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We sort of we're in a similar situation but willingly wanted to move here or seattle (family in both places- I grew up in MN him in Seattle) from Scottsdale (Phoenix). The weather is cold and will definitely take adjusting. We've yet to experience our first winter since I left at 18 but even March 22 when we arrived it was COLD.
Size... In my opinion it's medium. There is a lot to do and it's a nice, fairly sized city but many cities are a lot bigger. However it has everything and some a city needs just not as much variety and abundance.
Politics... Well it's not really brought up but if you read MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) or are in tune with the local government you might go a little batty being a conservative. I will say the liberalism here is different than seattle and it's not a shove in your face type of thing. Some of the congressional representatives (3/8) including at least one in the metro suburbs if not two are republicans. Since moving here I've not gone a day without reading about racial inequality in some shape or form so much as to contribute ones racial profile and income to a link in getting asthma (MPR). So it's fair to say many people here want all individuals to have a high quality of life by doing whatever it takes.
Fiscally though the taxes haven't been that awful and you do pay for what you get; nice parks, schools, the lowest unemployment in the country.. Etc;
If winter is really that big of a concern (and it is to many), I'm actually going to recommend you don't move here. I came from Tennessee but I LOVE the cold and the snow. Winters are getting "worse" here, too. I honestly, hand-on-heart believe you would be miserable here. Especially since the winters are so very long. If weather is important to you, and you're not a fan of sub-zero temperatures and lots of snow shoveling, I can't recommend the move.
On the flip side, there's no way I could ever live in Atlanta. Ever. Not even if I were paid to move there and never had to work, having everything paid for by someone else. No thanks.
I'm looking to move at the end of next April and every place I'm looking at has strong, cold winters. Easy peasy for me. Anything over 75ºF and I'm melting.
Winters here are brutal by most people's standards. However, people do tend to become both physically and psychologically acclimated after a couple of years. There is a huge Equatorial African population which is growing and thriving, and they do just fine. It's also important to remember that Northern cities are generally very well prepared for winter. The kinds of problems Atlanta and other parts of the Southeast had last winter simply don't happen here. Highways are plowed promptly and there is a vast network of protected skyways. The stark changes of season offer an incredible array of recreational activities year round.
In terms of city size, Atlanta is only marginally larger in population than Minneapolis proper, and significantly smaller than Minneapolis and St Paul combined--the two cities share an extensive border which causes them to function effectively as one city. The urban core here is considerably denser than Atlanta. Minneapolis and St Paul combined have about 700,000 people in about 115 square miles. Atlanta has about 440,000 people in about 130 square miles. What you'll find in Atlanta is that suburban development carries on a lot further than it does here--which accounts for Atlanta's larger metro size. You'll find at least as many amenities here that you find in Atlanta and, depending upon where in the metro area your interests take you, may well find Minneapolis to seem larger than Atlanta.
The cities of Minneapolis and St Paul are both solidly liberal in a traditional sense, most of the suburbs are less so. The entire area does tend to be very accepting of virtually anyone, with people being almost always polite, but not overtly friendly. Although I'm not in that camp, you'll find plenty of political conservatives here.
My husband has been offered a job with Best Buy which is much better than his current job here in Atlanta but would obviously require us to move. We don't have any kids but what I'm concerned about is living in the Minneapolis-St Paul area. I've never lived anywhere outside of the South so I do not know what to expect with the weather. Are the winters really as bad as people say they are? What about the size? Minneapolis sounds tiny compared to Atlanta but would it feel that small? My third concern-the politics. I've heard Minneapolis is a VERY liberal city, we are quite conservative, would we feel out of place here? I don't want to live somewhere with crazy liberals running around everywhere. Any advice on these things would be great!
Coming from Columbus (the one that gets cold winters, not the one you're familiar with) I have to say even though winters down there get the coldest out of the big cities by being centrally located in a mainly flat area with high winds that while you don't get the non-stop cloudy days they are offset by notably colder temps: -teens before windchill is factored in and almost doubling that? You're nose hairs freeze right up in that: feels like you got a full nose of dry boogers and that was a first for me. Layering is the key as is a solid winter coat, hat, scarf, thick gloves, and boots. I bike in the winter and you'd be amazed that there's more of us biking around in than there are in much warmer cities.
