Moving to Minnesota from Texas (Minneapolis, Duluth: middle-class, technology jobs, transfer)

[tenaciousb]

Originally Posted by msharriet

Hi Tenacious,

I'm originally from Cleveland, OH and moved to MN. Not too happy with the cold. Snow isn't bad.
I like Brooklyn Center area. It is next door to Minneapolis. Good shopping and clinic there.
In case you need an enchronologist there is one with Brooklyn Center. I'm going to a christian
missionary alliance church. There is only about 20 people there. I will tell you the name if you
are interested.

Haven't been to St. Paul besides the Mall of America.

Hope this helps.

Harriet

Thank you for the info Harriet. May I ask what prompted you to move to MN?

[tenaciousb]

Originally Posted by Dreamgirl1323

Im a 20 year old going to college in St. Paul- Midway. Basically midway between st. Paul and Minneapolis. While home prices are cheaper around here, it is kind of a sketchy place. Especially, at night. Don't walk around at night around here. Minneapolis is fine at night if you are in downtown but not good if you're in some alley haha. I used to live in the metro area, Actually right next to Minnetonka. Around there is nicer in my opinion. We got along with out neighbors across the street, but wasn't so close to other people down the street. The schools were fine. I came from a large high school which I did not like because I was shy and it was hard for me to make friends. But educationally wise, I learned a lot.

All in all, Minnesota is a great place. I'd stay away from saint Paul. Minneapolis is beautiful but very large. The metro area is also great if you wanted a medium town size.

Thanks! Why do you not like St Paul(with the exception of the neighborhood that is sketchy)?

[tenaciousb]

Oh, on a side note, it's an exciting weekend for us in West Texas, it is snowing!!! I'm like a child in it,
running in the snow, snow ball fights hehe.

[tenaciousb]

I have a couple of updates and with it some new questions.. You have been helpful and patient, so I hope you won't mind

We will have a car when we move to Minnesota so that opens up our options choosing where to live. We looked at some of the smaller towns that you guys suggested like Marshall, St Cloud, Duluth. We began falling in love with a smaller, quieter place. I read a lot of good things about Marshall but then came upon a post here on city data saying that it is not "woods and lakes" Minnesota, but we would love trees and lakes (and plenty of snow! I mean it! lol)
The two main things remain the same for us: good school and jobs, but we did some financial and soul searching and our sights are set on a medium sized town, more family oriented but with activities still. We'd love to hear more about these parts of Minnesota.
It's important for me to say that I appreciate the time you spent answering my questions and the information you provided and hope to learn more from you all.

[golfgal]

There are still lakes around Marshall, just not a lot of them. There is a state park right outside town that is heavily wooded and the town itself has lots of mature trees but no, it's not like the Brainerd area that is heavily wooded and lakes everywhere.

I would consider the Willmar area or the Brainerd area if you want a "medium" sized town and more of a woods/lakes feel.

[tenaciousb]

Originally Posted by golfgal

There are still lakes around Marshall, just not a lot of them. There is a state park right outside town that is heavily wooded and the town itself has lots of mature trees but no, it's not like the Brainerd area that is heavily wooded and lakes everywhere.

I would consider the Willmar area or the Brainerd area if you want a "medium" sized town and more of a woods/lakes feel.

Thank you. I googled Willmar and Brainerd but neither have a university in them (only University of MN extension) they do look beautiful though.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by tenaciousb

Thank you. I googled Willmar and Brainerd but neither have a university in them (only University of MN extension) they do look beautiful though.

I forgot about that. I think your next option would be Bemidji or the Duluth area. Marshall is still an option though really. It's only an hour to Willmar and all the lakes, etc. there. There is a "river" that runs through Marshall. There are several lakes south of town toward Slayton as well. Cottonwood also has a large lake that a lot of people will boat on in the summer. There are several smaller lakes that are good for fishing as well. There are probably still more lakes in the Marshall area then you have now, it's just not a lot for MN standards.

[xandrex]

While I certainly still support my previous suggestions, now that you have a car, your options definitely open up.

