How awesome is Minnesota? (living, moving, eat)

[SassyBelle]

Originally Posted by Lillietta

I think what Minnesota has going for it is beauty, cleanliness, foliage, forests, countryside within 20 minutes of the Twin Cities and so MANY lakes both within the cities and out. The city parks and lakes are gorgeous, well maintained, the lifestyle is sooooo very, very easy - people let you be and there is a lot going on in the Twin Cities - museums, plays, sports, cozy-looking communities, and quiet; good hospitals, at least five universities in the Twin Cities alone. Them off to the country for fishing and hunting. Minnesotans take their playtime very seriously and are quite laid back. A very unstressful lifestyle.

One statement I disagree with is the : "unstressful lifestyle". People are affected by today's economy no matter where they live. It is true that Minnesotans put great emphasis on recreation. We live in a beautiful environment, we care for it and we should enjoy it!

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by SassyBelle

One statement I disagree with is the : "unstressful lifestyle". People are affected by today's economy no matter where they live. It is true that Minnesotans put great emphasis on recreation. We live in a beautiful environment, we care for it and we should enjoy it!

Minnesotan's have a greater appreciation for great weather and the outdoors than many other places simply because we cherish the days because they are so few and far between. It reminds me of college when in the spring the weather gets really nice and there are rows of houses with groups of young people grilling, playing yard games, swarms of guys playing football, and blankets of girls laying out and reading magazines. I would rather have 3 days a week of nice weather where EVERYONE is enjoying it and taking advantage compared to 6 days of nice weather where everyone takes it for granted.

[taylortalk]

I live in fergus falls minnesota. it is awesome. today is dec. 16 and we had a huge blizzard that canceled school yesterday... unlike many states MN actually has 4 seasons, where in california or florida it never gets cold... i hope to live in MN my whole life just about anywhere u go u pass lakes. its awesome!

[tbraunreiter]

I grew up in Minnesota, but like a lot of young kids do, I couldn't wait to leave when i got out of school. I spent 15 great years in Missoula, Montana, and four years Park City, Utah, two of the most desirable places to live in the northern US. But when I retire, I will move back to Minnesota.

[GoWild]

Originally Posted by tbraunreiter

I grew up in Minnesota, but like a lot of young kids do, I couldn't wait to leave when i got out of school. I spent 15 great years in Missoula, Montana, and four years Park City, Utah, two of the most desirable places to live in the northern US. But when I retire, I will move back to Minnesota.

I guess like most of the people that I grew up with and have known,,, I saw no reason to move out of state what-so-ever(sp?). It had nothing to do with ambition. I would have been that same ol college bound kid and then getting a job somewhere in the state, more than likely in the TC's. Then Uncle Sam got a hold of me and Ive been gone for almost 20yrs. Visited every so often and mostly enjoyed coming home. I want to come back and live, but just dont know where. I dont want to pretend that things will be the same as they were when i was a kid growing up in Plymouth/Wayzata area. But I do want to come back. Ive lived in the south long enough. I got to get re-Mn-energized. Fam should dig it too.

[Sarimn00]

I currently live about twenty miles outside of Willmar. I love Minnesota. The public schools are great, the people are nice and help each other out-it's just a great place to live.
I'll be moving to the Phoenix area this spring. However, I know what their school systems are like down there, and when I have kids someday, I don't know if I would be willing to raise them in that environment. I will be either moving back to Minnesota or somewhere out east with good public schools with a winter that isn't quite as extreme (to me one of the biggest downfalls of the state. Just can't handle it anymore.)
I should also add from driving over the majority of the middle U.S. and West, and according to my truck driving brother who has seen every state in the country, we have it pretty good in this state.

[jasper1372]

Originally Posted by What!

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.

I've enjoyed reading all the comments from the Minnesota detractors as well as those who love living here.

My personal opinion is that Minnesota is a great place live...except for the weather. When it's hot we generally have a lot of humidity to go with which can make it misserable. When it 's cold....well the cold goes on way to long and basically controls about every aspect of your life to some degree. My wife and I always smile and say "winter tax" when we both experience something that very cold weather causes us to spend more money on...or put more effort into doing some task due to the cold.

