Seattle to Minneapolis (St. Paul, Duluth, Victoria: house prices, buy, place to live)

[DJKirkland]

While on the subject of 'day trips', both Portland and Vancouver are very do-able as day trips from Seattle. I work for a retailer based in Seattle, and have to travel to both cities frequently for business. I rent a car, get up early, and beating traffic can typically get to either in less than 3 hours....get some work done, eat, and drive home. It's long day, but it's a day, and it's definitely not out of reason. All three PNW cities are quite accessible to each other.

[glendog]

Originally Posted by Steve Bowen

I was wondering if anyone on here moved to the Twin Cities from the Seattle area. How are these two metro areas similar? How are they different? What was your experience like? Are you glad you made the move?

I did last year. I love Saint Paul, bought a house for 40K! Beats my noisy overpriced apartment in Magnolia! I love it here! The people are nice, way more cool independent shops, not corporate and uptight like Seattle. Let me know I know the guy to talk to if you want a place. I was looking at 2,000 sq ft loft condos in Saint Paul for 10-25k, no kidding, they were selling for 250k 4 years ago. Great arts scene here, friendly sophisticated people, come sailing with me in Duluth on as lake that dwarfs Puget Sound, hills as big as San Francisco and no uptight yuppies, the giant inland sea of Superior, a "lake" as big as Kentucky! Gotta love the outdoors, skiing in vast serene birch forests, ice skating in Rice Park, super cool place to be and a ton of value in a 40k house that would cost 400k in Seattle. I'm a huge cyclist and the Twin Cities are waaaay better than Seattle in that regard as well, think Portland..Indy business still thrives here, not just corporations. I would never move back to that pretentious overpriced hell hole. oh yeah the sun is out everyday!!

[glendog]

Oh yeah I lived in Seattle for 15 years and I would never move back...

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by glendog

I did last year. I love Saint Paul, bought a house for 40K! Beats my noisy overpriced apartment in Magnolia! I love it here! The people are nice, way more cool independent shops, not corporate and uptight like Seattle. Let me know I know the guy to talk to if you want a place. I was looking at 2,000 sq ft loft condos in Saint Paul for 10-25k, no kidding, they were selling for 250k 4 years ago. Great arts scene here, friendly sophisticated people, come sailing with me in Duluth on as lake that dwarfs Puget Sound, hills as big as San Francisco and no uptight yuppies, the giant inland sea of Superior, a "lake" as big as Kentucky! Gotta love the outdoors, skiing in vast serene birch forests, ice skating in Rice Park, super cool place to be and a ton of value in a 40k house that would cost 400k in Seattle. I'm a huge cyclist and the Twin Cities are waaaay better than Seattle in that regard as well, think Portland..Indy business still thrives here, not just corporations. I would never move back to that pretentious overpriced hell hole. oh yeah the sun is out everyday!!

That's the nicest (and at the same time, meanest) comparison between the two cities I've ever seen -- thanks!

[glendog]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

That's the nicest (and at the same time, meanest) comparison between the two cities I've ever seen -- thanks!

Sorry, didn't mean to be mean just honestly sharing how I feel, and honestly I feel now when looking back Seattle made me a mean jaded weird person. It's nice to be around down to earth people again, the weather is a great equalizer maybe...It took me about a year to just feel "normal" again, honestly. But BTW, as a Saint Paulite I have to correct you! *have to say nicest yet meanest comparsion between three cities not two! I don't live in Minneapolis and rarely go there, the two cities are very different in many ways...
I'll repost what I told a British guy on here who is thinking of moving here from Seattle as well..Hello, I lived in Seattle for 15 years and honestly, I just moved back to Saint Paul from Seattle precisely because I could buy a house in my old neighborhood in Saint Paul for 40k! The same place in Seattle would be 400k. I love Saint Paul, it has a great old world feel to it compared to Seattle. Rice Park is great, Cathedral Hill and Summit Ave are amazing with the longest row of preserved Victorian mansions in the USA, the city itself is hilly, not like Seattle or Duluth but certainly far from flat as Saint Paul is surrounded by 20 story river bluffs, there are marinas on the river, it's a pretty cool place. The people are way nicer in my opinion, it's actually the first thing we noticed, I've never seen many mosquitoes in the city, ever myself and I grew up here, out in the woods, they can be brutal but not in the city itself. I live in West Saint Paul, it's cheap, quiet, nice and safe with friendly neighbors. It's an old neighborhood with 100+ year old houses. It's been a mild winter this year 30's and 40's with no real snow. Kind of a bummer if you like to go skiing like I do. So instead I've ridden my bike everyday and never even took the slicks off! Usually if it snows we go skiing to stay in shape Nordic Cross country is big here. Lots of parks and lakes and the Mighty Mississippi, beautiful place to live and raise a family in my opinion.
Minneapolis is flat, cool, it's bigger and more bustling, crowded by comparison, more modern, hip, trendy, world class museums and arts scene, lots of bikes and hipsters everywhere, kinda like Ballard but cooler because people aren't so uptight and holier than thou. Having lived in both places for years I would never return to Seattle, far more pretentious and snobby in my opinion. I love it there just not the people so much anymore, or the overvalued house prices, and it is much more difficult to start a business in Seattle these days with so much corporatism and money in the city. I still have family in Seattle so I visit still but I don't miss it at all. It's an awesome place, but I'll stick to old Saint Paul, I don't mind the cold (skiing, whiskey, fireplace rinse and repeat I love my 40k house in Saint Paul and if I want really big water that dwarfs Puget Sound to go sailing on and I pine for huge hills I go to Duluth, marina fees for my 30 foot boat are less for the entire season than they were for two months in Seattle and the "lake" the inland Sea of Superior, is as big as Kentucky! There's a lot of value back here for me.


