Would Minneapolis be a good fit for me? (St. Paul, Burnsville: fit in, best neighborhoods)

[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).

[golfgal]

Well, endless, boring strip malls are all over the country, you won't escape them even in major cities. Minneapolis has their fair share of strip malls too, however, Minnesota in general has pretty much everything else you are looking for. Hot, humid summers though so that might be a no go. Affordable is relative too. As for vege restaurants, every restaurant has some offerings at least so that is good. You will find some exclusive vege places I am sure but they are not "abundant".

[Mplsite]

Minneapolis does not have abundant strip malls. The suburbs sure do, but they're NOT Mpls, so let's get that clear from the get-go.

"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 restaurant"

Affordable? Check: I live in Downtown off of a pedestrian/bike/bus only strip for under $600 a month and am close to the best neighborhoods (NE and South Mpls).

Good public transit? There are several high-frequency buses...and a light rail line too.

Clean air? Well, keep some distance between you and the car/SUV/truck in front of you (you do bike in -5 temperatures, right? Because I just did)

Nature? We got five MF'n lakes (!!!) to bike/jog around. And some big-ass waterfalls. All in the city. Try finding that in NYC/Chi-Town/San-Fran.

Artists? You can't help but bump into five at random.

Liberal? We love bikes here.More than Portland. Seriously. Portland has 2.2 miles of bikeways per sq mi. We have 2.9 (rounded up that's a full 3). And the city is routinely voted as being extremely gay-friendly and hipster-friendly.

Vegetarian? Are you joking? Here you can go full-out vegan my friend. Raw vegan, Chinese vegan, Vietnamese vegan, vegan pizzas with mashed potatoes and super hero costumed pizza delivery, yeah: we got you covered. We're are f!cking dead serious about co-ops. They're on the NE side, south side (far south side too) and east side just off the top of my head. If you're about cheese and eggs with those veggies (like me) you'll hardly be suffering. St Paul is a breeze for vegetarians: vegans not so much.

Bars? Don't turn your nose up at bars just yet. Yes, clubbing is lame and is for guys/gals approaching 30 who think they're in college. Stay away from 1st Ave, expect for 1st Ave (the live music venue as opposed to the douchey avenue itself). Our worst hood has a goddamn zombie bar; how could you not love that? NE has a slew of bars with very different characteristics (tiki, happy hour pate, delicious frozen local pizza known as Heggies ((pronounced "hedgies"). In -0 weather you're going to go to the bars and like it regardless of how you feel about bars now.

Sports? Well, if you really, really love the underdog we have the Vikings. St Paul next door has a curling club on Selby Ave if you're so inclined.

Weather? Spring and Fall are absolutely flawless. Summer can get uncomfortably humid. I thought Columbus (OH) was bad, and when I moved up here I was welcomed with sweltering humidity in August and lots of big black insects that love it. A couple of weeks later and I was freezing. And then in late December it was too warm; I had to wear a T-**** and shorts that day.

[Mplsite]

Whoops: I thought I typed, "t-shirt".

[djohanna]

Thanks for the tips! Sounds good 'cept the heat. You're funny.

[golfgal]

Let's be real, Minneapolis DOES have it's fair share of strip malls........not downtown but in various neighborhoods they certainly do exist.

[Minneapolitan]

The OP said they aren't a fan of 'endless, boring strip malls.'

The point is, Golfgal, that even though Minneapolis may have some strip malls (1 is too many in my opinion-blehk), they are not in abundance here, as they certainly ARE in abundance in many of the burbs. Nobody is saying that Minneapolis doesn't have them. They do exist (for instance, the one at 46th and Nicollet-bugs the crap out of me!)...but they are not a defining feature of the built environment of Minneapolis as they are in, say, Burnsville or Apple Valley. THAT is probably what the OP means by 'endless, boring strip malls.'

[djohanna]

I mean I go to some small cities and there are endless Wal-Marts and the usual chain stores sprinkled everywhere and in clusters, making it seem like any other city in America--not very interesting.

[MplsTodd]

I'll second Mplsite's post!
Mpls definitely has a strong arts community, with a lots of local institutions such as MCAD (Mpls College of Art & Design), a strong theater and music scene, and other organizations, such as
The Loft Literary Center https://www.loft.org/
Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota Center for Book Arts
The American Craft Council Home | American Craft Council
The Northern Clay Center Northern Clay Center - Home

Minneapolis, St. Paul and the metro area has a great system of city parks andregional parks, which are integrated together via a great network of trailsfor biking and/or rollar blading. There are NO mountains here, though. Outside the metro area, there's great hiking, camping, and canoeing available in the lakes areaof north-central Minnesota (near Brainerd, Cross Lake) , the BWCA/Voyageurs Nat Park, or the North Shore of Lake Superior

[djohanna]

Books, crafts, clay..i don't care about that sort of stuff, just an actual thriving fine arts/illustration & gallery community.

Good to know though, thanks!

I checked it out on street view and Minneapolis doesn't look very lush and green, compared to Portland anyway.