Best things about Minnesota? (Duluth, Rochester: income, income tax, professionals)

[Musikälskaren]

Originally Posted by fonitin

I prefer Wisconsin. I'm from Minnesota but the only thing that made me nostalgic was the sounds of the loons and the thought of some remote lake. Northern Mn is pretty neat. Grand Marais used to be a cool place (don't know how it is these days) and the Gun Flint Trail. Also, Duluth and the scenery just north of there is beautiful. Other then that there is nothing in Minnesota that I remember too fondly. I miss the brainy arty people to some extent but I think the people in Wisconsin are far less reserved and far more friendly. Anyhow if you don't find what you are looking for in Minnesota then remember Wisconsin because they are very similar but different. I mildly liked/mildly disliked Minnesota but I LOVE Wisconsin.

Also have you considered Houghton, Michigan? It is in the UP (upper peninsula) of Michigan.

No, I've heard of Houghton but hadn't really looked into yet. I've seriously considered Michigan too though and I have no doubt that I'd love Michigan as well because I've loved the small portion where I have travelled and explored on my way to Muskegon. I drove up I-69 to I-94 W to 31 N. I know that there are faster and more direct routes to Muskegon but I wanted to get to the coast sooner so I took I-94 to the coast so that I could explore the shoreline a bit starting from around Benton Harbor up to Muskegon and maybe even just a little bit north of Muskegon. I've also passed through Southeastern Michigan on I-75 when we went to Windsor. I found it kind of neat that you have to go south to get to Canada from Detroit! I want to go further north. I'd also like to see the entirety of Michigan and all of Michigan's coastlines from Lake Erie up to Lake Huron and of course, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior which I had heard were prettier but I've not been to Lake Huron so I cannot say for sure. I think that I would absolutely love Michigan, living and visiting, but Minnesota and I go way back lol. If I were to live in MI or WI I could be closer to MN while still closer to my family in OH than if I were to live in MN. I prefer the scenery of Eastern Minnesota as well as Wisconsin and Michigan over points west but at the same time I don't dislike the west and I love how MN has BOTH! I just would prefer the scenery of the Eastern part on a regular basis. It would be so cool to be close to all of the various types of terrain that are within a day's drive from Minnesota. I think that MN will always be my Number One but I don't dismiss other places. Sometimes I think that I'm really a Minnesotan who has just been born and raised in the wrong states!

[chessgeek]

I think the TC metro is very appealing because there is plenty to do in the two central cities and in almost every direction. Everyone in the suburban areas has very good destinations nearby: if you live in the west metro, you are near the Lake Minnetonka area with Excelsior and Wayzata on its shores. In the south is the MN Zoo, in the southwest is the Valleyfair theme park and Canterbury Downs in Shakopee and very charming towns like Northfield and Red Wing are nearby. In the east you have the St. Croix river valley and Stillwater with its historic downtown, festivals, and Victorian neighborhoods. In the north you have the easiest access to the northern lakes (Mille Lacs is especially close) and forests and easier access than the rest of the region to the cities of St. Cloud and Duluth. All over the metro there seems to be a great music scene now with festivals (most are free) in the cities and most suburbs along with the popular Lake Harriett concert series for the last 50 years or so in south Minneapolis. I definitely enjoyed Minnesota when I last visited eight years ago. (As for Wisconsin, the city that gets the most consistent "kudos" seems to be Madison).

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

Lonnie Anderson?

Kelly Lynch? Mary Tyler Moore? Funny!

[Musikälskaren]

I just happened to think of something else and I'm not sure if it will be humorous to anyone else but it's funny to me looking back. I was so adamant about moving to MN when I was younger that I called the Falls Chamber of Commerce and also called about apartments. I even called real estate agencies and they sent house listings. They were very nice and helpful but looking back I don't know what the Hell I was thinking, I was only 14-14 and a half at the oldest and I didn't have any money at that age. Now, when I think back about that I feel badly for wasting their time. Sometimes I think that I owe it to everyone up there (the Chamber of Commerce, Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Island View Realty and everyone else I bothered with my questions over the years) to move up there just so that all of their time and help wouldn't be for nothing! I just need to convince my parents, who hate cold weather, and my sister, brother in law and nephews to come too! Any tips and/or ideas? I guess that they could live in a different part of MN if they so wished. I wouldn't really even have to live in International Falls because I could just visit and spend money, probably pouring more into the economy than if I were there taking up space but I could very well be wrong because I'm no expert on the economy and/or anything related to it. I just figured that I wouldn't HAVE to live in I Falls to be able to enjoy it and do my part to help by spending money there when I can.

[Beenhere4ever]

I think when I was young, small islands in the ocean were what seemed magical to me. Of course, kids never know about tsunamis. I saw South Pacific while in grade school. Bali was sort of a dream place.

[dccover1]

Never been to Minnesota, but I hear the best thing may be their High School hockey! HS hockey in the Northeast isn't even close, unless you go to prep school.

[Musikälskaren]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

I think when I was young, small islands in the ocean were what seemed magical to me. Of course, kids never know about tsunamis. I saw South Pacific while in grade school. Bali was sort of a dream place.

That's cool and that at least makes sense. It still strikes me as odd how I'm so obsessed with MN and love it so much. At least dreaming about islands in the Pacific makes sense. I think that at that time I just wanted to get the Hell out of North Carolina and move somewhere with a colder climate. I quickly learnt that Minnesota is pretty hot in the Summer as well and often MN can get hotter than Ohio and even NC on occasion, depending on the weather front and which place is getting what. I still think that I'd get more of a break from the heat in (Northern) Minnesota than in Dayton,Ohio but I'm not so sure about the rest of MN because the Twin Cities seem to be similar to Dayton in Summertime and not really sure about Central MN. I get the impression that Southern and Western Minnesota are the most heat prone but I'm not sure if my impressions are correct. Sorry, I get carried away with the emoticons lol!

[readyformajorchange]

I didn't read the whole thread so not sure if its already been said but I just read that Minnesota is the 4th best place to raise kids. Kudos Minnesota residents!

[Beenhere4ever]

Want "cooler"? NW Washington and the space between LA and San Diego are the most moderate in the country. Second best is high in the Rockies. Get high enough anywhere and things get moderate. Like in Falstaff AZ.

[Declan's Dad]

I'm not from MN, I'm from NH but I just have to ask.

Al Franken?

WTF?