Would Minneapolis be a good fit for me?

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by djohanna

Haven't visited, but I like that it sounds artsy, doesn't get *too* hot in the summer (I'm ok with snow), and is cheap.

What I look for in a city:
-affordable
-good public transit; not too much traffic
-clean air
-naturally beautiful surroundings; hiking opportunities..greenery is essential
-active painting/drawing art scene
-should be fairly liberal
-since I'm vegetarian, a decent amount of vegetarian-oriented restaurants

What I don't care for:
-sports...meh
-clubbing, bar etc. nightlife--meh.
-hot weather & dry, desert-like conditions (this is why California, including the Bay Area, isn't that attractive)
-endless, boring strip malls

From my research, Portland sounds like another possible good fit, but I'm afraid most people there are too hippie/out there...with the dyed hair, piercings, huge beards--I'm perhaps a little too normal/yuppie-ish by comparison to fit in there. I get the feeling a lot of Portlandians are stuck in the high school rebel phase I grew out of several years ago. Seattle sounds nice too, but I visited and wasn't astounded by its appearance. I live in Vancouver right now, which is a much more beautiful city by comparison. However, the art (painting--so illustration/fine arts) scene is lacking here, it's super overpriced, and it's kind of too Chinese--Chinese culture is alright but not for me. Montreal sounds fairly attractive too, because of its European flair, art scene, and low cost of living as well (I'm learning French).

Affordable: The Midwest, including Minneapolis, is going to be much cheaper than any of the west coast cities. Portland might be similar, but I know from friends who live in Seattle that their rent is typically $100-200 more per month for a similar apartment in a similar location (in terms of vibe, density, etc.)

Good public transit, not much traffic: Our public transit isn't the world's most wonderful, but if you stick near the core and can combine that with walking and biking (and maybe occasionally car sharing when you need one), you'll be able to get around pretty easily. Bus service is pretty reliable near the core until anywhere between 12-2 am. After that, only a few routes run at all until about 6 am. As for traffic, it's not going to be anything like many of the big cities you listed simply because we aren't that big.

Clean air: We certainly don't suffer the same smog problems as LA and I think it's generally considered clean.

Naturally beautiful surroundings: A quick hop to a regional park for hiking would probably be easy. Or stay in the city and hike around Theo Wirth Park (it's 2/3 the size of Central Park in NYC and you can feel completely consumed by nature in it). Alternatively, head to the northern part of the state for a real outdoor experience. As for it "lacking" the green Portland has, I'm not quite sure what difference you're seeing in the immediate city. The city has many parks (I believe everyone in Minneapolis lives fewer than 6 blocks away from a park), significant cover in many neighborhoods, and places like Theo Wirth Park that are very much green.

Active painting/drawing scene: No clue on that specific scene. But we're very artsy. I'm beyond sure that such a scene exists here.

Fairly liberal: Check.

Vegetarian: We definitely have that, including several raw/vegan places and plenty of vegetarian options. There are a lot of vegetarians here, so you shouldn't have any issues.

As for the things you dislike...we have most of those (sports, bars/clubs, strip malls) except the dry weather. But it's easy to avoid sports, bars/clubs, and strip malls...just don't go.

[djohanna]

Awesome thanks. Sounds like it's worth checking out for sure.