How Do You Like Living In Minnesota? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: best town, job market)

[Duluth07]

Minnesota has always been home to me also. I've lived in Duluth and Minneapolis (moved back and forth a few times!). Both parts of the state have their ups and downs. Duluth's social climate is becoming much like that of Minneapolis - at least downtown. People won't go downtown in Duluth anymore because they're tired of being harassed for money, tired of people trying to sell them drugs, hookers, finding needles in alleys, heroin addicts strung out downtown on First Street - the down and out climate in Duluth has gotten really bad since about 1996. I would say that First Street between 3rd Ave E & 3rd Ave W is as close to Skid Row as it gets in Duluth. Other than that, it's a great place to live if you are coupled and have kids. It sucks if you are single and childless - there will be nothing for you to do here. You'll have nothing to talk about with coworkers as they go on and on about their spouses and children while you talk about your pets. Not fun.

Minneapolis was cool for a while. You better have a degree if you plan on living there. In another 10 years, bump that up to a masters degree. Rents are nuts if you want to live downtown and be close to everything. I didn't really notice much in terms of street crime because I think that is more in the neighborhoods vs. downtown (nobody with kids lives downtown). Jobs? Again, in Minneapolis, you better have a degree if you want a job that will afford you a decent place to live. In Duluth, your degree (unless you're an RN) will get you about $8 an hour someplace.

Minnesota nice? Remember most people in Minneapolis aren't from Minnesota, they're recent grads from the U of MN, U of MI, Northwestern, etc., and are there to cash in their MBA at one of the many Fortune 500's there. It's not a place where you'll find many people who've even been outside the Twin Cities. Duluth is different. Some people never leave. Many people are coming there with no money and no interest in working and expecting social services to support these choices. The difference is that while Minneapolis does get its share of urban problems, it also gets an influx of ultra rich people too. Duluth just seems to be getting an influx of people with nothing. Which sucks. I'm not looking forward to seeing what Duluth will be like in 2017.

Other places in Minnesota I'm not familiar with. I've been to East Grand Forks. The only nice thing is that its 150 miles from Winnipeg. I've been to International Falls. Closest thing to 'Hee-Haw' live and in person. Jokes aside, I think all states have their positives and negatives. One thing Minnesota has - I'm talking places like Duluth - it that these cities are literally at the end of the line. You'd have to go there for a purpose or if you knew someone there; it's not a place you would pass through if you were traveling the country, for example. Which is tough because I think many of our cities would prosper if they just had more people passing though who would think, 'yea, this might be worth checking out'.

[hungrygiantsquid]

Hi there, My name is Weston. I live in Lafayette Louisiana. Married with 3 sons. We're thinking of relocating to International Falls, Minnesota. Wanna give my kids a better quality of life. Down here in Louisiana, things they are a-changin'. Hurricanes are getting wayyy worse, Crimes high, traffics terrible, cost of living is wayyy up humidity sucks!, it sits around 100% ALL THE TIME! and we have no more winter.
Anyone from International Falls on here?

[Minnehahapolitan]

Int'l Falls is a good town. Safe, affordable, midwestern town. The Boise Paper Factory is there, and the town smells kinda bad. Honestly, unless you have a connection or a job set up I would look to other towns in the state before Int'l Falls. It will give you the basics, but there are places that will give you what Int'l Falls does with a little more.

[kathysan]

Originally Posted by MSMCGirl

I moved to Minneapolis from L.A. a year ago and LOVE it here. I'm kinda opposite the other poster (who's 41 and wants out!). I could not wait to get out of L.A.!!! L.A. has mountains (nice) and "great" weather (I guess)...but it's SO overcrowded, overpriced, and the crime is out of control. I have to laugh when people here complain that crime is getting worse...I couldn't even watch the news in L.A. it was so depressing...too many murders to cover them all.

The cost of living here is awesome (in my opinion)...I LOVE LOVE LOVE the seasons. Yes it's hot now, but that will change in a month or so. L.A. will have heat waves through New Years. Yes, last winter was long...but tolerable. Was not as cold as I had been told it would be.

There's a lot of culture here...and I feel safe. Less traffic than other big cities...and it's clean. Minneapolis is a great place. The ONLY drawback is meeting people here...I think people tend to be very reserved...definitely not as outgoing as Californians. But I'll NEVER go back to L.A....and I don't see myself leaving Minneapolis any time soon either...

I live in LA actually HB and was considering MN also. What area do you live in? Are the winters that lon and grey?

