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I'm looking to move from Texas to Minneapolis. There are quite a few things I want in a city.
- fresh produce markets
- I want to be able to drive (low traffic)
- culture (museums, foods... definitely food.. yum)
- good for young grads that aren't "hipsters" ( I'm 23)
- good for tech people (computer science major w/ 4 yrs military experience)
- affordability (1k a month or less than 200k to buy)
- all 4 seasons
- not too hot in the summer (I'm from TX, I **HATE** the heat)
- lots of foliage in autumn
- the colder the better, lots of snow in winter (and although I'm from TX, I've been in real snow before)
I'm looking to move from Texas to Minneapolis. There are quite a few things I want in a city.
- fresh produce markets
- I want to be able to drive (low traffic)
- culture (museums, foods... definitely food.. yum)
- good for young grads that aren't "hipsters" ( I'm 23)
- good for tech people (computer science major w/ 4 yrs military experience)
- affordability (1k a month or less than 200k to buy)
- all 4 seasons
- not too hot in the summer (I'm from TX, I **HATE** the heat)
- lots of foliage in autumn
- the colder the better, lots of snow in winter (and although I'm from TX, I've been in real snow before)
Do you think mpls is a good fit for me?
MPS has TONS of food co-ops (open year round) and farmer's markets (summer only)-- they not only have produce, but also grassfed beef, truly free range poultry, pastured pork, etc plus tons of organic, local grown, etc options. The food scene here is really quite fantastic.
Traffic isn't truly low, but much less aggravating as compared to Atlanta, NYC, LA and other cities with truly horrific traffic (which would likely include both Dallas and Houston). Generally, I find that rush hour doubles my commute to downtown from the western suburbs (20 minutes without traffic translates to 45 minutes with traffic-- BUT, add in fresh snow and all bets are off); that said, there are plenty of places within the Cities that you can live and minimize your commute with many surface streets and alternate routes.
Culture: Great restaurant, theater and museum scene. Not NYC-level, but a LOT more than you'd likely expect-- and much more affordable as compared to NYC. We also have all 4 professional sports: football, baseball, hockey, and basketball (plus college sports galore)-- not sure that qualifies as culture to everyone, but still worth mentioning.
I'm a suburbanite with 3 kids in my early 40s, so I can't comment on the hipster scene. As compared to what I see in Brooklyn, the hipsters here seem far less hipster-ish and less insufferable (ha!), but, again, I'm not in the same demographic, so that I can't truly advise you on, but I'm sure others can.
There is a tech scene here, but, from what I understand it's quite different that what you'd find in the Bay Area or Austin (not sure if that's where you're located). Again, not my area of expertise, so I'll allow those with far better insight to comment.
MPS has the winning combo of high pay and low cost of living-- BUT as compared to TX, you need to bear in mind that we do have relatively high state income taxes (vs NO state income tax in TX) and while homes here are quite affordable, depending on where in TX you're coming from, they might not seem so. Yes, there are still homes to be had below $200K and rents below $1K-- it all depends on what you're looking for in terms of size, location, etc.
The weather here sounds (almost) ideal for you--- all but tons of snow-- MPS has an average of 50 inches of snowfall per year (we got closer to 30 inches last winter, but 80 inches during the winter of 2013/2014); it's more cold than snowy here-- truly snow cities, such as Buffalo, get closer to 80 inches per year. But, still, more than enough snow to do winter sports-- so the fact that it's not UBER snowy might be just fine by you.
Fall is gorgeous-- tons of foliage. Summer is NOT hot-- most days are in the 70s, with a few cooler days and isolated days when it goes into the 80s/90s-- but it always cools down at night (it's not unusual to dip into the 50s at night) and while the locals will complain about the humidity, it's NOT humid. I'm from South Florida, I know humidity all too well-- and I know that you, coming from TX, do too-- repeat, it is not humid here and it's NOT buggy either-- another common complaint is about mosquitoes, but it's NOTHING as compared to what I was used to from South Florida.
The only items on your list that may be tough are 1. COL - while not nearly as high as larger cities rents are growing quickly. And 2. the tech scene is heavily concentrated in medical and biotech. The IoT community is strong here but slanted toward one industry. But I'm not in the tech field - these are simply observations I've seen others make.
Culturally and culinarily you'll love it here. And if you like snow and cold (like legit below zero cold), well we got that too! The younger 'hipsters' here tend to be less insufferable than on the coasts. Think of a less Portlandish Portland. Liberal socially, artistic and coffee-shop hipsters but many are still Midwestern at heart.
I think Minneapolis-Saint Paul is a lovely place to live, and I am happy to share my enthusiasm for this city. I'm honestly not sure if it is what you are looking for, though.
- fresh produce markets Absolutely! There are fantastic farmers' markets filled with local produce during the summer, and there are plenty of coops to fill in the gaps during winter.
- I want to be able to drive (low traffic) You can definitely drive. This isn't NYC where driving is more of a hindrance than a help. You can almost always find parking, whether it is free, metered, lot, or ramp. I'm not sure I would call it "low traffic," though. We have rush hour and traffic jams just like any other city our size.
- culture (museums, foods... definitely food.. yum) Absolutely! Great food scene here! We are starting to get national recognition for our exciting new restaurant openings. Additionally, there are oodles of ethnic food options, hole-in-the-wall corner places, etc. etc. etc. Plenty of museums, and we have the second-most theater seats per capita after NYC.
- good for young grads that aren't "hipsters" ( I'm 23) Here's the part that gives me the most pause. We certainly have non-hipsters here, but the overall youth culture is pretty hipster-heavy. Massive over-generalization ahead, but people seem to split into the general categories of "hipsters" or "bros," and more cultural offerings are available to the hipster group. As a city, we are pretty proud to be a little offbeat.
