Moving from London UK to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Nicollet: middle-class, fit in)

[Desert_dweller01]

Hello everyone I'm a 22 yr old graduate who's been offered a job in Minneapolis area and was wondering about many issues like where to live and so on. I would be working in downtown and wouldnt mind driving to work but would have appreciated if i could take public transport instead as I currently do in London. Culture is very important to me as i speak many languages and lived in many countries and also my grandparents came to Sweden from Somalia and myself been living in London for 6 years. So any info on ethnic restaurants but also where to find details on theaters and festivals and so forth. I would be in the +80k bracket but wouldnt seek a lavish style of living so therefore if anyone can tell me an area(s) that can have as many of these would be greatly appreciated.

Safety,
Non-sprawl area which most american cities are famous for.
Close to public transport
Close to areas who's vibrant in terms of culture and restaurants.
Affordability
Would need a 2b house or apartment, no preference


Thanks in advance

[Desert_dweller01]

Another thing i was wondering about is that as there's so many minnesotans who have a scandinavian heritage do they celebrate it?

[uptown_urbanist]

You'll have a lot of different areas to choose from. I'd suggest looking into the Whittier neighborhood, specifically somewhere within walking distance of "Eat Street;" (a portion of Nicollet Ave); it's a diverse neighborhood, lots of young people, excellent ethnic food options (of all kinds); has good public transportation connections to downtown, is high density, is pretty safe, and relatively affordable. It's also not too far away from Uptown and the lakes, which is another popular neighborhood with decent public transportation, but one that is more expensive and less diverse. Or, you could do the Lyn-Lake area, which is kind of in-between; (centered around the intersection of Lyndale Ave and Lake Street); it overlaps with Whittier neighborhood and could put you within short distance of both core Uptown and Eat Street. Still, I think if I was you I'd initially concentrate on the part of Whittier closer to Nicollet. Oh, one other benefit of Whittier: the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) is located there, which is a great classic art museum. They have a lot of events, too. There are also theaters located in and near the neighborhood.

As to Scandinavian heritage, yes, lots of people celebrate it; there's still a church in Minneapolis that offers services, and (among other things) they host a Syttende Mai parade and party. Sons of Norway has its headquarters in Minneapolis, too. The Swedes have the American Swedish Institute. A lot of the local colleges offer classes in the Scandinavian languages (you can major in Scandinavian Studies at the U of MN), and you can buy lefse, gjetost, and sometimes lutefisk at the grocery stores, and aquavit is readily available. That said, American Scandinavian culture is a bit different than what you find in modern Scandinavia; things evolved differently in the years since the bulk of immigrants arrived in the USA, and the American Scandinavian heritage is distinctive. Among other things, it tends to be far more church-based; not necessarily religious in itself, but the Lutheran church is a big part of many Minnesotan's celebration of Scandinavian heritage. If you want to get involved with younger people (the Scandinavian heritage crowd tends to be pretty old) you could try contacting the University of Minnesota's Scandinavian Studies Department; when I went to school there there were some active social groups that gave people a chance to meet up and speak the Scandinavian languages. I think the Finns had their own group, but since Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian are so similar they often just met together. You don't have to be a student to participate. If you're into modern Scandinavian music Nordic Roots/Northside Records has an annual music festival (used to be called Nordic Roots Festival, but now has a broader global focus) that brings groups to MN.

And you probably have already come across this in your research, but the Twin Cities have many Somalian immigrants, so you'll be able to have ready access to Somalian food, culture, langauge, etc. as well. (including in Whittier neighborhood)

[DrpepperPHD]

I would suggest NorthEast Minneapolis with its diversity or LynLake for the reasons listed above. LynLake also for it's proximity to Lake Calhoon and walking distance to so much Minneapolis has to offer while being on a quick bus trip to downtown for work and theatre.

[Camden Northsider]

If you want to be in and/or around the heart of the Somali community in Minneapolis, then look at Cedar Riverside neighborhood or the Seward neighborhood just to the south of it. There are some apartments and/or condos in Cedar Riverside/7 corners area, the apts are pretty mixed and include predominantly low-income/public housing highrises, student housing, mid-range, and some luxury-type housing. You could probably find a rental house in Seward neighborhood- a very nice, safe area that's a unique mix of density but fairly residential, and if you were close to Franklin Ave you would be close to business/restaurants in Seward as well as Cedar Riverside.

However, if you're around Nicollet ("Eat Street") in the areas mentioned above, you will have a lot of diversity in the n'hood and be close to many restaurants, including what I consider the best Somali restaurant in the Metro- Safari Restaurant (just one of many great Somali/East African restaurants here though). Considering your interest in culture, one way you could get involved and meet people is by joining the board of a local nonprofit organization- there would be a number that I think would be a great fit for your background, skills, and interests.

Also wanted to note- I don't think it's too common but I have met a few Somalis that are of mixed Somali/Swedish heritage (transplants from Sweden) living here. Considering that minneapolis has the 2nd highest population of Somalis of any city in the world (next only to Mogadishu)- I don't know how someone could fit in any better here being of both Somali and Scandinavian descent!

Good luck-

[Haver]

Downtown and Uptown areas will be more expensive because those are where most out-of-towners tend to gravitate - but given Minnesotan's well-known reserve you may find it advantageous as many remark it is easier to make good friends with fellow transplants rather than the native population (MN is a "sticky" state in that people grow up here and tend not to leave - so they've had a full social circle going back to childhood). Other favorites and more affordable are Whittier, Lyn-Lake (my personal favorite) and and Northeast.

The euro culture is mostly an "old person's" thing - German, Scandinavian, Irish, Polish, other central european in that order. Newer cultures are Mexican, Somali, and Hmong which may be more interesting to check out (unless you're big on 60 year old's doing the polka). Midtown market is an especially good place to check out on East Lake street. There's still a strong enough european influence (bulk of immigration was around 100 odd years ago) that the rest of the U.S. finds the north central region "pleasantly odd" - its a TV trope to bring in someone from the upper midwest to provide an "outsider's perspective" - but to European eyes we're mostly Americans.

Touching lightly on the Somali angle I'd recommend doing some google searching on Somali's in Minnesota as the population here have just a few points of similarity with how the Pakistani's are fairing where you are from, although we're stepping into that area where history doesn't repeat itself but it certainly does rhyme (as Twain once remarked).

Safety also shouldn't be a major issue - I've heard/read more than one Chicagoan refer to the Twin Cities as "Disneyland". The Minneapolis police department has crime maps you can refer to (don't have direct link but easy to find with a search) although my basis for saying that is as a white middle-class male - your experience may vary. While the Minneapolis cops don't have an especially bad reputation they also don't have an especially good one either, relative to other police departments - it really varies from officer to officer.

[golfgal]

You don't see as many ethnic celebrations as you used to in the Twin Cities. Many of the outlying towns will have some still but they are more "Americanized" now. You can check out the Swedish Institute when you get here. They will most likely have information for you-and welcome your knowledge as well.

[jeid]

Hej, valkommen till Minnesota =)

I'll be honest, the public transportation in Minneapolis doesn't even come close to London or Stockholm.

As someone who has lived in Sweden, you'll have to seek out people to celebrate holidays such as Midsommar, but people do celebrate it here.

If I were you, I would live on or near Hennepin Ave South between 22nd St and 28th St in Uptown. The 6 bus runs very frequently and you can also catch the 12 to Downtown and other locations.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.