Is It Really That Hard to Make Friends in Minnesota?

[Sarimn00]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I already experience some of that now. I tend to make comments that many people don't agree with, and then some people do not call me for a while. I have made friends that either agree with me or at least accept me for the views that I have. The PC relationships and people not calling, well, I experience that in Georgia, so it isn't that much different. As for snow, well, if it is snowing, you can bet that I will be outside doing something.I don't want to be indoors when it is cold and snowing. I want to be outdoors where the snow is.
If MN is big on the environment, a big plus for me. I get angry when I see litter on the side of the road. In GA there are rules against this and fines if you litter, but it is either rarely enforced, or some people just don't care and will litter anyway. I think the social programs are a good thing. My father has been laid off in GA and unemployment compensation is pitiful. I think of it this way: If you work hard and then get laid off, there should be a safety net for you when you fall and a way to get back on your feet. This reigns true especially now.
I think of it this way: I am single, 23 years old, love snow and cold weather, intellectual, kind of a "weirdo" at heart, I can be shy at times but I can work it out somehow. I like order and cleanliness. I will shovel someone's driveway if necessary. What might be good for me may not be good for someone else.

I don't think the quote that Minnesotans don't go outside during the winter is even remotely true (you replied to that one). When it snows or is cold, we spend just as much time outside (which is why MN consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the country-we stay active in the winter). Whether it is skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing, sledding, hockey(outdoor hockey instead of playing the the arena is making a huge comeback in this state), most of us get outdoors, or we would never leave the house. We may not like it all the time, but it is something we kind of grow to enjoy.
True, Minnesota tends to be lean more in the liberal/moderate dem/ or independent area in politics. We have some amazing political figures that have come out of MN. We may be one of the highest ranked when it comes to taxes, but it goes to our schools and roads, the environment and health care. We tend to be willing to pay more to get better services. It is a very clean state, at least compared to the rest of the country that I have seen (mostly the west). About the time it doesn't look particularly great is right away in the spring, because no one is going to pick trash up in the middle of the winter.
It sounds like you might really fit in here. I wouldn't worry about making friends. If you have family in the TC, that's a really good starting point. It's not a small hick town like the town of 200 I live in.

[Sarimn00]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Minneapolis is among my top cities to move to when I finish school. I also have family in Mpls, so it helps. I like the hockey part. I hear the state fair has reuben sandwich on a stick. I am also familiar with Garrison Keillor, because I get his show on NPR.
As for the making friends part, I don't know how I will do because I have only been to the TC area and that was to visit family.

The Minnesota Fair is great. Think of pretty much any type of food, and you can find it on a stick at the fair. Every year, there is more and more. It's a lot of fun. Oh, and if you know who Garrison Keillor is and like hockey, you will fit in just fine.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Sarimn00

I don't think the quote that Minnesotans don't go outside during the winter is even remotely true (you replied to that one). When it snows or is cold, we spend just as much time outside (which is why MN consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the country-we stay active in the winter). Whether it is skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing, sledding, hockey(outdoor hockey instead of playing the the arena is making a huge comeback in this state), most of us get outdoors, or we would never leave the house. We may not like it all the time, but it is something we kind of grow to enjoy.
True, Minnesota tends to be lean more in the liberal/moderate dem/ or independent area in politics. We have some amazing political figures that have come out of MN. We may be one of the highest ranked when it comes to taxes, but it goes to our schools and roads, the environment and health care. We tend to be willing to pay more to get better services. It is a very clean state, at least compared to the rest of the country that I have seen (mostly the west). About the time it doesn't look particularly great is right away in the spring, because no one is going to pick trash up in the middle of the winter.
It sounds like you might really fit in here. I wouldn't worry about making friends. If you have family in the TC, that's a really good starting point. It's not a small hick town like the town of 200 I live in.

I figured the "Minnesotans don't go outside in winter" thing had to be at least mythical. Where I live I can't get anything but indoor ice rinks. As for the clean factor, I like clean. I try to wrap my mind around why a person would want to litter.
I do know some of your politicians, such as Hubert H. Humphrey, Harold Stassen, Sharon Belton, Fritz Mondale. I know Minnesota has ranked high in education. Sounds like a good place to raise children. In some ways liberal politics can be a good thing.
As for fitting in, if I decide to leave for the Twin Cities, my first priority would be to find a job after college.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Sarimn00

The Minnesota Fair is great. Think of pretty much any type of food, and you can find it on a stick at the fair. Every year, there is more and more. It's a lot of fun. Oh, and if you know who Garrison Keillor is and like hockey, you will fit in just fine.

I do know Garrison Keillor and I have been to hockey games.

One thing I want to try at the MN state fair is the reuben on a stick. I heard about lefse being served there. I can't say for sure.

[cdubs3201]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I lived for many years outside of Minnesota and met Minnesotans everywhere I went. They're definitely out there - I even worked with someone in California who had lived a block away from me when we both were in MN (didn't know him then). Some of my fellow high school classmates (many of them who do live elsewhere, not just in the United States but around the world) are starting to move back to MN for practical reasons; it's much more affordable than many of the other bigger cities, yet offers a good quality of life. I've met my share of provincial Minnesotans - but then again I also met plenty of people like that in other states, too.

You're going to find people from everywhere anywhere you go, but I felt there's more transplants out there from other states than MN. An example would be here in Chicago. Of all the people I meet in my peer group, I'd say at least 30-40% are from Michigan and Ohio. That's because college graduated are having a hard time finding job opportunities in those state due to the high unemployment rates compared to the rest of the nation. Also, Michigan and Ohio have some large colleges that many Chicago companies will recruit from directly on campus.

I'd say I run into just as many Minnesotans as people from any other state here, but Michigan and Ohio, as well as New York and Boston, are by far the most common.

Minneapolis has good social structures, so it's hard to see why a lot of people would leave.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by cdubs3201

You're going to find people from everywhere anywhere you go, but I felt there's more transplants out there from other states than MN. An example would be here in Chicago. Of all the people I meet in my peer group, I'd say at least 30-40% are from Michigan and Ohio. That's because college graduated are having a hard time finding job opportunities in those state due to the high unemployment rates compared to the rest of the nation. Also, Michigan and Ohio have some large colleges that many Chicago companies will recruit from directly on campus.

I'd say I run into just as many Minnesotans as people from any other state here, but Michigan and Ohio, as well as New York and Boston, are by far the most common.

Minneapolis has good social structures, so it's hard to see why a lot of people would leave.

Alot of people are having a hard time getting a job anywhere. Hopefully, the social structures can make survival a bit less harrowing.