Question about Views/Politics.. Minneapolis, MN v. Chicago, IL (Bloomington: transplants, crime)

[Andrew T.]

Heres a good question for you Chicagoans out there:
Recently, I relocated from Madison, WI to the Minneapolis suburbs. While living in Madison, I had a lot of close friends & family in greater Chicagoland (La Grange Park, Skokie, Oak Brook, etc) and spent a lot of time there. I've lived here in the Bloomington/Eagan/Eden Prairie area for a while now (for those of you who are familiar with Mpls- I`m sure some of you are). Now, heres my question - Are people in & around Chicago, and the places I mentioned I hung out (primarily Skokie & the new Trier suburbs.. most of my friends there) more liberal, "in the know", and accepting of everyone than they would be here in Minneapolis? I've found that people definately seemed to be a lot more open (speaking on behalf of personality here, but including other issues) about anyone "different". And not different in a bad way, different meaning perhaps, Jewish, wealthy, not wealthy, gay, straight, whatever. Here in MN on the other hand, you dont speak, nor even show "yourself"... Its very odd to me as a matter of fact, as i'm used to an environment in which you kind of project yourself as who you are - and as previously stated, that was never a problem in Madison or Chicago. Whats even more interesting, is that I work for a large corporation (that I wont mention) that is a WELL known Fortune "100 best" company, and I deal with a lot of less-than-desireable situations involving sitdowns with my higher up, because the individual doesnt feel i'm on task, and seems to belittle me in every way possible - very interesting, considering I was not only well known but VERY successful in my position back in Madison. So, a bit about myself I suppose. I'm a 20 year old male, who is deemed a "metro-sexual" .. haha (21st century termonology for a guy who dresses well & is tasteful, but isn`t gay) by others, and is not feeling very well liked here in the cities. So, back to business, why such a difference, if anyone is familiar with both metro areas. I apologize to drown this out, but I thought a little background info was necessary to make clear what I was getting at. Any input is greatly appreciated! This could definately spark a great conversation about comparing demographs.

Thank you once again for your help!,
Andrew

[rgb123]

okay....

I think your picking up on something that exists....but its dangerous to generalize it into political thinking. Its not a matter of democrats and republicans.

That aside.

I went to grad school in minnesota, not in the twin cities but close enough. Minnesotans are - generally speaking - much less demonstrative, are quieter, are hard working, and they dont like show off's or people who speak too loud or too often.

If you prove to be worthy of their friendship they will accept you and joke with you and invite you to lunch and maybe even be a friend for life. But I would not say in general they are the most friendly people, in that it can be hard to get beyond superficial relationships with people up there.

Again...its not a matter of politics. It's a matter of a different culture. Put it this way. When I moved to Minnesota I soon felt awkward carrying my pink kate spade purse.

In the twin cities...people do fancy themselves to be very liberal - again, generally speaking -- but I found them to be very judgemental overall. Liberal thinking with a small town mentality (lots of gossip!).

[Andrew T.]

Yeah!
I think you hit it exactly. Referring to that lovely Kate Spade purse you're talking about, unless you're from Minnetonka, Wayzata, or perhaps Edina, you DONT show off that you have money, VERY unlike Chicago and Madison. I cant tell you how many people i've met that are multi-millionaires, living in beautiful kajillion dollar houses on Lake Minnetonka (where the high rollers live around here) driving Chrysler minivans. Which is fine I suppose, but hey, i'm the kind of guy where, if I have the cash to sport it, i'm sportin` it. ... Needless to say i'm the only one with a european car at work, even though I know I have coworkers that I know pull in a dime or two more than I do a year. Haha, thanks for the clarification, when you really look beyond the surface, you do come to realize that theres a lot more to it than just the politics. I know that the northern areas are more "red" than where I live, but thats pretty far, so thats really neither here nor there. Thanks!

[HoneyGrahams224]

Resurrecting a long dead thread. Moving from Chicago to Minneapolis was a huge culture shock. People are very Nordic in their tendencies. It is a pervading culture of the state to listen quietly and not offer an opinion. This is very polite, but also difficultly to navigate, as you cannot gage what another person is thinking. Persons in Minneapolis tend to use a variety of non verbal behavioral indications, or "code words". "Interesting " means bad. "That's nice" means, "I don't care to talk about this." Being silent and not offering an opinion on a matter generally also means the person is not comfortable talking about it. Heavy sighs are an indication of annoyance, as is looking around and not focusing on the person speaking. Watch the way people's feet are turned. If they are turned away from you, it means they Aren't interested in talking. If you engage people in MN, they will never turn you down or tell you to stop talking, but they will talk to their friends later about this rude person who put them on the spot.

Are these observations generalizations? Yes. Are they entirely fair? No. My comments do not cover the broad spectrum of personalities that call the state of MN home - but it has been my general experience as an outsider that I will never be fully accepted into my community. This is a difficult pill to swallow, and while I would love to stay here and invest in my life I have built in this state, I really don't think I can. Hooking up with other transplants has been the only way for me to make friends.

[emathias]

You perfectly describe "Minnesota Nice," AKA "Minnesota Ice."

I lived almost 3 years in Minnesota, and it's the primary reason I moved back to Chicago. With one exception, the only friends I made in Minnesota weren't originally from Minnesota.

[HoneyGrahams224]

Originally Posted by emathias

You perfectly describe "Minnesota Nice," AKA "Minnesota Ice."

I lived almost 3 years in Minnesota, and it's the primary reason I moved back to Chicago. With one exception, the only friends I made in Minnesota weren't originally from Minnesota.

Dude, you have no idea how hard it's been. We should be friends, lol.
Minnesotans will rabidly defend every aspect of their state - you would think we lived in a crime free paradise with the highest achieving schools in the country (definitely NOT true). The general reply is that "if you don't like it, leave!" So I intend to do just that. I actually applied for licensure reciprocity with Illinois, and once I get that squared away, I plan to move back to Chicago with the husband and the cat in tow.