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If you look at the really large companies based here:
Best Buy - moved from Eden Prairie to Richfield a few years ago - not likely to move.
Target - Still downtown, but many jobs are at the massive new campus in Brooklyn Park
Medtronic - just built another new campus in Mounds View
Cargill - left downtown in 1974 for Minnetonka, and just added a second large campus in Hopkins
General Mills - huge campus in Golden Valley
US Bank - still downtown
Wells Fargo - not an official HQ, but many of the jobs are on the old Honeywell campus now in S. Mpls.
I don't really see the trend here.
As someone who works in the suburbs, I've never had a desire to work downtown. Most days I try to run some sort of errand over lunch and that would likely be a major inconvenience if I worked downtown. I want the freedom to leave and come back during the day if I want. Being downtown would feel like a prison to me.
US Bank is in Bloomington, there is a US Bank building in downtown though. The US Bank Executives are either in Bloomington or St. Paul for the most part.
I agree that parking is a huge issue for companies not wanting to be in Minneapolis, the lack there of and the COST for employees. That is the number one reason I hear for people not wanting to work in Minneapolis. Most of the jobs in the metro are in the suburbs, not in either downtown.
US Bank is in Bloomington, there is a US Bank building in downtown though. The US Bank Executives are either in Bloomington or St. Paul for the most part.
I agree that parking is a huge issue for companies not wanting to be in Minneapolis, the lack there of and the COST for employees. That is the number one reason I hear for people not wanting to work in Minneapolis. Most of the jobs in the metro are in the suburbs, not in either downtown.
I have no idea where you get your opinions Golfgal, but they don't line up with the facts. US Bank has a much larger presence in DT Mpls than in either Bloomington or St Paul. The corporate HQ is at US Bankcorp Center at 8th & Nicollet (The building where McCormick & Schmicks are), while a larger set of US Bank employees are at US Bank Plaza (the old Pillsbury Center).
Parking is a definitely an issue for many people, but I can also say that there are lots of people who like working downtown due to the widespread availability of transit access. There are park'n'Ride facilities all over the metro area and they are very popular.
I agree that there are lots more jobs in the suburbs than in either or both downtowns. I never would claim otherwise. The point is that within one square mile of downtown Minneapolis, there is a large concentration of workers (approximately 140,000) that creates an environment and energy level thats completely different than you get in a suburban context. Some people like this environment, while others have no interest in it.
If you look at the really large companies based here:
Best Buy - moved from Eden Prairie to Richfield a few years ago - not likely to move.
Target - Still downtown, but many jobs are at the massive new campus in Brooklyn Park
Medtronic - just built another new campus in Mounds View
Cargill - left downtown in 1974 for Minnetonka, and just added a second large campus in Hopkins
General Mills - huge campus in Golden Valley
US Bank - still downtown
Wells Fargo - not an official HQ, but many of the jobs are on the old Honeywell campus now in S. Mpls.
I don't really see the trend here.
As someone who works in the suburbs, I've never had a desire to work downtown. Most days I try to run some sort of errand over lunch and that would likely be a major inconvenience if I worked downtown. I want the freedom to leave and come back during the day if I want. Being downtown would feel like a prison to me.
Like I said above, some people like the urban environment and others don't. But I'd just say that running errands in downtown is incredibly easy--especially with the skyways. There's an incredible array of stores, restaurants and services within the skyway system, allowing you to take care of your errands without stepping outside on a wintery day. In warmer weather months, there's lots of sidewalk cafes and food trucks on Nicollet Mall and other streets. It didn't seem like a prison to me.
I have no idea where you get your opinions Golfgal, but they don't line up with the facts. US Bank has a much larger presence in DT Mpls than in either Bloomington or St Paul. The corporate HQ is at US Bankcorp Center at 8th & Nicollet (The building where McCormick & Schmicks are), while a larger set of US Bank employees are at US Bank Plaza (the old Pillsbury Center).
Parking is a definitely an issue for many people, but I can also say that there are lots of people who like working downtown due to the widespread availability of transit access. There are park'n'Ride facilities all over the metro area and they are very popular.
I agree that there are lots more jobs in the suburbs than in either or both downtowns. I never would claim otherwise. The point is that within one square mile of downtown Minneapolis, there is a large concentration of workers (approximately 140,000) that creates an environment and energy level thats completely different than you get in a suburban context. Some people like this environment, while others have no interest in it.
Oh, I don't know, maybe meetings with Richard Davis....
I have worked in both downtowns as well as the burbs and find the convenience of working downtown far exceeds the convenience of car access available in the suburbs. Retail, food, professional services had many more options and ease in getting to over lunch than anything the suburbs has to offer. Also, downtown's entertainment options after work can not be discounted. Groceries, liquor and big box items were a stop that was best made on the way home after work.
