How do Twin Citites differ from the rest of the state? (Minneapolis: hotels, big house)

[LittleMathYou]

Being the most urban area in the state, and one of the most in the Midwest, are there any personality differences between those who live in Mpls/STP then those who live out in Big Lake, for example? There for sure seems to be a slight political difference, as well as general age. What do you think?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by LittleMathYou

Being the most urban area in the state, and one of the most in the Midwest, are there any personality differences between those who live in Mpls/STP then those who live out in Big Lake, for example? There for sure seems to be a slight political difference, as well as general age. What do you think?

I think that there are often huge differences between folks who live in the Twin Cities and those who do not.

Of course, there are also some pretty large differences between folks in the northern part of the state (lots of Swedes and Finns) and folks in the south (lots more Germans). And folks in the same town. And folks in different parts of the Twin Cities (normal people and cake eaters).

[uptown_urbanist]

It's an interesting question. I don't necessarily think that the difference are between the Twin Cities as a whole and outstate; many people in the Twin Cities are from smaller towns and cities and would prefer to live there, but ended up in the Twin Cities due to work or school. If you're looking at differences (personality or others) between areas of Minnesota then I think you need to somehow factor in the significant differences to be found between the core cities (and inner suburbs) and the exurbs; you can see the differences when you look at political bent, for example, and certainly as far as core personality types go I think you'll find differences between those who live in the suburbs (especially the outer ring) versus those living in the city. That doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of similiarities, too (and I have plenty of family and friends who live fairly far out, and we share plenty of things in common), but certainly my preference for city living is a core part of my personality. I know others who live in small towns or rural areas, and their preference for that is equally part of their personality. (I sometimes dream about living in a small town or on a farm, but ultimately realize that I'm happier living in a city and visiting the country, just as many others are happier living somewhere smaller or rural and visiting the city)

I'm not sure about the age thing, though. I don't know enough about MN demographic trends to comment, and especially not about Big Lake; I know that in many parts of the country small towns are losing younger people due to limited job opportunities, so maybe that's happening in small towns in MN, too. The cities have a broad range of ages, although some neighborhoods skew younger or older than others.

In general, in recent years, I believe the nationwide trend is for political and cultural differences to fall more along city/suburb/rural lines (and by economic class, which is also heavily segregated in the way people live these days) than it is to be divided by region or other more historically traditional parameters.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by LittleMathYou

Being the most urban area in the state, and one of the most in the Midwest, are there any personality differences between those who live in Mpls/STP then those who live out in Big Lake, for example? There for sure seems to be a slight political difference, as well as general age. What do you think?

I work downtown, live in the burbs now, and visit small town fairly often. The biggest thing see as a difference is pace of life. I lived in Minneapolis for a dozen years too. Living in a small town, things don't change as fast. Little things like going to work, grocery shopping etc don't take as long either. Now that I am in the burbs, I see many people that have very tight schedules and a lot of activities planned. Just is not as much time to "do nothing".

A fair number of small town people avoid the cities or at least feel intimidated by one thing or another like driving in heavy traffic, the possibility of getting lost, ending up in the wrong place etc.

Small town people seem to feel more secure and safe. I know many places where people leave keys in the car and never lock the house. They just don't worry about that stuff. Not saying there is never any problems, but that seems to be a perception that is shared by many.

I think politics are mixed and not so much an issue of small town vs big town, but there are a few places in the state that you see bands of red or blue. Iron range is known for DFL loyalty, but it seems a different flavor than the urban DFL more focused on Labor and Unions than liberalism in general.

The metro area has a lot of people that came from small towns all over the place. Some come looking for jobs, other want excitement and some follow friends or family here. It is interesting to hear how people ended up where they are.

I was shore fishing up in crosby and a local boy was sitting next to me. He went on and on for over an hour about "cidiots" and all the stupid stuff they do. He finally asked where I was from and I told him Minneapolis, and it was pretty funny to see the look on his face.

I have spent time in quite a few places around the state. I have to say they have a few differences, but people seem have similar core values.

[awsun1980]

I'm currently stuck out in the BOONIES in Hanover if anyone even knows where that is. I moved back home here a few months ago & needed a place to live until I can get on my feet. I think there is a huge difference between the small towns (like this one) the 'burbs & the city. I notice it every time I go to Minneapolis (which I can't wait to move to, by the way.)

People in the small towns & 'burbs are all about their big houses, big families & big cars. They're ALL the same. I don't know anyone who is single & has their own home around here. It is SO annoying. I hate living out here. I have no interest in this lifestyle. And I agree with the previous poster who said the pace of life--slower in the small towns, faster in the city.

Wish me luck on getting out of this small town!!

[bcgr]

Lived in Duluth my entire life and notice huge differences between people from the cities and outside the cities. I think of the cities as pretty rich, pricey, rather rude, and traffic jams everywhere. Whenever I'm there I don't know where I am and everything looks brand-new. I've rarely have seen an old rusty car there. The places looks very hip, especially when I'm downtown (which is rare). I've found people from the cities to be generally rather annoying, I've met some that seem to think the cities is Minnesota. I especially hate reading stuff about how "true Minnesotans" go "up north" on trips and other such terms and things as if nobody lives lives here or that this place is merely a vacation spot. I, on the other hand, usually go south on trips. And the extra traffic, especially on Fridays, is very annoying, especially since cities tourists don't usually know Duluth's roads well. The cities are pretty much the only place in MN I wouldn't consider living in, too pricey to live there and don't much care for a lot of the people: too hip, liberal, and flashy.

