What is Minneapolis like? (Austin, Dayton: spring break, apartments, rentals)

[Sobefobik]

I've never been to Minneapolis, but my cousin is moving there next weekend. Now I'm thinking of moving there in the future. Because I haven't been there, I can't really ask a real detailed question.

What is the culture there--Museums, music, traffic, crime, rent prices, weather? What are good neighborhoods to rent downtown or close-in?

I'm a 20-year-old single male just looking to try something new. I'm currently in Portland, and I just can't handle the rainy weather here. I know that you have harsh winters there, but it can't be all bad. Right? What kind of recreation is around the area?

I know that these are very random questions, but any info would be great!

[K-Luv]

What you are asking is really broad in scope and until you can think of something in particular I would suggest-since you have an internet connection-to do some research on your own. Read the topics in this forum, google anything and everything that you can think of in regards to MPLS. And, when you get the chance, come out for a visit.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Minneapolis has amazing culture, better than alot of places that are even larger than it. Multiple museums, galleries, venues, et. cetera. It isn't concentrated in one place (which alot see as bad), I see it as permeating life in The Cities. Music is good here, alot of national and local acts. It isn't Austin, but very respectable, IMO. Everything from the classic First Avenue, to the theater district to small theaters with a hundred seats. Traffic is bearable (if you plan right. Don't live in exurbs and expect to be downtown in a half-hour), but getting worse. It is nothing like Coastal cities, or Chicago. Crime is low on a metroipolitan and even city wide level. Mpls' crime is concentrated in a couple small areas. If you have some sense, you should be safe as far as American cities go. Rent varies quite a bit. It depneds on what you want, where you want for how much you want. I think the housing here is fairly priced. It isn't a San Antonio price scale, but we offer more.
The weather gets pretty bad. It has been getting warmer and drier during the winter. Summers are hot and pretty humid, but not Southern. Spring and Fall are wonderful. Winter gets cold between Thanksgiving and Spring Break. It has been in the 30s this week.
There are alot of very livable urban neighborhoods. Loring Park is known as the gay community, but is diverse and convenient. Lots of amenities and old Mpls. brownstone apartments. Elliot Park is a grittier Loring Park. Whittier is a great place with lower rents, great transportation and tons of restaurants. Uptown is gentrified and vibrant. The University area is teeming with students.
Mpls. is the best biking city behind...Portland. There is alot of recreational opportunities both in the City, suburbs and rural enviorens. Bike trails, nature preserves, city parks (Mpls. is known for its stellar system. All natural features are encircled, and no house is more than 6 blocks from a park), some skiing. It isn't the rockies, but it has alot of things to keep one busy. Hopefully that can get you started.
---Minnehahapolitan

[Brantacanadensis]

Originally Posted by Sobefobik

I've never been to Minneapolis, but my cousin is moving there next weekend. Now I'm thinking of moving there in the future. Because I haven't been there, I can't really ask a real detailed question.

What is the culture there--Museums, music, traffic, crime, rent prices, weather? What are good neighborhoods to rent downtown or close-in?

I'm a 20-year-old single male just looking to try something new. I'm currently in Portland, and I just can't handle the rainy weather here. I know that you have harsh winters there, but it can't be all bad. Right? What kind of recreation is around the area?

I know that these are very random questions, but any info would be great!

You can get some information from other threads. But I will try to help with some of you basic questions.

Culture: see other threads.

Museums: good museums. Mpls Institute of Art the best, in my opinion, and I think it is free admission.

Traffic: sucks. Long commutes. And, it tends to rain during the summer during either your am or pm commute, and the snow usually does fall during those commutes, as well. I work downtown, live 1.5 miles from downtown, and take the bus downtown. I park on the street, and move my car several times during the week to keep the traffic cops unhappy for not having a reason to ticket me. I don't drive much around here due to the traffic, the lousy drivers. And, I'm a native Easterner, with no moving violations in 20 years. I prefer to drive I-95 on the East Coast any day then driving around here.

