Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To be fair, the Twin Cities aren't in the same league as Chicago, and you can easily find a strong quality of life with tons of amenities in Chicago.
It's different. We will always have outdoor activities normally associated with lots of driving right in Minneapolis and its suburbs. We won't have the plethora of restaurant choices but then again we don't pay those kinda prices. We're not as ethnically diverse either so that sets us back a bit as well.
But we have fishing. And we have a lifetime fishing license for cheap.
I am relocating my family within the next year. I am considering Minnesota over Seattle because it sees to have a cheaper cost of living. I LOVE Seattle because of its culture and the fact that it has everything but I don't have a million dollars to buy a house which puts me quite far from most of that. Is Minnesota a better choice? My husband is self employed and I am currently back in school while raising two young children. Any thoughts for me?
I can understand why you say you love Seattle. I visited it last year for the first time and loved it also. It's got a vibe unlike any other large city that I've been to.
There is a very thriving cultural seen in the Twin Cities however. I don't think that it can match Seattle as to the clubs, but for theater it's quite impressive. Chanhassen and the Guthrie Theater stand out on the list. There are a lot of other theaters with great local talent as well. Having the U. of Minnesota located there adds a lot as well when it comes to the fine arts. Concerts are not hard to come by either.
It's pretty expensive living in the Twin Cities also. Minnesota likes to tax almost everything. I'm pretty sure that you will be able to score a lot more house for the money here though.
Of the large cities I've visited, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, and Kansas City (1 million+ metro area) are about the only ones that feel comfortable. Yea, there are a some places (such as Portland, Phoenix, Detroit, and Atlanta) that I've never been to for comparison).
If there is one aspect that may be underated in the Twin Cities, it is the culture scene.
Yes I would say it is underrated, I would say wildly so relative to some other other states. I am especially fond of the North Shore, Duluth and the inland sea, The Greatest Lake on Earth Superior. It is truly something to behold that massive gargantuan rolling sea. It's a "lake" the size of Kentucky! It's a 'lake" that holds 10% of the world's surface fresh water, enough water in it to flood all of North & South America in 2 ft of water! A "lake" with 50 foot waves possible (check NOAA to verify) A "lake" with small tides & strong currents, an almost 400 mile long, 150 mile wide, 1300 foot deep at it's deepest point "lake", A 'lake" with 1200 ft seagoing freighters that sail in and out from all over the planet just like any other seaport. Yes it's a "lake" as it's freshwater that flows out, an Inland Sea, or better yet a GREAT Lake, big big difference from what most people think of when you a "lake". Coming from Seattle I thought I was hot sh*t having sailed around the Puget Sound but Superior is so much bigger. Almost 40,000 square miles bigger!! and it is true open water sailing, unlike the Sound where you are always by land. Superior and all the Great Lakes are totally underrated. If you can sail across Superior you can sail across oceans. I know, I learned there. I also love the giant hills in Duluth, the almost 900 foot hillside the city is built on and 30% streets, totally cool man! Like San Francisco and then looking out at all that water, wow!! The whole old school "Laker", maritime scene around the big lake is cool as hell and totally underrated in my opinion!! I just love it.
I also like the progressive hipster scene, great indy music scene, trendy bars and very cosmopolitan nightlife and arts in Minneapolis, as well as the fact it is the best cycling city in the USA. It has always been cool but has really turned the corner in my opinion in the last 10 years to become world class now. Saint Paul has a much more old world and historic almost planned European city feel to it in some parts, like Rice Park and Summit Ave, where there are more Victorian mansions than anywhere else in the country. It is truly an an astonishing and almost unbelievable area to behold. I think Saint Paul is prettier but much more subdued than Minneapolis but still underrated as well considering the massive amount of amazing preserved old buildings everywhere. Most cities demolished them years ago but not STP. Union Depot, The Cathedral of Saint Paul, Landmark Centre, Jame J Hill House and Central Library, all amazing. There are giant lofts downtown that would blow your mind and cost millions elsewhere. In the housing bust some were going for 10-40k, it was unreal!! Compared to the coasts at least, everything is much more accessible and affordable but actually more hip and cool in a lot of ways. So yes it is underrated by far I think.