I always am amused about the people who say they love minnesota (as I just did above :-) other than for the cold weather. That statement is kind of like saying you love teaching....except for the kids. Or you love flying except for being off the ground etc... If you read a lot of these forum's, talk to your friends and neighbors, listen to national media stories on Minnesota, it's indeed rare for the topic of cold weather not to be at the forefront. Cold is our main identidy !

There is not much that affects the average person more than the climate/weather of their local area. Unless you never go outside and are a couch potato....trust me, it affects you in more ways than you know.

I quoted the previous message above since I think this is another HUGE (literally) way that the cold climate/weather affects Minnesotians. The issue of overweight people in cold climates....and to a lesser degree in very hot and humid climates. There is NO doubt that the fact that Minnesotians have to have layers of bulky cloths on 8 or more months a year adds to the level of obesity. I know this from some personal experience. I'm not obese...but sturggle with my weight like most everyone else I know. Trust me...when we're on vacation in Arizona and running around in shorts, t-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops etc..., you are MUCH more in tune with your weight issues....and motivated to do something about them since they are staring you in the face day and night. But if you have to wear a big bulky sweatshirt and baggy long pants every day, you just don't see what you're becoming slowly and all of a sudden the first hot day comes and you anxiously put your tank top on, and go...damn, I look awful, when did this happen. So you're back to your sweatshirt to hide it.

It's just impossible to keep your level of activity up in the winter compared to the more pleasant summer months. You can struggle and try....but without super human effort or a strange set of likes and dislikes, it just ain't gonna happen.

Anyway, all this being said, once our youngest is out of college....we're Arizona bound. After 50 or so years we're ready to experience a "rugged two season (or at most three season) climate"...to heck with the 4th season...it's highly over rated in our opinion. We're going to shuck those huge bulky cloths....see what we actually look like underneath....deal with that issue, and enjoy life !

[BUM#1]

HI!
I was wondering if any one would be able to tell me any thing about Staples MN. The reason I ask is that my boyfriend and I are moving there in August so that he can go to Central Lakes College. I am just a country girl from Wisconsin and I am scared to death to go because I don't know what may be in store for us.... I hope someone can help me.. I would mean the world if I could get some information on what it is like there.

Thanks very much
BUM#1

[AlexDN]

Although xtropx's post was pretty immature and overly negative, he does bring up a lot of good points.

Drug Use:
Drug convictions in Minnesota made up 42.3% of its total criminal convictions in 2001. This is above the national average of 41.2%. Powdered cocaine was involved with 28% of these drug convictions, 22.6% involved crack cocaine, 0.6% involved heroin, 11% involved marijuana, 32.3% involved methamphetamine, and 5.5% involved other drugs.

Source: www.drug-rehabs.org

"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."

St. Cloud used to be a fun town, with plenty to do...and now the SPIRIT of the town has dwindled, and all but died. That town used to be alive, and now when I visit it tends to feel more like the towns xtropx described. In fact, most towns I visit tend to have that general back-alley taint atmosphere of small broken towns these days, especially in light of our recent recession.

Minnesota has a lot to offer, as one pointed out, we have a plethora of fun winter activities (for those that can handle the winters), and Duluth truly is a beautiful place to live.

HOWEVER,
Taxes are high, the weather is bad, you can no longer smoke in bars, (what is next, you can't smoke at all, you can't own a gun? - where does it start, and where does it end?), drugs are a problem, bugs are a problem, EVERYTHING rusts, etc.

I would have to agree after living in Minnesota for ten years that there are far better places to live, and better places to start/raise a family. So many other states offer much more, for entertainment, for safety, and for pride.

...and that is my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

[nardogMN]

mn IS the best state most people are normally kind hearted, nice, and norweigian with one exception. i was in the cities and some chick flipped me off on the 35w for NO REASON. ''minnesota nice'' is a true statement with that exception. every big city is gonna have jerks in it