Please help! (Minneapolis, Rochester, Austin: apartment, neighborhood, school)

[MangoCeylon]

Hi everyone,

I am going to be graduating from nursing school in about 6 weeks. I am currently in upstate NY for school, but originally from northern CA. I don't want to go back to CA because I can't really afford to live there anymore. I am single, in my early 30s, and hoping to make some good friends wherever I move. One of my main goals (besides getting a job at an awesome hospital!) is to start a family soon, so I need to move somewhere that has a decent amount of single men in my age range.

So... I heard Minneapolis and Raleigh-Durham NC have a good number of single people, and based on the research I've done, they have great hospitals. Now I need to decide which one to choose!

Here are some important issues for me:
WEATHER: I prefer cold weather to hot. I've actually really enjoyed the winter and the snow here in Binghamton NY, but the humid summer in the mid-90s was awful! I really don't like humidity. I've heard that both Minneapolis and Raleigh are really humid over the summer.
WATER: I truly LOVE anything to do with water, such as swimming, floating, wading, skiing, boating, rafting. I love lakes, rivers, oceans, streams... puddles! ;]
ATMOSPHERE: I want to live in a downtown area. I would like to leave my apartment and have people walking around, on the sidewalks. In the 'burbs it seems like so many people drive to go to a cafe two blocks away!. I like a city feel with a kind attitude.
PRICE: I know Minneapolis' cost of living is quite a bit more expensive than Raleigh's, right? But are the salaries reflective of that? I have not gotten information from hospital recruiters yet about pay.
HOSPITALS: There are several hospitals in both cities that look great. I am interested in eventually working in an Emergency Dept or in Pediatrics. Duke hospital and Univ of North Carolina hospital seem great in NC. MN Children's and Regions hospital sound great in MN. I would absolutely LOVE to work at the Mayo Clinic, but Rochester MN seems more like a family community rather than a place to meet a future husband! LOL
MOSQUITOES: I can handle any other buzzing, stinging, slithering thing (well, I actually hate roaches too), but I HATE mosquitoes! I got 45 bites on my 1-week vacation in Hawaii last year. My mom only got 4.
FRIENDS: I've heard that it is difficult to make friends in Minneapolis. I do have a friend that lived in the Raleigh area.
SOCIAL SCENE: I lived in the Dallas TX area for 1 year, and noticed that there was a much better social scene there compared to anywhere I'd been in CA. Maybe it was just that people enjoyed going out more... It was an event, and people got dressed up, etc. Many people played on local recreational teams. There were also whole areas in the cities (Dallas, Ft Worth, Austin) almost dedicated to the nightlife. It was really fun. What is it like in Minneapolis and Raleigh?

I know I asked a lot of questions... and if there is any other info you want to give, feel free! I appreciate any help. I have been having a hard time sleeping lately because I just don't know what to do. This is a very big decision, albeit an exciting one!

Thank you,
Darcey

[golfgal]

Well, in MN in the summer you can plan on 45+ mosquito bites/night without repellant but using that you won't get any or very few.

I don't know that I agree with you on everyone in the suburbs drive everywhere because in the evenings you will find families, singles, kids, etc. walking everywhere BUT, the singles scene in the suburbs isn't quite as active.

Nurses start in the $40K range for a larger hospital. Rochester is actually not a bad option for a single person as there are a lot of single people getting jobs at the hospitals, clinic and IBM. In the Twin Cities Metro area nurses are in demand and finding a job will be pretty easy.

Yes, it is hot/humid here in the summer but you get used to it.

One thing I have found on our various moves is any area will have what you want but you have to make that happen. You need to go out, make friends, join groups, etc. No one is going to come knock on your door and instantly become your social scene.

Another thing to think about is you will be working, not in college and the social/night scene isn't going to be as important as it is now.

[Minnehahapolitan]

I'll try to go in the order you gave me.
Minnesota has the most boat owners per capita and mose shore than Hawaii, California and Florida combined. If you like water, this is heaven. I'm like you, don't mind the cold. It will get hot here, but not as often as it is cold. Bush-willing, this trend will reverse. I'm sure it would be much less comfortable in Raliegh in the summer. Minneapolis has a great downtown, the areas surrounding them are high density residential (Loring Park, Elliot Park, Saint Anthony, Warehouse Dist.) Uptown is a convenient area around the lakes, gentrified but fun. Very walkable. Mpls. is more expensive, taxes are higher too. (you usually get what you pay for) That said, I don't know if we are better compensated, maybe, maybe not. A single nurse should be able to have a good apartment in a decent to nice area and enjoy herself. Minn. is better with unions than N.C is. There are alot of hospitals. HCMC is right dtwn, public trauma center. North Memorial on the Northside. Also a trauma center (likely due to its neighborhood) there is a whole complex in the vicinity of 28th and Chicago,( Abbott, Childrens.) University of Minn. and Fairview have a quasi-jointish run hosp. Regions is the trauma center for Saint Paul. Mosquitoes are usually sprayed and are better in the city than the suburbs or outlaying areas. They still are pretty bad. Our apologies. Rochester is a nice town, but it is in no way a socially vibrant or happening place. It is pretty suburban in most areas. The Mayo is their downtown. I hope that answers most basic questions and that you get some sleep. Best of luck on your move
---Minnehahapolitan

[yellowsnow]

Winter can be half the year here. In summer the humidity is as bad as Houston and there are more mosquitos than you can imagine. I have neighbors who mow their yards in bee suits. I don't know if you can really understand unless you live here! If you have to live here, that's one thing and you just make the best of it. People who fish and hunt love it.

One great thing is that nursing is in demand and you can live anywhere. Try out a couple places and see what you like. Your tastes will change over time!

Until I moved here, Winter was my favorite season!

[JenLee]

I'm a nurse, and I PM'ed you info about nursing in this area.

Concerning the weather: 35 years ago I moved south to the Twin Cities and have always enjoyed the weather here; I have yet to see a winter down here last 6 months of the year as Yellowsnow says! We do have humidity here in the summertime, but it's much milder than Memphis' or San Antonio's humidity. It doesn't last long here, and it's the kind of humidity that lets you breathe! (I swear I couldn't breathe the whole time I was in Memphis in the summer!)

We DO have mosquitoes, but I found that when I quit eating bananas they didn't like me nearly as much! Certain foods, clothing, and fragrances all attract mosquitoes, so if you use bug spray and make some modifications you won't attract as many.