Is there still "Minnesota nice" in the 21st Century? (neighborhood, to buy)

[silverClimber2go]

I am sitting in a hotel in Colorado Springs, having spent the past week here doing research on relocating to the area and interestingly enough I am hearing the same thing here, over and over again, as others have mentioned about Duluth. People complain that they cannot break into social circles, that people are friendly but not sociable, that even living here for a long time they cannot make many friends. We found it interesting that as we have been travelling around the city we find it very similar to Duluth and feel quite at home here. We have made many acquaintances here already. But, we also go out of our way to make them. That's how we are and what we expect. I'm sure that if we relocated to this area we would find things very much the same as our current home. It frustrates me when I read the negative comments on people in general in a specific area, Duluth or any other place. I think you get what you expect and what you make of it. We expect to make friends wherever we go and we make friends wherever we go. We have friends around the world and we truly appreciate that.

[thomjoe]

I moved to MSP 20 years ago from out of state, and I knew no one. Within a few weeks I was "adopted" by new families from all backgrounds. To this day they are still part of my family. Yes, people in MN are very stuck to their roots, but if you are a true, hardworking and honest person, they will indeed welcome you. I love MN, and it is a grand place to live. I have traveled the world and US, and I still live in MN.

[Duluth07]

You have to be careful about any assumptions about Minnesota Nice. I found that it does not at all apply to the Twin Cities, probably because the majority of people in Minneapolis today are transplants from other big cities across the country and haven't been in Minnesota for a year, nor do they plan on staying once they are promoted to a higher up executive position in Denver, Chicago, Phoenix, etc. The Twin Cities are the same as any other big city. Even Duluth with it's rising downtown crime has changed; people no longer look you in the eye and say hi - I'm seeing a lot of people just walk by without looking at the people standing at the bus stop or whatnot. It's changed a great deal in Duluth over the last decade. Thanks to the criminal element, drug dealers and people with 8 kids who can no longer afford Minneapolis.

On the other hand, I have been to other parts of the country and find that once you are outside of either Minneapolis or Duluth, you will genuinely find friendly people - but also, remember that much of Minnesota depends on tourism to support local economies. Are they friendly because they have to be or want to be? The social climate has changed greatly in the last two decades; the former farming towns between Duluth and Minneapolis (Moose Lake, Pine City, Rush City) are now prison towns. The farms are gone, the prisons were built, locals really can't complain because it means state jobs. But there is a certain coldness to that as well.

It's all what you make it. A lot of people have told me that they don't "get" Duluth people because many of us have a lot of education yet stay here and accept lower paying jobs in exchange for lower priced housing and (once you get out of the downtown core) a better quality of life, and the views of Lake Superior. It's not as pretentious as Minneapolis suburbs like Eden Prairie, Apple Valley or even Forest Lake. So it depends on where you go in MN.

[gonzotg]

I always thought "MN Nice" referred to geting a wave instead of the finger when being cut off on 494.

[Joe_Ryder]

First we have to define "friendly" and "nice.” I've lived in rural MN for about a year and am not adjusting well. The people are ok. I would say Minnesotans are neither nice nor friendly but instead "pleasant.” This is not to say they are not nice either. It's not that I dislike it here but am simply more accustomed to life in large cities. Then there's the continuous rain and brutal winters...

I am from a major west coast city. I have lived in many major cities in the US and abroad and quite honestly find city dwellers to be friendlier than rural people. They are not pleasant or nice but friendlier. They are accustomed to people coming and going and it's not nearly as difficult to be accepted into communities in cities. All you really have to do is move in.

In a more country like setting, people will approach you much more easily and engage in casual small talk but they do not include you in the community. They see you as an outsider. If you can deal with that, MN may be fine for you. Minnesotans do consider Minneapolis to be the epitome of cities but from my perspective it seems more like a small town with decent services. It's the biggest they've got. Remember that the entire state has only about 7 million people. I have noticed that both Minnesotans and Manitobans don't tend to wander and they have formed opinions of just about everywhere else according to what they've heard. Most of what they know is not entirely correct. Just let it slide because people do that in all small towns everywhere.

