How awesome is Minnesota? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: home, camping, living in)

[JenLee]

Originally Posted by What!

I don't hate MN. I just find it terribly dull. I've been living in Burnsville, MN and Minneapolis since late 2004 (I was in elementary school then)....


MN is a great place to be forgotten but it doesn't have much opportunities for an ambitious young man in his early twenties because Minnesotans view a spirited and outgoing personality with extreme suspicion.

Sorry, these two numbers don't seem to add up right. 2004 was 4 years ago, you were either very OLD in elementary school, or you aren't 20 yet.

I think a lot of young folks think that the world is much more exciting anywhere else than at home or where they live; the truth is, where we live is as adventuresome as we decide it will be. There is a lot of stuff to do here, but if you find it boring, it's time to find other places to live.

And I agree with moving 123456: I can't remember seeing many women in sweatshirts in 90 degree weather; but there are a lot of people (not just women) running around outside this past week without coats or jackets!

[zannieman2]

I grew up in Duluth in the 60's and 70's. At that time it was a great place to grow up. The winters were just too long for me. I eventually ended up in the south.

[fitra]

The pictures are nice! Notice there is one lone person in one of them. That's the part that Minnesotans don't seem to understand. Folks that are not from here or in your immediate circle, most Minnesotans are not very welcoming and have no interest in being your friend. That's the part that makes Minnesota "cold".

Isaysos, you nailed it...that makes living here unfortunate...most (not all ) of them shut you out. Thank God for friends in other places. Gives you a damn good excuse to get the hell on in Jan and Feb.

[xtropx]

Some towns have many, many problems. From what I have seen of Minnesota, and I have lived here all my life, is that many towns are just miserable. I live in Wadena, Minnesota, a VERY poor town kept alive by the HWY10/71 junction. We have no inustries, very few businesses, and are for the most part, very, very poor, especially the younger people. It took me three months to find a job after putting in applications at nearly every possible place of employment in town. I ended up working overnights at a gas station for $6.75. I would make ~$400 every two weeks, which is hardly enough to take care of rent, car insurance, phone bill, etc. There are people twice my age doing the same thing. Houses are small, and people are generally overworked, underpaid, and miserable.

...and then there is Staples. About 10-15 min from Wadena, you pass Verndale, where the cops WILL pull you over if you are going 5 over the speed limit (Verndale is notorious for a$$hole cops.), and you get to a town plagued by more poverty that Wadena. Every house I have been to has been a mess. Dirty pots and pans everywhere. Too many cats. Filth everywhere. No food. I don't know how Staples is even kept alive. It used to be a railroad depot, as far as I know, but now there isn't much going on. Getting a job in Staples is just as hard or harder than in Wadena. Most people go to Motley, but there isn't much going on there either.

People around here LOVE their alcohol. Verndale has a population of 544 and has TWO liquor stores/bars. Meth used to be major until precursors became highly restricted, but working overnights at gas stations....you still know it is around. Wadena has lots of marijuana. There is a lot of happenings with the buying and selling of cannabis, and it is probably one of the reasons the economy is staying functioning. (Wealthy drug dealers spend more money around the area, putting more money back into the economy...) Cocaine is around now and then, and prescription medication is abused regularly. Violence seems to be low, however certainly not nonexistent.

Growing up here, I would NEVER, EVER EVER EVER in a million years think to raise my children in a place like this. There is nothing to do for young people so eventually many of our kids get caught up in drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes and good people, but overall, this is not a good place to be.

If you are going to live in Minnesota, a) rethink b) if you must, stay away from the aforementioned areas.

...and if the cops happen to be reading this (because I am a paranoid SOB), there is nothing you can do for these towns. Except start a really big fire.

[RUINER_SR4]

Originally Posted by xtropx

Some towns have many, many problems. From what I have seen of Minnesota, and I have lived here all my life, is that many towns are just miserable. I live in Wadena, Minnesota, a VERY poor town kept alive by the HWY10/71 junction. We have no inustries, very few businesses, and are for the most part, very, very poor, especially the younger people. It took me three months to find a job after putting in applications at nearly every possible place of employment in town. I ended up working overnights at a gas station for $6.75. I would make ~$400 every two weeks, which is hardly enough to take care of rent, car insurance, phone bill, etc. There are people twice my age doing the same thing. Houses are small, and people are generally overworked, underpaid, and miserable.

...and then there is Staples. About 10-15 min from Wadena, you pass Verndale, where the cops WILL pull you over if you are going 5 over the speed limit (Verndale is notorious for a$$hole cops.), and you get to a town plagued by more poverty that Wadena. Every house I have been to has been a mess. Dirty pots and pans everywhere. Too many cats. Filth everywhere. No food. I don't know how Staples is even kept alive. It used to be a railroad depot, as far as I know, but now there isn't much going on. Getting a job in Staples is just as hard or harder than in Wadena. Most people go to Motley, but there isn't much going on there either.

People around here LOVE their alcohol. Verndale has a population of 544 and has TWO liquor stores/bars. Meth used to be major until precursors became highly restricted, but working overnights at gas stations....you still know it is around. Wadena has lots of marijuana. There is a lot of happenings with the buying and selling of cannabis, and it is probably one of the reasons the economy is staying functioning. (Wealthy drug dealers spend more money around the area, putting more money back into the economy...) Cocaine is around now and then, and prescription medication is abused regularly. Violence seems to be low, however certainly not nonexistent.

