Considering move from Florida to MN to escape heat and humidity (Duluth: school, taxes)

[Mr. In-Between]

Originally Posted by TurquoiseSky

Yes, you will have to hide indoors from November-April.

I agree with everything else in your post, but strongly disagree with this one. Why hide indoors during one of the most beautiful seasons you'll ever experience anywhere you live? Winters in Minnesota are gorgeous! Buy a coat and gloves and a pair of hiking boots, and get outside! The whole state is full of hiking trails that are perfectly usable in wintertime, and you haven't seen true beauty until you've hiked one of the rivers on the North Shore in January. Anyone who stays inside from November until April is missing out on one of the best reasons for living in Minnesota.

Originally Posted by Kayekaye

Gotta dispel this. Our winters can indeed start in November and have snow in May. Sure we get some good years but there is a reason we don't plant veggies till Memorial Day, frost warnings.

It's true that Minnesota winters can start in November, but it's very rare, and even then only in a tenuous technical sense. Yeah, by the end of the month it's usually down into the 40s during the day and below freezing at night, but I think it's a reach to call that winter. True winter rarely starts before mid-December, and often not until around Christmas time. I think that in the quarter century+ that I lived there, I only saw one year where winter actually began in November.

And May? That one's really stretching it. Yes, sometimes it snows in May. Usually for about 5 minutes, and then it melts immediately because by then you've had over a month of temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, trees are leafed out, and people are running around in shorts and T-shirts all month. Winter is long over by May, and snow is the exception, not the rule. Again, only one year did I see serious snowfall in May.

And perhaps you don't plant your garden until Memorial Day, but mine was always in full bloom by then because I planted the first week of May. Frost warnings don't mean winter; you can get frost warnings on a 70 degree day if the sky is clear and the wind is low. I don't think anyone would factor an occasional springtime frost warning into their decision on whether to move to Minnesota.

When we're answering questions like this, I think it's important to keep in mind that the people who are asking them are using the information to help make one of the most important decisions of their lives - whether to move their entire family halfway across the country. I think it's our responsibility to answer them as accurately and objectively as possible. With very few exceptions winter in Minnesota lasts 2 1/2 to 3 months, from around the middle to end of December to around early to mid-March, at the latest.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile

When we're answering questions like this, I think it's important to keep in mind that the people who are asking them are using the information to help make one of the most important decisions of their lives - whether to move their entire family halfway across the country. I think it's our responsibility to answer them as accurately and objectively as possible. With very few exceptions winter in Minnesota lasts 2 1/2 to 3 months, from around the middle to end of December to around early to mid-March, at the latest.

it's hard to answer these accurately if you never actually go outside for 6 months out of the year...weather is hard

[miamian in nc]

In reading this thread, and particularly Albert_The Crocodile's response, it is so heartwarming to see what could be a negative situation (the weather) portrayed in a positive light. I'm particularly interested in this thread because I am at the point here in North Carolina where for me I've reached the point where I'm ready to leave. I lived in Cleveland for a few years, coming right out of Florida, and I did so at a time I was dealing with the losses of both my parents. So, the winter was unbearable for me then. Now though, with things not working out in NC no matter what I try, I have been reflecting on Cleveland, and how, if I were in a different frame of mind back then, it could have worked out.

So, getting off myself here and reading the postings here about Minnesota, remembering the beauty of the lake in Cleveland in the various seasons, I can see your points about Minnesota. As people say, one has to embrace the seasons. I'm sure that with a good coat, gloves, etc. enjoyment can be found in the winter. Taking a nice walk when it's freshly snowed has a peaceful quality about it. It's still, quiet, and stunning to behold. We can just take the vow that we'll have to stay inside, rent movies, read, and never go out. Now that sounds nice too, lighting a fire and making a hot pot of homemade soup to enjoy. But, that can be balanced, getting out there and enjoying winter also. In having been living in NC, even though it's nowhere as harsh as Minnesota, I know that when I see the blossoms on the trees and the daffodils shooting up out of the ground, it makes me happy and more appreciative of the season of spring. Minnesotans must feel this even more so, but at the same time they find things to do to enjoy the outdoors in winter as well, so as to have that balance of enjoying life as much then as well. Right?

[JJTT]

Thank you all for your kind responses(MinnesotaNice for sure)
We are runners(minus the Toddler), and we plan on embracing the cold and enjoying running on beuatiful trails with snow in the winter.
We are ready for a change as per perpetual summer for a few decades is enough for us.
We like the Plymouth and Maple Grove area. We like the running program at Wayzata High for the older daughter.
We like everything about MN actually.

So we are strongly looking into to making this move.

