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I'm planning a trip to Pittsburgh and Minneapolis to scope them both out as potential relocation spots out of Las Vegas.
Which city is colder?
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events?
Major university for events?
Strong, diverse economy?
Strong sense of community/nice people?
Less crime?
Cleaner air?
Better doctors?
Schools?
Most educated?
Do both have toll roads?
Cigarette bans?
I like Pittsburgh's location for road trips and being close to major east coast cities. Minneapolis seems a bit land locked.
I'm planning a trip to Pittsburgh and Minneapolis to scope them both out as potential relocation spots out of Las Vegas.
Which city is colder? Minneapolis, by far
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events?Very similar. Pgh's about 1/2 the size of Mpls. (metros) but both have impressive cultural offerings.
Major university for events? Again, very similar. UM is huge but Pitt & CMU also offer lots of various events (cultural, sports, etc.)
Strong, diverse economy? Mpls, but Pgh's coming back economically
Strong sense of community/nice people? Great people in both, IME. Both very friendly, down to earth
Less crime? You can look up the stats. Both have gang violence but relatively lower than peer cities. I feel safe in both.
Cleaner air? Minneapolis, despite Pgh's large scale desertion by the steel industry.
Better doctors?Hard to say, but both have top rated hospitals
Schools? City districts only: pretty even. Lots of top rated suburban districts in Mpls; some in Pgh too, but also some suburban districts that are among the worst in the state.
Most educated? Minneapolis
Do both have toll roads? Neither (unless you count the PA Turnpike that skirts Pgh.)
Cigarette bans? Mpls yes (statewide regulation), not sure about Pgh
I like Pittsburgh's location for road trips and being close to major east coast cities. Minneapolis seems a bit land locked. I agree, but Mpls. has some good road trip destinations too, though a bit farther: (Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Duluth, Door County WI, 10,000 lakes, North Shore Lake Superior, Boundary Waters Canoe area, Voyageurs National Park, Thunder Bay, Ont.
On the metro size ,Twin cities is 3.6 mil and Pgh is about 2.4 mil, so its not really close to twice as big (that would be 4.8 mil). Both have a lot of cultural offerings
Pgh air quality is often disputed as measured because the location of the many samples is just downstream of an industrial plant (which there aren't many of anymore). But probably Mpls is cleaner air despite this.
Pgh does have tolls roads, the PA turnpike (I-76), Mon-Fayette Expressway, the Findlay connector (I-576), and Beaver Valley Expressway (I-376)
Not sure that Minneapolis is more highly educated - it might depend on the specific factors (include associates and bachelor's or not?). But both are in the top tier of US metros I'm pretty sure.
Pgh has some bars that are grandfathered in, where smoking is still permitted but most are not.
On the metro size ,Twin cities is 3.6 mil and Pgh is about 2.4 mil, so its not really close to twice as big (that would be 4.8 mil). Both have a lot of cultural offerings
Pgh air quality is often disputed as measured because the location of the many samples is just downstream of an industrial plant (which there aren't many of anymore). But probably Mpls is cleaner air despite this.
Pgh does have tolls roads, the PA turnpike (I-76), Mon-Fayette Expressway, the Findlay connector (I-576), and Beaver Valley Expressway (I-376)
Not sure that Minneapolis is more highly educated - it might depend on the specific factors (include associates and bachelor's or not?). But both are in the top tier of US metros I'm pretty sure.
Pgh has some bars that are grandfathered in, where smoking is still permitted but most are not.
Most of these are 20-30 miles outside of the city. The Turnpike is relatively close, but in seven years in Pittsburgh, I have never used the turnpike unless I was taking a road trip. It's not a part of daily life for most in the region. I have literally never been on any of those other roads.
Which city is colder?:Minneapolis
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events?
Minneapolis
Major university for events?: I like Pittsburgh's universities better
Strong, diverse economy?: Minneapolis
Strong sense of community/nice people?: Both are pretty good
Less crime?: Minneapolis
Cleaner air?: Minneapolis
Better doctors?: Probably Pittsburgh
Schools?: Not sure
Most educated?: Both are pretty educated, depends on the sector.
Do both have toll roads?: I believe Minneapolis does. Can't remember for sure.
Cigarette bans?: Not sure, but I'm fairly certain Pittsburgh has more smokers.
Personally I prefer Minneapolis to Pittsburgh.
Last edited by Turnerbro; 09-12-2018 at 12:09 PM..
Which city is colder?:Minneapolis
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events?
Minneapolis
Major university for events?: I like Pittsburgh's universities better
Strong, diverse economy?: Minneapolis
Strong sense of community/nice people?: Both are pretty good Less crime?: Minneapolis
Cleaner air?: Minneapolis
Better doctors?: Probably Pittsburgh
Schools?: Not sure
Most educated?: Both are pretty educated, depends on the sector. Do both have toll roads?: I believe Minneapolis does. Can't remember for sure.
Cigarette bans?: Not sure, but I'm fairly certain Pittsburgh has more smokers.
Personally I prefer Minneapolis to Pittsburgh.
RE: crime, looking at the "violent crime" category, the FBI's 2015 MSA numbers show Mpls to have a slightly higher rate than Pgh: 285.2/100k inhabs for Minneapolis vs. 266.3/100k inhabs for Pittsburgh. (I didn't crunch all categories, tho)
RE: toll roads, the Minneapolis/St Paul MSA has none (except a few HOV lanes on some freeways)
Most of these are 20-30 miles outside of the city. The Turnpike is relatively close, but in seven years in Pittsburgh, I have never used the turnpike unless I was taking a road trip. It's not a part of daily life for most in the region. I have literally never been on any of those other roads.
Yeah, it doesn't affect a ton of people much, but could depending on where you live vs where you commute/ travel most. The Turnpike is also a lot more expensive now, so even on road trips it can be an issue for anyone without much cash to spare.
Which city is colder? Minneapolis
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events? Minneapolis
Major university for events? Pittsburgh
Strong, diverse economy? Minneapolis
Strong sense of community/nice people? Pittsburgh
Less crime? Pittsburgh
Cleaner air? Minneapolis
Better doctors? Minneapolis
Schools? Minneapolis
Most educated? Both are very educated cities / metros
Do both have toll roads? Not sure
Cigarette bans? Not sure
Which city is colder? Minneapolis
Which one is better for live rock/heavy metal music, culture, nightlife, theater, art galleries, museums, social events? Minneapolis
Major university for events? Pittsburgh
Strong, diverse economy? Minneapolis
Strong sense of community/nice people? Pittsburgh
Less crime? Pittsburgh
Cleaner air? Minneapolis
Better doctors? Minneapolis
Schools? Minneapolis
Most educated? Both are very educated cities / metros
Do both have toll roads? Not sure
Cigarette bans? Not sure
Overall, Minneapolis
Unless you’re giving Minneapolis credit for the Mayo Clinic, which is about 90 miles away, Pittsburgh hospitals are more highly regarded.
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