Winter and Relocating (Minneapolis, Humboldt: how much, houses, schools)

[Steve Bowen]

It seems like a cliche comment abut the Twin Cities: "It's a really great city but boy, those winters! I just don't know if I could handle the cold!"

Well, that's how I feel. The Twin Cities seem like a very nice place to live but the winters are sufficiently long and cold, I find myself curious as to whether I could get through them.

It would be foolhardy and irresponsible to move any place if you weren't sure whether you could take it. But how could one be confident if they haven't lived in a comparable climate?

What can you do to be sure? Visit for a week in the winter? That's a nice thought, but winter lasts for what, four months +. Being able to deal with it for a week hardly means you should pack up and move to Longfellow.

Can a person truly know know whether they could handle a Twin Cities winter? If so, how?

[west336]

Visit during January, and actually go outside to skate, ski, sled,....whatever.

My viewpoint on weather is very different from many people these days, but what it comes down to for me is that there are just SO MANY other values to cities than the climate that I have a seriously hard time justifying moving (or not moving) somewhere great just because the weather isn't ideal. If you are at that crossroads in your life, you should be VERY thankful you don't have more difficult decisions to make, IMO!! That being said, if weather is a deal-breaker for you, identify what weather it is that you cannot tolerate and determine how long that weather occurs. For example, I hate high heat, especially with humidity. If there were a place like Minneapolis (progressive, great schools, family-friendly, educated, etc.) in say, Texas where it's 100+ degrees a good 3 months of the year, and 90+ degrees a good 5 months of the year, I'd determine how much I could take of that inclimate weather and see if there is a fit. Since I generally get uncomfortably hot when it's 90+ with some humidity, I think I'd be miserable if I had to succomb to that weather more than say 40-50 days a year. The imaginary Texas city example (nowhere in Texas is like Minneapolis to me) would not be a good fit for me if weather was the deciding factor. It's as simple as that.

You may come to find that the cold isn't nearly as bad as it seems.....at least, that's what I've heard from many many people, including immigrants from places like Mexico or Africa, where it's hot most of the time. So who knows what you'll like or dislike?

[future_minneapolitan]

Well, if you're asking if you can HANDLE it, I think that would depend on how much unpleasantness you can put up with in your life. Some people have to deal with poverty, crime, debt, hand-me-down clothes, clogged toilets, etc., and although all are difficult to deal with, are able to handle it. Others, on the other hand, might have a comfy safety net, might have higher quality objects that are less likely to break down, etc. and might not be able to handle a high degree of unpleasantness. So, of course you'll be able to handle the weather in terms of surviving (scarves are important!), but as to whether or not you can handle it in terms of maintaining a happy life depends on how much you're able to put up with/ignore.

Now as to whether or not you would LIKE living 4 months below freezing, I think you can answer that question yourself. I, on my hand, thrive in the cold weather and despise the heat. However, I think I'd be able to handle living in AZ or TX on account of being able to deal with and overlook some of life's unpleasantries (not that it's necessarily bad if one were unable to do so).

[Kebinminn]

I truly don't think a weeks vacation is a good indicator. You go skiing, have fun, maybe some snow fall and it's manageable. What gets most people I know is the duration of winter; the short nights, the lack of sun when working 9-5, increased isolation and oppressive cold.

Think about how you cope with a long heat wave when no one comes out for weeks on end. If you get antsy after a short period of time a long winter would be hard on you. It's hard to give a yes or no answer though. I could handle it when I was younger fine but now after living in the state for 20 years the though of winter is horribly depressing.

You may love it, you may hate it or you may be like me, you may be fine then realized how tired of it you are.

[StanleyVegas]

We came out in January 2010 to close on our house after putting our offer in the previous October. We were pretty worried about the cold (coming from SoCal) and walking out of the airport into the 5 degree parking lot felt like being hit with a shovel. But by the end of the 4-day trip we had started getting used to it, and it never got over 20 degrees.

After moving in that spring last winter was our first. It was a long one, and apparently snowier than normal (lasting from Nov. through April). A lot of things to get used to, ice from the thaw/freeze cycle probably being the biggest pain. We got snowed in a couple of times. By February we were pretty sick of it (along with everyone else). We were told we weren't allowed to complain about winter until we made it through our first one.

All that being said, it was fine. A big relief, since leaving was not really an option.

There's no way to guarantee whether you'll be ok with winters here, but stay active and you should acclimate fine. I rode my bike a few times last winter and plan to do it a lot more this year. Also, the winter really does make you appreciate the other seasons more.

