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First of all, I'm no stranger from wanting to move to Minneapolis. I've been fascinated by the Twin cities for quite some time, inquiring about the city as early as 2011, and I'm stoked that Shake Shack is coming to the area. I'm a Florida native and I had a few opportunities to move to MN in the past...a few years ago it came down to either Los Angeles or Minneapolis, and I ended up moving to LA. Then after I ended up traveling around the world for quite a long period, and I came back to America this summer and needed to move somewhere quickly...so now I'm in Raleigh, NC with an employer I had worked for in the past and was offered a very good salary. I like it here and it's developed into one of my favorite cities, but I know long-term it's not for me. So later this year I'm looking at moving to a city I really like and would buy property after renting for a year or so, my 'final destination' type place. Perhaps that's why I haven't moved to Minneapolis yet, as I knew I wouldn't be moving anywhere else after moving there.
However, reading this forum really has me scared. I never even factored in the whole Minnesota Nice thing when I considered moving in the past, but apparently it's a huge deal. On City-Data and elsewhere on the internet, I've come across reading more than a dozen people's personal accounts of moving to MSP and how after 1-3 years of living there, they still don't have any friends or any social circle at all. Reading all of this absolutely terrifies me. I have met two people from MN my entire life, one whom I had a lengthy chat with on a 6-hour flight about Minnesota, but this stuff has me worried.
I'm a single male about to turn 26, so meeting people is paramount. Actually, dating is far more important to me than meeting new friends...but both are important. Here in Raleigh, I'm thriving in this so-called family-friendly city. People here are friendly, and I've met cool people in the most unexpected ways. I live a short walk from Downtown, which is where all the nightlife is, people are friendly at work, and I've been participating in some of the Meetup groups. So in just 5 months here, my social life isn't bad. I'm a fairly outgoing person and meet people easily, and I love my nightlife, and it seems like Minneapolis has a pretty good nightlife scene.
I'm sure this issue has been talked to death on here, but still it now has me very nervous about pursuing a move to Minneapolis. Otherwise I'm all for it...MSP is on my extreme shortlist as a place to settle down, stay long term, and buy a condo. Everything about it sounds great to me. I haven't visited yet, although I almost made the trip this past weekend using the Vikings game as an opportunity to do some recon on the area. But I would definitely come up for a week or so before making any decisions. I would just hate to find my dream city only to be shut out socially. So please tell me this is not as big of a deal as most people make it out to be!
Ironically, I grew up in South FL and went to undergrad in Chapel Hill, have a huge circle of friends in and around Raleigh/Cary-- and I now live in Minneapolis.
We LOVE it here-- been here 18 months (moved from South Florida)and we have had no issue making friends with both natives and non-natives alike. It's challenging to find your niche and a big social group ANYWHERE. Minneapolis proper has 50% of its residents from states other than MN-- so it's not as though you will be the only person from outside the area.
I can't advise you what the dating scene is like-- as I'm a married mom of three-- but I'm sure others can. While I don't think that MSP is some sort of mecca for unmarried singles in their mid-20s, it definitely has a lot to offer from a lot of perspectives-- it might be a case of the right place but not quite the right time? Not sure. BUT, if you're looking to try it out-- as you mentioned you can rent for a year and then reevaluate. But staying where you are isn't such a bad option either (then again, I have a HUGE soft spot for where you live-- if it weren't for what my husband does for a living-- he's a youth hockey coach-- we would likely have considered a move to Cary).
While I don't think that MSP is some sort of mecca for unmarried singles in their mid-20s
I'm definitely not expecting it to be a mecca for people in my situation. I just don't want it to be hell on earth for a young person, either. Given what I want out of a city long-term, there are only a few cities in America that match up with what I want and Minneapolis is one of them. I'm definitely not going to stay where I am for much longer though, which is why I'm so curious to read responses to my question. Barring this issue, I am ready to get on the plane to MSP! No question about it. So this is the only thing holding me back temporarily.
Also, that's cool that you also grew up in FL and lived in NC enroute to MN! I actually work in Cary, but I live in Raleigh.
Thousands and thousands of people move here every year. It really isn't unusual that a few of them may fail to be happy here. Don't let that deter you. I have found people here to be genuinely friendly and helpful to strangers... That's really what the term Minnesota Nice refers to: how we treat strangers.
People here are not loud but more reserved, and that brassy style from the coasts doesn't play well here, but if you've made friends in other places, you'll make them here, too. Looking forward to having you join us.
People tend to over-react on this forum; don't take it as a valid measure of the population at large. You see those type of "xxx city sucks" on every local forum on city-data. People like to throw pity parties for themselves.
Before I met my wife, I had no problem getting dates, either from meeting people in person or on websites like OkCupid. And I'm an old fart.
There are several areas like Uptown and Northeast (Nordeast) that have a thriving social/nightlife scene, with thousands of people your age out every night.