- good for tech people (computer science major w/ 4 yrs military experience) The economy overall is strong, but tech isn't my field and I can't speak to it specifically. Nor can I speak to the military thing.
- affordability (1k a month or less than 200k to buy) I guess it depends on what you want. There are fairly nice apartments to be had under $1k, but I think the $200K purchase threshold is going to be a concern. If you are willing to do major rehab or commute from an exurb or live in an economically-depressed area you could make that number work for you. But I would expect to spend a fair amount more than that on a nice house in a nice area.
- all 4 seasons Heck yeah! Although fall and spring can sometimes disappear into their neighboring seasons.
- not too hot in the summer (I'm from TX, I **HATE** the heat) Again, it depends. *I* think it gets too hot here. We tend to have a few days each summer that reach the triple digits, and plenty of upper-80s to mid-90s. This isn't Seattle with its cool coastal summers.
- lots of foliage in autumn Yes! It's gorgeous. Particularly along the Mississippi. Breathtaking.
- the colder the better, lots of snow in winter (and although I'm from TX, I've been in real snow before) Cold: yes. Snow: less than you might envision if you haven't spent time here. We don't get Chicago's lake effect snow, nor the Northeast's feet-deep damp snow. We do have snow coverage pretty much all winter, though.
COL is going to be the big one, as noted. But are you factoring in salaries? I suspect it's still likely cheaper in Texas, but cost of living compared to salaries is generally pretty good hear, and buying a house doable on a middle class salary.
There's a definite hipster bent here, but I suspect you can avoid this by your choice of neighborhood. But since a lot of local hipsters are into local food, perhaps you can embrace your inner hipster heart (or at least put up with bearded biking friends)
MPS has TONS of food co-ops (open year round) and farmer's markets (summer only)-- they not only have produce, but also grassfed beef, truly free range poultry, pastured pork, etc plus tons of organic, local grown, etc options. The food scene here is really quite fantastic.
Traffic isn't truly low, but much less aggravating as compared to Atlanta, NYC, LA and other cities with truly horrific traffic (which would likely include both Dallas and Houston). Generally, I find that rush hour doubles my commute to downtown from the western suburbs (20 minutes without traffic translates to 45 minutes with traffic-- BUT, add in fresh snow and all bets are off); that said, there are plenty of places within the Cities that you can live and minimize your commute with many surface streets and alternate routes.
Culture: Great restaurant, theater and museum scene. Not NYC-level, but a LOT more than you'd likely expect-- and much more affordable as compared to NYC. We also have all 4 professional sports: football, baseball, hockey, and basketball (plus college sports galore)-- not sure that qualifies as culture to everyone, but still worth mentioning.
I'm a suburbanite with 3 kids in my early 40s, so I can't comment on the hipster scene. As compared to what I see in Brooklyn, the hipsters here seem far less hipster-ish and less insufferable (ha!), but, again, I'm not in the same demographic, so that I can't truly advise you on, but I'm sure others can.
There is a tech scene here, but, from what I understand it's quite different that what you'd find in the Bay Area or Austin (not sure if that's where you're located). Again, not my area of expertise, so I'll allow those with far better insight to comment.
MPS has the winning combo of high pay and low cost of living-- BUT as compared to TX, you need to bear in mind that we do have relatively high state income taxes (vs NO state income tax in TX) and while homes here are quite affordable, depending on where in TX you're coming from, they might not seem so. Yes, there are still homes to be had below $200K and rents below $1K-- it all depends on what you're looking for in terms of size, location, etc.
The weather here sounds (almost) ideal for you--- all but tons of snow-- MPS has an average of 50 inches of snowfall per year (we got closer to 30 inches last winter, but 80 inches during the winter of 2013/2014); it's more cold than snowy here-- truly snow cities, such as Buffalo, get closer to 80 inches per year. But, still, more than enough snow to do winter sports-- so the fact that it's not UBER snowy might be just fine by you.
Fall is gorgeous-- tons of foliage. Summer is NOT hot-- most days are in the 70s, with a few cooler days and isolated days when it goes into the 80s/90s-- but it always cools down at night (it's not unusual to dip into the 50s at night) and while the locals will complain about the humidity, it's NOT humid. I'm from South Florida, I know humidity all too well-- and I know that you, coming from TX, do too-- repeat, it is not humid here and it's NOT buggy either-- another common complaint is about mosquitoes, but it's NOTHING as compared to what I was used to from South Florida.
Well now I'm more excited about moving to Minneapolis! Thank you!
The only items on your list that may be tough are 1. COL - while not nearly as high as larger cities rents are growing quickly. And 2. the tech scene is heavily concentrated in medical and biotech. The IoT community is strong here but slanted toward one industry. But I'm not in the tech field - these are simply observations I've seen others make.
Culturally and culinarily you'll love it here. And if you like snow and cold (like legit below zero cold), well we got that too! The younger 'hipsters' here tend to be less insufferable than on the coasts. Think of a less Portlandish Portland. Liberal socially, artistic and coffee-shop hipsters but many are still Midwestern at heart.
This is probably a long shot and somewhat hijacking, but if you know of biotech companies in the area please list there here or PM me. Thanks!
Interesting quote from that one "According to Newsweek in 2010, 22% of the employees in the greater Twin Cities work in the medical technology sector, a larger percentage than technology workers in the Bay Area (21%). With almost 27,000 medical technology jobs, Minnesota is second only to California in total employment and is first per capita, with almost three times the national average in this area (The Lewin Group, 2010). Estimates by trade association LifeScience Alley put the total life science employment at over 300,000."
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