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I would say my biggest complaint is the walkability of the suburbs. Very few have "quaint downtowns" and most of them are just several shopping plazas amongst homes and schools.
And I agree with the previous comment that Minneapolis's physical distance from other cities is a drawback. I find myself getting cabin fever.
I would say my biggest complaint is the walkability of the suburbs. Very few have "quaint downtowns" and most of them are just several shopping plazas amongst homes and schools.
And I agree with the previous comment that Minneapolis's physical distance from other cities is a drawback. I find myself getting cabin fever.
Agreed that we lack suburbs with quaint walkable downtowns. We have a few, but they are not as prevalent as they are in some older metro areas.
Hand in hand with that, the suburbs lack mom and pop restaurants as well. It's almost exclusively chains here, which I know many associate with the burbs, but that's not necessarily the case in some other cities like Atlanta, or New York for instance. In my childhood, many of the best local restaurants we're run by immigrant families working a hole in the wall operation. No one got pizza at pizza hut or dominos, you went to the local pizza joint run by Italians. Likewise, going to a Jimmy John's would have been blasphemy, you went to the deli run by the Lebanese woman.
1. We are only around 400 miles away from Chicago. I would feel better if we were around 600, better yet, 1000.
2. Crime is too low here. Makes us soft.
3. Schools are too good. Not enough adversity.
4. Health care too good. What are we going to do with the old people?
5. Too many Transplants are coming here. Their always wanting to change things.
6. Winter. Not cold enough.
7. Well run city governments. Hate those guys.
8. No toll booths. We need those.
9. Not enough wind here. we need more.
10.Zombie pub crawls are scheduled too infrequently.
If you are not trolling, my pet peeves with this area and Minnesota in general.
1. Weather exaggeration. We don't get as much snow as buffalo, we are not as cold as Winnipeg, and our winters are not as long as Nome, Alaska. Just because you don't like the winter or can't handle cold weather, doesn't mean you need to exaggerate the amount of snow, how cold it gets, or the length of winter. That rare weather event is not the norm.
Furthermore, Minneapolis, because of the city effect, is one of the warmer areas in Minnesota.
2. Rural (I grew up there) Minnesota complaining about all the money being spent on the cities. Be honest and research this before you complain about all the money being spent here because when you break it down, more is being spent per person in "Greater Minnesota" than in the Twin Cities Metro.
3. People complaining about Minnesota Nice. It is a thing, yes but not to the effect many people like to say. It is not unique to Minneapolis/minnesota. There have been many articles written in different states about the difficulties of new people making friends in other states and other cities( They call it the Seattle freeze in Seattle). Second, in rural areas it can be much tougher than TCM because not only did people go to school together their parents did, and their parent's parent did, etc. Again, not unique to Minnesota . The basic fact is there are transplants who make friends here without as much problem as some people seem to have. I have my pet theory on this but I'll save it for another time.
4. Bicyclist ignoring traffic laws. Yup, cars do it also but in my opinion, Bicyclist are breaking the law more and ride overly aggressive in Minneapolis. Ironically, I am a bike enthusiast and know the temptation to do rolling stops or Idaho stops. Sometimes you don't see everything and can find yourself eating cement or 6 feet under just to save some time. Second, some places a path is not the palindrome. If you share a path with peds, slow down. I'm going to stop because there is more. A Bike does not excuse you from following the law and this is not the small town you grew up in.
5. Density is not destiny. Building quads (or a 4-plex) in Minneapolis may have unintended consequences. Don't be shocked if it doesn't lead to cheaper housing. Learn from the mistakes of Seattle and other cities that failed at this. I like to put myself in other peoples shoes and if i bought a house in Minneapolis in area that was not zoned for this and then the city council decided let's zone it for quads, I would have the pitch fork and torches ready at the door. Instead of a grand vision, think that maybe, just maybe someone moved to that area BECAUSE it was zoned that way. On a side note, I already get annoyed driving the streets of SW Minneapolis with all the cars filling up the not wide enough streets. I know, let's build quads!.
