Considering to relocate from California to Minnesota, Please give me some feedback! (Minneapolis: real estate, rent)

[SoCaliButterfly]

Hi Everyone! I came accross this great web site and thought of trying to get some feedback on the situation below.

My husband(31) and I(29) have been married for two years now and lived here in Southern California. We currently have no kids and we are considering to relocate to Minnesota. I have heard and read great things about Minnesota but I am really scared of the cold weather. I do not like the heat and much rather live in a colder place but I am afraid that Minnesota would be too cold.

Our purpose to move is so that we can buy our first home and then begin to start our family in a much better enviroment.

California has great weather but even with the drop in realestate, it still seems almost unlikely for us to be able to afford a house here.

I have a BA on Marketing and my husband has worked for his fathers Marbel and Granite installation business for many years now. His father business has been servicing Southern California for the last 23 years.

First question, how is the job market for both the Marbel and Granite installation and a Marketing degree in Minnesota?

Also, I would like to know which Minnesota cities would be best to look at in terms of the job market?
My husband and I are pretty mellow but have lived in this big city almost all of our life. We definetely wouldn't want to live in a isolated city but rather in a city that offers options of things to do.

Lastly, I am bilingual (spanish) is that something that can be a plus for me when looking for a job? How big is the hispanic population in Minnesota?


I would appreciate any feedback or advice! Thanks

[fromupthere]

Not sure of the specifics of the job market in marketing or marble and granite installation, but I'd say based on what you've said, you'd want to look at (in no particular order) Rochester, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, St. Cloud or Duluth. I don't know a lot about the western half of the state as far as what the cities offer or size. As far as the Hispanic population, I know there is a large population here in Rochester and in my experience the Duluth Hispanic population is not very large. I imagine the Minneapolis/St. Paul area has a large population too. Also not sure about St. Cloud as far as Hispanic population. I imagine in the larger cities you can find being bilingual beneficial and perhaps helpful in job hunting.

Best of luck! I know I haven't given you a lot to go on, but I think it's a starting point anyway.

[SoCaliButterfly]

I appreciate your in put very much. Very well indeed it is a starting point to our journey ahead. I wanted to know if you can give me some feedback on the weather in terms of what i can expect?

Thanks!

[fromupthere]

I don't think it's as brutal as you might think it is, but coming from So. Cal. I'm sure it will be a major shock to the system. I grew up in Northern Minnesota and now live in Southern Minnesota. I think the winters in So. MN are definitely less harsh. The deep freeze cold usually hits in January and some into February. In the past couple of years we have had maybe a week's worth of the severe cold. There is also less snow in Southern Minnesota. The hardest part of the winter is relearning how to drive in the snow. Even Minnesotans can forget and the first snow is a tough one. But once you are used to it, the rest is easy. You just make sure you have enough clothes on - jacket, hat, gloves, etc. It makes sense to spend a little more on a winter jacket/coat too. I'm sure you'd find lots of homes here with fireplaces too which are nice for the cold winter nights. Honestly though it probably will be a shock for you but I really believe you will find it it is not nearly as bad as you might think.

[uptown_urbanist]

I was born and raised in Minnesota, but lived in LA for three years. I'm not sure where exactly in southern CA you're from, but you'll find a lot of differences. If you don't want an "isolated" city your only option is realistically going to be Minneapolis or St. Paul; the other cities in Minnesota are going to feel really, really small and isolated compared to any of the southern CA cities, and also (if it matters) really, really white. (and before any residents of those cities jump on me, let me say that they may be perfectly pleasant places to live and work, but they're all pretty small and, I think, could count as isolated; if nothing else, it would be a bigger hassle for flying back to southern CA to visit family) The Twin Cities are more expensive than the other MN cities, but it's still going to feel dirt cheap compared to most of the real estate in southern CA. You can buy a nice home in a nice neighborhood for less than what you'd pay for a major fixer up in a marginal neighborhood with terrible schools in LA. It probably won't be easy to find a job, but on the plus side, the market isn't as bad as in California, either. Traffic is going to feel extremely light after living in Southern CA.

As far as weather, it does get very cold during the winter. The summer can be hot and humid, or at least far more humid than what I experienced in LA. It's not too bad, though, and usually the really hot part of the summer doesn't last too long. The spring and fall are usually very comfortable, temperature-wise. I know people from California who moved to MN (including my dad, for that matter); they get used to it. The benefit of having strong seasonal variations is that it helps you to appreciate each new season; spring in MN is great and you really appreciate it after the winter. And the first snow and cold of the winter feels novel, too.

The Twin Cities don't have a huge hispanic population, at least not when compared to California. That said, it's not insignificant, and the numbers are growing. Being bilingual would certainly give you an advantage for some positions.

Good luck with your potential move. MN has a lot to offer, and I think the Twin Cities offers a great balance between bigger city amenities and a smaller price tag. And, as a bonus, no earthquakes or devastating wildfires.

[monkeywrenching]

we tell everyone that our winters are fierce but in reality they are really milld. we just say that to keep the riffraff out of the state.

[SoCaliButterfly]

Minnesota really sounds like a great place to have our future kids grow up at The information was really helpful and I appreciate the time you took to respond to my questions.

I think trying to narrow down to which city or cities we would like to live would be the first thing to decide so that my job search could follow then after. What are MN big industry's? Are there any MN jobs data-base website that you might be aware of?

I been doing some research on MN realestate and I have to agree that it does seem so much more affordable than here. I actually live 10 minutes away from the Anaheim area. The realestate has probably dropped about 40%, but for new married couple like us have found that is still very difficult to purchase at home here. All of our same age friends have been moving out of state to find better living opportunities. You can still find cheap home here on the outskirts of Los Angeles but its not worth it in terms of a healthy enviroment and the level of education.

[Latchkey Kid]

Originally Posted by monkeywrenching

we tell everyone that our winters are fierce but in reality they are really milld. we just say that to keep the riffraff out of the state.

They are not really mild. Not sure if that was meant as a joke.

[uptown_urbanist]

I'm not sure what the current biggest industries would be (it's fairly diverse, or at least not currently dominated by just a few industries), but there are a number of large companies with HQ in the state (mostly in the metro TC area). Target, General Mills, Pillsbury, 3M, Best Buy, and Medtronic are a few that come to mind, but there are other big names, too. Some of the big employers have had to lay off people or in some cases reduce hours, but there's a t US Bank and Wells Fargo are also here and have a lot of employees. I'm not sure of the best job search sites, but monster.com seems to be a standard, as well as looking directly at the company websites.

[yellowsnow]

There's a large granite/stone industry close to St. Cloud. Lots of quarry/manufacturing of tile, countertops, etc. MN has a lot of granite that's really nice.

I moved to MN in 1995 from Utah. I left in 2008 and went back to the western US. I moved in large part because of the weather. I don't hate winter but what I did hate was that it CAN last for almost 1/2 the year. I've seen snow as early as September and as late as mid May. When summer finally arrives, so do the bugs and humidity. For me, there were very few enjoyable days. Now if hunting and fishing are your interests, I've been told MN can't be beat.

Personally, I would recommend you rent and see if it really is for you. If you can't take the weather, you won't be stuck there.