I can understand why you say you love Seattle. I visited it last year for the first time and loved it also. It's got a vibe unlike any other large city that I've been to.
There is a very thriving cultural seen in the Twin Cities however. I don't think that it can match Seattle as to the clubs, but for theater it's quite impressive. Chanhassen and the Guthrie Theater stand out on the list. There are a lot of other theaters with great local talent as well. Having the U. of Minnesota located there adds a lot as well when it comes to the fine arts. Concerts are not hard to come by either.
It's pretty expensive living in the Twin Cities also. Minnesota likes to tax almost everything. I'm pretty sure that you will be able to score a lot more house for the money here though.
Of the large cities I've visited, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, and Kansas City (1 million+ metro area) are about the only ones that feel comfortable. Yea, there are a some places (such as Portland, Phoenix, Detroit, and Atlanta) that I've never been to for comparison).
If there is one aspect that may be underated in the Twin Cities, it is the culture scene.
I agree with you on the taxes and the scene overall being good but not on the expensive part at least not in my experience. I was paying 1,350 bucks a month in rent in Seattle and had NO chance of ever buying a house much less a house, a cabin and a boat like I can and did here. In Seattle my house that I have in the city here would've cost 550-600k easy, whereas here I got it, (albeit as a foreclosure deal) for 50k! That would've been bought up by an investor in Seattle for 250k for all cash before it ever hit the market man. Same goes for my cabin in Duluth, cheap as hell compared to the coasts. Same goes for some of those amazing 2000 sq ft lofts with 30 foot ceilings in downtown Saint Paul. During the housing bust, there were tons of those selling for 10-40k!? It was shocking what you could buy in the Twin Cities for almost nothing. People would pay millions on the coasts for those. Just my experience and one of the biggest reasons why I moved here, affordability and a cool thriving scene all around.
I can understand why you say you love Seattle. I visited it last year for the first time and loved it also. It's got a vibe unlike any other large city that I've been to.
There is a very thriving cultural seen in the Twin Cities however. I don't think that it can match Seattle as to the clubs, but for theater it's quite impressive. Chanhassen and the Guthrie Theater stand out on the list. There are a lot of other theaters with great local talent as well. Having the U. of Minnesota located there adds a lot as well when it comes to the fine arts. Concerts are not hard to come by either.
It's pretty expensive living in the Twin Cities also. Minnesota likes to tax almost everything. I'm pretty sure that you will be able to score a lot more house for the money here though.
Of the large cities I've visited, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, and Kansas City (1 million+ metro area) are about the only ones that feel comfortable. Yea, there are a some places (such as Portland, Phoenix, Detroit, and Atlanta) that I've never been to for comparison).
If there is one aspect that may be underrated in the Twin Cities, it is the culture scene.
Yes, Seattle is cool, but not anywhere near as cool as it was 15-20 years ago when Broadway/Capitol hill was the hot spot and it was more affordable. I moved from Minneapolis to Seattle then and it was better I felt. Now however Minneapolis has totally turned the corner and is waaay more cool than Seattle is today. The Twin Cities have a far better nightlife and arts scene by faaaar than Seattle has. The Cities also still have all these cool indy businesses and boutiques, nightclubs, cafes, trendy restaurants and bookstores, all in cool old buildings with hipsters on bikes everywhere. I love it man! Meanwhile Seattle has become a very pretentious expensive and very corporate place now. I lived there for 15 years and moved to the Twin Cities and Duluth two years ago and overall it is better in my opinion. But I'm almost 40 and I don't want to be a debt slave anymore to some landlord and I want to own my own house outright and have a cabin and a sailboat on Superior and not just rent for almost 1,500 a month anymore. if I were young and didn't have much money and I got a job in Seattle I might do it again though, but probably not. Just too many Californians ruined it out there in my opinion, too many yuppies out there now for me. A lot of the old school artists, hippies and locals who grew up in Seattle were forced out like me. It's just too expensive for a lower quality of life in my opinion.
