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Hey...so I am a 23 year old single female born and raised in the Bronx. I love the city and if you havent definitely put it on your list to visit. That being said it is not my ideal living situation: ...I want the culture but mixed with the friendliness and slower pace of the midwest. I have narrowed the search down to three cities: cincinnati, st. louis, and minneapolis. I do have certain criteria and was hoping that some locals could give me a bit of insight into how each of the cities rank in regards.
1. I enjoy being active. I love to run, hike, kayak, rock climb and ski. Is there easy access to green space and lakes etc.? Are there good sports leagues to join?
2. I am catholic and my faith is important to me. While I am perfectly happy being friends with just about anybody, I know that I do need a strong religious group as well.
3. How is it being a transplant in the city? Are people pretty open to new-comers?
4. In regards to Minneapolis i think im most concerned about the climate...is it extremely overcast in the winter?
I live in Minneapolis, but have relatives in Cincinnati and have visited St Louis. I think St Louis and Cincinnati have more in common regarding being older, more historic cities with lots of brick buildings. Both of these cities were sizable cities by the 1870s, whereas Minneapolis was still pretty small then and didn't boom until the 1890s-1920s, which was the age of the streetcar. As a result Minneapolis tends to be less densely developed than either St Louis or Cincinnati. Cincinnati is very hilly which allows for great vistas, but also cuts up the city. I think both of those are cheaper to live in than Minneapolis, but the economy in the Twin Cities has generally been stronger and salaries are often higher.
Regarding your questions:
1. Minneapolis is an awesome city for running, biking, roller blading due to the number of trails and pathways along the city lakes, Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River. In winter, there's also a lot of cross-country skiing trails and several downhill ski areas. The downtown ski areas are very convenient to the city but would be little more than elongated bunny hills to folks from Colorado. Still, Lindsey Vonn got her start skiing at Buck Hill in Burnsville!
2. There certainly are Catholic churches in Minneapolis (especially look into the Bascilica of St Mary) The Basilica of Saint Mary - Home
While Minneapolis has traditionally been more Scandinavian, St Paul actually has a sizable Catholic population, given its Irish roots.
3. Friendliness is an interesting topic. Minnesotans are generally recognized as being friendly and polite, but hard to really get to know. Lots of people still maintain friends from grade school and high school so many are not as open to finding new friends. But I also believe that certain sections of the metro--especially in Minneapolis--you'll find lots of people who have moved from elsewhere and like meeting people from different areas. I live in SW Minneapolis and have gotten to know lots of people from all over the US and many countries.
4. Minneapolis in Winter is COLD, but actually fairly sunny. We get a lot more sunshine than the lower Midwest. Its definitely colder here than either Cincy or St Louis, but I'd also say that summers here are cooler and less humid.
I'm a big fan of St. Louis and I don't even live there. I brag on St. Louis a lot, but I really think St. Louis would fit. It's a very Catholic city (along with Cincy) You can see Catholic influence all around. It has the most Catholic high schools in the US (20 in St. Louis city & county alone) with a ton of Catholic elementary schools. You should check of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (http://cathedralstl.org/intro/ - broken link). It's beautiful. Many Catholic churches seem to cater to teens and young adults, I think it's because many people use Catholic churches to socialize and meet people. Parish festivals are common, and processions apparently:
It's a friendly city. I'm from the South and I think people in Stl are just as friendly if not more friendly than where I'm from.
There are pleanty of parks in and around the city. Forest Park (http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/ - broken link) is 1,293 acres of green space in the middle of the city. Creve Coeur Lake is in the county but also worth checking out. The Ozarks are close to the St. Louis metro area. Much of the area is hilly/rocky with lots of trees, especially in the Western suburbs.
The only thing that doesn't meet your criteria is the openess towards transplants. Most people in St. Louis grew up there. People seem to stay connected to the people they went to high school with. But I'm sure there are areas of the city and metro where transplants are more common.
Minneapolis is a great town! It has everything you would want in an outdoorsy, midwest city. People are very healthy, and there are many parks and trails to rollerblade, etc. on. There are also a TON of lakes to waterski/swim/fish on!
If you want a catholic atmosphere, i heard St. Paul has a good concentration of catholics. I am a Christian myself, and I found Minneapolis to be very welcoming and a good number of the people I meet were Christian as well. The Twin Cities is a nice place to be.
I live in STL and have visited the other two several times. I have been here about 6 years, always something to do and the architecture is awesome. Most of my neighborhood is transplants and they all remark how friendly everyone is. As an above poster said, this is a big Catholic city. The cathedral in my neighborhood still does a traditional latin mass. There are gorgeous urban parks to stay active. Lots of lakes, etc.
In saying that, I also like Minneapolis and Cincinnati. I will say the weather in the Twin Cities is a little too cold for my taste. I though Cinci was a very beautiful city.
The only thing that doesn't meet your criteria is the openess towards transplants. Most people in St. Louis grew up there. People seem to stay connected to the people they went to high school with. But I'm sure there are areas of the city and metro where transplants are more common.
But a big thing is that if you are dealing with people in their 20's and 30's its different. People in those ages are much more open to transplants than older people.
But a big thing is that if you are dealing with people in their 20's and 30's its different. People in those ages are much more open to transplants than older people.
Assuming the OP needs a job, who's doing the hiring? The older people who are less open to transplants?
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