6. Politically Minnesota used to be the state of moderates and had a stronger than average Independent party. Now the wings of the party have been unleashed and mirroring the national level of politics. I believe that is what lead to making Minnesota the state it is. I blame the transplants
7. Home ownership is around 72 % (i think it was close to 75% at one point). Instead of trying to create the next renter let's focus on stakeholder. I think home ownership is important for an area because it leads to sober decisions on the local level because your choices have more direct and long term impact as a home owner.
8. MJ should be legal and Hemp should be farmed (other than test plots) in Minnesota. Ironically, hemp might take longer than MJ to become legal. I predict we will be in the middle of pack or late middle of pack to give it a go before it becomes national. DoH, we missed out becoming the midwest leader in this area.
9. Zoning laws can be draconian. I AM NOT advocating for Houstan TX style zoning laws where gas stations and apartment complexes will form your backyard, but I think any law that requires a neighbor's permission should not exist.
10. Transplants without roots and their attitudes. I am always surprised at the number of people who think, when moving to an area, that somehow the people should adapt to them rather than they adapt to their new home. I don't have any scientific evident to back up my next statement, but I feel that we get more than our fair share of transplants who believe we need to make them welcome in their exact way and that because people here are Minnesota Nice, then they should act in some prescribed manner that has no realistic comparison to anywhere else. I will stop there.
Last edited by TheGrandViking; 07-31-2018 at 11:05 AM..
I felt there were more things to do in my college town than the Twin Cities. Also, the residents are not genuinely kind. They care more about "appearing" to be good people than actually being good people. Their real character comes out when they're behind the wheel, which is, scary, dangerous, and an example how they only know how to "model" appropriate behavior - not fundamentally know what appropriate behavior is. Your vehicle is one of the last places you should be releasing all your frustrations, but this is where Minnesotans really like to engage in reckless and aggressive behavior. They are a peculiar people...and not in a good way.
Haha I love this guy.
He is so obsessed with anything Minnesota/Twin Cities, he is pretty much in every thread related to it. The funny part is when he criticizes Minnesota/Twin Cities(Typically with no facts) and a person disagree with him and they back it up with facts. Then, they are too sensitive is his reply.
It is a good tactic, spew whatever BS you want and everybody should agree. And if you disagree your a homer.
You right man the Twin Cities has nothing to do, it is farm town!
7. Home ownership is around 72 % (i think it was close to 75% at one point). Instead of trying to create the next renter let's focus on stakeholder. I think home ownership is important for an area because it leads to sober decisions on the local level because your choices have more direct and long term impact as a home owner.
Maybe this isn't the thread for it, but this is a great point. The "Minneapolis 2040" plan may be proposed with the best of intentions, but the unintended consequences could be pretty bad. But as much as we love to talk about "affordable housing", why not try breaking the cycle by providing easier access to home ownership for more families, especially families of color (without predatory lending, of course; we've already seen how that goes).
Anywho, for the OP: I'd say the majority of Minneapolis' "flaws" are the same flaws pretty much every city in America has, just to a lesser degree. The biggest one for me is the general lack of "integrated" neighborhoods, culturally/economically speaking (there are exceptions, of course). To me though, this is really closely related to the above point about home ownership. Redlining, restrictive covenants, etc. decades ago have led to a majority of the city's POC being concentrated in one area, and the resulting generational poverty (and resultant crime) is exacerbated by so much of the housing stock being owned by absentee landlords, making it even more of a challenge for people to move up the ladder.
Other than the weather and the traffic, I have no complaints about the Twin Cities whatsoever. However, a few people on this thread did bring up the racial segregation factor. If anyone thinks Minneapolis is segregated, I urge you to PLEASE visit Milwaukee or Chicago. As someone who grew up in Census tracts that are 90%+ black (which do not exist in the Twin Cities), I know what I'm talking about. This city is A LOT more integrated than other major U.S. cities.
This city is A LOT more integrated than other major U.S. cities.
