Do you miss Minneapolis/St Paul> (St. Paul, Duluth: fit in, unemployed)

[Kid Cann]

I moved away for about 6 years, and I hated the Twin Cities while living there. After growing up a bit, visiting other major cities, and living in a different place, all makes me get really nostalgic driving around the Twin Cities. I hope to move back soon.

[AT9]

I'm a student at the U of M, and I'm only away for the summer, but I definitely miss the Twin Cities already. I've lived in 7 different states and visited 39, and there's just something about the Twin Cities that few other cities have. It's economically prosperous, the people are nice, the city is well organized/clean, they have tons of parks and museums, there's always some sort of event (sports, music, etc.) going on....it's without a doubt one of my favorite cities, along with places like Denver, Austin, and Nashville.

Unfortunately, after I graduate, I likely won't want to live in that area...it's just too cold for me

[J_Lurk]

I lived in St. Paul for almost 10 years, and I've been gone for 7. I miss living close to Grand Avenue, the bike lanes/trails, the Walker and the Guthrie, the Sculpture Garden, I could go on. I'd still consider coming back, even if it is very cold!

[queenswake]

Minnesota is the kind of place that draws people back. I moved to DC 9 years ago for a job after college and have found myself stuck here ever since. DC is not a bad place to live, but Minnesota is just one of those places that makes you want to go back. A lot of other people I've met from places like Ohio, Indiania, Michigan, Pennsylvania, etc do not have the urge to move back.

Minnesota is different. It has such a strong sense of family. That's the main thing that brings people back. Then just other things like the lakes, the Twins, and the glorious summers. Slower pace of life, but still with the urban amenities of the Twin Cities.

I desperately want to move back, but I have put down a lot of roots that are not easy to leave. And it's hard to give up a good paying job for uncertaintly in MN. But I know that eventually I will move back. The draw is just too strong. I miss it.

[Endymion and Keats]

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[Endymion and Keats]

Reply to Future_Minneapolitan

Thank you for your post about Minneapolis, I feel better and more confident about moving there now!

[K-Luv]

I lived in Minneapolis for ten years, and while I enjoyed that experience very much, I felt like I just didn't belong. Or more appropriately, like something just was not right, yet I couldn't really put my finger on it. Having grown up in California, I felt like no-one really understood me or where I was coming from, which was frustrating at times, and I found many things about Minneapolis/Minnesota culture that I found frustrating, too. Namely, Minnesota Nice. Not many could handle my 'straight-forwardness', and it seemed to create many awkward moments. But the whole Minnesota Nice thing has been beaten' to death on this forum, so I will leave it at that.

I also did not understand the obsession with lakes, particularly lakes that are within the city, nor the average Minnesotan's tendency to not want to go anywhere. When I lived in Sacramento, my friends and I always went out of town. At least once a month, we would go to the Bay Area, Tahoe, Reno, Las Vegas, Portland, Monterey, and everywhere else in-between. My friends in Minneapolis always talked about wanting to go someplace, but when it came down to making plans they would come up with excuses not to. Aside from going back to California to visit, I only managed to leave the TC maybe ten times.

There was not a day that went by where I did not at least entertain the idea of moving back to California, yet, ironically, now that I am living in Maine, I find myself contemplating moving back to Minneapolis. I wouldn't mind, really, and sometimes I feel that it is just a matter of time, but Minnesota is lacking two things that I miss more than anything: the ocean, and REAL mountains with REAL forests.

By the way, I have heard You'll always come back to (insert random city name) murmured in numerous cities across the US.

[BigCur]

Originally Posted by thomjoe

Have any of you ever moved away from the Cities and really missed it?

I used to miss it a lot after I moved away to Oregon after graduating from the U in "79.

Hadn't been back in over 20 years till last summer.
Don't miss it anymore, though I guess I would feel differently if I WANTED to move to Blackhawk Down country.

[west336]

Very nice, BigCur....luckily you'll never have that issue in Oregon.

[Kid Cann]

Originally Posted by BigCur

I used to miss it a lot after I moved away to Oregon after graduating from the U in "79.

Hadn't been back in over 20 years till last summer.
Don't miss it anymore, though I guess I would feel differently if I WANTED to move to Blackhawk Down country.

With the strong German background don't you mean something like Berlin Country or something/