Young Parents Moving from Texas to Minneapolis around University (Richfield: for rent, house) - Twin Cities - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Isaysos · 07-16-2009, 02:46 PM

Keep in mind that the weather up by Bemidji and northern Minnesota is cooler and can be quite a bit different that the weather in Soutehrn Minnesota where the Twin Cities are located. Today as an example, 50's in northern Minnesota, 70's in southern Minnesota (granted this is a good 10 to 20 degrees cooler than what it usually is this time of year) Burrr. Be sure to bring some of that Texas heat with you so we can at least get back to normal.

LQQKOUT · 07-16-2009, 03:03 PM

Do you like -20 or -30 below? My daughter lives in New Ulm, MN and it is brutal. When I visit I go in the summer. Now I know why the houses are cheap and people have summer homes there and flee in the winter.

Cruz Azul Guy · 07-16-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegmamamegan

Thank you for all the very helpful advice. Yeah 900/month is way out of our price range. What is minimum wage there, does that vary from state to state? Right now in Texas I think it's like 6.55.

Yes, minimum wage varies from state to state. However, the on July 24th the federal minimum wage will be increasing to $7.25 so both Minnesota and Texas will have that as their minimum wage. At that point only a few states will be above the federal level.

Camden Northsider · 07-16-2009, 03:24 PM

I agree with the other suggestions to check out the Fargo-Moorhead area (and schools around there) as you will find the cost of living a lot lower and some real solid universities that I don't believe are too restrictive academically speaking.

Another school that hasn't been mentioned yet is my own alma mater- the University of Minnesota- Morris (www.mrs.umn.edu)...this would an hour/two closer to frazee than the cities. It's a public college of about 2000 kids but in a small town of about 4000- very diverse student body for a college of its size (at least was when I was there- I had several friends from Houston) and was cheaper than the Main Campus when I went to school there. Plus, unlike the cities, there is generally a good amount of public housing available in Morris if you are looking to go that route (which a lot of students there do, esp. if they have a family- it's not the easiest to find good jobs there).

It has an excellent academic reputation, some argue that it has a better undergrad rep than the main campus (and it consistently ranks very high in national lists for best college value, best public liberal arts college, etc.). Its known for being pretty ultra-liberal (if that's of any concern to you or not) and there are no sororities/frats there. And although it might be tough to get into if your SAT scores are below-par for the U of M's main campus, Morris does have a big focus on having a diverse student body and representation of kids from all over the country and they also seemed to really like non-traditional students (persons that didn't go right into college) as well. So, I think it would be worth a try if you're at all interested.

Downsides of Fargo-Moorhead and Morris areas- in the winter they're about 10 degrees colder on average than the twin cities, and they probably stay frozen for a week or two longer. Other than that, nice areas to live and good schools if you can hack a somewhat isolated, rural feel (moreso in Morris, though than in Fargo or Moorhead).

Good luck-

vegmamamegan · 07-16-2009, 07:15 PM

Thank you for all the wonderful advice! I will be sure to bring some Texas heat with me but not too much, it was 102 today and is staying that way tomorrow as well! Since I've took my SAT I have also 1)graduate high school 2) took some college classes at a community college and it is too late to register for fall semester so I will have time to retake and score higher to get in (I was not too far off) I am checking out the link right now. I'm sure if everyone else can deal with the cold we can learn to live too.

vegmamamegan · 07-16-2009, 07:17 PM

Oh wow! They have my dream major in environmental studies. I'm hooked!!

vegmamamegan · 07-16-2009, 07:43 PM

Could you tell me more personal experience at this campus? It's like my dream college! I already looked up that I can retake my SATs in October but I can't seem to find on the website if they accept new students for spring semester? They have the on-campus apartments that look nice and I saw it said if you have "life experience" (maybe having a baby at 17 qualifies me for that?) you could be considered for the apartments as a freshmnan.

uptown_urbanist · 07-16-2009, 09:30 PM

Morris has a great reputation, especially for things relating to the environment.

golfgal · 07-17-2009, 05:08 AM

Morris is very much like a small, private college. It is in a pretty small town so don't expect a lot of nightlife, but with a baby to take care of that probably isn't an issue. It is a nice campus but it clears out on the weekends so expect it to be very quite. It is fairly selective so your grades need to be pretty good and you need to have good test scores. Many schools in MN prefer the ACT, not that they don't accept the SAT, but the ACT tests in more areas (science, math, English and Writing). I am sure if they have room they accept spring registrations but having housing space might be an issue.

NumberPlate · 07-21-2009, 02:39 PM

You wont feel bad about cold after your first winter. Once you are used to the cold when summer comes you will feel horrible heat. Even 80s will feel too hot. So you will get used to the weather. Dont worry. We have all 4 seasons. And kids will love it. And U of M is one great place to study.