Twin Cities' Character (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Ramsey: appointed, apartment complex, co-ops)

[alexelise]

I currently live in Boston and, as much as I love it, I have decided that it is time for a change and I want to move somewhere new in the US. Minneapolis/St. Paul is on my list even though I have never been there. Before I spend $400 to fly out there to check it out, maybe some residents can help me out...

One very important quality of life issue for me is living in a city with a lot of character. One thing I love about Boston (and DC, Portland Or, etc) is that there are a lot of older homes and a lot of independantly owned businesses. I went to Atlanta a few times this year and as much as I loved visiting I could never live there because I felt like the city was one big development - so many identical apartments and homes and tons of huge chains throughout the city. Being a native New Englander I can't see myself living in a place like that. Boston wasn't a planned city so there are lots of narrow, one-way streets which of course make driving difficult and old triple deckers that may be falling apart but I would take that over an apartment complex and a 6 lane overpass any day.

So, on a scale of Atlanta to Boston where would the Twin Cities fall as far as character goes? Are there small restaurants, independant bookstores, and quirky buildings? Does the city have personality? I know there are big literary and arts scenes - how visible are they? Is there public art & nice (read: interesting) architecture? When you drive are you on huge highways or smaller streets?

Lots of questions! Thanks!

[greyduk]

The cities themselves, especially St. Paul, would probably be perfect for you. a 15-20 minute drive in any direction however, and you'll probably feel like you're back in Atlanta, development-wise. Minneapolis has a younger, quirkier style to it, and St. Paul an older, more reserved character. St. Paul will probably aesthetically remind you more of a New England city, but the nightlife for the most part moves west into Minneapolis.

Hope some of that made sense.

[MplsTodd]

I agree with Greyduk. The Twin Cities probably slot themselves evenly between the historic character of Boston and the suburban sprawl of Atlanta. I lived in New Jersey for 5 years (outside NYC) and really enjoyed the greater sense of history out east. The level of history is less in the midwest, particularly the upper midwest. Despite that, one thing I really like about both Minneapolis and St Paul are the large number of strong and interesting neighborhoods within the city limits. St Paul is more historic and more evocative of Boston (especially Ramsey/Cathedral Hill and Summit Avenue), while Minneapolis feels much bigger and is more recreational oriented (having a great system of biking/roller blading/jogging trails along the lakes, river and Minnehaha Creek). The cities are good compliments to one another.

If you read other threads on these pages you'd probably get a good idea as to what neighborhoods are of most interest to you. But I'd offer the following:

Minneapolis:
Uptown/Lyn-Lake: lots of interesting shops and restaurants, a few used bookshops, several theaters (including Jungle Theater/Bryant-Lake Bowl) and movie theaters.
S. Lyndale Ave: Between Franklin and 28th St(where Lyn-Lake starts) is an interesting mix of bars/restaurants/coffeehouses and shops mixed in with houses. It lacks the density of places out east, but there's a great collection of places here.
Linden Hills: at 43rd & Upton: a very family oriented neighborhood, but its the kind of family thats eco-concious and shops at co-ops etc...
Eat Street: S. Nicollet from 24th to 28th St: lots of ethnic restaurants--I like Peninsula (Malaysian) or Black Forest (German)

I could go on in detail, but there are many more areas to check out elsewhere in both cities.

The Twin Cities are a great place to live!

[akbound08]

the twin citys do have some character, but if you want to live someplace with older homes and small buisness plus character try looking in duluth. it has tons of history, big and small buisness, lots of diversity, and in my experiance is more "minnesota nice" than the twin citys.

[tpk-nyc]

Few American cities have the character of Boston; that's a very high standard. The Twin Cities have a lot going for them, but urban character and street life are not among them. I would argue that it's impossible to compare a pre-automobile city (Boston) with a post-automobile city (Minneapolis).

[MplsTodd]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

Few American cities have the character of Boston; that's a very high standard. The Twin Cities have a lot going for them, but urban character and street life are not among them. I would argue that it's impossible to compare a pre-automobile city (Boston) with a post-automobile city (Minneapolis).

I would debate the claim that Minneapolis is a "post-Automobile City". We're actually more of a street-car city, meaning that the majority of neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St Paul were developed during the period of 1890 - 1930. As a result, we actually have lots of small commercial nodes where major streetcar stops were, which are very walkable. To someone from Boston or New York, we may not have street life or urban character, but compared to a typical post-war suburb, or to many other cities, we have a lot of both. It's all relative.

[tpk-nyc]

Of course it's relative, and Minneapolis has far more character than Atlanta, Phoenix or Las Vegas, but that was not the original question. There are few parts of the country that can compare with the Back Bay or Beacon Hill in Boston. Personally I find San Francisco lacking in architectural character when compared with Boston.

Frankly, it's what I missed when I lived in Minnesota. St. Paul has more character, but it's of a drive-by variety. The cathedral, the Capitol and Summit Avenue are beautiful, but are meant to be viewed from afar; they are not really connected to the fabric of the city. One doesn't casually walk through them like Boston Common or Washington Square in New York.

As I said before, the Cities have a lot to offer, but if you're moving there for an urban character, you're likely to be disappointed.