Convince Me To Move to St. Paul! (Minneapolis, Duluth: home, neighborhoods)

[theotherhand]

I'm a person who's lived in the South or Southwest all my life, and I'm used to mild, warm, dry, climates. I'm planning to relocate and wanted to stay in a similar climate, or at least be on the East or West Coast. I wasn't remotely considering a job in the northern Midwestern USA. However, I've found a great job opportunity I'd have a good chance at getting, in St. Paul, MN.

The region and climate has a big impact on where I'd choose to relocate. I've turned down great jobs in isolated, unpleasant climates because the geography & demographics mean a lot to me. In this case, I'd be turning down a pleasant climate and/or living on a coast. On the other hand, St. Paul-MN is a major urban area (one of my requirements!), the job looks really good, and the cost of living seems moderate. It's the climate and the fact that it's not on either coast that's giving me pause. However, I really know nothing about this area and it may have may positives I'm not familiar with.

So--give me all the positives (and negatives?) about St. Paul MN!

Me: Single, mid-40s professional, no kids, middle-income, enjoy culture & history and hanging out with geeks approximately my age.

[Rhody2Mn]

St. Paul and the Twin Cities metro area overall is a fantastic place to live. Minneapolis/St. Paul frequently top "quality of life" lists, and there's ample reason for that - there is an abundance of culture, theater, professional sports, museums, parks, shopping, lakes, and outdoor recreational opportunities among other things - that, coupled with a moderate cost of living, is hard to match elsewhere:

- If you like the outdoors, you'll love the park system which was recently ranked #1 in the nation. There are bike paths everywhere as well, and they aren't just limited to Minneapolis and St. Paul proper - they travel deep into the suburbs and beyond.
- If you're a sports fan, Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of the few mid-sized markets that boast all four major professional sports (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB) and five if you count soccer.
- If you're a shopper, we have just about every chain covered plus the largest mall in the country (Mall of America). You'll also find unique/"mom and pop" stores throughout the area, particularly in neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- There are a plethora of museums and theaters, and some, like the fantastic Minneapolis Institute of Arts, are free to visit.
-The cost of living is good and the economy and job opportunities are excellent in the Twin Cities as it is home to many large companies such as Target, UnitedHealth Group, Best Buy, and 3M.

As far as negatives:

- You may have difficulty adapting to the cold weather since you're not used to it, as there may be snow on the ground here anytime between November-mid April. Both St. Paul and Minneapolis have extensive skyway systems, however, so if you work in either downtown you won't necessarily have to walk outside during the coldest days of winter.
- The area can feel a bit isolated too, as it is a six hour drive to the nearest big city (Chicago).
- Another downside: If you're used to the ocean, you'll find that lakes in the metro area don't really compare; however, just over a two hour drive away is Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior, so when you really miss being able to look out at an endless body of water, I recommend you take a trip there - beautiful scenery that to me resembles the Maine coastline.

Overall, the Twin Cities (including St. Paul) are a fantastic place to live in my opinion, and the good qualities far outweigh the bad. Best of luck to you in your decision!

[bler144]

"Convince Me To Move to St. Paul!"

You should totally move to St. Paul!

Did that suffice?

While not a city person, I love the Twin Cities, though I was fairly used to the climate when I lived there. Rhody2MN covered a lot of it, though I would add that the TC also have a strong theater and arts scene for its size, if that's your thing.

From the sounds of it you may also be interested in the historical society and related stuff like: Summit Avenue Walking Tour | Historic Sites Minnesota Historical Society

It's not NYC, certainly, but then again the cost of living is nothing like NYC either. There's a lot to do, and eat, and drink, and it's a pretty nice metro as U.S. metros go.

If I had a good job lined up there I was happy about, I'd move to the TC (from Portland, currently). That said, some of the pros for me (better schools, family) probably don't apply to you.

But if you have the chance to visit as part of the interview or decision process, you definitely should check it out.

[bler144]

The science museum is fun too: https://www.smm.org/

[SForMNLee]

OK, so I moved to St Paul from a pleasant climate. I've lived here before, but didn't have to come back.

Here's the thing with the weather. If you think of it as a good vs bad thing, you will always lose here in MN. It gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

BUT if you think of the weather as interesting vs boring, MN will have some of the most interesting weather around. We fully have all four seasons.

Spring is full of change, some snow, plenty of rain and even some really warm days. The trees turn green and the squirrels & bunnies explode in population. Baseball season starts and hockey wraps up. The world is alive in spring.

Then summer comes. It's warm, it's hot, it's humid. Baseball is in full swing. We have over 10K lakes to cool off in. You constantly smell like sweat, sunscreen and bug spray. Yet, unlike many warmer places, it is nice and comfortable most nights. You will want to sit by a bonfire at the lake as much as possible.