The "Minnesota Nice" sarcasm posts always confuse me. I've lived in four states and three countries, worked for an employer who had me traveling all over the south for a number of years (spending a lot of time in Alabama and Georgia), and my wife and I couldn't wait to return home to Minnesota. People here are a different kind of nice than you'll experience in the south. We're not openly emotional people — which some people mistake for being "cold" — but most of us are genuinely nice and open to making new friends. Many of us definitely have a bit of a "shell" but cracking through that is as simple as asking us out for a beer.
I would suggest taking a long weekend to come up here for a vacation — maybe even in the middle of winter — to meet some people and get a better feel for the Twin Cities. Rent a car and check out the suburbs, maybe even as far as Stillwater and Hudson, just to get a real feel for the whole area.
People tend to over-react on this forum; don't take it as a valid measure of the population at large. You see those type of "xxx city sucks" on every local forum on city-data. People like to throw pity parties for themselves.
Before I met my wife, I had no problem getting dates, either from meeting people in person or on websites like OkCupid. And I'm an old fart.
There are several areas like Uptown and Northeast (Nordeast) that have a thriving social/nightlife scene, with thousands of people your age out every night.
Thanks. It's possible that I'm overreacting as well. I usually take extreme comments on here with a grain of salt, but when you have so many different sources saying the same thing, it's hard not to wonder. And if I'm thriving in a place like Raleigh, then surely it should be a piece of cake? Minneapolis has lots of transplants as well, so sometimes I don't understand these comments. And before I moved to Raleigh, all I heard was how it's too family-friendly and not a good place for singles, but again I'm having no problem.
I'm not even worried about facing the cold in Minnesota, it's more so making sure I'm not going to have a problem socially. And judging by the responses here, it seems that given my situation I should be fine.
Thanks. It's possible that I'm overreacting as well. I usually take extreme comments on here with a grain of salt, but when you have so many different sources saying the same thing, it's hard not to wonder. And if I'm thriving in a place like Raleigh, then surely it should be a piece of cake? Minneapolis has lots of transplants as well, so sometimes I don't understand these comments. And before I moved to Raleigh, all I heard was how it's too family-friendly and not a good place for singles, but again I'm having no problem.
I'm not even worried about facing the cold in Minnesota, it's more so making sure I'm not going to have a problem socially. And judging by the responses here, it seems that given my situation I should be fine.
It's become a meme here. Each person is different and if you seek out others with whom you share values and interests, then making friends will not be an issue.
Thanks. It's possible that I'm overreacting as well. I usually take extreme comments on here with a grain of salt, but when you have so many different sources saying the same thing, it's hard not to wonder. And if I'm thriving in a place like Raleigh, then surely it should be a piece of cake? Minneapolis has lots of transplants as well, so sometimes I don't understand these comments. And before I moved to Raleigh, all I heard was how it's too family-friendly and not a good place for singles, but again I'm having no problem.
I'm not even worried about facing the cold in Minnesota, it's more so making sure I'm not going to have a problem socially. And judging by the responses here, it seems that given my situation I should be fine.
It is an anonymous forum (mostly ... a tiny number do use their own names), so everything here should be taken with a grain of salt, good and bad.
I’ve written about this before, but here is my take on the whole “Minnesota nice” thing: It’s about misaligned expectations. I’ll epound.
In my experience, local culture is more friendly toward strangers than the baseline and equally friendly toward acquaintances as the baseline. So this means, for example, that someone here is more likely to offer to help a stranger carry groceries to their car but no more likely to then invite that person out for coffee after than anywhere else. If the recipient of the polite/kind/helpful behavior is accustomed to more brusque interactions, they may misinterpret baseline kindness, reading it as the closeness shared by friends in their home location. Then they feel hurt when it becomes clear that the local does not consider them a friend, at least not yet. Short version: just because people here go out of their way to be nice to you, it doesn’t mean you immediately jump from zero to bestie. Friendships here develop at the same pace as anywhere else, we just treat you with greater-than-average kindness from the start.
Of course the above is a massive overgeneralization. There are friendly people and cold people and passive-aggressive people and aggressive-aggressive people anywhere you go. That’s life.
I personally moved to MSP as a single 24-year-old. I grew up elsewhere in Minnesota, but when I came here I knew precisely one other person and it wasn’t someone I had much of anything in common with. I got out there and met people: in bars, in bookstores, in interest-based Meetup groups, and at work. I had a roommate to begin with, which wasn’t necessary but I found it socially enriching. I dated online and went out with a few people I met by chance. Now I have a great group of friends and a wedding coming up next year. (I wasn’t looking for anything serious at the time, but it found me anyway.)
If this area appeals to you, please don’t let scaremongering and negative Nancies keep you away. Building a new social circle is going to be at least moderately challenging wherever you go. You will see the same kvetching on any other local board in the country, we just have a little buzz phrase that complainers have latched onto.
Hope things work out for you!
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