Perception of the Cities (Minneapolis, St. Paul: townhome, neighborhood, high school)
Minneapolis - St. PaulTwin Cities
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I should probably put in my two cents, since I'm the one who posed the question!
I've lived in Minnesota my whole 21 years of life, in several St. Paul suburbs. I have a very special love for this state. All of of it. I love going up north in the summer, I love both of the cities, everything. But I think I'm ready for a change, a new experience. I only have one life to live, I'd rather not spend it all in one place! I know I'll always come back to MN, but I need to explore the rest of the world. I'll hopefully be transferring to a school in Pittsburgh or Maine soon. I was hoping for Florida Atlantic, but the cost of living in Boca Raton is outrageous.
I love:
The St. Croix River, the humid summers, the wildlife, the variety of state (trees, landscape, etc), Lake Mille Lacs, Lake Superior, Bay Lake, Harriet Island, St. Paul as a whole (I actually prefer it to Minneapolis), the State Fair, Twins baseball (woop!) & so much more.
& like LittleMathYou said, fabulous music
The things I'm not too fond of?
I find the people a bit stuffy (particularly the people in my parent's mostly "affluent" community). Then, of course, there's the other end of the spectrum. The wanna-be "hicks" who think hunting & fishing & racial slurs are the best things in life. I'm sure both of these types exist everywhere though. & I'm not saying everyone who like hunting &/or fishing is a racist, just the select few that happen to belong to a particularly obnoxious group. But, live & let live, I suppose.
Then of course, the weather. To get to the point, winter sucks. Big time. It's almost fun til the end of December, then I just hate it. I love the summers though- the heat & humidity. It's just amazing. My only complaint is that they only last a few months
Also, like someone else mentioned, the cloverleaf highway interchanges. Holy moses. I will do anything & everything to avoid them. Particularly the 694/494/I94 interchange & the 52/494 interchange. SO scary, especially if there's a semi in front of you. & the Wakota bridge (where 494 crosses over the Mississippi in Newport & South St. Paul) is the bane of my existence. Honestly, they've been working on it for over 10 years? I don't think it's ever going to be finished. the least they can do is make the open part of the bridge functional in a decently safe way.
It's so odd that people talk about it being so difficult to make friends in Minnesota. I moved here 6 months ago and I've made TONS of new friends through work and school. When the weekend comes, I have so many options of people to hang out with.
I don't know, maybe Minnesotans just find a 20 year old boy from Western South Dakota interesting?
It's so odd that people talk about it being so difficult to make friends in Minnesota. I moved here 6 months ago and I've made TONS of new friends through work and school. When the weekend comes, I have so many options of people to hang out with.
I don't know, maybe Minnesotans just find a 20 year old boy from Western South Dakota interesting?
You're probably proactive and out-going...
Most people complain about 'Minnesota Nice' but hardly to do anything to make, and keep friends. You need to be proactive and outgoing, and making friends isn't a problem.
I moved to Duluth from St. Cloud and I knew nobody here in Duluth, but I made friends, it wasn't easy but I was proactive. I know I'm not a transplant, but I did relocate 3 hrs away to a city where I knew nobody. Now I have my circle of friends here, 18 months after moving here. No complaints about meeting people...
DannyBanany, you're also young. That helps a lot when it comes to making friends, but that's true anywhere. The fact that younger people do seem to be able to make friends without so many problems in Minnesota does seem to suggest, though, that the friend issue is not so much a "Minnesota" cultural problem (since those young people are Minnesotans, too, at least many of them), but the difficulties that come with age. It's just tougher to have the time and energy to actively make and establish close new friendships when you're balancing a regular job and kids and maybe older parents, and so is everyone else your age.
DannyBanany, you're also young. That helps a lot when it comes to making friends, but that's true anywhere. The fact that younger people do seem to be able to make friends without so many problems in Minnesota does seem to suggest, though, that the friend issue is not so much a "Minnesota" cultural problem (since those young people are Minnesotans, too, at least many of them), but the difficulties that come with age. It's just tougher to have the time and energy to actively make and establish close new friendships when you're balancing a regular job and kids and maybe older parents, and so is everyone else your age.
I lived in MN for 21 years, however it was in the SW corner of MN. I hated it there, and probably ruined MN for me. It's all your typical farmland down there, flat, rows and rows of corn, and barely any trees.
The closest city was Sioux Falls, which feels like a suburb without a city. Mostly big chain stores, nothing to do, although it's extremely safe which is probably the biggest reason why people live there.
Of course I also hated the weather. I'm not a fan of cold weather, and every time winter came around, I would try to hide inside as much as possible.
However, I do really like the twin cities, it's a shame I didn't live closer to them. Sadly I have never been north of the twin cities, which is my goal for when I visit again in the summer.
Another thing that I really miss are the summers there. People say that the PNW summers are the best, but I'm not a huge fan. The week in the 100s this past summer didn't help. Also there was no rain for about 3 months (I like the rain) which I hated, by the end of August/beginning of September everything was starting to turn brown here in Portland. Also the thunderstorms back there is something that almost never happens here.
Ok, just a couple observations--first, not everyone has a Scandinavian last name-we don't, it's never been a problem.
So, because you've never experienced that, it's not a problem?
More to the point, your response indicates that what my family has experienced isn't true. This is absolutely not the case. It's happened so often that it's made our heads spin. The number of times when we've offered up our last names, only to be greeted with the phrase "Your not from around here," is astonishing.
If that was all, it would be no big deal. It's not. As many others on this forum, and in numerous articles found around the web have indicated, being a transplant is something you never quite shake. Having a name that isn't from the primary ethnic group in the area just makes it more obvious.
I find it interesting that I'm having to defend the veracity of my statement. The original thread owner wanted to know some details about the region. I provided some. Heck, I also note that you completely ignored the compliments I've offered to the place. You just focused on the negative.
Thanks, GolfGal. You just provided readers with a wonderful example of what it's like to communicate with Minneapolis natives as a transplant.
Quote:
I find it very strange that all through your kids' school career that you were never able to make friends with people "from" here.
I didn't say that. What I said was that they are reminded on a daily basis that they're not from around here.
Our kids have made friends. Good friends. But they've found during our travels out of the region that they make and keep friends more easily than in the Twin Cities area.
Of course, I'll likely receive the classic "but that's just your experience" response. Never mind that I've cited sources -- including others on this forum -- to back up my observations.
Quote:
Our social circle is made up of plenty of "natives" and "transplants" and have never had an issue what so ever with "transplants".
Glad to hear it
Best regards.
Last edited by Avindair; 02-25-2010 at 08:00 AM..
Reason: Edited for clarity
I'm so sick of hearing people complain that they can't make friends. If you've been here your whole life and have a circle of friends and family, there is no need to go out of your way to meet people or take in new people. Too bad, too sad.
You realize, of course, that you're saying "We don't want to know anybody we don't already know," right?
Wow.
That being said, I appreciate the honesty.
Best regards
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thanks for posting!
