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Old 04-19-2011, 04:11 PM
 
242 posts, read 431,547 times
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I grew in up in Milwaukee, lived in California for many years, and now live in Minneapolis. Of the four major cities I've lived in, I like Minneapolis the best by far. Note that I have not been to Seattle so I can't offer any insight there. To my eyes, Minneapolis simply offers a better quality of life overall vs. Milwaukee - it is a larger city than Milwaukee but isn't so large that you have to deal with horrific commuting times, crime, housing costs, etc. (like Chicago). There are far more lakes and trees here which is nice and the people do seem more educated. I suppose this makes sense given the number of large companies here vs. Milwaukee (I believe we have 18 Fortune 500 firms if I'm not mistaken). It is also much cleaner - whenever I head back to Wisconsin I am always amazed at how "rusty" or dirty the city looks. Also of note is the weather - while it does indeed get colder up here in the winter, it actually feels warmer. Because we are not on Lake Michigan, we don't get that nasty lake effect wind, lake effect snow, and we don't have so many gloomy days. So, it will be 20 below outside but nice and sunny. I can't offer you advice on your profession but would imagine that the local economy up here is better than the economy in Milwaukee. Good luck!
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Old 04-25-2011, 09:11 PM
 
Location: Milwaukee, WI
52 posts, read 90,971 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkdude_08 View Post
I grew in up in Milwaukee, lived in California for many years, and now live in Minneapolis. Of the four major cities I've lived in, I like Minneapolis the best by far. Note that I have not been to Seattle so I can't offer any insight there. To my eyes, Minneapolis simply offers a better quality of life overall vs. Milwaukee - it is a larger city than Milwaukee but isn't so large that you have to deal with horrific commuting times, crime, housing costs, etc. (like Chicago). There are far more lakes and trees here which is nice and the people do seem more educated. I suppose this makes sense given the number of large companies here vs. Milwaukee (I believe we have 18 Fortune 500 firms if I'm not mistaken). It is also much cleaner - whenever I head back to Wisconsin I am always amazed at how "rusty" or dirty the city looks. Also of note is the weather - while it does indeed get colder up here in the winter, it actually feels warmer. Because we are not on Lake Michigan, we don't get that nasty lake effect wind, lake effect snow, and we don't have so many gloomy days. So, it will be 20 below outside but nice and sunny. I can't offer you advice on your profession but would imagine that the local economy up here is better than the economy in Milwaukee. Good luck!
Thanks...

Yes, Minneapolis sounds like it has a lot more to offer than Milwaukee, which feels increasingly "dead end" (not anything like Detroit, but...). I moved to Milwaukee from Indiana, so no personal connections (besides my job) holding me here.

More questions (sorry!):
I assume Minneapolis (unlike Milwaukee) is truly racially integrated as I've read? Assume it's also true about being fairly progressive/gay-friendly as a city? I'm tired of dealing with religious fundamentalists here (including at my job), as well as those I dealt with back in Indiana.

Is there a reason for Minneapolis' low (even for nowadays) unemployment rates?

On another note... do the people there visit/have much connection with Canada? I know it's a bit of a drive, but was just wondering. One reason I considered Seattle over Chicago/Minneapolis was being near Canada, which I liked visiting in the past...
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Old 04-25-2011, 09:22 PM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,657,108 times
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No, not a huge connection to Canada, at least not in the Twin Cities. There was a recent thread on that in the Minnesota forum, if you want a wider variety of opinions. Minneapolis is still a long way from the border, and there's not a lot (at least as far as cities) directly north of here.

I think overall Minneapolis is fairly integrated, but keep in mind that it's still a majority white city and it feels like it. That said, there aren't neighborhoods that are all one race, or all another. There's a major educational/economic gap between white/black residents in the Twin Cities, though, and a smaller black middle or upper-middle class than you find in many older cities (although perhaps not any different on Seattle on that front; much of that stems from the fact that the Twin Cities is just a younger, western, whiter city than east coast cities.). As far as being progressive and gay-friendly, yes it's definitely true. (and plenty of religious people here, but you'll notice that many of the local churches fly rainbow flags, and some have majority GLBT congregations. In Minneapolis, many, although not all, of our churches are very progressive and GLBT friendly. And in general no one will ask you about your religion or your church, or your lack of church, unless you bring it up. It's very live-and-let-live.)
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Old 06-02-2011, 11:13 AM
 