Size-wise MPLS for sure is going to feel larger simply because it's built much more densely than Atlanta: we're on par with Seattle for population density while Atlanta is less than half as dense for the number of people per sq mi. Our downtown has 38,000 residents (2014) while Atlanta has 23,000 (most recent figure I found was 2012). There are many more neighborhoods here with walkable business districts and commercial nodes, each with its own distinctive character.
We just placed 6th for most liberal city in the nation. We're anything but crazy, we like to keep our intellects sharp and so we're one of the most well-read cities in the nation among other things (fittest city in the states: we value and get our exercise and it doesn't hurt that we value our parks so much as to rank #1 in that department too). We value alternatives to cars: why spread everything far apart and as a result have people drive at deadly speeds and crash into each other all the time when we can create jobs and destinations within walking and biking distance of where people live? And run reliable mass transit through some of these areas (this department needs a good deal of improvement before "all" or "most" areas are covered). We have the 2nd highest rate of bike commuters after Portland: no one comes close to matching either of us in this regard, we value not being forced to drive cars everywhere. We also value treating our fellow citizens as equals and keeping the government out of our bedrooms: we recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary of legalizing same-sex marriage. We value people having the freedom to choose to put in their bodies what they want without the nanny state telling them they can't: we've legalized marijuana recently, although with restrictions due to pressure from big government loving conservatives in the rest of the state you can't smoke or ingest it w/o written approval from a doctor, etc. We're also very into supporting local businesses and you can see that in the high number of grocery co-ops, record stores, bookstores, etc, all over the city which compromises just part of the thriving local independent businesses found all over our varied business districts. I'd say any city would have to be crazy not to do as we have: you just can't argue with the results.
The worst months in the Twin Cities are November, March and April. November because you are not used to the cold yet and you freeze thinking about how long the winter is going to be. March and April are bad because it will be in the 70s in Atlanta but in the 30s and grey and brown in Minnesota. The trees are only green in Minnesota five months of the year, vs. 8 months in Atlanta.
The worst months in the Twin Cities are November, March and April. November because you are not used to the cold yet and you freeze thinking about how long the winter is going to be. March and April are bad because it will be in the 70s in Atlanta but in the 30s and grey and brown in Minnesota. The trees are only green in Minnesota five months of the year, vs. 8 months in Atlanta.
I like March and April because when it finally hits 40, it feels like 70 and I can break out the shorts.
The comment below made me smile! As far as crime is concerned if you are coming from Atlanta (having lived in Atlanta for 3 yrs and house broken into 3 times), you'll find Minneapolis as a "pure heaven". You'll be tempted to keep your diamond rings out in the friend yard while yawning peacefully in your bedroom
Minneapolis is VERY safe compared to other cities of its size. The worst crime areas that Minnesotans grumble about North/Soth Mpls, are really comparable to the safest parts of Atlanta. Fear no crime, my friend.
Fear only, the snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by polo_golf_guy
Safety- now MSP does have higher crime than average no doubt is it safer than ATL. The amount of home invasions and shootings being reported on the news is considerably lower.
My husband has been offered a job with Best Buy which is much better than his current job here in Atlanta but would obviously require us to move. We don't have any kids but what I'm concerned about is living in the Minneapolis-St Paul area. I've never lived anywhere outside of the South so I do not know what to expect with the weather. Are the winters really as bad as people say they are? What about the size? Minneapolis sounds tiny compared to Atlanta but would it feel that small? My third concern-the politics. I've heard Minneapolis is a VERY liberal city, we are quite conservative, would we feel out of place here? I don't want to live somewhere with crazy liberals running around everywhere. Any advice on these things would be great!
I already responded to the winter portion of your post, but completely forgot about the rest.
I'm from the south, too. Tennessee. I don't have any children and I'm also a conservative in my beliefs as a Bible believing Christian. God is at the center of my life and what I do. I hope the following will be useful because it's from a similar viewpoint that you're asking.
