborhoods, while Chicago homes seem crowded together. But it's all a subjective matter of personal tastes.

[Thegonagle]

Originally Posted by OriginalSasha

I recommend avoiding North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. The mall was closed up there because of urban blight and there have been about 50 murders so far in 2010, so it's almost as bad as going to the middle east or the Mexican border towns.

You had a nice post going there, until this. 50 murders? C'mon, that's beyond exaggeration, that's blatantly false.

For the record, there have been 10 people murdered this year in the whole city of Minneapolis, and the most horrific and random of them were the 3 on the south side in the robbery/triple homicide.

I'd rather live in the worst neighborhood in Minneapolis than a drug war zone, an oil war zone, or the 5th-worst neighborhood in Chicago, for that matter.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by BreaOC

Ok, lets put the sprawl question to rest with the results of a study (based on census data, land-area growth in urban areas and traffic congestion data) of cities with the worst urban sprawl according to the Sierra Club:

1. Atlanta
2. St. Louis
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Cincinnati
5. Kansas City, Mo.
6. Denver
7. Seattle
8. Minneapolis-St. Paul
9. Fort Lauderdale
10. Chicago

No Houston?
Well whatever


I love Chicago, though Minneapolis may be easier to live in, and is probably overall cheaper. They're the 2 best cities in the MidWest for sure. Cincinnati, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Wichita, Columbus, and Detroit, DEFINITELY Detroit, don't compare at all.

[srsmn]

Originally Posted by Thegonagle

You had a nice post going there, until this. 50 murders? C'mon, that's beyond exaggeration, that's blatantly false.

For the record, there have been 10 people murdered this year in the whole city of Minneapolis, and the most horrific and random of them were the 3 on the south side in the robbery/triple homicide.

I'd rather live in the worst neighborhood in Minneapolis than a drug war zone, an oil war zone, or the 5th-worst neighborhood in Chicago, for that matter.

Yeah, that's so false that it's not even funny. I don't know if we've topped 50 murders in the entire city since the early 2000s....maybe not even since the bad days of the mid-late 90's...

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by srsmn

Yeah, that's so false that it's not even funny. I don't know if we've topped 50 murders in the entire city since the early 2000s....maybe not even since the bad days of the mid-late 90's...

Minneapolis reported homicides by year:

1995 = 99
1996 = 86
1997 = 58
1998 = 58
1999 = 48
2000 = 50
2001 = 43
2002 = 46
2003 = 44
2004 = 54
2005 = 48
2006 = 57
2007 = 47
2008 = 39
2009 = 19

sources:
Crime Statistics and Reports

[rsdplaya]

let's just say, if someone was deciding which place to live...the homicide rate shouldn't play a deciding factor lol...neither place is dangerous enough make it usable.

[US-Traveller]

I am really taken aback by the earlier comments on Chicago. I live in North Suburban Chicago now and have spent quite a bit of time in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a very nice city. Chicago and Minneapolis share many similar characteristics. I personally enjoy Chicago more and I think it has more to offer, but I understand the appeal of a smaller city, more affordable cost of living, and the abundance of private lakes. I have to strongly disagree with comments suggesting that Chicago is dirty or dirtier than Minneapolis, that Chicago has more crime than Minneapolis, or that Minneapolis is a better place to raise kids. Chicago has won accolades for its streetscape, mass transit, and green oriented initiatives. Chicago's crime while still high is actually comparable to Minneapolis's statistics according to information on City-data. Having debated a move to the Lake Minnetonka area several years ago, I can say that there is no public school in the Minneapolis area, that can hold a candle to the premier public schools in the Chicago area. You could not point out to me a single school in Minnesota that is better than Northside College Prep, New Trier Twp. High School, Hinsdale Central High School, the Glenbrooks, or their corresponding K-8 districts. Edina is a great neighborhood that is very nice and charming, but this neighborhood cannot be compared to the North Shore, Hinsdale/Clarendon Hills, or Naperville in the Chicago area. The Lake Minnetonka area is unique, however you would be hard pressed to find someone who would genuinely prefer it to a home on Sheridan Road on the North Shore of Chicago.