Growing up here, I would NEVER, EVER EVER EVER in a million years think to raise my children in a place like this. There is nothing to do for young people so eventually many of our kids get caught up in drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes and good people, but overall, this is not a good place to be.

If you are going to live in Minnesota, a) rethink b) if you must, stay away from the aforementioned areas.

...and if the cops happen to be reading this (because I am a paranoid SOB), there is nothing you can do for these towns. Except start a really big fire.

Have you spent any amount of time outside of these small towns that you hate so much? None of this sounds like an accurate description of Minnesota. I'm willing to bet that your rant describes 80% of all small towns across the nation.

I have lived in MN for 28 years, Saint Paul area, Saint Cloud, Detroit Lakes, and now in the Minneapolis area and I absolutely love it. Every area has its own distinct charm. If somebody is bored in Minnesota, they're not trying hard enough to have fun. There is something here for everybody, nobody is going to walk up and hand you entertainment.



Brian.

[StocktonSmallTownLady]

Originally Posted by MUWarriorsFan

I don't know about anyone else who is from Minnesota, but despite all of the hick remarks about Minnesotans, I think it the best state to live and raise a family in throughout the United States. I was wondering what other people who grew up in the state think about it?

I grew up in Winona MN.
When I was a young teen I thought that there was more exciting place to be other than, being in a small town in Minnesota. after I started traveling around USA the people are some what the same every where except in large city you will find more unhappy and mean people. but Minnesota offers many changes in weather and landscape how many place in the world can say part of a day can be very warm enugh to wear short then the weather shift and a cold front can come thru then the your looking for warmer clothing. the temp can drop 10 degrees with in an minnutes.
and there is so much to do hear, Fish, Hunt, climb, ski year round in snow or on the Mississippi River. A person don't need to have a lot of money to spend to find some thing fun to do!!

[taw1955]

I say Minnesota is the best place to live and the greatest people. If you cant make friends here then something is seriously wrong.

[GipsyHeart]

I am not a native to MN but my husband and daughter are. MN is great there is always something to do. My family and I keep talking about relocating at some point but we always keep postponing the plans as we really like it here...

[What!]

Originally Posted by JenLee

Sorry, these two numbers don't seem to add up right. 2004 was 4 years ago, you were either very OLD in elementary school, or you aren't 20 yet.

I think a lot of young folks think that the world is much more exciting anywhere else than at home or where they live; the truth is, where we live is as adventuresome as we decide it will be. There is a lot of stuff to do here, but if you find it boring, it's time to find other places to live.

And I agree with moving 123456: I can't remember seeing many women in sweatshirts in 90 degree weather; but there are a lot of people (not just women) running around outside this past week without coats or jackets!

I meant to put late '94. I came from Illinois in late '94. And yes, I see women in sweatshirts in 90 degree weather. I think it has to do with the long winters. Since winters are so long here people tend to wear sweatshirts on a regular basis. When--BAM--summer hits in late May people haven't truly had the time to get out summer clothes and they are still wearing sweatclothes. Another reason is their figure. Many women tend to get fat by being cooped up indoors during these long winters so they hide them with sweatshirts.

[danishguymn]

Originally Posted by socalbound

My wife and I relocated here a couple years ago and can't wait to leave.
We love travelling around this great country and have lived in several states but this is hands down the worst and this "Minnesota Nice" thing is a total joke. These are the rudest people I have ever encountered.

Gosh that sure seems strange to me. And I must (although it's been done) note that the attitudes in southern California are very "every man for himself" self-centered. This is coming from someone who grew up equally in San Diego/Palm Springs, CA, and Alexandria, MN. I would pick MN 100 times over.

Throughout these forums, one finds a few folks who've had just such a terrible experience. I don't understand what went wrong for you guys, but I really wish you better luck for the future.

The other thing is that a whole bunch of people are always ragging on Minnesota Nice and how phony it is. Well, I understand being friendly to someone's face and maybe not always so much behind their backs, but don't most people do that? It's definitely not a concept unique to Minnesota. In my experience (as a Minnesotan), Minnesota Nice has always been genuine; the real deal! If a friend is sick, we're all at his/her door with soup. If someone calls you with the wrong number by accident, you can end up having a lengthy conversation with them all the same (probably comparing wrong number stories and branching off from there). In fact, I've found that Minnesotans are by far some of the friendliest folks, and we are too quick to strike up a conversation with strangers. Why, I was in a Costco in Palm Springs this March, and one of the sample ladies was so jubilant and out-going, my mom and I asked her, "Are you from the Midwest by chance?" and she says, "Silver Lake, Minnesoooota!" So there ya go! So friendly, you can spot 'em in a crowd of pushy Californians.

So I see a lot of people saying how reserved and cold we are as a people. Well, I don't know about that, though I can see how we are reserved under certain circumstances, but really we are more of a modest type of people. It's just not all about me me me. So it's not that we don't want to let "outsiders" in, you just tend not to talk about yourself as much as people might in other areas.

Naturally, as with everything, there are exceptions to all of this. I have known a fair share of rude Minnesotans myself, but they are far from the norm.

Hopefully I am not the only person who takes Minnesota Nice seriously.