To the schools: On AVERAGE, they are pretty good. But consider that MN is sparsely populated and communities are smaller so their average will tend to be higher. Stats can be misleading. To give an example: California schools have an overall poor rating but there are massive inequalities from one area of any city to the next. Some of the public schools in LA and San Francisco are superior to anything in MN but they also have enough truly disgraceful schools to bring the whole average down. If you are affluent and live in the right area, your kids will get a superior education at a public school in any major city but if you are poor or middle class, MN may be a better option. You can't go by average stats. You have to look at each school independently. A general rule of thumb is that the more money the neighborhood has, the better the schools. Schools in lower income areas of MN do tend to be a heck of a lot better than in other states lower income areas. In an odd way, Minnesotans are right about having better schools in that there seems to be no bad schools. Part of my reason for moving to rural MN was the schools. Not being fabulously wealthy, the school my 7 year old would attend in CA would be very undesireable and the school here in a relatively low income area of MN is 100 times better. If I decide to move back to CA, I will have to lower our standard of living in order to afford private schools. MN was an excellent balance of good schools and decent living standards. Safety is a huge consideration when considering a school. Even if the curriculum is superior in different school systems, your child's safety is a huge concern that I consider a large part of what makes a school "good." In general, MN schools are pretty safe.

The people don't shoot at you in traffic and they don't break into your house when you're out. You can actually park your car outside at night and expect to find it's paint scheme to be the way you left it and all of it's contents still in the vehicle so all in all, I'd say the people are pretty darn nice. I don't care if they don't invite us to many of the local functions and see us as outsiders as long as they aren't shooting at us and stealing our stuff. It's all a perspective thing that depends on how you define nice.

[Lindenin]

Originally Posted by Joe_Ryder

I would say Minnesotans are neither nice nor friendly but instead "pleasant.” This is not to say they are not nice either. It's not that I dislike it here but am simply more accustomed to life in large cities. Then there's the continuous rain and brutal winters...

Thanks for the insight, Joe_Ryder. It is always refreshing to have a new transplant comment on this topic.

I agree that pleasant is a better word to describe Minnesotans than nice. As someone who has lived in several major cities as well (possibly including that major west coast city you referred to), the different in the two words is subtle but also accurate. But I also think it is hard to generalize. Have I ever seen, in all my living locations, a place where people across the board are on average friendlier? I can't say I have. But I've met incredible people in every single stop.

Agree on brutal winters, but continuous rain? It could be alot worse. San Diego has the most days of sun of any US city -- if you are comparing anywhere else to SD, by chance, then anywhere else is going to come up short. Based on the places I've lived, Minnesota gets just enough rain to allow trees to actually grow, without having weeks upon weeks of gray and haze like they get in one place I lived (starts with a 'P' and is very liberal.)

[TravisW]

I'd agree with "pleasant". It's really sort of an upper-midwestern social culture, really. I grew up in central ND and now live in northwest (Moorhead) MN, and the people are really about the same. We tend to act pleasantly towards others, but aren't necessarily particularly gregarious with people who we don't know.

That being said, I personally get nervous when somebody who I really don't know seems (to me) overbearingly happy or a little too friendly. Unless it's at a bar and they're a 6-pack into it; that sort of thing happens sometimes.

[minnesotamike]

I moved to Minnesota in 1972 from Chicago. People were, and still are, very "nice". Actually the "n" is optional. Someone once said that Minnesota is the home of the icy stare and the benevolent smile. You never knew how anyone really felt about you. They were just so "nice".

Over the last three decades, there have been some noticeable changes. People in general may not be quite as nice, but they seem a lot more friendly and less guarded. That may be due to the influx of non-Minnesotans to the area. The old "nice" has evolved to a little more emotional honesty. The old Minnesota was very tolerant; the present day Minnesota seems a little more welcoming.

[pirate_lafitte]

I have read about Minnesota and it was the friendliness that I read about that made me want to move to Minnesota. I still think about it for when I graduate from college as well as other places(Denver, Seattle, Texas, Alaska)

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by silverClimber2go

I am sitting in a hotel in Colorado Springs, having spent the past week here doing research on relocating to the area and interestingly enough I am hearing the same thing here, over and over again, as others have mentioned about Duluth. People complain that they cannot break into social circles, that people are friendly but not sociable, that even living here for a long time they cannot make many friends. We found it interesting that as we have been travelling around the city we find it very similar to Duluth and feel quite at home here. We have made many acquaintances here already. But, we also go out of our way to make them. That's how we are and what we expect. I'm sure that if we relocated to this area we would find things very much the same as our current home. It frustrates me when I read the negative comments on people in general in a specific area, Duluth or any other place. I think you get what you expect and what you make of it. We expect to make friends wherever we go and we make friends wherever we go. We have friends around the world and we truly appreciate that.

It depends on who you meet. I have met people who are like family to me. It can happen and many times it happens.