What is Minneapolis like? (St. Paul, Duluth: middle-class, rent, crime)

[roneb]

I realized this last post is a little out of order. I forgot to read past the first page of posts before responding!

It all depends on the individual, but I find the snow and cold easier to adapt too than the dreary drizzle. Crisp -20 days are there to let you know you're alive! Summer thunderstorms are cool. The humidity in the summer, that is where Portland does win hands down. I can recall time spent in a college buddy's third floor St. Paul apartment in July - 95 degrees and 90% humidity. All you could do was lay on the floor in front of a fan!

[Lillietta]

Actually the traffic is much worse in Portland. Was out there this past summer. Same old story of bridges and gridlock. Traffic stopped up forever! Rush hour horrific there. Takes commuters 1 to 1/2 hours to get home to Vancouver WA during rush hour whereas during non-rush hour it takes 15 minutes. But crossing any of the bridges there seems to take forever. Same problem in Seattle.

[doublesuited77]

completely agree about Traffic... There is less traffic in Minneapolis than any major city in the US. I live in Minnetonka, 8 miles from downtown and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get downtown during rush hour.

If you are coming from the south, it is a little worse, but nothing compared to LA, Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Portland, Seattle, Boston.

[kg1701d]

[quote=Minnehahapolitan;2113972]Mpls. has to stop over-adapting to winter. Skyways, for what? It kills street life; people walk down Michigan Avenue in Junaury, why not Hennepin. [quote]

Its true that the skyways hurt street life, but walking down Nicollett in the fall, spring or summer you wouldn't think that. I lived and worked downtown Minneapolis for awhile and walked outside to and fro when it wasn't deathly cold out. There's a ton of people that do the same......sidewalk cafes, coffee shops and besides comparing Nicollett to Michigan ave would be better than Hennepin.
Also, there's a pretty lively skyway life in Minneapolis that there isn't in Chicago.

[Camden Northsider]

[quote=kg1701d;2172869][quote=Minnehahapolitan;2113972]Mpls. has to stop over-adapting to winter. Skyways, for what? It kills street life; people walk down Michigan Avenue in Junaury, why not Hennepin.

Its true that the skyways hurt street life, but walking down Nicollett in the fall, spring or summer you wouldn't think that. I lived and worked downtown Minneapolis for awhile and walked outside to and fro when it wasn't deathly cold out. There's a ton of people that do the same......sidewalk cafes, coffee shops and besides comparing Nicollett to Michigan ave would be better than Hennepin.
Also, there's a pretty lively skyway life in Minneapolis that there isn't in Chicago.

I like that the skyway is there but I prefer the streets for couple of reasons. 1) you can't smoke in the skyway system, and (2) you're a lot less likely to get lost in a maze of corridors/ buildings on the street.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Yeah, there is not set form for the construction of skyways. One of them goes through the fragrance aisle at Dayton's.

[kg1701d]

The skyways aren't any more confusing than city streets you haven't driven on and they are a lot less stressful than busy crowded streets, use the skyway more than your trip to target and they become very personable. And I hope there isn't smoking in the skyways, thats a negative for about 15% or the populous?

[rodhaenke]

Hi,

I'm a lifelong Minnesotan (except for one year on the east coast) and am happy to provide my point of view on Minneapolis. I live in a suburb but know the "cities" pretty well.

Traffic: I've been to lots of cities with much worse traffic. One of the advantages of the cities is that it has several different business centers that draw traffic (downtown MPLS, downtown St. Paul, and Bloomington). What is most important is the pattern - if you live in a far out suburb and need to commute to downtown MPLS - that is pretty much the only bad traffic problem. Actually the streets, for the most sense, make geographic sense in that in MPLS it is pretty much a grid. The freeways are also a grid with a circular beltway (494/696). When you compare it to a similar sized city like Denver - there is no comparison - the cities freeway system seems so much saner and logical.

Bicycle Trails: Often it is said that MPLS ranks second only to Portland. I biked in Portland this summer and I would have to respectfully disagree. While Portland had many routes; it seemed that most were on busy city streets. In the Twin Cities - there are actual bike trails that you can take almost anywhere where you don't have to compete with cars if you don't want to. Even in the suburbs, there are bike trails next to almost every road. And if there aren't bike trails, almost every other road has a wide shoulder. Certainly, our biking season doesn't last as long (except for hard cores), but I went on a 40 mile ride just a couple of weeks ago in mid November on a beautiful 60 degree day.

Weather: Our weather isn't much different from Chicago's. I know they don't have the best reputation for weather either, but I think MN has a far worse reputation in this department than warranted. Global warming, ironically, has been actually kind to Minnesota, especially southern MN. Ever since I moved back here 10 years ago, we have not had a harsh winter. We haven't even had a white Christmas many of these years. The winters have been actually kind of disappointing because of this, we've had more of the foggy, wet kinds of winters, although this winter is getting off to a nice start. We often get much less snow than places out east like Buffalo and Cleveland. We are getting some nice snow which really helps those of us who like winter sports. We do get one or two cold blasts a winter that can last a few days. But you bundle up and it really doesn't affect you that much. Jan and Feb are the coldest but even then most days are between 20-30 degrees which really isn't that bad. But you need to be a four season type person to enjoy MN weather. Again, the people who say we only have two seasons are exaggerating a bit, we've actually had many early springs and late falls the last 10 years. Bottom line is that you can get decent (50 degrees plus) weather into November and you can start getting nice weather again in April. Winter is basically from Thanksgiving to early April.

Outdoor Activities: There is tons to do in this category. And I think this is our best feature. There are basically two types of activities: one type of outdoor activity is the more traditional type - hunting and fishing. Most native Minnesotans grew up doing at least one of these activities. I would say a third of Minnesotans either have a cabin on a lake or have a boat. Boating on our many lakes is very popular - as well as on the St. Croix River. The other type of activity is more the kayak/bike/ski/rock climb/camping type activities. The metro area has dozens of natural areas and big county parks where you feel like you are up north or out in the wilderness yet only a few miles from the city. (Examples would include Afton State Park, Lebanon Hills Park, and Lake Auburn/Three Rivers County Park). The St. Croix River area is great for canoeing, kayaking, and rock climbing. Within the city limits, of course, are the lakes and the Mississippi River (and the Grand Rounds Bike Trail). While we don't have mountains - there are actually several nice ski hills within an hour drive of the cities (Afton Alps and Wild Mountain are our favorites). If you want more "mountain like skiing" you go up north to Lutsen Mountains which has the highest vertical in the Midwest.

Other nearby gems: Stillwater, Red Wing, Taylors Falls, Northfield, the River Road towards Lake City and Winona, Duluth, and the Brainerd Lakes area. Western Wisconsin is nice and some quaint towns are less than an hour away like Hudson, River Falls, and Prescott.

Culture: MPLS has so much - go to City Pages website and click on Calendar. I just wish I got out more.

Getting to know people: If you are outgoing and seek connections you will soon be too busy and have too many options. It won't find you; you do have to make an effort. I suppose that is true anywhere, but I think there are so many interest based activities that you can join. There are things like the Loft writer's group, book talks/clubs, salons, sports groups, etc...the options are limitless. Again, if you make an effort, Minnesotans are very "nice;" but again, don't wait to be invited - you need to take the initiative.


Feel free to email me if you have more questions - and when you get here, I'll give you a tour!

[Minnehahapolitan]

/\ I think that is the best advice for meeting people here. Be forceful; invite someone for dinner out-of-the-blue. I doubt you would be turned down by alot of people; Minnesotans are generally uncomfortable with taking the first step. You need to do that.

[Lillietta]

Excellent, informative, factual post, Rod