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MSP is a fantastic place to raise a family and build a career. It also has many great restaurants, cultural venues, neighborhoods, etc. It also boasts some of the best midwest outdoor recreation.
However, there are several reasons that make MSP get old once you raise your head and examine the place.
1. Winters aren't just cold; they are depressing. Social activities decline. minnesotans already have their circles and keep it to themselves. there can be overcast for days at a time. bare trees, snow, ice, and little flexible outdoor activities.
2. Farm-feel. Many say that minnesota is rural. but many states can be rural. yet, rural colorado, washington, utah give you images of spectacular natural scenery. Minnesota has a farm-feel, barns, endless snow-covered fields, depressing small towns.
3. Flatness. When you drive around the cities, most of the time, your horizon is quite flat. Even if there are houses by the highway, you can't usually see them. Flatness contributes to the boredom of a place.
4. Isolation. MSP is one of the most isolated big cities in the country. It is far from a major national park, mountain range, or equal-sized city. It is far from places where things are happening. Some might say that plenty of cities are isolated and yet no one seems to mind: Denver, SLC, Seattle, etc. Yet here is the thing: within four hours of driving, what can you get to?
Four hours:
Seattle---at least four major national parks, numerous state parks, lakes, peninsulas, islands, ocean shore, wine country, rivers, waterfalls, cute towns, plus the entire Vancouver metro area, Victoria, Portland, etc. It is anything but isolated.
Denver--- several major national parks, gorges, mountains, resorts, lakes, Utah, new mexico, etc. In the winter, you can reach higher-temperature areas easily.
Pheonix--- terribly hot in the summer. but look closely. it's not far from flagstaff, sedona, utah, lake tahoe, many of which can be cooler in the summer. It's also not far from the beach, and it's not necessarily California. Mexico's beaches are closer. And then there is mexico. Santa Fe, San Diego, etc.
MSP---northerly, there are lakes, the depressed city of Duluth, the semi-hills of the north shore of little going on; east, you can reach madison, wi, hardly anything exciting. west, forget it. south, des moines. You can't escape the cold within four hours. There is little terrain change to offer temperature differences. It's pretty much the same thing over and over again.
First off, I totally agree with your cons, to the point that I don't need to list my own, they matched yours completely. In fact, I wouldn't doubt that this post is subconsciously bred of our mid winter blues. That being said, we didn't really talk about the cons of other "cool" cities that we could all think of.
1) Most other cities are higher on the "natural disaster potential" list than we are here.
2) Seattle is always gray, and very expensive. Lots of homeless
3) Austin/phoenix are too hot and growing too fast. Phoenix lacks history and some personal identity
4) Florida has a poor economy and too many old people. Summers are oppressive
5) California is too expensive and crowded, traffic can be terrible, and it sits on a fault line.
6) Hawaii is beautiful, but expensive. Tons of homeless, lack of quality jobs, "rock fever"
7) Denver.....no wait, i would move to Denver, lol.
The point being that we have to weigh your con list against others. I constantly have to remind myself that when I visit somewhere on vacation, I'm taking in a highlight reel of that place, while my mind is in a carefree state. Unfortunately, you don't get to know what living elsewhere is like,.....until you live (not vacation) there.
Which leads me to my answer to your question. As a 32 year old who often gets the itch to move, it's driven less by downfalls of the Twin Cities, and more by a general itch for change, that I recognize would have its drawbacks.
I acknowledge that many people are drawn to the mountains and oceans, not everyone but many. For those who want to be within driving distance of such things, it would seem self-evident that living smack dab in the middle of the North American continent would be a poor choice, in the same way that Phoenix would be a bad choice for those who want to be within a reasonable drive of the beach.
Denver--- several major national parks, gorges, mountains, resorts, lakes, Utah, new mexico, etc. In the winter, you can reach higher-temperature areas easily.
Sure you can reach those places in four hours but have you actually ever made the drive? Talk about a lot of flat, barren land to get to New Mexico and most parts of Utah.
To New Mexico on I-25, yes, but to Utah? I. . . don't. . . think. . . so! You can take I-70 most of the way, which is very scenic.
MSP is a fantastic place to raise a family and build a career. It also has many great restaurants, cultural venues, neighborhoods, etc. It also boasts some of the best midwest outdoor recreation.
However, there are several reasons that make MSP get old once you raise your head and examine the place.
1. Winters aren't just cold; they are depressing. Social activities decline. minnesotans already have their circles and keep it to themselves. there can be overcast for days at a time. bare trees, snow, ice, and little flexible outdoor activities.
2. Farm-feel. Many say that minnesota is rural. but many states can be rural. yet, rural colorado, washington, utah give you images of spectacular natural scenery. Minnesota has a farm-feel, barns, endless snow-covered fields, depressing small towns.
Maybe the state has a farm feel. But no different from other Midwestern states. Example in Ohio drive between major cities and you see corn fields and cows. Heck, there's cows in Columbus off of Sawmill Rd. A swanky nice side of town. I think that's a mute point. Our food has to come from somewhere and a city is a city not a farm.
3. Flatness. When you drive around the cities, most of the time, your horizon is quite flat. Even if there are houses by the highway, you can't usually see them. Flatness contributes to the boredom of a place.
Flat is fine. Curvy roads can be scary and fun too.
4. Isolation. MSP is one of the most isolated big cities in the country. It is far from a major national park, mountain range, or equal-sized city. It is far from places where things are happening. Some might say that plenty of cities are isolated and yet no one seems to mind: Denver, SLC, Seattle, etc. Yet here is the thing: within four hours of driving, what can you get to?