2 posts, read 2,024 times
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Wow this is hilarious... I was born and raised in Milwaukee, currently live in Seattle, and will be moving to Menominee (Spelling), WI which is about an hr away from MPLS for school. I like how Seattle is diverse, and a few people are friendly. I have been in Seattle for about 3 yrs, and WA state for 7. If you are looking to party hard or just a tad bit, its ok, but not great. Yes, Seattle is about 3 hrs away from Vancouver, BC. But to me (and im a friendly, African American late 20's something female), Seattle is not really all that. They seem to be behind the time as far as transportation (but they are making strides now), unless you want to bike it or live deep in the city. It is very green, but it also is very "wet" due to the RAIN... You will probally lower your Vitamin D levels quickly because there is not a lot of sun. When we do get nice weather, its nice. But its very inconsistant. The winter, when we do get snow, they do not handle it as if it was in the midwest (i.e., Sand vs. Salt). The cost of living is a tad bit higher than Milwaukee (ok a lot). BUT, they have a great museum, seafood (if your into that), and the LGBT population/attitude is cool. What I have noticed is that not too many people are friendly at first (very clickish). But when they do take you in, they are friends/associates for life. Traffic I guess is not as bad as NY or DC, but you will be mad because the roads are not in the proper condition for somewhere that the population is not as large as other places. So I guess all in all, it depends on if your able to adapt. I would probally move back to Seattle, after a few years of traveling/living around the US and beyond. I love Milwaukee, I guess cause that is home, but the quality of life has went down drastically. And depending on the people you hang with and their social status/economic status, either you hate or love Milwaukee. With that being said...

Since I will be about an hr or so from MPLS, can anyone that lives around the area (and I mean in Chippawa Falls, Menominee, Eau Clare, etc) give suggestions on where to live? I will be in graduate school at UW-Stout, and since I will be just in school (not working), I do not want to be isolated for the next year to a small town (rather a too small town). What is there to do in the smaller cities and MPLS? Any advice, suggestions would be great!
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Old 06-07-2011, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Milwaukee, WI
52 posts, read 90,971 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumblebee_in_Seattle View Post
Wow this is hilarious... I was born and raised in Milwaukee, currently live in Seattle, and will be moving to Menominee (Spelling), WI which is about an hr away from MPLS for school. I like how Seattle is diverse, and a few people are friendly. I have been in Seattle for about 3 yrs, and WA state for 7. If you are looking to party hard or just a tad bit, its ok, but not great. Yes, Seattle is about 3 hrs away from Vancouver, BC. But to me (and im a friendly, African American late 20's something female), Seattle is not really all that. They seem to be behind the time as far as transportation (but they are making strides now), unless you want to bike it or live deep in the city. It is very green, but it also is very "wet" due to the RAIN... You will probally lower your Vitamin D levels quickly because there is not a lot of sun. When we do get nice weather, its nice. But its very inconsistant. The winter, when we do get snow, they do not handle it as if it was in the midwest (i.e., Sand vs. Salt). The cost of living is a tad bit higher than Milwaukee (ok a lot). BUT, they have a great museum, seafood (if your into that), and the LGBT population/attitude is cool. What I have noticed is that not too many people are friendly at first (very clickish). But when they do take you in, they are friends/associates for life. Traffic I guess is not as bad as NY or DC, but you will be mad because the roads are not in the proper condition for somewhere that the population is not as large as other places. So I guess all in all, it depends on if your able to adapt. I would probally move back to Seattle, after a few years of traveling/living around the US and beyond. I love Milwaukee, I guess cause that is home, but the quality of life has went down drastically. And depending on the people you hang with and their social status/economic status, either you hate or love Milwaukee. With that being said...

Since I will be about an hr or so from MPLS, can anyone that lives around the area (and I mean in Chippawa Falls, Menominee, Eau Clare, etc) give suggestions on where to live? I will be in graduate school at UW-Stout, and since I will be just in school (not working), I do not want to be isolated for the next year to a small town (rather a too small town). What is there to do in the smaller cities and MPLS? Any advice, suggestions would be great!
Thanks for your remarks... to respond to various points:

- I went to Seattle last month for a week, and enjoyed my trip there (my Seattle thoughts here: Seattle | Anthony's Notes )

- I'm taking vitamin D now (per doctor's suggestion). :-p

- I have a driver's license, but don't drive/don't own a car, so mass transit would be important. Seattle's seemed OK (though crowded downtown)...

- I don't eat seafood, and not a big Asian foods fan, so the cuisine wasn't the high point of the trip. I did find a nice diner though...

- I liked that it was diverse and gay-friendly.

- I hate living in Milwaukee---from the locals to the job market to the current political climate reflecting more and more that of Indiana (where I grew up/wanted to get away from). I don't have any friends here, but then I don't make friends very easily (and the people here seem rather provincial toward "outsiders"). All in all, I want away from here, and someplace that isn't like here (more open-minded, better educated populace, less Rust Belt mentality, a better economy, etc.).
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Old 06-07-2011, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
5,509 posts, read 11,835,583 times
Reputation: 2501
I mean based on what you are saying you kind of want all 3 cities, but maybe Seattle is the best fit for you because it's not Midwestern, which you may not be liking. MInneapolis is not a typical rust-belt city at all though, so it may be a viable option if you value being closer to your family (my family moved to San Francisco and I can't believe how much that impacts my/our lives!).
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