What makes people get tired of MSP and want to leave/retire elsewhere (Minneapolis: transplants, cliquey)

[Hockeygirl063]

Originally Posted by vladlensky

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.

I have a good friend who lives in NYC and my cousin lived there for quite a few years. I honestly do not know how people can want to live in such a place. Crime that's rampant and all the people and noise not being able to look up in the sky and see stars. I have been there once for a class trip and enjoyed it. it was the first time I was ever in city so big. been to Buffalo Pittsburgh and Cleveland but they don't compare. I would visit again but there is not enough money in the world to make me ever want to live there. But as you said it is all perspective. I have since then been to SF a couple times and LA a couple times. Again okay to visit but no desire to live there.

[vladlensky]

Originally Posted by Hockeygirl063

I have a good friend who lives in NYC and my cousin lived there for quite a few years. I honestly do not know how people can want to live in such a place. Crime that's rampant and all the people and noise not being able to look up in the sky and see stars. I have been there once for a class trip and enjoyed it. it was the first time I was ever in city so big. been to Buffalo Pittsburgh and Cleveland but they don't compare. I would visit again but there is not enough money in the world to make me ever want to live there. But as you said it is all perspective. I have since then been to SF a couple times and LA a couple times. Again okay to visit but no desire to live there.

Fair enough, but I think sometimes NYC gets a bad reputation because everyone assumes you need to live in either Manhattan or Brooklyn, Queens, etc. Fortunately, with the transportation infrastructure, I live in a great little town about 20 miles north of Manhattan. My house a a 5 min drive/15 min walk to the station + a 35 min express train into Grand Central. You really get the best of both worlds - quiet, peaceful 'village' life, plus quick access to NYC.

That said, there are pros and cons to both places. The East Coast in general is much more densely populated in general, and not everyone is comfortable cramming on to a crowded subway as part of their daily commute. But, whatever you choose, I think you adapt. It took me about a year to adapt to living in NY, and now I'm comfortable with it and, strangely, even kind of miss the craziness when away - so go figure.

[ellysbelly]

Originally Posted by Hockeygirl063

I have a good friend who lives in NYC and my cousin lived there for quite a few years. I honestly do not know how people can want to live in such a place. Crime that's rampant and all the people and noise not being able to look up in the sky and see stars. I have been there once for a class trip and enjoyed it. it was the first time I was ever in city so big. been to Buffalo Pittsburgh and Cleveland but they don't compare. I would visit again but there is not enough money in the world to make me ever want to live there. But as you said it is all perspective. I have since then been to SF a couple times and LA a couple times. Again okay to visit but no desire to live there.

I lived in NYC for years (and the company I work for is headquartered there, so I visit NYC 2-3 times a year)-- and while if you live in Times Square, the noise would be a HUGE factor, but not in many, many places, even in Manhattan-- my cute little co-op in the West 80s was quiet and had only garden views-- it was awesome and tranquil.

In the 1970s and 1980s, crime was far more rampant than it is now-- there are few places that I feel safer than than in NYC, especially at night and especially due to the huge police presence. My car was broken into in my driveway in my high end residential, gated community in South Florida and in a "nice" area of Philadelphia-- meanwhile, I had my car parked on the street in NYC for years and no one touched it, not even once. The reputation of NYC being violent and scary is way overstated, especially in light of the huge population and number of tourists. Yes, you don't want to be walking around some parts at night (or maybe even during the day), but that goes for any city.

I'd move back to NYC in a heartbeat-- if it weren't for the fact that I have a houseful of kids and dogs! But once it's just me and my husband? Yes, PLEASE. No need for a car, let alone two-- great restaurants that range from hole in the whole to the finest of dining-- theater--- sports-- fashion-- it's just an unbelievable place to live and, perhaps, an even better place to visit.

[daboywonder2002]

if i had family here, i would love to stay long term. But im from the east coast. That's a 19 hour drive. Plane tickets are expensive. Family is the only reason i want to leave. Other than that, i love minnesota

[Ray Yakavonis]

When you get old the ice in the winter becomes pretty hazardous. My mom stays inside all winter not because it's too cold out but because she doesn't want to slip and break something. Sounds silly but it's a legit concern. My dad fell and clonked his head pretty hard. This year they are considering moving south for the first time.