That being said, many of our potential tenants would cite the difficulty of recruiting/retaining employees willing to deal with the hassles of commuting downtown vs. a drive to a suburban location, especially if that was where they were currently based. I don't think that perception and tendancy will ever be successfully overcome and the net number of jobs will continue to be lost to the suburbs.
I have worked in both downtowns as well as the burbs and find the convenience of working downtown far exceeds the convenience of car access available in the suburbs. Retail, food, professional services had many more options and ease in getting to over lunch than anything the suburbs has to offer. Also, downtown's entertainment options after work can not be discounted. Groceries, liquor and big box items were a stop that was best made on the way home after work.
That being said, many of our potential tenants would cite the difficulty of recruiting/retaining employees willing to deal with the hassles of commuting downtown vs. a drive to a suburban location, especially if that was where they were currently based. I don't think that perception and tendancy will ever be successfully overcome and the net number of jobs will continue to be lost to the suburbs.
I work in downtown now and I know I'll only be with my current job for a couple of years. Personally, I'm really hoping that my next job is somewhere downtownish, or at the U, as it pains me to think about having to drive across the metro to a different suburb. I've gotten quite spoiled on public transportation.
I agree on the convience of lunch, errands, etc downtown, too.
I have worked in both downtowns as well as the burbs and find the convenience of working downtown far exceeds the convenience of car access available in the suburbs. Retail, food, professional services had many more options and ease in getting to over lunch than anything the suburbs has to offer. Also, downtown's entertainment options after work can not be discounted. Groceries, liquor and big box items were a stop that was best made on the way home after work.
That being said, many of our potential tenants would cite the difficulty of recruiting/retaining employees willing to deal with the hassles of commuting downtown vs. a drive to a suburban location, especially if that was where they were currently based. I don't think that perception and tendancy will ever be successfully overcome and the net number of jobs will continue to be lost to the suburbs.
"I've worked everywhere, man."
Song lyrics aside, I've worked in both downtowns, northern burbs, southern burbs, and Richfield.
I've been fortunate to find most of my jobs near where I lived, or close to the University when I was in school.
I had fun working in the downtowns, but don't care to do it again. Compared to my short drive down the road to work from my house in the burbs, I find downtown Minneapolis to be too much of a hassle. It was definitely fun being on the skyway system. I like that it didn't feel isolated like corporate campuses do.
But I like getting away from the hustle and bustle at lunch and sitting in the park right behind my office. I like being able to get my gas and go to SuperTarget on my lunch break. I like that my commute is only 10 minutes on the busiest of days. I like being close to home. I like not having to pay for parking or waiting outside in the winter for the bus. I didn't really think errands were all the convenient in Mpls. Higher prices with less selection as far as shopping for essentials was concerned.
There are pluses and minuses. For me, the extremely short commute I have currently outweighs the "fun" of working downtown. Though I really do miss Andrea Pizza....
I remember seeing on a Minneapolis wall calendar back in 1999 that approximately 160,000 people worked downtown (and I don't know how old that figure was at the time). From what people are saying here and elsewhere, that number has not grown since then, and may even have declined. Obviously that's bad news for downtown. It would take an act of god to reverse that trend.
Groceries, liquor and big box items were a stop that was best made on the way home after work.
Your opinion. I regularly do a considerable amount of shopping over the lunch hour. Pretty much anything except perishables (and even then, in the winter you can leave those in your car to some extent). When I leave work, I don't want to run a bunch of errands on my way home - I want to go home. If I can pick up something at the hardware store or Home Depot over lunch, I can start working on a project as soon as I get home. If I'm playing softball after work and I need to pick up beer, I'll do that over lunch as well so I don't have to go out of my way on the way to the game.
I would just feel extremely limited and stifled if I worked downtown. To each their own.
Song lyrics aside, I've worked in both downtowns, northern burbs, southern burbs, and Richfield.
I've been fortunate to find most of my jobs near where I lived, or close to the University when I was in school.
I had fun working in the downtowns, but don't care to do it again. Compared to my short drive down the road to work from my house in the burbs, I find downtown Minneapolis to be too much of a hassle. It was definitely fun being on the skyway system. I like that it didn't feel isolated like corporate campuses do.
But I like getting away from the hustle and bustle at lunch and sitting in the park right behind my office. I like being able to get my gas and go to SuperTarget on my lunch break. I like that my commute is only 10 minutes on the busiest of days. I like being close to home. I like not having to pay for parking or waiting outside in the winter for the bus. I didn't really think errands were all the convenient in Mpls. Higher prices with less selection as far as shopping for essentials was concerned.
There are pluses and minuses. For me, the extremely short commute I have currently outweighs the "fun" of working downtown. Though I really do miss Andrea Pizza....
I think I'm very much in agreement here. A short, easy commute seems to be the biggest benefit for a work location. To me, that just seems so much more achievable in the suburbs than downtown.
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