Crime: crime is everywhere in the country. Even the pricier neighborhoods have their elements of crime. But, don't go out at night walking alone, lock your doors and windows when sleeping or not at home, keep your shades drawn when not at home (be smart), don't leave stuff visible in your car for all the world to see what you own, lock your car doors, and don't leave your car running, unlocked, when you go inside a convenience store to use the ATM. Many people run into problems around here because they come from small towns and don't know how to act in the city. It's laughable.

Rent: Studios can be $500-600, then you go from there. Some areas higher than others. Uptown usually higher. Uptown is close to downtown. You can find good rentals around here. Try Craigslist. It's helpful. Search under Uptown or neighborhoods close to downtown are East Isles, Cedar Lake,East Calhoun, Lowry Hill, Wedge - using those terms should help to pinpoint areas close to downtown. Would be better to get off street parking. Lots of outdoor recreation in these areas - the lakes, especially. Good walking/running ops.

Weather: sucks. Winter colder than Portland, but drier. Today was in the 20s. Some snowfall. Will get colder from here on out, with few warmer days mixed in. December and January are colder. Can get, and usually will, below zero in January. Coldest I felt was 25 below zero (that was without the wind) on Christmas Day in 1996. And that was at high noon. Permanent snow cover starts this week, lasts until April. As I stated before, it likes to rain or snow during the morning and afternoon commutes. Take the bus. It gets cold here fast, and hot fast. Not much for Spring or Fall. By May your sweltering. Summers can be dry, but also very humid, too. This past summer was a humid one - and gray most of the time. It sucked. Thunderstorm season starts about April and lasts into the summer. Storms here suck, too. They get fierce, with tornadic activity, some hail, high winds, flooding. (My car has experienced a flood and a snow accident - two weather related claims). It rains in a series of fits and starts around here, like much of the Midwest. The thunder can last for hours - like six or more. It's called rolling thunder.

I came here as a 31 year old female. You should do fine in the Uptown area as a 20 year old male. Just just don't panhandle in the area. (I read of a recent Portland guy who came here and said he had to panhandle since he didn't have a job. He needed a bath, too.) Also, I'm quite sure there is no residency requirement for the state college system, too. As a 20 year old, I would suggest looking into college, too. It will help with you future job search.

All the best. But, I agree. I wouldn't be able to handle the rain in Portland or Seattle, either.

[talktobrent]

You will probably like culture in Minneapolis, but as far as the weather goes, you are just trading one annoyance for another (lots and lots of rain for extreme cold in winter and hot humid summers). If the rain annoyed you, the cold and heat will probably get to you eventually here.

[disneyrecords]

Have you noticed the "flavor" of the city (also St Paul) is disappearing or is it just me? When we lost Dayton's to Fields/Macy's, local fashion trends melted away. The music scene seems boring these days. It could be just me, but I remember free street concerts dowtown and uptown-- all types of music. Now its all about the money. Big acts holed up in the Target Center. Maybe I'm just feeling complacent or getting older, but the twin cities isn't as fun as it used to be.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Local flavor everywhere is dying. Mpls. is relatively good at maintaining it in comparison to other areas. You are right, though.

[Lillietta]

Actually I think I was attracted to Portland because I like the Twin Cities. Rents are higher here; housing cheaper. I was researching this when I was in Portland this summer. Traffic here is definitely faster moving than Portland because of the bridges in Portland - takes forever. I LOVE the Portland summers - here hot and humid a lot. The Twin Cities are more conservative than Portland but not much more. Our spring and falls are much shorter than most other parts of the country - more like 2 seasons - summer and winter. The foliage in both places is lush. I found Portlanders much more friendly than Minnesotans.

[Sobefobik]

Thanks everyone for the great comments!! Lillietta, in my research it seems that Minneapolis is less expensive than Portland. I've found some very nice apartments there that are decent sized, have old-town character, and don't seem to be in too bad of areas, although I wouldn't know that for sure because I haven't been there.

[Minnehahapolitan]

If you drop an address, I would be more than happy to give you some information on the neighborhood.