Mpls vs. Denver (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth: sales, neighbourhoods, theater)

[sunnyc]

Considering a move to either MN or CO. While I have not spent much time in either, I have heard wonderful things about both. Would anyone be able to offer any major differences one would experience in choosing one versus the other? People, weather, etc. Thank you in advance.

[wil45]

Originally Posted by sunnyc

Considering a move to either MN or CO. While I have not spent much time in either, I have heard wonderful things about both. Would anyone be able to offer any major differences one would experience in choosing one versus the other? People, weather, etc. Thank you in advance.

I currently have lived in Denver for the past 5 years and have lived in Mpls for 13 years and am a native of Mn. I find the weather more comfortable in Denver and the winters are milder and sunnier. I do miss the people in Mpls and generally find them better educated and more liberal. There's still a bit of "cowboy" mentality here in Denver. However, it's a somewhat younger feeling city than Mpls and is growing alot. Mpls has a much better infrastucture in terms of freeways and getting around the city. Denver has a much higher latino population and it's growing rapidly. Are thinking of living in a metro area?

[sunnyc]

Sounds like the weather is nicer in Denver period? When you lived in MN did you find the humidity very uncomfortable? I am hoping to choose between the two cities, and plan to live in the suburbs. Is it true there are fewer bugs in Denver?

[chilaili]

I lived in MN for 10 years and then moved to Denver nearly 3 years ago. I never minded the humidity in MN, it was the bitter cold and seemingly endless Winters that got me down, altho MN is extremely well prepared for that. I think the standard of living are comparable between the 2 states, but I do miss having easy access to things like the Art Institute, the river and lakes, older neighbourhoods like Grand Ave or Uptown. I live north of Denver so a visit to the art museum is about a 40-minute drive. I also miss having no sales tax on clothes! The Winters are milder here but the Summers can get hot with very low humidity which requires lots of moisturiser, drinking water and chapstick. I think Coloradoans are a bit easier to make friends with and less clique-y but Minnesotans will eventually open up to you - give it about 5 years . I agree about the public transport in TC and I haven't even noticed any bugs here.

The great thing about CO is that you have the mountains to look at all day. Whether you're a hiker/climber/biker or not, they are always there and I love being able to jump in the car at any time and be in the mountains in under 20 minutes.

[Katiana]

Have never lived in MN, but my DD went to college at St. Olaf. Have lived in the Denver area for 28 yrs. I never visited DD in the dead of winter, but I loved it in the spring and fall.

Denver's winters are definitely milder. Summers can be very hot. 100 degrees is not uncommon, happens almost every summer. I don't know if there is more to "do" in one city or the other.

[Astron1000]

Surely, you are not going to base your decision to live in another part of the country on "bugs???"

Denver is very nice, and if I had to move to a smaller city, Denver would be on my short list. Minneapolis/St.Paul (population 3.5 million) is much bigger than Denver (population 2.4 million) and generally provides a larger variety of options.

There are reasons for that.

[MplsTodd]

I've lived in Minneapolis most of my life, but have visited Denver numerous times. I think both metro areas are towards the top of best quality of life in the nation, so you really can't go wrong. Some of the variations between Mpls-St. Paul and Denver include:

Weather: Mpls has more severe winters (but is well built for it--e.g. skyways in Dwtn), while Denver is hotter and dryer in the summer (bring moisturizer). Denver is sunnier, though Mpls is certainly sunnier than most Midwest cities like Chicago or Cleveland.

Parks: Both cities have arguably the best park systems in the nation. Both cities are excellent for biking (Minneapolis was the birthplace for rollerblading).

Landscape: Minneapolis is known for its lakes, plus has several rivers (Mississippi and the nearby Minnesota and St. Croix), plus scenic Minnehaha Creek, so its a great city if you like water.

Denver of course has the Rockies

Economy: Minneapolis has a very diversified economy which traditionally has experienced solid growth, whereas Denver's economy has been more prone to boom-bust periods. However, Denver's economy has likely been improving lately due to its concentration of energy firms.

Culture: I'd give Mpls a nod for this as it has a very well established music scene, theater scene and lots of national class museums (MIA, Walker Art Ctr, Weisman). Denver probably isn't too far behind though!

Anyway, it all depends on what you want. In my book, both metros offer a lot

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

I've lived in Minneapolis most of my life, but have visited Denver numerous times. I think both metro areas are towards the top of best quality of life in the nation, so you really can't go wrong. Some of the variations between Mpls-St. Paul and Denver include:

Weather: Mpls has more severe winters (but is well built for it--e.g. skyways in Dwtn), while Denver is hotter and dryer in the summer (bring moisturizer). Denver is sunnier, though Mpls is certainly sunnier than most Midwest cities like Chicago or Cleveland.

Parks: Both cities have arguably the best park systems in the nation. Both cities are excellent for biking (Minneapolis was the birthplace for rollerblading).

Landscape: Minneapolis is known for its lakes, plus has several rivers (Mississippi and the nearby Minnesota and St. Croix), plus scenic Minnehaha Creek, so its a great city if you like water.

Denver of course has the Rockies

Economy: Minneapolis has a very diversified economy which traditionally has experienced solid growth, whereas Denver's economy has been more prone to boom-bust periods. However, Denver's economy has likely been improving lately due to its concentration of energy firms.

Denver's economy is telecom/IT based. Someone is always getting laid off. My friend's DH just got laid off today.

Culture: I'd give Mpls a nod for this as it has a very well established music scene, theater scene and lots of national class museums (MIA, Walker Art Ctr, Weisman). Denver probably isn't too far behind though!

DD thought Denver and Mpls very much the same culturally. I don't know if Denver's museums are "national class", but the Denver Art Museum, The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, etc, are all very good. We have a professional symphony, ballet, etc. We have a tax to support the above plus arts in the burbs. The Denver Public Library has a large collection of western history that is supposed to be superb.
Anyway, it all depends on what you want. In my book, both metros offer a lot

One negative about Denver is that it is very isolated. The closest cities are Albuquerque, NM, Omaha, and Salt Lake City, all 450-550 miles away.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Katiana

One negative about Denver is that it is very isolated. The closest cities are Albuquerque, NM, Omaha, and Salt Lake City, all 450-550 miles away.

That isn't that much different from the Twin Cities, really. Chicago, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Kansas City, and perhaps a few smaller cities are all about the same distance away. Madison, Rochester, and Duluth are closer, as it Sioux Falls, but those are all quite a bit smaller then the Twin Cities.

[What!]

Hey, if you ever wanted to get outta Minneapolis Chicago is just six hours away. And yeah, Denver is very isolated. There were times when I was tired of Minneapolis so I planned a vacation to Milwaukee or Chicago and left. Even if it was for the weekend I could go just by driving. Most people might find my way of vacationing a bit odd though.

But the real downside to Denver is that it is isolated (someone said that already). What is close? Topeka, Kansas? Euuurgh, no thank you. Albuqurque (sp?). It might work for some people but not me. Oklahoma? Yikes. Well.......I could always drive to Vegas, but I'd have to go through Utah to get there. And we all know what a fun experience that would be

But yeah, our winters do suck, and Denver is warmer. But in this thread natives talk about how the weather is actually kind of worse than Minnesota's weather in some ways.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/denve...e-weather.html

Here in Minneapolis we know it is going to be cold and prepare for it. Denver weather is pretty erratic though. Check out wikipedia and other sources to read about Colorado weather.

Lastly, yes, many Minnesota people are cliquish. But that is mainly surburban people. Yes, they can be cliquish in the cities but it isn't impossible to make friends.

Hope I helped. Good luck choosing.