Size? Minneapolis is a big city with a small town feel to it. It is smaller than most big cities, yes. And this is coming from a rural, small town kind of guy. That's one of the few reasons I've been able to last as long as I have here.
Safety? It's much safer than Atlanta from my understanding. For the most part, personal violence is usually committed between people who know each other or in some brawl or nightclub downtown. There are still random car and house break-ins but no more than anywhere else. If I had to guess, I'd say it's less, and more confined to specific areas. I wouldn't worry about it.
Winter? Like I said previously, they're harsh - extremely cold and very long with lots of snow. I love it. That's why I moved here. I can handle -20F better than I can handle 80+F. (I'm not overweight, I just get hot very easily.) Minneapolis is much better prepared to handle winter than Atlanta is, though. After two or three years, you'll acclimate to it. But, if winter is a big concern for you, I definitely advise thinking very carefully before moving here. Complaining about the weather, especially the winter, is Minnesota's Favorite Pastime. It can be hot and dry one day and everyone's whining. The next day it could rain and the same people will complain about the rain.
Politics? Yes, you will feel out of place in Minneapolis as a very conservative family. The Twin Cities are extremely liberal and extremely outspoken about it. The liberals are kind, happy-go-lucky folks who have absolutely no hesitation to speak their beliefs in any situation. The kindness and the happy-go-lucky attitude, however, disappears completely (on a dime) when someone, anyone, around them disagrees with their viewpoint. Then the teeth and claws come out. Name calling and raging ensues like a dog who attacks when it hears a bell ring. At the very least, you'll be given the death stare, unashamed, accompanied by some comment regarding bigotry and hate. (They don't seem to recognize the irony, intolerance, and hypocrisy of their own comments.)
Liberal campaign signs litter almost every yard come election time. What about the conservative signs? If you see them, they're usually vandalized or not there long because they're either stolen or people remove them for fear of vandalism.
I can't speak about St. Paul because I've rarely ever been there, I've been told by others that it's similar. Minneapolis is the height of liberalism on a stick.
Minneapolis and St. Paul also have a very bad habit of thinking they ARE Minnesota, and speak for the entire state. Not by any stretch of the imagination is this true in any way.
In my opinion - other than the extreme, outspoken liberalism - everything else considered, and outside of the Twin Cities, Minnesota is an absolutely lovely state. Just beautiful.
My comments are not sour grapes. They're not hate. They're not even intolerance. They are facts from my experience as a quiet conservative homebody, as well as the experience of other conservatives I know. We've gotten used to it and know it's never going to change. We also believe everyone has the right to their beliefs and to speak them. And, in all fairness, even given the liberal climate (which is about as cold as the winter), there are many great things about living here, too. Compared to other big cities, with the Twin Cities being smaller than most, there's a lot to do within a relatively short drive. And, in general, politics aside, people are usually pretty kind.
Personally, I've been here for about 17 years. I'm ready for a change. I'm tired of the politics and I'm tired of big cities. I want to go back to my roots of a more rural life with more like-minded folks. It just won't be in the heat of the south!
I moved here from Oklahoma (originally from upstate NY) and we are looking to move back south. The winters are just plain awful. It's very hard to meet people as MN Nice is a myth (at least it is in the metro, could be different in rural MN). I very much miss the south where people are genuinely nice and the weather's not so bad. IMO, stay in Georgia. MN's not worth it.
We also believe everyone has the right to their beliefs and to speak them
Right, and if people believe your beliefs amount to bigotry- which more often than not I believe "conservative" beliefs to be- they have the same right to speak. Unless someone's actually holding your mouth shut, it's all about people speaking their minds if they are so inclined. There seems to be a presumption among many conservatives that if they say something non-conservatives find bigoted, any response equals an infringement of their freedom of speech. Freedom of speech necessarily entails freedom of response.
I'm certain that you believe you've never expressed bigoted opinions, but there is a possibility that you're wrong and it's difficult to maintain a warm and fuzzy demeanor when faced with unselfconscious bigotry.
Last edited by Thedosius; 08-20-2014 at 11:14 AM..
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