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I don't necessarily think that the difference are between the Twin Cities as a whole and outstate; many people in the Twin Cities are from smaller towns and cities and would prefer to live there, but ended up in the Twin Cities due to work or school. If you're looking at differences (personality or others) between areas of Minnesota then I think you need to somehow factor in the significant differences to be found between the core cities (and inner suburbs) and the exurbs; you can see the differences when you look at political bent, for example, and certainly as far as core personality types go I think you'll find differences between those who live in the suburbs (especially the outer ring) versus those living in the city...

I think this paragraph shows the differences between twin citieans and the rest of us in a small way: the terms used are different. No one here refers to anywhere in MN as "outstate," only different states; Iowa is outstate, Hibbing isn't. Also no one outside of the cities usually refers to the Twin Cities as the Twin Cities; it's the cities. No one can distinguish the parts very much, at most it's between downtown and the suburbs, but they aren't usually distinguished.

Originally Posted by Clifford63

A fair number of small town people avoid the cities or at least feel intimidated by one thing or another like driving in heavy traffic, the possibility of getting lost, ending up in the wrong place etc.

Yep, I do that and I'm not even from a small town.

Originally Posted by Clifford63

Iron range is known for DFL loyalty, but it seems a different flavor than the urban DFL more focused on Labor and Unions than liberalism in general.

[Duluth07]

It's changed a lot in the last decade. I would have said that rural versus urban Minnesota (Minneapolis/St Paul/Duluth) all have distinct characteristics that attract certain kinds of people, but now it's all changed. I know of many young people in small towns who would have moved to either Duluth or Minneapolis before, but now they don't have enough money to even leave their hometown - at the same time I live in Duluth and am seeing a lot of people who can no longer afford Minneapolis rents arriving here, because it is cheaper to live in Duluth but there are not as many jobs here.

When I lived in Minneapolis I lived right downtown and most of the people I knew were not from Minnesota, they were from Denver, Houston, Cleveland or another big city and were simply here to utilize their MBA or get their foot in the door with whatever company was headquartered downtown. Then in two or three years they would move on to Seattle or Chicago, etc. There does seem to be a big difference between Minneapolis and, say, Duluth in terms of wealth and visible poverty. Minneapolis has been very successful in keeping their downtown looking new, clean and upscale; even the Greyhound Bus Depot and the homeless service agencies are in clean, renovated buildings. In downtown Duluth you see street people, hookers; you still have the old 'hotels' where people live - in Minneapolis you have places like the Chambers Hotel that used to be the Fairmont which was similar to what you'd see in downtown Duluth. I think the biggest difference is the amount of education and income required to live in Minneapolis (I know the 'Twin Cities' includes much more than just downtown Minneapolis) because the cost of living (comfortably) requires at least a masters-level edcuation in a field that has some jobs available! The Twin Cities has a very high-educated workforce, which is good, but it also means that the competition for those jobs is going to be tough - it's not enough to walk in and say you have a masters degree from a good school because the other people have that too, plus ten years of experience working on projects and management.

[Ben Around]

Personality-wise, not so much, at least compared to people from Milwaukee vs. rural WI, people from Chicago vs. rural IL, people from St Louis vs. rural MO, people from NYC, Buffalo or other large cities in NY State, or people from Detroit vs. the rest of MI. I think it's probably because the TC has large numbers of people from outstate who have moved here over the years, as opposed to the aforementioned cities, which have had proportionally less in-migration.

[ozzie679]

Most of the people that I know in the TC are originally from the Outstate or one generation removed. So they are very aware of rural MN.

That being said, here are some generalizations that I have about the TC v Outstate people. TC people are:

More stylish
Better looking
Much more physically fit!!
Wealthier
More confident
More liberal
Friendlier
More curious about people
They have more neighborhood pride
Better drivers (not by choice)

[LittleMathYou]

Originally Posted by bcgr

Lived in Duluth my entire life and notice huge differences between people from the cities and outside the cities. I think of the cities as pretty rich, pricey, rather rude, and traffic jams everywhere. Whenever I'm there I don't know where I am and everything looks brand-new. I've rarely have seen an old rusty car there. The places looks very hip, especially when I'm downtown (which is rare). I've found people from the cities to be generally rather annoying, I've met some that seem to think the cities is Minnesota. I especially hate reading stuff about how "true Minnesotans" go "up north" on trips and other such terms and things as if nobody lives lives here or that this place is merely a vacation spot. I, on the other hand, usually go south on trips. And the extra traffic, especially on Fridays, is very annoying, especially since cities tourists don't usually know Duluth's roads well. The cities are pretty much the only place in MN I wouldn't consider living in, too pricey to live there and don't much care for a lot of the people: too hip, liberal, and flashy.


I think this paragraph shows the differences between twin citieans and the rest of us in a small way: the terms used are different. No one here refers to anywhere in MN as "outstate," only different states; Iowa is outstate, Hibbing isn't. Also no one outside of the cities usually refers to the Twin Cities as the Twin Cities; it's the cities. No one can distinguish the parts very much, at most it's between downtown and the suburbs, but they aren't usually distinguished.


Yep, I do that and I'm not even from a small town.

Hahaha, Republican.
But honestly, I could never really consider moving to Duluth. That city is dead. I don't think I could ever live anywhere outside of the TC actually.