The only reason for this is a lack of critical mass. Milwaukee and Chicago both have a much larger percentage and deeper history with blacks. There is no comparison. The Twin Cities isn't integrated because it chooses to be. It's integrated because not enough black people haven moved there. I actually hope black people start moving to the Twin Cities in droves. It will be amusing to sit back and watch the fireworks.
Other than the weather and the traffic, I have no complaints about the Twin Cities whatsoever. However, a few people on this thread did bring up the racial segregation factor. If anyone thinks Minneapolis is segregated, I urge you to PLEASE visit Milwaukee or Chicago. As someone who grew up in Census tracts that are 90%+ black (which do not exist in the Twin Cities), I know what I'm talking about. This city is A LOT more integrated than other major U.S. cities.
Don't get me wrong, I very much agree (hence my "to a lesser degree" than most other major American cities comment). I used to live in just such an area in another part of the country.
1. We are only around 400 miles away from Chicago. I would feel better if we were around 600, better yet, 1000.
2. Crime is too low here. Makes us soft.
3. Schools are too good. Not enough adversity.
4. Health care too good. What are we going to do with the old people?
5. Too many Transplants are coming here. Their always wanting to change things.
6. Winter. Not cold enough.
7. Well run city governments. Hate those guys.
8. No toll booths. We need those.
9. Not enough wind here. we need more.
10.Zombie pub crawls are scheduled too infrequently.
If you are not trolling, my pet peeves with this area and Minnesota in general.
1. Weather exaggeration. We don't get as much snow as buffalo, we are not as cold as Winnipeg, and our winters are not as long as Nome, Alaska. Just because you don't like the winter or can't handle cold weather, doesn't mean you need to exaggerate the amount of snow, how cold it gets, or the length of winter. That rare weather event is not the norm.
Furthermore, Minneapolis, because of the city effect, is one of the warmer areas in Minnesota.
2. Rural (I grew up there) Minnesota complaining about all the money being spent on the cities. Be honest and research this before you complain about all the money being spent here because when you break it down, more is being spent per person in "Greater Minnesota" than in the Twin Cities Metro.
3. People complaining about Minnesota Nice. It is a thing, yes but not to the effect many people like to say. It is not unique to Minneapolis/minnesota. There have been many articles written in different states about the difficulties of new people making friends in other states and other cities( They call it the Seattle freeze in Seattle). Second, in rural areas it can be much tougher than TCM because not only did people go to school together their parents did, and their parent's parent did, etc. Again, not unique to Minnesota . The basic fact is there are transplants who make friends here without as much problem as some people seem to have. I have my pet theory on this but I'll save it for another time.
4. Bicyclist ignoring traffic laws. Yup, cars do it also but in my opinion, Bicyclist are breaking the law more and ride overly aggressive in Minneapolis. Ironically, I am a bike enthusiast and know the temptation to do rolling stops or Idaho stops. Sometimes you don't see everything and can find yourself eating cement or 6 feet under just to save some time. Second, some places a path is not the palindrome. If you share a path with peds, slow down. I'm going to stop because there is more. A Bike does not excuse you from following the law and this is not the small town you grew up in.
5. Density is not destiny. Building quads (or a 4-plex) in Minneapolis may have unintended consequences. Don't be shocked if it doesn't lead to cheaper housing. Learn from the mistakes of Seattle and other cities that failed at this. I like to put myself in other peoples shoes and if i bought a house in Minneapolis in area that was not zoned for this and then the city council decided let's zone it for quads, I would have the pitch fork and torches ready at the door. Instead of a grand vision, think that maybe, just maybe someone moved to that area BECAUSE it was zoned that way. On a side note, I already get annoyed driving the streets of SW Minneapolis with all the cars filling up the not wide enough streets. I know, let's build quads!.