The Cathedral of Saint Paul, MN


Rice Park and Landmark Centre Saint Paul, MN

[glendog]

I also replied to British fellow, AddyLaddy with this, check out on the main page for the full thread if you wish..Best of luck to you and I hope you find what your looking for!

Originally Posted by AddyLaddy
"Thanks for all the replies everyone. We're still here in Seattle and trying to buy a house on the Eastside, but it is still insanely expensive. St Paul and MN do sound very tempting as we are very down to earth people, who just want safe neighbourhoods, good schools and countryside.
Just can't bring myself around to moving again and moving my kids to new schools. Do any schools offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme out there?"

I'm not sure, my sisters kids are in a French immersion school in Saint Paul though.. Ah the overvalued homes in Seattle..We left Seattle for precisely that reason. It's such a shame, Seattle is like the forbidden fruit to me, the mountains, the sea, but how often do you get to enjoy them versus sitting on 520 or I-5? (Tolls now too huh?) We gave up and don't regret it at all. People are waaaay more down to Earth here. Day one a guy held the door for my wife, couldn't beleive it never happened in Seattle. Little kids walk themselves to school in Saint Paull!? And I've been so jaded by never seeing kids in Seattle and if I did there we hyper protective "helicopter parents' everywhere I just never made eye contact there. Here kids come up to me and say hi mister, when I'm out running. It's just weird. It took me a year to get the "I'm better than everyone else because I'm from Seattle" chip off shoulder but it's off and I love my new life in old Saint Paul. Biggest differences between the two places to me are the following: The cost of living is far less here, the people are far nicer, there is a true diversity here in people in cultures, the weather, it gets cold and hot but the sun is out everyday! In terms of arts, culture, it's actually far better here, better businesses and far better night life as well, you can't even compare the two in that regard. I'm a cyclist and minneapolis/Saint Paul are better in that regard too, bikes everywhere, like Portland. You just have to be hardy at times if you're the out of doors type. It's been a very mild winter this year and actually the best winter outdoors I've had in my life, 30-40's and sunny better than any year in Seattle. Plus if you like KEXP (I did) we have Radio K and The Current (with Mark Wheat, a Brit DJ) so you wouldn't miss a beat, same style of playlist and music. Like I said, in the end, for us the clincher was that we could get a nice house in Minneapolis/Saint Paul for 40-90k pennies compared to Seattle but our (and the median income for people here) is exactly the same!? I stumbled upon this guy and took a limo tour of the cities, it was a blast, he got us a nice Tudor for 40k, no rent no mortgage! I just chill out these days, listen to records dance in my living room and count my money, I'd say pay a visit and look around and see if you like, it. Best of luck to you and your family. I Hope it all works out for you. Cheers!

[skihikeclimb]

Originally Posted by glendog

I did last year. I love Saint Paul, bought a house for 40K! Beats my noisy overpriced apartment in Magnolia! I love it here! The people are nice, way more cool independent shops, not corporate and uptight like Seattle. Let me know I know the guy to talk to if you want a place. I was looking at 2,000 sq ft loft condos in Saint Paul for 10-25k, no kidding, they were selling for 250k 4 years ago. Great arts scene here, friendly sophisticated people, come sailing with me in Duluth on as lake that dwarfs Puget Sound, hills as big as San Francisco and no uptight yuppies, the giant inland sea of Superior, a "lake" as big as Kentucky! Gotta love the outdoors, skiing in vast serene birch forests, ice skating in Rice Park, super cool place to be and a ton of value in a 40k house that would cost 400k in Seattle. I'm a huge cyclist and the Twin Cities are waaaay better than Seattle in that regard as well, think Portland..Indy business still thrives here, not just corporations. I would never move back to that pretentious overpriced hell hole. oh yeah the sun is out everyday!!

I have to agree that the housing prices in Seattle are pretty high compared to Minneapolis. One of the biggest draw backs to Seattle is the cost of living.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in both cities I still think Seattle has the edge. Downtown Seattle is quite a bit more vibrant than downtown Minneapolis and it is much closer to more interesting activities. Maybe I am biased but Seattle reminds me more of Vancouver. Your just alot closer in Seattle to snow skiing year around, hiking, and national parks. Furthermore Seattle has more of an international vibe than Minneapolis.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by glendog

The Cathedral of Saint Paul, MN
Rice Park and Landmark Centre Saint Paul, MN

Beautiful buildings, especially the Cathedral.
Is St. Paul more Catholic and Minneapolis more Lutheran?
I lived in Seattle, on the Eastside, but my family is on the West Coast,so that's where I am staying.
Did grad school in the Midwest. After a few close-calls while driving in the snow and ice, I decided I couldn't live there.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Beautiful buildings, especially the Cathedral.
Is St. Paul more Catholic and Minneapolis more Lutheran?
I lived in Seattle, on the Eastside, but my family is on the West Coast,so that's where I am staying.
Did grad school in the Midwest. After a few close-calls while driving in the snow and ice, I decided I couldn't live there.

Catholics are the main religion in MN, Lutherans are a close second. There is a huge Basilica in Minneapolis as well.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Beautiful buildings, especially the Cathedral.
Is St. Paul more Catholic and Minneapolis more Lutheran?

I believe historically that was true (although still a broad generalization), but these days I don't think there's any difference.