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Two good towns. Maybe a draw apart from the weather. So I got to go with "the Burgh". Western Pennsylvania winters are rough. But northern Midwestern winters? Fuhgedeboudit.
Man, can Pittsburgh ever win one of these contests? I've never been to Minneapolis, but I know that the weather there is terrible. And it looks like a Midwestern city. Better than Pittsburgh? You must be trippin'.
Not with the sigma the Burgh has attached to it ..... It still has that Steel Collapse, Hell with the lid off, Escape from Pittsburgh, 1980's noose around its neck... Minneapolis doesn't suffer from this, its pretty much an untarnished record of "Steady as She Goes".
I choose Minneapolis overall. Pittsburgh is nice but IMO Minneapolis is a step above it in most categories. I think they are tied when it comes to natural scenery, as they both deserve to be on a top 10 list in that category. Just a few pics of Minneapolis below.
nightlife...About the same
culture...Edge to Pittsburgh, more east coast
shopping...Edge to Minneapolis w/ Mall of America
dining...About the same...neither are foodie capitals
scenery...big edge to Pittsburgh w/ the rivers and hills and valleys
outdoor activities...Pittsburgh as its warmer, allows you to do more outdoors
crime rate...Minneapolis, seems to be safer
economy...Minneapolis, more diverse
people...same, people are people everywhere
weather...Pittsburgh, far less snow, not nearly as cold...warmer summers
quality of life...About the same
So on these categories...Pit 4...Min 3...About the same 4.
nightlife
Minneapolis. Performing arts, nightclubs, and recognized foodie scene.
culture
Minneapolis. Hipster/socially liberal - progressive friendly culture. Great beer scene.
shopping
Minneapolis. Invented malls and hosts the Mall of America.
dining
Minneapolis. Getting national recognition as a foodie city with countless craft breweries making great beer and spirits.
scenery
Minneapolis. Picturesque downtown on the Mississippi river, countless lakes and waterfalls. Great urban forestry and nationally acclaimed park system.
outdoor activities
Minneapolis. Only US city included in world's best biking city, top notch trail and park system, also consistently ranked top nationally for most active and fit residents. Year round you will see residents exercising outdoors.
crime rate
Pittsburgh seems to be safer with a lower murder rate.
economy
Minneapolis. Very low unemployment, high wages and affordable housing.
people
Minneapolis. Mn nice might be annoying but at least it's "nice." Mostly attractive people with a relatively fitter and less obese populace.
weather
Minneapolis. Yes the winter sucks but the remainder of the year makes up for it. Pittsburgh has the same seasons we do with very little difference annually.
quality of life
Minneapolis. Google this and let the researchers answer this for you.
-Those pictures: Impressive. I guess that's what makes it tough, natural beauty is so difficult to compare. There are many people who would say Phoenix is stunning, while others might say it's ugly and others might not have an opinion. It just depends. That one with all the lakes was really good though.
This list addresses many of those points that were made about edge, however I'm sure there are multiple sources and answers. It lists Pittsburgh as being most livable city, one of the 10 prettiest places in America, 3rd safest*, smartest city in US, most bars per capita, most affordable when comparing cost of living to earnings/economy.
As far as weather, even as someone that actually doesn't mind and embraces cold weather compared to when it is awfully hot, I find that to be a tough sell. Pittsburgh doesn't have a single month where the average high is below freezing (avg. 37 in Dec., Jan. and Feb. as opposed to Minneapolis' 23), also on average getting about 15-20 fewer inches of snow per winter which would tend to make it overall more possible to exercise outside during the winter. Summer temperatures are relatively comparable in fact at least in Minneapolis warmer month it is a degree higher than Pittsburgh's. Pittsburgh may be more humid but I'm not sure on that either since Pittsburgh seems like it would get more of a mountain breeze, and neither are super close to large bodies of water.
Wouldn't surprise me, Minneapolis is a very active minded city. I think outdoor activities is an interesting one, because it strikes me as though the natural landscape and climate around Pittsburgh allows for more, but Minneapolis residents are just more likely (on average, I'm sure many Pittsburgh residents are active too) to be working out.
Pittsburgh has a decent amount of that too though, and also likely has more of an Ellis Island culture/streetscape. It's all in what you like.
You defined culture differently than I would have, but I guess according to that definition, though Pittsburgh isn't backwards, Minneapolis would likely win.
As far as culture, I have to admit I didn't know how impressive Minneapolis offerings were. The MIA actually looks relatively comparable to the Carnegie, with MIA maybe having a larger offering, but Carnegie maybe having a few more globally esteemed/refined works in the collection. Had no idea the Walker was one of the Big 5 in Modern Art either, personally I'm more into art from a historical context so that wouldn't do too much for me, but for many that would give it the edge, although Warhol was from Pittsburgh, so I'm sure anyone who wanted to see specifically his works would come away amazed. Not sure how the Russian Art thing would factor in. I'm sure both have great theater districts, though the Guthrie looks like a tip in Minneapolis cap. However, I wonder if museums should be a separate category, or if not how they should be factored in, since Pittsburgh is sitting pretty well with the Carnegie, Phipps, National Aviary, Cathedral of Learning, and Carnegie Library.
I agree with other posters that much of the disparity in voting likely has to do with the perceived reputation of Pittsburgh that is still hanging around even now. Population decline as mentioned doesn't mean much for Pittsburgh (or Cleveland), since it is more about who is coming in, and who is leaving. And population really is not a great criterion to use for determining difference between cities. I don't know of many who would make a case that QOL (or other things) in Manila surpasses that of Helsinki or Oslo, and also New Orleans at under 350K is still likely the best foodie city in America.
Not with the sigma the Burgh has attached to it ..... It still has that Steel Collapse, Hell with the lid off, Escape from Pittsburgh, 1980's noose around its neck... Minneapolis doesn't suffer from this, its pretty much an untarnished record of "Steady as She Goes".
Nevertheless, go on Google street view and take a take a look at a random street in Minneapolis: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9519...4Hl0-G8SWw!2e0
Ugly wood frame buildings on too-wide streets, on land as flat as a pool table. Bland. Midwestern. ****e.
Nevertheless, go on Google street view and take a take a look at a random street in Minneapolis: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9519...4Hl0-G8SWw!2e0
Ugly wood frame buildings on too-wide streets, on land as flat as a pool table. Bland. Midwestern. ****e.
I think this is one category where Pittsburgh has the edge. More interesting street scenes and neighborhoods. Southside Flats, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, etc. Minneapolis neighborhoods look a little dull. Now I'll probably catch it from the Minneapolis homers but name some of the interesting neighborhoods in Minneapolis. I'll check them out with the streetview and see how they compare visually with the Pittsburgh neighborhoods I mentioned. I realize that the streetview is no substitute for actually visiting a place but it can give you a good idea of how a place looks.
Nevertheless, go on Google street view and take a take a look at a random street in Minneapolis: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9519...4Hl0-G8SWw!2e0
Ugly wood frame buildings on too-wide streets, on land as flat as a pool table. Bland. Midwestern. ****e.
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