6. Politically Minnesota used to be the state of moderates and had a stronger than average Independent party. Now the wings of the party have been unleashed and mirroring the national level of politics. I believe that is what lead to making Minnesota the state it is. I blame the transplants
7. Home ownership is around 72 % (i think it was close to 75% at one point). Instead of trying to create the next renter let's focus on stakeholder. I think home ownership is important for an area because it leads to sober decisions on the local level because your choices have more direct and long term impact as a home owner.
8. MJ should be legal and Hemp should be farmed (other than test plots) in Minnesota. Ironically, hemp might take longer than MJ to become legal. I predict we will be in the middle of pack or late middle of pack to give it a go before it becomes national. DoH, we missed out becoming the midwest leader in this area.
9. Zoning laws can be draconian. I AM NOT advocating for Houstan TX style zoning laws where gas stations and apartment complexes will form your backyard, but I think any law that requires a neighbor's permission should not exist.
10. Transplants without roots and their attitudes. I am always surprised at the number of people who think, when moving to an area, that somehow the people should adapt to them rather than they adapt to their new home. I don't have any scientific evident to back up my next statement, but I feel that we get more than our fair share of transplants who believe we need to make them welcome in their exact way and that because people here are Minnesota Nice, then they should act in some prescribed manner that has no realistic comparison to anywhere else. I will stop there.
I agree with many (not all) of your points but especially, #s 3 and 4. When you as a transplant moves here, it's not my job to find you friends. Any more so than I would expect a New Yorker to find me friends if I moved to NYC. And no, I am not still friends with my high school or college buddies. I have made new friends throughout my adult life as my life and interested have changed.
Re. bicyclists, maybe it's the same everywhere but we have created a sub culture here that acts entitled and is always angry. They ride on the sidewalks, endangering me as a pedestrian. (It IS illegal, but the cops just turn the other way). They blow through stop signs and stop lights and on occasion, it costs them their life and puts undeserved guilt on the motorist they hit. They scream at drivers and flip them off for the slightest infraction--at times not even the motorist's fault. Just on Sunday, I was driving on E. Hennepin. An angry cyclist hit the cross walk lights. The cars in front of me did not stop, but I did. He grumped his way through the crosswalk, all the while screaming at the cars that had passed. As I then went to move forward, another bicyclist who was behind me just cut out into the intersection as if she was the only person on the road. I honked at her and angry bicyclist and the huge chip on his shoulder assumed I was honking at him and went all ballistic and foul mouthed on me. The city would be better off without the bike sub culture that previous politicians like Rybak fostered and coddled.
I agree with many (not all) of your points but especially, #s 3 and 4. When you as a transplant moves here, it's not my job to find you friends. Any more so than I would expect a New Yorker to find me friends if I moved to NYC. And no, I am not still friends with my high school or college buddies. I have made new friends throughout my adult life as my life and interested have changed.
Re. bicyclists, maybe it's the same everywhere but we have created a sub culture here that acts entitled and is always angry. They ride on the sidewalks, endangering me as a pedestrian. (It IS illegal, but the cops just turn the other way). They blow through stop signs and stop lights and on occasion, it costs them their life and puts undeserved guilt on the motorist they hit. They scream at drivers and flip them off for the slightest infraction--at times not even the motorist's fault. Just on Sunday, I was driving on E. Hennepin. An angry cyclist hit the cross walk lights. The cars in front of me did not stop, but I did. He grumped his way through the crosswalk, all the while screaming at the cars that had passed. As I then went to move forward, another bicyclist who was behind me just cut out into the intersection as if she was the only person on the road. I honked at her and angry bicyclist and the huge chip on his shoulder assumed I was honking at him and went all ballistic and foul mouthed on me. The city would be better off without the bike sub culture that previous politicians like Rybak fostered and coddled.
a big problem with bikes has to do with how quick they can be, something could be done to slow them down. If they had really big wheels, they would not be so quick and would provide more visibility. They're also too quiet and tend to sneak up on you. Installing a bell thing like we had on the handlebars and ringing it whenever approaching an intersection would be the way to go....riiiiing.....riiiing!
also, you don't see enough tandem bicycles. They should limit those bike lanes to high occupancy bicyclists.
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