Last year my uber hipster world traveling rich friends came from Seattle last year to visit me and they almost sh*t their pants at my Victorian mansion in Saint Paul. Then I think their heads almost exploded at Uptown and the Warehouse district, and then when I took them out on Hennepin on Friday night in a throng of 10,000 people, well they were drooling and overwhelmed. Needless to say they had a great time and have stopped thinking of it as "flyover" territory! But hey it all depends on where you're at in life.
Yes, massively. People are afraid of the cold, but more than five million people deal with it just fine every year. It's truly not that bad, it just takes some getting used to, and spring in Minnesota is one of the most wonderful things in the world. Minneapolis-St. Paul is affordable, beautiful, easy to navigate, thriving culturally, and economically powerful. It's a twin metro to Seattle-Tacoma, honestly, and should always be thought of right alongside Denver, Portland, Austin, etc.
Minnesota winters are solved by one thing for me, Nordic skate Skiing in pristine haunting birchwood forests. As a cyclist I just absolutely love the communing with nature and cardio of skiing all alone in the woods. I moved from The Twin Cities to Seattle 18 years ago. It was cooler then in my opinion but not at all anymore. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are a lot cooler than Seattle-Tacoma anymore in almost every way. Way better nightlife, affordability of home or loft, architecturally all the old buildings and homes are cool as hell here and affordable, the arts and theater scene is faaar better here, out doors activities are just as good in my opinion. I mean as a cyclist Minneapolis is #1 bike city in the USA! There are still tons of indy businesses thriving in the Twin Cities, boutiques, vintage stores, bookstores, indy cafes, trendy and cosmopolitan restaurants and bars on and on. Meanwhile Seattle has become very corporate now, very pretentious and overrun by snooty Californians and yuppies. I don't want a 500k 450 sq foot poorly built crap box condo in Belltown though, i want my Victorian manse in Saint Paul for 50K and a a cabin in Duluth and sailboat plus a better scene overall! Word up Minnesota!
Yes, massively. People are afraid of the cold, but more than five million people deal with it just fine every year. It's truly not that bad, it just takes some getting used to, and spring in Minnesota is one of the most wonderful things in the world. Minneapolis-St. Paul is affordable, beautiful, easy to navigate, thriving culturally, and economically powerful. It's a twin metro to Seattle-Tacoma, honestly, and should always be thought of right alongside Denver, Portland, Austin, etc.
One of the large distinctions between the Twin Cities and Denver, Portland, and Seattle is that the later cities are not as cold and are in close proximity to real mountains--they are mountain state cities and thus offer much recreation that the Twin Cities just cannot offer. Portland and Seattle even have proximity to the ocean.
However, in terms of overall quality of life, when you consider cost-of-living and cultural offerings, the Twin Cities should be right up there with them.
One of the large distinctions between the Twin Cities and Denver, Portland, and Seattle is that the later cities are not as cold and are in close proximity to real mountains--they are mountain state cities and thus offer much recreation that the Twin Cities just cannot offer. Portland and Seattle even have proximity to the ocean.
However, in terms of overall quality of life, when you consider cost-of-living and cultural offerings, the Twin Cities should be right up there with them.
I would say the Twin Cities area has far more recreation within a 25 mile radius than Denver due to its numerous lakes, rivers and forests preserved in the excellent regional parks system. You go out further than that and of course Denver has the Rockies. An adverse factor with Denver is that the region east of the city is a rather barren wasteland for the most part. The TC offers scenery and recreation in all directions.
As a 40 year resident, I'd say "overrated". Ever since Time put Wendy Anderson on the cover with a fish. And Garrison Keillor created his mythical village. People don't look beyond the image management to the realities. And I'm not at all talking about cold weather. Somalis came from one of the earth's hottest places to one of America's coldest places. I don't think winter is their greatest challenge. I'm always intrigued and amused how quickly a very traditional population adapted to the cold. But politically, the state is a mess! I'm not sure the commentators fully disclose the mess we're in. So without that, the state is not what the perception is.
I feel it is underrated when it comes to national recognition. I am quite content with that, though. I'd rather have the slow and steady growth we have, instead of the massive boom seen here in Atlanta because it suddenly became 'cool.' I'd rather have people move to the Twin Cities for excellent public amenities and job prospects, and not because of summer weather and the news saying it is worth moving to.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And we have a lifetime fishing license for cheap.
