Moving To Minnesota? (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester: home, movies, living in)

[sta fwd]

Note: I wrote this over in the VA Forum but thought it might be good to post it here for people thinking about moving to Minnesota.

Minnesota, it really isn't that bad here..Really:
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Many times I've read about how cold it is here in Minnesota and that it's a state to be avoided. However, there are a great many things to do here in the wintertime and not having to be huddled up in your home infront of the fireplace waiting for spring to finally arrive and save the day.

We have the Mall of America here. You could spend two entire days shopping and taking in movies at that place.

Many Concert Halls and many bands coming to do a show.

Heck, put on a few long sleeved shirts, a warm coat, some gloves, a hat and go Skiing over at Buck Hill, Afton Alps or Welch Village. Or how about Snow Tubing over at Badlands SnowPark near Hudson Wisconsin, bring the family or your friends and have a great time. You can go sliding down the hills on toboggans or sleds and relive being a kid again.

There are even Sleigh Rides to take with a girlfriend or wife while exploring the scenery. Ever take a walk in the evening while the snow is falling? Heck, it's a winter wonderland and yes it's actually fun. We usually have only two weeks where it's particularly cold, although this last year (2008) was odd and it was colder for a longer length of time. But still, normally only two weeks, and ten out of fourteen of those days (monday thru friday) your working at your fulltime job anyways. So your really only talking about 4 days where you could be indoors doing something to beat the *real cold*.

As far as driving in the snow, there are usually less then a handful of days where you will be stuck in traffic because of the snow coming down and messing things up. However, you could just get up alittle bit earlier then normal and surprise your boss that you came into work early, and then leave earlier in the afternoon to beat the rush hour traffic going home, or just head for home after the rush hour.
How do I know all this. Well, I live 45 miles south of the Minneapolis and St. Paul area and travel into town monday thru friday. I've done it now since 1991.

Seriously, it's just not as bad as people make it sound here in Minnesota. and if you want many different things to do in each of the 4 seasons, you will have more then enough things to do to keep you busy and happy. Red cheeks aren't so bad, you might even get some gal to give you a hot chocolate for looking that way
And YES, the cold weather does keep much of the riff raff out of our state.

** Being happy where you live starts when you extend a smile, handshake, or offer help to someone else. It's amazing how many friends you'll make by just being nice to someone else first

Good Luck with your choice of states.

Dan
Rosemount, Minnesota

[golfgal]

Great post--it does seem from your post that the weather is like this year round=it's NOT. Just remind people of this when it is 100° and 80% humidity in mid-July .

another Rosemount resident!

[moving123456]

Don't let all of our secrets out.

[mimberly]

We are moving to Minnesota. My husband is already there. He says it rains more than not. We now live in Michigan so we are used to 4 season and snow. I hate snow and I really hope I like Minnesota.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by mimberly

We are moving to Minnesota. My husband is already there. He says it rains more than not. We now live in Michigan so we are used to 4 season and snow. I hate snow and I really hope I like Minnesota.

Actually that isn't quite true. We haven't had much rain this spring at all. We have had a weird spring weather-wise though but looking at the lakes and ponds around us it looks like we are in for another drought like summer.

[sta fwd]

A Neat Tool
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Now that we have all this technology available to us, one of those neat things is a webcam that is located where you may just like to live someday. Besides giving you additional information other then just word of mouth (which is always nice), seeing with your own eyes could be another beneficial tool to help with the major decision to relocate or not.

Many states now provide these outdoor webcams for you to view scenery and actual (viewing live) weather conditions. Some even offer temp, humidity and all sorts of other weather related information. So, not only are you getting a bird's eye view of the distant location, you are also getting some real time information on the actual weather conditions that exist there.

I'm not sure what the rules are on this forum to provide a link to those webcam sites, but if you were to Google or Yahoo and use the Search to look for 'webcam', followed by the 'state' of your interest, a large number of outdoor webcams should be presented to you for your viewing pleasure. Example; Google and Search for > Minnesota Webcams. North Carolina Webcams, New York Webcams..You get the picture

This is just another tool for you to use while you sit in the comfort of your present home and look at other areas of our wonderful nation.


So, take a trip and never leave your home..Check out a webcam located in a state, city, town, or village of your choice and sit back and enjoy the view.

Dan
Rosemount, Minnesota

[mimberly]

My husband is in Winona and he has said that it has been cold and rainy more than not. Here in Michigan we haven't had much rain so far this spring. In fact in should reach 80 this weekend. I'm really having trouble with moving so I'm not really looking forward to it, The things like people like about Minnesota are things like we didn't do here in Michigan. The older I get and I'm 48 I find that I hate the cold and really hate snow.

[Lillietta]

We have had an exceptionally cold and rainy spring. The past two years we hardly had spring and little or no rain.

[judlee]

There are some PDF files on this web page about moving/housing/jobs, etc

Move to Minnesota

[oconnorcm3]

Mimerby,

Your husband is a lucky man, living in Winona. My mom lives there and has said that this winter and spring have been cold(er than normal). Everyone is ready for summer.

The good news is that normally, the weather is fairly decent. And the views are wonderful. If he hangs around until Fall, he will be really impressed. The bluffs show the colors so well and with the Mississippi and Lake Winona, there just isn't a prettier picture. Go up to Garvin Heights and the view is awesome! Winona is a nice town to live in. Small and quiet which is good if you have children that you want to keep safe and happy. There are larger cities nearby (La Crosse and Rochester are about 30'ish minutes) where you can find everything that you can't find in Winona (although Winona now has quite a few retail shops out on the highway).

But I hear you on the cold. January and February feel so long. I don't look forward to those months. I'm hoping to visit the relatives in Florida, in January and February, when we move to Minnesota.