The Atlantic article - "The Miracle of Minneapolis" (St. Paul: 2013, new home)

[MplsTodd]

Regarding the list of most educated cities, several are relatively small cities home to major universities, such as Ann Arbor, Raleigh, Durham, Provo. Only San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Baltimore are major cities. Of these Boston has a huge college population and is a major financial center, San Jose and Seattle are major tech centers. Baltimore being on that list frankly mystifies me: it's more of a blue collar city, though it has Johns Hopkins.

[MidwestRedux]

Originally Posted by QuietBlue

I think geography also plays a big role -- the Twin Cities suburbs have expanded in every direction, whereas that isn't possible in cities near a coast and/or mountains. Even Chicago has been limited somewhat by Lake Michigan.

I think this is a very accurate observation. Outside of the south and southwestern U.S. there are very few metro areas that can grown in all four directions. Places like Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta come to mind, all of which have relatively inexpensive land and are generally newer growth. Cities in the midwest and on the coasts tend to be somewhat older growth, many of which having growth that was fueled by their proximity to a lake, ocean or mountain range. The twin cities are a rare exception.

One of the other potential factors that comes to mind is suburban density, especially in recently developed areas. I don't have any stats to back this up, but I am frequently surprised at how close together the new-ish, McMansions in Plymouth, Minnetonka, Maple Grove and other affluent suburbs appear to be.

For whatever reason, people living in and along the 494/694 corridor don't seem to desire large plots of land as much as they do in other affluent suburban areas around the country. I've never seen so many 4,000 square foot suburban homes on 8,000 square foot lots.

If there are in fact fewer people building houses on large lots, this would also help keep land prices down.

[uptown_urbanist]

Having lived in several other major cities, this article doesn't surprise me; the salaries are not all that different, yet housing is much more affordable. And while rents have gone up, they're still cheaper than you find in bigger cities. And for people who hit an age where they're statistically likely to have kids, the other big benefit is public education: while there are obviously some major problems with schools, it's still possible for a middle-class family to live in a convenient safe neighborhood with a decent public school without having to make large financial sacrifices. While in many ways I may prefer to live in New York, at this stage in our life I really appreciate what Minneapolis offers, and feel like it really does offer a fantastic blend of affordability, urban amenities, and professional opportunities. I know I'm not the only one in my peer group that feels that way, and those benefits are part of what keeps me here. My job in, say, NYC wouldn't pay drastically more, at least not enough to afford to maintain anywhere near the quality of life we have here.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by MidwestRedux

I don't have any stats to back this up, but I am frequently surprised at how close together the new-ish, McMansions in Plymouth, Minnetonka, Maple Grove and other affluent suburbs appear to be.

This is pretty common in mcmansion subdivisions. I think it's cheaper for the developer.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Regarding the list of most educated cities, several are relatively small cities home to major universities, such as Ann Arbor, Raleigh, Durham, Provo.

Raleigh and Durham are not that small. 420K and 290K, respectively.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

My job in, say, NYC wouldn't pay drastically more, at least not enough to afford to maintain anywhere near the quality of life we have here.

What do you do? Sadly if I could even find a job with a local company I'd be lucky to make 1/2 what I made in NYC. NYC is hard to compare to anywhere because the types of jobs are different. You can make six figures being a photo retoucher in Manhattan but in Minnesota you'd be unemployed.

[montymontage]

It's interesting the study found highest mobility in three smaller, relatively isolated cities: Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Pittsburgh. (The latter two isolated by mountains and Mnpls by tundra one might say.)

I was surprised to learn of tax-revenue sharing across Minneapolis metro. As pointed out before, the housing isn't inexpensive for rentals; though less than a big city, it's still a little higher than I think is warranted by the 'charms' of the metro area. While Minneapolis is livable for sure--and doubly so for middle class ppl, I wonder about mobility considering that established persons will never leave but for death coupled with Minneapolis's well chronicled achievement gap.

Don't want to hate on my present city. It's nice--but never naughty!--and thrives in a low key way--it's actually gorgeous downtown during an evening snow storm--but i don't know...seems like geographic and cultural isolation partially limits push and pull factors for migration thus accounting for a more median composite cast as a miracle.

Can one imagine non-Mormons moving from lumpen prole to middle management in SLC? I don't see it here either.

But it could be worse, for sure.....

[drishmael]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

"most and least educated cities, Forbes:
The Most And Least Educated Cities In America - Forbes

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. Raleigh, North Carolina
3. Durham, North Carolina
4. Provo, Utah
5. Manchester, New Hampshire
6. Seattle, Washington
7. San Jose, California
8. Colorado Springs, Colorado
9. Baltimore, Maryland
10. Boston, Massachusetts"

Not sure what metric was used, but in terms of bachelor's degrees, MSP ranks higher than Seattle and Baltimore, and Boston ranks higher than all three. Austin is up there as well. Likewise, including Ann Arbor and Provo and Durham is a little silly; not surprisingly, in places with colleges but little else, a high proportion of the population has a degree.

[Northernest Southernest C]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Regarding the list of most educated cities, several are relatively small cities home to major universities, such as Ann Arbor, Raleigh, Durham, Provo. Only San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Baltimore are major cities. Of these Boston has a huge college population and is a major financial center, San Jose and Seattle are major tech centers. Baltimore being on that list frankly mystifies me: it's more of a blue collar city, though it has Johns Hopkins.

Baltimore is a hot spot for millennials with college degrees right now. Many of them are moving downtown and there are a lot of conversions for apartments going on within historic buildings downtown. Former schools, banks, parking garages are being turned into apartments as well as new construction planned or already starting for millennials.
Baltimore green lights $2 billion in new development, surge of millennials credited - ABC2News.com

Downtown Baltimore shaping its core through redevelopment - ABC2News.com

VIDEO: Why more college grads are choosing to live in Baltimore - ABC2News.com

Baltimore developer transforming vacant Catholic schools into high-end apartments - ABC2News.com

[r_shackleford]

I'm amused that article basically attributes the area's strengths to the suburbs all being the same, the people not leaving, and geographic isolation. Clearly the author and those interviewed have not ready any opinions about those traits on City-Data.