St. Louis vs. Minneapolis?? (Ozark, St. Paul: insurance, mortgage broker, brokers)

[skrizzle]

Originally Posted by rgb123

oh yeah, that is another reason.

It is important to me (and obviously the op) as a single, early 30's person.

If I were in my early 20's I would still consider Minnesota. If I were married, I would consider Minnesota.

I hear of jobs in Minnesota often...but usually in smaller towns. No thanks. Social suicide! but I wouldn't even do MNPLS at this age. Maybe if I were married, though.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't MNPLS have more Fortune 500 companies then STL? They have 18 STL has 8.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by rgb123

oh yeah, that is another reason.

It is important to me (and obviously the op) as a single, early 30's person.

If I were in my early 20's I would still consider Minnesota. If I were married, I would consider Minnesota.

I hear of jobs in Minnesota often...but usually in smaller towns. No thanks. Social suicide! but I wouldn't even do MNPLS at this age. Maybe if I were married, though.

Hyperlocalism is quite common in the Upper Midwest and New England. I will agree on that point. However, MPLS does have more Fortune 500 companies than STL. Then again, you would expect that considering the metro has over 3.5 million residents.

[stlcitygirl]

I wasn't able to find a ranking for Minneapolis/St Paul. Another reason St Louis may attract transplants is the medical field. With Barnes Jewish, SLU Hospital, Childrens, Cardinal Glennon, St Anthonys, St Johns, St Marys and so on we have a good medical community. Barnes Jewish is constantly ranked as one of the best hospitals in the nation in several different specialities. People come from all around to Children's Hospital. I had a neighbor that just moved on my street this week from Michigan to do his residency.

Another reason for transplants may be the educational opportunities. My friend that just graduated from Washington University Law school said she was one of the only locals in her study groups. The rest of the students came from all over the world, and several decided to stay and work in St Louis after graduation. I'm sure that's the same for their medical school. My neighbors across the street moved from out of town to come to SLU law, and they decided to stay. St Louis academics not only attract students, but faculty as well. People tend to get comfortable once they are here, St Louis can become home very quickly.

[MN55]

Umm, actually Minnesota has 31 fortune 500 companies and only 1 (Hormel Foods in Austin, MN) is not headquartered in the Twin Cities.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortu...states/MN.html

But yea, in terms of localism, Minneapolis is probably the most 'local' in that there are really relatively few "outsiders" here and most of the residents grew up in the Twin Cities or some small town in MN, Iowa, or ND/SD. This, though, is less common in Minneapolis than the suburbs or St. Paul. Many of the families in St. Paul and some suburbs have been there for generations.

[rgb123]

yes, there are plenty of locals who stuck around to fill those vacancies with the fortune 500 compaines in MPLS

my guess would be...perhaps...so many left STL, that they have to attract people from outside to fill vacancies.....a hypothesis.

I know I am being flown in next week....

Originally Posted by MN55

Umm, actually Minnesota has 31 fortune 500 companies and only 1 (Hormel Foods in Austin, MN) is not headquartered in the Twin Cities.
FORTUNE 500 2007: States - Minnesota

But yea, in terms of localism, Minneapolis is probably the most 'local' in that there are really relatively few "outsiders" here and most of the residents grew up in the Twin Cities or some small town in MN, Iowa, or ND/SD. This, though, is less common in Minneapolis than the suburbs or St. Paul. Many of the families in St. Paul and some suburbs have been there for generations.

ps. there are several other sources that say MPLS is more like 12 -- that list contains Fortune 1000 companies as well. (not sure how big of a difference that really makes...but)

STL is home to 21 Fortune 1000 companies....so, the disparity is not as great as we being led to believe

Fortune 1000 Companies and Forbes Largest Private Companies

[ODAAT123]

I lived in STL, MN, CA. One thing no one is mentioning is there is no true transportation in STL. For some reason, STL does not get the picture that good public transportation is essential. Neighborhoods are distinctly different depending upon, well, mostly economic status. STL does not get nearly as cold as MN. I will never miss seeing water freeze mid air. STL is economical, easy to navigate, offers cultural advantages, is a resource of awesome higher learning resources and decent medical care. As far as being single ... STL is very family oriented. People are born, grow up, marry, have children, and die in the same neighborhoods. A key question in STL is "what high school did you go to?" evidencing the thread related to we can tell a lot about you based on what neighborhood you grew up in, which we all know is extremely narrow. The upshot is people are real, people are not like what I am experiencing in CA, it is an entirely different set of values. I love midwest values. STL or MN has been an issue for me, as well, and the only reason I am going back to STL vs. MN is I am much more familiar with STL. And the cold! Hope this helps a bit. I am a single, middle-aged, master degree holder woman who is sure going back there will be hard socially, as I really have no family ties, but also aware that good friends do not always come in easy to read packages. I went to school in Northern MN for 2.5 years and each year had pneumonia, so there ya go! Happy trails.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I don't know what part of Ca you are living in (maybe Coto? or Brentwood?), But I found the people there to be just as genuine there as anywhere else.

I guess I am more comfortable in cosmopolitan environments than the midwest.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I don't know what part of Ca you are living in (maybe Coto? or Brentwood?), But I found the people there to be just as genuine there as anywhere else.

I guess I am more comfortable in cosmopolitan environments than the midwest.

St. Louis sounds like Paris compared to my daily life in Texas.

[DinsdalePirahna]

My brother was stationed at Fort Sam and he raved about San Antonio. I guess it is all subjective.

Some people are content to stay in one place, while others like myself just love to explore.

[rgb123]

I've lived all over too. San Antonio is nice. But there are things I really hate about Texans. California I like.

But the midwest is highly educated compared to most of the south and Texas.