Duluth might be a good option for you. I grew up there and there is a lot to love (and it comes with its caveats, of course!). My family has a house in a bedroom community right outside town. Lots of woods and trees. It doesn't feel dense at all. You aren't really close to anything, but it's a quick drive because there just isn't a lot of traffic. Rush hour never exists.

You'll have access to all the big box places you need (Target and Walmart, for instance), restaurants, etc. Housing is pretty cheap. The University of Minnesota - Duluth is located right in town. It doesn't have quite as much prestige as the main University of Minnesota campus in the Twin Cities, but it is still a very good school.

Expect winter there to start earlier and last longer than in the Twin Cities. Sometimes by an extra month on either end (though I suppose it depends on how you define "winter"). Summers are quite a bit more comfortable, though: typically in the 70s and not too humid.

One thing I definitely miss: Super easy access to nature. You're on the biggest freshwater lake in the world, lots of trees, and two ski hills in town.

Let me know if you want more info about Duluth. I spent the better part of 18 years growing up there and went home quite a bit during college, so I'm pretty up-to-date with information.

Other cities you might like: Bemidji (the state university is right on the lake, lots of nature), Winona (very small, but nice little town on the river across from Wisconsin), and the Fargo-Moorhead area (three good universities in the area--Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, and Concordia--plus a growing economy and more amenities than Duluth, though not quite the same access to nature and a bit more sprawled).

[tenaciousb]

Originally Posted by xandrex

While I certainly still support my previous suggestions, now that you have a car, your options definitely open up.

Duluth might be a good option for you. I grew up there and there is a lot to love (and it comes with its caveats, of course!). My family has a house in a bedroom community right outside town. Lots of woods and trees. It doesn't feel dense at all. You aren't really close to anything, but it's a quick drive because there just isn't a lot of traffic. Rush hour never exists.

You'll have access to all the big box places you need (Target and Walmart, for instance), restaurants, etc. Housing is pretty cheap. The University of Minnesota - Duluth is located right in town. It doesn't have quite as much prestige as the main University of Minnesota campus in the Twin Cities, but it is still a very good school.

Expect winter there to start earlier and last longer than in the Twin Cities. Sometimes by an extra month on either end (though I suppose it depends on how you define "winter"). Summers are quite a bit more comfortable, though: typically in the 70s and not too humid.

One thing I definitely miss: Super easy access to nature. You're on the biggest freshwater lake in the world, lots of trees, and two ski hills in town.

Let me know if you want more info about Duluth. I spent the better part of 18 years growing up there and went home quite a bit during college, so I'm pretty up-to-date with information.

Other cities you might like: Bemidji (the state university is right on the lake, lots of nature), Winona (very small, but nice little town on the river across from Wisconsin), and the Fargo-Moorhead area (three good universities in the area--Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, and Concordia--plus a growing economy and more amenities than Duluth, though not quite the same access to nature and a bit more sprawled).

Yes please I'd like more info on Duluth. It is gorgeous. I read around in the Duluth sub forum and it seems the economy is a bit on a down low? I don't know if this is a problem of old, or no bigger issue than it is in most average town these days? We certainly need job options.

I googled "Moorhead (and) Duluth MN jobs" on different websites and about the same number of jobs were listed (with the population smaller in Moorhead, it made me think about what you said regarding the economy; perhaps more of a scarcity of jobs in Duluth?).

Moorhead looks very nice. With it being so close to ND, what is the political climate like there? I was wondering if the closeness gives Moorhead more of a right-wing vibe?
What specifically do you mean by more amenities?

Again, thank you!

[tenaciousb]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I forgot about that. I think your next option would be Bemidji or the Duluth area. Marshall is still an option though really. It's only an hour to Willmar and all the lakes, etc. there. There is a "river" that runs through Marshall. There are several lakes south of town toward Slayton as well. Cottonwood also has a large lake that a lot of people will boat on in the summer. There are several smaller lakes that are good for fishing as well. There are probably still more lakes in the Marshall area then you have now, it's just not a lot for MN standards.

Thank you How is the job market in Marshall?