Indianapolis vs. Minneapolis

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Brssplr

Does one of the TCs have more of a "hip" or artsy vibe to it than the other, or is asking that opening a can-o-worms?

For artsy, it comes down to neighborhood. St. Paul has some really interesting arts activity going on these days, and is benefiting from both the extra money and attention that came with the new Green Line LRT. Artsy being arts activities more so than hipness. Overall I'd say Minneapolis is more "hip," but both cities have their artsy areas.

[one is lonely]

Indy vs. Minny is an interesting comparison. I have in-laws in both, and I visit both about yearly.

Minny wins if urban living is important to you. Although downtown Indy is somewhat competitive with downtown Minny (and beats St. Paul's), it's older neighborhoods offer a much poorer urban experience than what you'll find in the Twin Cities. Though I'd never compare Minny to Chicago or NYC, it's essentially what cities like Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland should be like. There's even light rail!

If urban living isn't as important to you, it's more of a crapshoot. Both have some very nice suburbs. The Mall of America, near Minny, is arguably the top mall in the country. Indy's suburbs, however, have way better weather. The average high in Minny is below freezing for about three straight months. Indy doesn't even have a month where the average high is below freezing. It has a real winter, but it's not quite as extreme.

[uptown_urbanist]

Good point about suburbs versus urban. I can't speak about Indianapolis, specifically, but if one likes suburban living and doesn't go into the urban core very often, I think you can find something just as nice but cheaper and with better weather elsewhere. If you like suburbs and still want to live near a nice city that has decent urban amenities, then the Twin Cities is pretty good because you can find affordable suburbs not too far out. And if you like a more urban lifestyle/neighborhood and a good arts/cultural scene but don't want to pay major city prices, then Minneapolis is a great option.

[Mplsite]

It's basically boils down to: do you want an unsafe suburb (Indy) or a safe city (MPLS)? Even the suburbanites love visiting the city here: quite the opposite of other Midwestern cities. Restaurant references are one barometer and are one instance where I noticed a huge difference between suburbanites here vs back in the Bus, since over here a good deal more suburbanites know some great local restaurants (and bars) in the city you wouldn't expect them to back there. Over there, co-workers Downtown only knew of chain restaurants: not the awesome Venezuelan joint just a handful of blocks north that makes mouthwatering arepas or the kitschy hot dog joint that sells funnel cake, $2 schlitz, and has an Ohio-centric jukebox. I'm guessing Indy's a lot like its neighbor in this regard. Columbus also easily bests Indy's urban neighborhoods, but MPLS offers many more exponentially just as the Bus does compared to Indy. If all you want is tract housing and chain restaurants though, I can't see why you wouldn't go with a milder climate that offers the same four seasons. I find it baffling the vast majority of the metro here lives in generic sprawl you could have anywhere else, but choose to have the exact same boring things with the coldest winters around these parts.

[moha200]

I lived in indy for ten years bt now living in mnpls'' I like both cities bt I prefer mnpls just bcz I live here and I got a lot of family indy is nice area less crime rate than mnpls bt their is alot of opportunities here in twin city than the Hoosier bt I hv to say indy cost of living is cheaper so I say go colts