Once again, thank you all for your kind responses, it was very helpful!!

[HighFlyingBird]

Since it was brought up, Rochester is AMAZING for running. Miles and miles of biking and running trails with nice scenery. And a trail close to almost every house. It's got some great gyms too, and lots of cross country trails. There is kayaking and other calm water sports right in the middle of town.

I disagree about Rochester having great medical care. Yes it has mayo, but mayo is mostly about out of town patients. They have some strong areas like a great oncology department, genetics is pretty good, same with sleep medicine and some others. But they lack majorly in other areas like community health and mental health. Getting appointments for anything can take FOREVER. The mayo philosophy tends towards paternalistic doctoring (do as I say). Not all doctors are like that, but it's the general culture. There is Olmsted County health and I hear it's good for family medicine and some other departments, but I don't know too much about it.

[Yamato2]

Minnesota, especially Minneapolis and St. Paul area and south, can be hot and humid in the summer as well. So get ready for that. Spring and Autumn are awesome in Minnesota. Winter is cold but getting warmer over time.

[TurquoiseSky]

Originally Posted by JJTT

Fantastic response. We are in Lakewood ranch and I work in Sarasota. Yes, we wake up at 5 am to run outside, and all but 2 months are miserable. No wonder why people are so unfit in Fl, it is so miserable to exercise.
I may send you a PM sometime to ask you more questions. And I also agree, that FL is a HEllHole. I think about this daily.
I am a little concerned about a completely different culture. My kids will nordic ski in winter instead of soccer? But I hear there is indoor soccer. I have never seen a hockey(in fact I had to look up spelling) game in my life.
But we are all avid runners, and know for a fact we will enjoy running year round even through the winters.
Thank you for your kind response.

Hockey is huge here. Lots more baseball fans here than FL, too. But sports life revolves around the Vikings. Life stops for Vikings games. I'm a nurse and loved working on Sundays because the patients were so busy watching the game they left me alone all shift, I've never worked less in my life!

People run here year-round. They bike here in the winter, too. They get big fat tires installed and ride on. I love that kind of spirit!

I don't have kids, so I don't know much about what they do up here. There's indoor hockey rinks around town though, so I'm guessing that's a clue.

[TurquoiseSky]

Originally Posted by AnokaCountyTornado

Consider the political and tax climate differences between FL & MN too! Believe me, they are substantial.

I pay more in income taxes in MN than FL because FL doesn't have an income tax, so yeah, there's that. And if I owned a house, I'd be paying about $1000 more a year in property taxes than I would in FL. But considering I'm making $12,000 more a year here, it was worth it for me for that alone. Then there's the benefits: health insurance is way cheaper, matching 403B contribution (didn't get that in FL!), car insurance is like 1/3 the price, etc. Adding that to the $12,000, I'm way ahead.

So the taxes are higher in MN. So what? Southerners are so damn scared of paying taxes that they never do the math to figure out that they might be better off in the long run if (GOD FORBID!!!! ) they live somewhere where they pay more in taxes.

[TurquoiseSky]

Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile

I agree with everything else in your post, but strongly disagree with this one. Why hide indoors during one of the most beautiful seasons you'll ever experience anywhere you live? Winters in Minnesota are gorgeous! Buy a coat and gloves and a pair of hiking boots, and get outside! The whole state is full of hiking trails that are perfectly usable in wintertime, and you haven't seen true beauty until you've hiked one of the rivers on the North Shore in January. Anyone who stays inside from November until April is missing out on one of the best reasons for living in Minnesota.

Maybe it'll be better for me in the Twin Cities, I'm moving there this fall. But I'm in Rochester right now, and there were ice patches everywhere. I didn't feels safe doing outdoor activities.

[JONOV]

Originally Posted by JJTT

Thank you all for your kind responses.
Minneapolis area has everything I am looking for, I am just a little concerned about the extreme cold and length of cold. Not really concerned about myself, I am concerned about wife and 2 daughters. But, I spoke to many locals when I was there, and have read weather history, and seems all good to me.

We looked at houses in Maple Grove. It seemed like a nice area, with nice new houses. It was just shocking to see houses without pools in the back yard. We even toured the local high school. We really liked it. We will think about it a bit, because a move would be a huge deal(selling house, getting medical license in MN etc....)

The thing about the winter is, you can either lock yourself inside and sit, or you can embrace it. There is something of a culture that has come up around winter in MN; ice fishing, cross country skiing, hockey, people bike, etc in addition to indoor sports like basketball and whatnot...It sounds strange but I really miss ice fishing living in the south. The winters in NC seem rather blah to me, gray and muddy.