Flat is fine. Curvy roads can be scary and fun too.
Four hours:
Seattle---at least four major national parks, numerous state parks, lakes, peninsulas, islands, ocean shore, wine country, rivers, waterfalls, cute towns, plus the entire Vancouver metro area, Victoria, Portland, etc. It is anything but isolated.
Denver--- several major national parks, gorges, mountains, resorts, lakes, Utah, new mexico, etc. In the winter, you can reach higher-temperature areas easily.
Pheonix--- terribly hot in the summer. but look closely. it's not far from flagstaff, sedona, utah, lake tahoe, many of which can be cooler in the summer. It's also not far from the beach, and it's not necessarily California. Mexico's beaches are closer. And then there is mexico. Santa Fe, San Diego, etc.
MSP---northerly, there are lakes, the depressed city of Duluth, the semi-hills of the north shore of little going on; east, you can reach madison, wi, hardly anything exciting. west, forget it. south, des moines. You can't escape the cold within four hours. There is little terrain change to offer temperature differences. It's pretty much the same thing over and over again.
1. Half the country gets four seasons. So really why complain.
2. Maybe the state has a farm feel. But no different from other Midwestern states. Example in Ohio drive between major cities and you see corn fields and cows. Heck, there's cows in Columbus off of Sawmill Rd. A swanky nice side of town. I think that's a mute point. Our food has to come from somewhere and a city is a city not a farm.
3. Flat is fine. Curvy roads can be scary and fun too.
4. That's one of the first things I noticed when i moved here. No major city within 4 hours. Rochester and Madison, WI don't count unless your sick or need to visit a Chase Bank branch.The majority of the state's population is concatenated to the Twin Cities metro too. From Ohio. Three major metropolitans over a million each. You can to Pittsburgh. Detroit. Indianapolis. Louisville. Charleston. All of thos cities within 4 hours of Columbus. Lots of curvy roads in WV too. But what will probably push me out of this state is loneliness. All of my friends and associates are much older than me, not from here (except one and he's gay), or all gay men. That's fine. But I want a partner. I've met several women who moved here as adults. They are not married and have no children. They're Caucasian too. If they didn't find anyone, then I probably won't either. So my plan is ultimately to move back to where I'm comfortable unless something changes. Which I doubt because I'm a PROCRASTINATOR and a bit indecisive.
Seattle has a very high cost of living much higher than the Twin Cities and it has horrible traffic. But they do have an excellent bus service and service from neighboring Snohomish County. It is a very beautiful place and the outdoor activities are numerous. I think it is much more depressing to deal with constant rain and cloudiness in the winter. Of course those who enjoy snow activities mountains and skiing are close by.
I would take snow any day over the constant rain/drizzle of the Northwest. We had snow and ice the other day and they closed the school Monday had a delay on Tuesday and Wed snow routes for buses which meant no bus to my daughters school. The school district is run by morons.
You could not pay me enough to ever want to live in Phoenix and the excessive heat. Yeah everyone has ac but I don't like staying indoors all day and having to keep my window blinds closed. My mom lives in Vegas same there. I don't mind visiting.
My hubby is from UT and some of it is quite beautiful but southern part is desert same weather as Vgeas and phoenix maybe not quite as hot. SLC is okay and the surrounding Wasatch Range is stunning especially in fall when you get fresh snow up on the peaks.
Every city has pros and cons I guess you have to decide what you can tolerate and deal with. Some people do not like cold and snow which is why my mom retired to the desert. She was living in western PA so lots of cold and snow (not as much as MSP) I am tired of the rain here in the Northwest. I am seriously thinking of moving to the twin cities. Hubby and I are discussing it. I know I would miss being 80 miles from the ocean and about 80 miles from the mountains.
But what will probably push me out of this state is loneliness. All of my friends and associates are much older than me, not from here (except one and he's gay), or all gay men. That's fine. But I want a partner. I've met several women who moved here as adults. They are not married and have no children. They're Caucasian too. If they didn't find anyone, then I probably won't either. So my plan is ultimately to move back to where I'm comfortable unless something changes. Which I doubt because I'm a PROCRASTINATOR and a bit indecisive.
That's really sad to hear. I'm outgoing and meet people easily, but I wonder how it'd be in MSP as a transplant. Like you, meeting people is pretty high on my list.
I moved out of Minnesota for reasons totally unrelated to the original post, although I used to complain about a lot of the same things (the cold, the location, lack of winter activities, etc). Today, I'd say it's all perspective. I currently live in the NYC metro, which helped me appreciate a lot of the following:
1. The fresh air! Seriously, the cold, crisp air you feel in MN in the early Spring untainted by pollution is a thing of beauty.
2. The lakes - I never appreciated the beauty (or numerosity!) of natural lakes until I left the state, but I often catch myself thinking fondly of them now.
3. The peace and quiet - I never appreciated being able to go into a coffee shop and just chill or study with a few other people in relative calm. In a city with more or less endless pandemonium, you can sometimes just want to kick back and relax.
4. The State Fair - Because, obviously.
5. The bike-friendly infrastructure - I love bicycling, and have yet to find something as useful or accessible as the Midtown Greenway or cycling on a nice day from Hopkins into the city while breathing the fresh air (See 1.) Ahh!
At the end of the day, everything is a matter of perspective. All you have to do is hop over to the Seattle, Denver or Bay Area forums and you'll see people complaining about those places too. Sometimes a change of scenery never hurts.
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Not that bad
