Possibly moving to Twin Cities from Chicago (Minneapolis, St. Paul: rent, crime)

[AQUEMINI331]

I'm a student at University of Illinois - Chicago about to graduate with a master's degree. I am considering a job offer I've recieved to work in St. Paul, so having only been there once, i want to get an idea as to what the place is really like but i hardly have the time or the money to drive for six hours or fly up there or whatever. So what is life like in Minnesota, particularly for someone like me? I'm a 23 year old straight black man, am originally from Birmingham, AL but I've been in Chicago for the past year or so.


How are the winters? I've gotten used to the cold here in Chicago (nothing like Alabama that's for damn sure), are the Twin Cities much worse?


I'm considering leaving Chicago because even though I love the city (and would probably even take a job here if the price was right) there's a lot of things I DON'T like about Chicago, like the persistent crime, the persistant ignorance (amongst both blacks and whites) and for that matter, the RACISM! I know I'll never completely escape racism but goddamn Chicago is a racist ass city. And please don't tell me to move to the North Side, I refuse to pay high ass rent to live around people who hate me. I feel like I can't live in black neighborhoods beacuse my people kill each other too much, and i can't be in white neighborhoods because I'm the last thing they want to see in their communities.


Chicago is a huge city and you have to wait in long lines for every ****ing thing. I used to think cities like Atlanta, D.C., and St. Louis were big but those cities are small towns compared to Chi-town, and I think a city around that size is more like what I'd be looking for. I really do like Chicago but at the same time a lot of things about this city irritate me. I have had some of the best times of my life here but living in the city can also be very stressful. Right now, I live in Hyde Park but I used to live in Bronzeville. It'd be nice to live in a community like that (or actually, more like Hyde Park, less like Bronzeville) in the Twin Cities. Do any exist?



Basically, I want to live in a city that's a little bit..............calmer. I don't want to move back to Birmingham because truthfully it's no different, it's just on a smaller scale but only beacuse Birmingham itself is smaller. The same ignorant attitude pervades both cities alike.


Even a city filled with crime, traffic, etc. like D.C. or Atlanta would be a relief compared to Chicago.


Despite all of my complaints, I'd also like a city that offers the same kind of nightlife, the same kind of diverse people, the same kind of cosmopolitan, big city atmosphere that Chicago offers. So what's the deal on the Twin Cities?

[Minnehahapolitan]

I'll try to hit all those points
-Weather - It is colder here, but less windy. The coldest days here are actually sunny. Downtown also has a series of enclosed pedestrian skyways linking the second levels of most major buildings. If you can take Chicago, I don't think you'll have a problem here.
-Crime/Blackness - Black areas of Mpls. are pretty bad, nothing like Chicago, but no Garden of Eden. (The traditional area is the Near North area of Mpls.) There are areas with smaller Black populations that are safer. There are areas that are racially diverse that are safe also. Mpls. actually has a pretty small Black population (20%) as far as similar cities go. You will be accepted, but there aren't Black communities like those seen in Atlanta and Washington. I should also mention that there are two "Blacks" in Minneapolis, there are the traditional African-Americans and a very sizable group of recent Somali immigrants.
-General Atmosphere - Minneapolis has a strong cultural scene, great museums (Both the Mpls. Inst. of Arts and the Walker have expanded), a new Pelli designed Library, The Guthrie is considered one of the premier theaters in the nation, nightlife is good in Uptown, Warehouse District, West Bank. Good restaurants. Minneapolis is fairly easy going for its size, there is a city park within 6 blocks of every house, most surround the lakes, creeks and Mississippi. Wirth Park is two miles off Hennepin Avenue, and still has heavily wooded boggs. I could kind of say that Minneapolis is a vibrant, energitic city when you want it to be, and it can be the middle of nowhere if you want it to be. I think you will find the cosmopolitan aura that exists in Chicago, simply on a smaller scale.
Hope I was of some help to you, Good Luck
---Minnehahapolitan

[nick is rulz]

even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die...horoscopes often lie

Near North Minneapolis doesnt compare to Southside Chicago, but some spots are patchy. I dunno, theres a decent number of neighborhoods that are diverse, affordable, and quiet.