[meo92953]

I lost my love, (Minnesota born & bred), when I was walking to work, (gasp, how could I), & I was mugged for nothing. All I had was the sweater I was making for my granddaughter & a bag of pretzels. He slugged me in the face, broke a tooth & left me with a swollen mouth & a tooth that had to be pulled. I couldn't open my mouth to eat for a week. Drank soup through a straw until I could finally open my mouth.

I no longer walked to work. As a matter of fact, I quit walking. That was in Minneapolis & no, the person wasn't white.

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by Ray Yakavonis

When you get old the ice in the winter becomes pretty hazardous. My mom stays inside all winter not because it's too cold out but because she doesn't want to slip and break something. Sounds silly but it's a legit concern. My dad fell and clonked his head pretty hard. This year they are considering moving south for the first time.

This makes perfect sense to me. My dad who lives nearby and is retired gave me this perspective:

He said he doesn't like to complain, but when you're retired and it's -10 outside for the 4th day in a row, you kind of view it as a lost day (as opposed to when working). He combined this with telling me how MN taxes pensions, but many other states do not. It did help me see things from his perspective better, that he could stay here and be cold and taxed, or move and be warm and untaxed. Ultimately he has stayed due to grandkids, but I'm just mentioning because it helped me understand a different perspective. For the record, he doesn't complain about it all the time

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by Costaexpress

see that's exactly what i'm talking about.. you have to fly somewhere.

Why would anyone want to torture themselves with a car drive more than 2 hours!!! I live in Las Vegas, and would never consider driving down to San Diego or L.A. when I can fly down to either place in one hour or less!

I would hardly call Duluth, Poor-Man's San Francisco, depressing. It's my favorite city in MN! And some fun bar-hopping to be enjoyed over in Superior at night!

I moved out of Minneapolis in May 1993 and what I miss the most about Minneapolis is the liberal atmosphere. Go Google Conservative Cities in this country with a population of 250,000 or more and you'll find Minneapolis among the most liberal, joining hands with San Francisco, NYC, Washington.

Las Vegas? I actually think you'd be driven out of this conservative, hypocritical city if you declared yourself a liberal! Underneath the neon/glitter of this city there'll be no sin to be found! Let's not forget, Las Vegas was originally a Mormon settlement, and they're still here, they never left!

I'm itching to leave here this year for more liberal grounds: Tucson! And if Tucson isn't liberal enough for me, I'll weekend it in Nogales, MX, 66 miles south, where anything goes, complete with a red light district. And God forbid not Phoenix, with its toughest sheriff in America, even though it's considered to be tad bit more liberal than Las Vegas.

[Good Red Road]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Why would anyone want to torture themselves with a car drive more than 2 hours!!! I live in Las Vegas, and would never consider driving down to San Diego or L.A. when I can fly down to either place in one hour or less!

LOL, Not a chance, unless of course you own your own jet, in which case more power to you.

Most domestic flights requires that you get to the airport about 1.5 hours early. Even if you check in online, carry your baggage and pay for the CLEAR lane you will still need an hour prior to your flight and that doesn't even include the drive to the airport or your total flight time.

Some airports like LAX can take up to 30 minutes to get luggage plus a ride to your final destination. Point being - even a one hour flight can easily be 3 hours or more of travel time.

I travel for a living so I'm definitely biased, airports are modern day purgatory.
Anything less than 5 hours road time and I'll happily drive.

[tijlover]

^I hate driving a car! I don't care if I have to be at the Airport 2 hours beforehand, as I'm an avid reader and always carry a crossword puzzle book with me. And, no worry about getting a speeding ticket on a plane!

On my once a year road trip this year, to Oregon, I got a whopper of a speeding ticket on my return in central NV.

It's been years since I drove down to L.A., and last time, heading back, there was an accident on I-15 around Baker, in the heat of the summer, all traffic came to a halt, for 1-2 hours, roasting in the desert, waiting for the helicopters to haul the victims away, and the time spent cleaning up the debris on the freeway! That was my last trip by car to L.A.!

And who would want to get away from Minneapolis and face a long drive to Chicago or Milwaukee and back rather than opt to fly down there in an hour!!!