[kathysan]

So have you moved there yet? Where are you from?

[ace22]

We just moved out of MN (had lived there 10 years.) Lived in a small college town. People were pleasant on the surface but impossible to get to know beyond that. Good things: 1. If your car breaks down, people will stop to help.
2. Snow is no big problem - the plows are two stories high and will have everything cleared off in 24 hours. Not-so-good thing: 1. Tornadoes - very scary, very dangerous. I had no idea that MN was part of "Tornado Alley", but we had at least 3 huge supercell tornadoes coming right at us every summer. You always hear about the snow and cold there, but in my opinion, it's the tornadoes that are the real danger. Glad to leave.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by mitst

Traffic - Traffic is the worst. Driving the twin cities is a hostile enviroment. People will speed up to purposely not you in from a ramp or to keep you from changing lanes. Even if it means slamming into the car in front of them. I have seen this happen more than once.

Coming from south Florida though I find the traffic thoroughly manageable. My wife tells me that its amazing how much my driving habits have toned down and that now I don't look like I'm gonna explode from rage at the idiot drivers.

What you say is true though. I've seen this too but it's kind of a hoot when I'm in my F350. It just masses too much. People here are truly disfunctional WRT to lange changes & freeway entrances and exits. All things considered though its not the worst place I've driven by a longshot.

Originally Posted by ace22

We just moved out of MN (had lived there 10 years.) Lived in a small college town. People were pleasant on the surface but impossible to get to know beyond that. Good things: 1. If your car breaks down, people will stop to help.
2. Snow is no big problem - the plows are two stories high and will have everything cleared off in 24 hours. Not-so-good thing: 1. Tornadoes - very scary, very dangerous. I had no idea that MN was part of "Tornado Alley", but we had at least 3 huge supercell tornadoes coming right at us every summer. You always hear about the snow and cold there, but in my opinion, it's the tornadoes that are the real danger. Glad to leave.

On the surface is good enough for me. We had some friends up here already so that helps, and my son has made friends at school. Last thing, a couple of tornado cells a year isn't a really big deal, but good luck wherever you ended up!

[CityKidWithAgDegree]

why all the way up to I Falls?? there is a lot of MN, in between there and Iowa border. I would suggest the twin cities. If thats too big, then Duluth or Rochester, both about 100,000. MN and LA are a lot alike in two particular ways - both have the Mississippi River, and both have lots of inland water ways. which means a lot of fishing and hunting!

[kim825]

have been here 10 years. Lived in Pittsburgh PA for all my life prior to that. Like previous posters said. People here are nice on surface but not much beyond that. Really hard to make friends here. The people we are friends with are transplants to MN as well. We can't wait to move back to PA or East. Can't believe we got stuck here as long as we did. People in MN have way to high of a opinion of themselves and I'm so tired of it.

By the way, the winters are not that bad. The winters in Western PA are WAY worse than the last 10 I've had in the twin cities. There is barely any snow and the cold is a dry cold not like the wet frigid cold in the NE so it doens't feel as low of a temp as it is. The only thing is these people CAN NOT drive in the snow. I don't get it. Everything comes to a halt in an inch of snow. It's insane. It's flat as a pancake here and barely any winding roads yet no one can drive. it's a mystery to me!

I just can't wait till the market picks up and we can finally get my kids to the friendly eastern part of the US.

[hi ppl]

I grew up in the Midwest and have live in the southwest AZ area for the past 3 years.
I am ready to go home, I miss the change of season, grass, cool breeze after the rain, rain. People pile down here for the warm climate which is fine if you can afford and want to live ina shack for $1000+ per month. On the flip side people here are cool, easy to approach and visit with. Most of them are from another state so they are as lonely as you are and just lookin for a new friend and a laugh. I would like to move to MN at least for a bit it live around family.
My kids like AZ but the crime makes me worried, to many Amber Alerts and child weirdos. I honestly don't know how single mothers/fathers handle it here. I agree with the others about a depressing winters with a long gray,brown,white cloudy days that go no forever or so it seems. I guess I didn't mind it to much because I'd take my dog outside to play late at night, climb the snow hills and roam around. The good thing about AZ is the endless hiking trails something I will totally miss because the Midwest is nothin but flat.

Life is short, just do what makes you happy or do it to see if it will make you happy. Tomorrow is not guarnteed!
Nothing has to be permanent unless you let it, so when I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired I will pick up and move from MN. I guess I'm part gypse, LOL!