Anyone Moving Out Of Minnesota? Why? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: low crime, income, quality of life)

[uptown_urbanist]

Having grown up in Minneapolis and having since lived in rural, suburban, and urban areas on both the west and east coasts, I wholeheartedly agree with those who say that one of the best things about Minnesota is the cost of living. I personally don't think I would be happy outside of the core cities (and wish that Minneapolis could embrace a few more urban elements) but overall this place - Minneapolis, at least - offers a huge number of benefits for not a lot of money. Salaries are decent here while housing and food are relatively affordable, public schools still pretty good, and there's still plenty of diversity and cultural opportunities. In other cities my field of work has the same salary range with double the rents, higher food costs, and overall much higher costs of living. There are certainly negatives, as there are everywhere, but for many people it's possible to afford a very good life here and the positives outweigh the negatives.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Taxes:
If they pass the sales tax policy change I will be leaving as my customers won't pay the MN 6.5% sales tax rate out of state. I will then be laying off my employees. Hence taxes are the reason some people are leaving because their jobs are leaving. Think NWA/Delta merger, 3M plants in Austin TX, Dayton’s, Norwest Banks, St. Paul Companies and Honeywell. This list goes on and on... Additionally, the sucking sound of Sioux Falls SD can be heard as they pull companies from MN to SD. It's why our governer wants to reduce business taxes. 10% coperate tax in MN, 6% in Georgia. If you paid 40% less corporate taxes in another state, wouldn't you be tempted to leave like NWA?? If they pass pass this sales tax hike to people out of state you will see a round of mail order firms that leave the state as well. Think Digikey, Fingerhut, and others.


Weather:
It goes without saying as to why most people leave.

Crime:
I know people have given reasons to leave MN because the crime is bad. Take out MPLS and I challenge you to find areas that have a lower crime index on City-data.com. I've looked real hard and every place that I would consider to re-locate. The crime index is a key factor. Even places like CO Springs, every spot in FL, CA and the list goes on.

[sunnyc]

I am relatively new to the Minneapolis area and keep hearing people talk about the increase in crime. Has it really gotten that much worse?

[Minneapolitan]

Originally Posted by sunnyc

I am relatively new to the Minneapolis area and keep hearing people talk about the increase in crime. Has it really gotten that much worse?

No.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

f you paid 40% less corporate taxes in another state, wouldn't you be tempted to leave like NWA??

NWA didn't leave ... they were bought out by Delta under the guise of a "merger".

[tired-of-mn]

Moving this spring to find work.For the first time in 18 years I cant find a job in MN.Oh and for the poster that talked about racisim in MN compared to GA.I have alot of family in GA , atlanta, and georgia has towns where ' if your not white your not welcome'. And they mean that in a violent sort of way. You just dont have that in minnesota.

[JMS_9]

Originally Posted by Minneapolitan

No.

Yes. As someone who lives in Minneapolis AND works in law enforcement, I can tell you with absolute certainty, crime is getting worse. It's spreading to pockets it's never been before, especially in SW Minneapolis. Crime in North Minneapolis is worse now then it's been in decades.

Back in the mid-90's we were dubbed Murder-apolis. Crime stats are approaching those numbers.

[JMS_9]

Oh, and in regards to this thread, I'm leaving Minnesota. Turned 31 in November, have lived here literally every day of my life, and am looking for something different. Moving to Boston in the spring. Just need change. Lots of change.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by JMS_9

Yes. As someone who lives in Minneapolis AND works in law enforcement, I can tell you with absolute certainty, crime is getting worse. It's spreading to pockets it's never been before, especially in SW Minneapolis. Crime in North Minneapolis is worse now then it's been in decades.

Back in the mid-90's we were dubbed Murder-apolis. Crime stats are approaching those numbers.

That was an unfortunate choice of jobs, then. Murderapolis has upwards of 90 murders, this year we had less than 40. There have been multiple stories recently that have shown a decrease of crime in the city of Minneapolis, one of the few medium-sized cities where this is the case.
Here's a story from July.
MyFox Twin Cities | Minneapolis Crime Rates Fall for Second Straight Year
It may spread to areas where it never has been before, but that is matched by a decrease in crime around other areas. Phillips was ground-zero for Murderapolis, now it has two murders. It may be getting worse in Brooklyn Park or other areas, but that does not imply a growth in crime - simply a shift in it.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by JMS_9

Yes. As someone who lives in Minneapolis AND works in law enforcement, I can tell you with absolute certainty, crime is getting worse. It's spreading to pockets it's never been before, especially in SW Minneapolis. Crime in North Minneapolis is worse now then it's been in decades.

Back in the mid-90's we were dubbed Murder-apolis. Crime stats are approaching those numbers.

Certianly a topic of interest to many. Having lived in SW from 96-2008 I will say the last few years I started to see stuff I had not seen before. Mostly little stuff that indicates there is stuff going on that was not previously. Tags popping up in alleys, bus stops, on signs etc. I give a lot of credit to the community for trying to stay on top of that, but I did notice tags were removed only to show up again in less than 30 days. The other subtle thing I started to see was the random groups of people walking around seeminlgy with no purpose. Mind you I saw them doing nothing outside the law, but you get the creepy feeling they are just waiting for the time when nobody is looking to do something. The other thing I started to see was certian places starting to draw attitude. For instance the conoco at 56th and Xerxes. For awhile the citco at 54th and France was that way, but Edina Car Wash bought the place, renovated it and got rid of the bad vibes. Overall I still think the SW community is safe and quick to address issues. For example there was a rental house that clearly had some drug dealing. It was less than 30 days before that got shutdown and rerented. Biggest problem areas like this seem to have from my perspective is they have relatively few problems, so police are not routinely seen making rounds. Rarely did I ever see a officer stopping for a coffee or meal at local businesses or for that matter making traffic stops. Not a rip on the men in blue, so please don't take it that way. I always apprciated having a safe place to live and had a reality base perspective knowing they were needed elsewhere. From a taxpayer perspective, I always felt we had some very high taxes in SW and what came back to the local neighborhood in services was less than it should be. Also of intererest. Edina Police are seen quite often on France Ave between 44th and 54th. Concerted effort or no? Hard to say, but I wonder sometimes if that has a purpose.

City of Minneapolis seems to have a tendancey of wasting profound stacks of cash. 6 Million on the photocop thing, huge piles on law suits for the police, School Administration buying out contracts, the fire department debacle and now the wifi deal.

Don't want to sound like am an ripping the city because I love many things it has to offer. I just think as the economy lags, the city government really needs to step up and work better together and find how to do more with less.