[Laggard]

Originally Posted by Kebinminn

I truly don't think a weeks vacation is a good indicator. You go skiing, have fun, maybe some snow fall and it's manageable. What gets most people I know is the duration of winter; the short nights, the lack of sun when working 9-5, increased isolation and oppressive cold.
.

+1

It's this and dealing with the fact that every day life is harder in the winter. It takes a longer to get ready to go out. The car windows need to be scraped and the inside is freezing until the heater kicks in. Or you have to spend ten minutes shoveling just to get out of the drive. You're feet are then covered in snow which then melts and who go to work with we feet.

It's just a general pain in the butt.

[StilltheSame]

Originally Posted by west336

if weather is a deal-breaker for you, identify what weather it is that you cannot tolerate and determine how long that weather occurs.

You may come to find that the cold isn't nearly as bad as it seems.....at least, that's what I've heard from many many people, including immigrants from places like Mexico or Africa, where it's hot most of the time. So who knows what you'll like or dislike?

Good advice. We moved from SFL - winters were daunting - but the other desirable aspects of Minneapolis outweighed the weather. We are pretty hearty- and if 3 million other people can do it, why couldn't we? So we gave it a try. Its not as bad -to us- as I thought it would be. However, for me - Seattle, Portland - wherever there is a ton of rain or gloom - end on end - is a deal breaker for me - I know I could not do it under any circumstances.

[golfgal]

It's a mind over matter thing, you can sit back and whine about how cold it is or you can put on your long underwear and enjoy the variety of activities winter and snow offer.

Anyone can "handle" the winter if they dress for the weather. In a typical winter we see about one week of BITTER/BRUTAL cold, like -40 cold. MOST of the winter is spent with temps around 20 or so. You have a day here and there that is cold but it isn't like living in Texas where you have months on end of 100+ temps. We also have those days where it is 40 above and beautiful. Now, if you are already whining because the temps this weekend aren't supposed to get out of the 60's, MN probably ins't the place for you.

[StanleyVegas]

I went to school on the far northern coast of CA. It has the same weather as Portland & Seattle a lot of the time (rainy, foggy, clammy, lots of mold). People not used to the climate would get something known as the "Humboldt Crud" which is like a a bad cold/sinus infection that could last 2-4 weeks. Weeks of nonstop rain could be pretty depressing as well.

Cold as winter is here, the humidity is low and there are sunny days.

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by Kebinminn

I truly don't think a weeks vacation is a good indicator. You go skiing, have fun, maybe some snow fall and it's manageable. What gets most people I know is the duration of winter; the short nights, the lack of sun when working 9-5, increased isolation and oppressive cold.

Think about how you cope with a long heat wave when no one comes out for weeks on end. If you get antsy after a short period of time a long winter would be hard on you. It's hard to give a yes or no answer though. I could handle it when I was younger fine but now after living in the state for 20 years the though of winter is horribly depressing.

You may love it, you may hate it or you may be like me, you may be fine then realized how tired of it you are.

I personally am somewhere along these lines...and speak with the "authority", if you will, of having lived it 38 1/2 of 39 winters of my life.

A week is not going to be enough to really give you a feel of enduring it for a full winter - especially when considering the lack of sun, long nights (I think that's what was meant...daytime starts later and goes away earlier...), ongoing cold every time you walk out, etc.

I would agree that, of course, you can endure it but do you want to? Frankly, after these 38 1/2 winters and otherwise finding many things I like about what will always be my home I am looking to call it quits...but that's just me. For me, I am no longer interested in the shoveling, warming up the car for 10-15 minutes to endure the drive to wherever, scraping ice/snow off that car if you're not in a garage, dragging in snow and mud continually all winter regardless of how much you try to clear it off, etc. I realize I'm putting a negative spin on it, but the reality is these are things you will endure. For many (3-4 million Minnesotans, to be more precise) it is endured and accepted. It is going to be a surprise the first big blizzard you witness and have literally a foot of snow everywhere.

To the defense of MN, however, because we have these things with more regularity we also have the equipment to deal with it. I compare that to my friends who live in GA. They are native Minnesotans and tell me when GA forecasts a flurry of snow the City of Atlanta goes bat-**** crazy and makes a run on the grocery stores to stock up for the end of the world. Next to a forecast of literally a blizzard, you won't see that here. I just don't understand that...people in GA don't have a couple days of groceries in their houses? Furthermore, when it does snow it usually is melted same day or next...oh, well...

You will have to decide your level of endurance on these items, just as in other places you have to decide your level of endurance of hot and humid or rainy, or whatever.

I can say we tend to have fewer bugs compared to other places (well, except mosquitoes...we are "Land of 10,000 Lakes"...)