How about this "Minnesota Ice" vs. "Minnesota Nice" stuff??

[sparksals]

Yes.

[TracyLPN]

I've lived in Minnesota my entire life, and I find extremely difficult to meet new people. I'm single, no kids and I'm 40. The majority of people my age have been married, are married, have kids, etc. Minnesota is a VERY family oriented state... I have several other single female friends who are in the same predicament as myself. I find that the majority of single men here are self absorbed jerks... Just my opinion. Draw your own conclusions; hopefully, you'll have a easier time meeting new people.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by TracyLPN

I've lived in Minnesota my entire life, and I find extremely difficult to meet new people. I'm single, no kids and I'm 40. The majority of people my age have been married, are married, have kids, etc. Minnesota is a VERY family oriented state... I have several other single female friends who are in the same predicament as myself. I find that the majority of single men here are self absorbed jerks... Just my opinion. Draw your own conclusions; hopefully, you'll have a easier time meeting new people.

I just think that too many people expect to easily meet friends out of the blue. Nobody is going to try and make friends unless they REALLY need/want to. Your claim is absurd too, you would have had to meet the MAJORITY of men in Minnesota to say that the majority are self absorbed jerks. Maybe the majority of men you have tried to meet are like that, and I would reccomend trying to meet a different type of man. Also, if they are single and 40, there is probably pretty good reasons they are- Either dont want a mate, had a mate and were crappy enough to lose them, or are just a crappy person that had never attracted anyone. Its like going to the grocery store and saying "All these old banannas are still here, I wonder why?"- Well, obviously all the goods have been snatched up. Best of luck on your quest to find friends, but don't expect them to fall into your lap.

[TracyLPN]

I was merely trying to point out the fact that even as a "native", it's difficult to meet new friends here in Minnesota. You can't deny the fact that Minnesota is very family oriented, and if you're a single female (esp. over age 30) it's difficult to meet new friends, especially other women who don't have kids.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by TracyLPN

I was merely trying to point out the fact that even as a "native", it's difficult to meet new friends here in Minnesota. You can't deny the fact that Minnesota is very family oriented, and if you're a single female (esp. over age 30) it's difficult to meet new friends, especially other women who don't have kids.

The great irony is that as a woman over 30 most of my friends don't have kids, and therefore have freedom that I don't have (and given the cost of babysitters, that's unlikely to change anytime in the near future). I think that's more because of the people I know and the places I spend time in, though, and it's true that as you get more into your 30s more people do start having kids.

I agree that MN is a pretty family-oriented place. It has a reputation for having good public schools, a decent quality of life, and fairly affordable for what it offers, and that's very attractive for those who have kids. That probably makes it easier to make new friends if you have kids, too, but doesn't help much if you don't.

[TracyLPN]

Very true! Thanks for replying!

[sparksals]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I just think that too many people expect to easily meet friends out of the blue. Nobody is going to try and make friends unless they REALLY need/want to. Your claim is absurd too, you would have had to meet the MAJORITY of men in Minnesota to say that the majority are self absorbed jerks. Maybe the majority of men you have tried to meet are like that, and I would reccomend trying to meet a different type of man. Also, if they are single and 40, there is probably pretty good reasons they are- Either dont want a mate, had a mate and were crappy enough to lose them, or are just a crappy person that had never attracted anyone. Its like going to the grocery store and saying "All these old banannas are still here, I wonder why?"- Well, obviously all the goods have been snatched up. Best of luck on your quest to find friends, but don't expect them to fall into your lap.

If you had read the thread, you would see that many of us, myself included, HAVE TRIED. We don't expect them to fall into our lap. I have gone above and beyond, employing many tools like meetup and other social networking.

If you think Tracy's claim is absurd, yours is doubly so to say that a man at age 40 and not married is a crappy person. There are a myriad of reasons someone is not married.

My husband and I got married in our very late 30's. Neither of us are crappy mates or people, thank you very much.

[sparksals]

Originally Posted by TracyLPN

I was merely trying to point out the fact that even as a "native", it's difficult to meet new friends here in Minnesota. You can't deny the fact that Minnesota is very family oriented, and if you're a single female (esp. over age 30) it's difficult to meet new friends, especially other women who don't have kids.

Tracy,

I'm married, over 40, no kids. If you want to meet for coffee or something, I would be glad to. I know exactly what you are saying.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by sparksals

If you had read the thread, you would see that many of us, myself included, HAVE TRIED. We don't expect them to fall into our lap. I have gone above and beyond, employing many tools like meetup and other social networking.

If you think Tracy's claim is absurd, yours is doubly so to say that a man at age 40 and not married is a crappy person. There are a myriad of reasons someone is not married.

My husband and I got married in our very late 30's. Neither of us are crappy mates or people, thank you very much.

I did read the thread. Nice assumption though. You know what assuming does?

I can make a handful of friends a day if I wanted to. Maybe because I am young, active, remain politically/socially/culturally neutral, and am extremely good looking. Not tooting my own whistle, but I have never had a problem meeting friends. Just go walk up to a group of people and start a conversation. If you make a good impression, then they'll like you.