Anyone else love Minnesota? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: middle-class, public school, college)

[kizzeith]

I've lived in MN for almost my entire life and everytime I leave, I feel like its great to be back. It's safe, beautiful, clean and friendly...for the most part...Anyone else feel the same way?

[Ben Around]

I've lived in 5 states and live in MN now. I like it pretty much. My roots aren't here, so I probably am not as enraptured with it as those whose roots are.

[Lindenin]

I love it. I now live in the Twin Cities, but didn't grow up here. My job enables me to live in any major metro area. We've chosen Minnesota, and have no plans to leave anytime soon.

I've lived in Denver, L.A., New York, Chicago, Dallas, Portland. All had good and bad qualities. I most enjoyed Portland for its laid-back atmosphere and green surroundings, and Chicago for its "soul" and cultural offerings. Denver was okay for outdoor activities. But for me, Minneapolis / St. Paul is it!

Love the lakes, the trees, the civic involvement (highest voter turnout in the land, yeah!), the focus on education, and the affluence. You all may not realize it, but there is alot more wealth in MInneapolis than you would find in other places. And I'm talking about middle-class, make a very nice living, retire early type of wealth.

Yeah, the winters can be tough and it would be nice to be closer to an ocean. But after living across the country and settling on Mpls, I'm staying.

[MattDen]

I dont love Minnesota, but I can see why alot people would love it (especially the locals). It is one of the best states in the nation overall if you take everything into consideration. The recreational oppurtunity, the people, the diversity of towns everything from very rural, college towns, major cities.

I can see why alot of people feel very happy living in Minnesota and dont want to leave.

It is a great state. It has lots of trees, the lakes are great, the landscape is amazingly diverse.

The one thing that sets Minnesota apart is how laid-back the state is and how close-knit the people of the state is. If I were a native-Minnesotan I would love it because of that but because of that its very hard to break into those close close-knit social circle but then again from my experience most Minnesotans are some of the friendliest, best natured people ive been around.

[kuan]

I like it here. Good riding and running. The commuter bike trails are cleared before the roads in the winter. The cross country skiing is excellent, with many major races here. Lake Superior is fantastic. The fishing is good, could use a little more trout fishing though, plus steelhead fishing of course. Boundary waters is great. The women are strong and blonde. Not too much traffic (yet). Good diversity in the Twincities. St. Paul has a thriving small business community. Great schools, great language immersion programs, and the ONLY state in the nation to offer ECFE through the public school system. Great canoeing, and not just in the boundary waters. A state park every 30 miles except far north. Lifetime fishing licenses are still a bargain. The food scene is gradually coming on... about 10 years behind but getting there.

And those blue skies...

[The Icy River Vagabond]

I agree with you kuan. I have been here only a year and while Minneapolis is certainly the nicest city that I have ever lived in, I don't think that I will stay here for more than a few years. I am thinking of heading to Portland or Seattle.

LINDENIN, I see that you lived in Portland. In your opinion/experience, what would you say are some critical differences that made you choose Minneapolis over Portland??

[Dave99]

Well, I'm considering moving from Portland to a smaller town in Minn, ND or Wisc because I want a slightly slower lifestyle and my relatives were formerly from Minn. Having lived in Portland city proper since 1972 I can give a quick summary of the city. Ethnically and culturally diverse with lot's of liberality but also still full of rednecks in pickups. A poorly run city government, a dubious mass transit entity that's punctual but moderately unsafe. A beautiful looking city filled with trees and flowers. A critical difference would be location. From Portland, any and everything you want outdoors is very, very close travel distance. Mountains, seaside beaches, hunting, fishing, golf, you name it. Portland is well, an inland port city with lot's of bridges spanning a couple of rivers. It's hilly and not flat.

[kuan]

Here's why you should move to Minnesota Dave... Three reasons.

[Minneapolitan]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

I agree with you kuan. I have been here only a year and while Minneapolis is certainly the nicest city that I have ever lived in, I don't think that I will stay here for more than a few years. I am thinking of heading to Portland or Seattle.

The Portland/Minneapolis/Seattle exchange of nomadic residents seems to be prevalent, I've noticed.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Minneapolitan

The Portland/Minneapolis/Seattle exchange of nomadic residents seems to be prevalent, I've noticed.

James J. Hill would love it!