[AQUEMINI331]

I understand that virtually every city has bad areas, but yeah as long as it's not like South Side Chicago, I think i'd be cool.


I'm amazed every day at how little the rest of Chicago cares about all of the crime and poverty that exists on this side of town. I'm earning a degree in urban planning which means that I'll be working some form of government (city, state or federal level) and I must say I could never be involved in Chicago city government, that would be just more than I can bear. Again, I don't mean to bash Chicago, it's a hell of a city but I'm starting to think that maybe a slower change of pace is in order.


As far as the black population, as long as it's not like being in ****ing Idaho or Montana, I think I could deal with it. If one out of every five people in Minneapolis is black, I'll be OK though I must admit I've always lived in heavily black communities (Chicago is 1/3 black and Birmingham is 3/4 black) so it would be an adjustment, but whatever. I'll be alright in that department.


As far as the weather, the reason I ask that is because I've heard people say that Minneapolis winters make Chicago winters look tame. I just left the South only a year ago, I've only experienced one real winter, and that was this past winter in Chicago. Before I came here, I was in Alabama where the coldest I ever saw it get was 5 F. There were times this past winter when I wished it was 5 degrees it was that cold outside, so I figured Minneapolis must be worse. I actually don't mind the cold (it beats extreme heat like what you get in the Deep South any day) but I don't know how much cold I can take. If temps started getting down to - 25 F and colder, I think I might die, LOL.

[The Icy River Vagabond]

With your attitude, I don't really think that you will feel very welcome in Minneapolis, or very many other places to be truthful.

[AQUEMINI331]

If you say so. As I said before I don't hate Chicago, like I said in another thread the city has its ups and downs. But some things about Chicago really irritate the **** out of me to be truthful.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

With your attitude, I don't really think that you will feel very welcome in Minneapolis, or very many other places to be truthful.

What attitude is that? Am I missing something here?

Yes there is racism in the Twin Cities, as is virtually everywhere in some regard or another.

What I find interesting, though, is that you find alot of black people who are racist (and not just against the Somalis).

As for the weather, I think that Chicago has it worse. Technically, the standing air temp does dip a little bit further in Minnesota, but Chicago has a windy winter and the whole lake effect thing which tends to make it feel alot worse.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Plus, Minneapolis hasn't had a real winter in about a dozen years. Some of the coldest lows may be -10, and you are usually not outside in temps below zero anymore. Also, snow hasn't been nearly as deep in recent years. As for urban planning, Mpls. is a great city for it right now. The urban core is densifying, lots of new buildings are being built in the core. Mpls. proper actually beat out most suburbs in population growth. Someone who left here ten years ago would come back and find whole new neighborhoods.

[AQUEMINI331]

Yes, the University of Minnesota has a really good master's eegree in planning. If i hadn't attended UIC, UMN would've been in one of my top choices, along with the University of Cincinnati and Florida State. All are top notch programs.


The biggest benefit I got from attending UIC is that Chicago itself is literally a classroom, so your learning experience is enhanced exponentially just because you have such a large, complex (and yet so typically American) city right at your doorstep.


Anyway...........if Minneapolis isn't too much worse than Chicago I think I can manage. Being from the deep South, I'm still fascinated by snow but I hate shoveling that stuff. About 6 inches is as much as I want to see. Before moving up north, if we got 2 inches we all acted like little kids, we were so excited about it!

[HomeGuy]

As long as you stay away from North Mpls, you'll be fine. According to the news, the crime there has to be as bad as what you're describing in Chicago. We think Minnesota is less racist than other areas we've been in. Our suburb of Maple Grove is becoming very diverse culturally, has great shopping, restaurants, parks and lakes, and would be an excellent choice.