This is followed by fall. After the oppressive heat of late August passes, the weather becomes glorious. Cool breezes blow through. Campfires are even more fun. The bugs die off and the leaves start to change. The entire state is covered in yellows, reds and browns of the changing leaves. Football starts. You get to wear jeans and sweatshirts again. It's incredibly refreshing.

Eventually fall gives way to winter. Things begin to quiet down. The leaves are gone and snow is on the horizon. Eventually the entire world glistens white with fresh snow. Football is in full swing and hockey & basketball get started. Holiday lights fill the streets and you move from the bonfire to the fireplace. After new years, it's frigid and cold. The world loses it's color. It's brisk. You get to crunch through the snow on a cold night or on cross country skis. You get to eat comfort food and hot chocolate.

Then the first day above forty comes and you get excited for spring again.


ORRR you can spend your life bitching about cold weather while waiting for the 2 weeks of 90 degree weather.

My point is that the weather changes a lot here. We have all four seasons and just about every type of weather. If that sounds interesting to you, give it a shot. If you want steady mild climates, move to California.

[theotherhand]

All great information! Thanks for the input. Climate is a big deal for me, in part because of a susceptibility to seasonal depression. I'm less worried about the cold and snow (although that would be a shock to deal with), and more concerned about overcast weather without a lot of sun. I really don't know what my reaction would be because I've lived in sunny New Mexico for nearly 20 years. Does St. Paul have a lot of sunny days throughout the year or does it have huge, long weeks of cloudy, overcast weather?

I really liked SForMNLee's advice about treating the weather changes as exciting instead of as a bad thing. That description was almost poetic.

I'm still weighing my options on applying for this job--I have a couple weeks to decide. I really appreciate the insider's view!

[rcsteiner]

The winter in Minnesota is actually relatively sunny. Yes, the trees are black/gray and the snow turns the world into a maze of black and white, but you'll still see the blue sky rather often. Probably not as often as you do in New Mexico. But a lot more often than in, say, Michigan.

I just did a quick online search, and St. Paul gets approximately 196 sunny days on average, but I can't say how that is measured.

[theotherhand]

Depending on how you measure, that's probably about a third less than New Mexico gets--better than Seattle though! Good to know that the winters are often sunny. I can enjoy a snowy day if there's plenty of bright sun!

[Minnesota Spring]

Originally Posted by theotherhand

Depending on how you measure, that's probably about a third less than New Mexico gets--better than Seattle though! Good to know that the winters are often sunny. I can enjoy a snowy day if there's plenty of bright sun!

Yes. Our coldest days are typically bright and sunny. The white snow reflects the sunlight so you will need sunglasses when you go out in the winter; its very bright.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by SForMNLee

OK, so I moved to St Paul from a pleasant climate. I've lived here before, but didn't have to come back.

Here's the thing with the weather. If you think of it as a good vs bad thing, you will always lose here in MN. It gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

BUT if you think of the weather as interesting vs boring, MN will have some of the most interesting weather around. We fully have all four seasons.

Spring is full of change, some snow, plenty of rain and even some really warm days. The trees turn green and the squirrels & bunnies explode in population. Baseball season starts and hockey wraps up. The world is alive in spring.

Then summer comes. It's warm, it's hot, it's humid. Baseball is in full swing. We have over 10K lakes to cool off in. You constantly smell like sweat, sunscreen and bug spray. Yet, unlike many warmer places, it is nice and comfortable most nights. You will want to sit by a bonfire at the lake as much as possible.

This is followed by fall. After the oppressive heat of late August passes, the weather becomes glorious. Cool breezes blow through. Campfires are even more fun. The bugs die off and the leaves start to change. The entire state is covered in yellows, reds and browns of the changing leaves. Football starts. You get to wear jeans and sweatshirts again. It's incredibly refreshing.

Eventually fall gives way to winter. Things begin to quiet down. The leaves are gone and snow is on the horizon. Eventually the entire world glistens white with fresh snow. Football is in full swing and hockey & basketball get started. Holiday lights fill the streets and you move from the bonfire to the fireplace. After new years, it's frigid and cold. The world loses it's color. It's brisk. You get to crunch through the snow on a cold night or on cross country skis. You get to eat comfort food and hot chocolate.

Then the first day above forty comes and you get excited for spring again.


ORRR you can spend your life bitching about cold weather while waiting for the 2 weeks of 90 degree weather.

My point is that the weather changes a lot here. We have all four seasons and just about every type of weather. If that sounds interesting to you, give it a shot. If you want steady mild climates, move to California.

Good description! Thank you.