2nd best state! (Rochester, Mahtomedi, Manchester: 2014, house, find a job)

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

The winters here blow. No questions asked. (Did they take weather into consideration?)

Sure, the winters can be challenging. The trade-off is that it makes those 6 weeks of spring all the more pleasurable!

[knke0204]

Minnesota is a great state. Educated people. Prideful people. Healthy people. Geographically, it's a very big state and has plenty to offer. Minnesota has a shore on the USA's largest lake - Lake Superior - Home to the largest river in the USA - the Mississippi - Has the most lakes of any US state - Woodlands, Prairies, wetlands, bluffs and farmland. It's a beautiful state with a lot to offer. Has a central international hub in Minneapolis

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by geebabe

Although I love living in Minnesota, I kind of wish we could keep this information secret.

Yes please, keep the housing affordable for me to move in!

[r_shackleford]

Bragging about second place is about as Minnesotan as it gets. How often do you hear somebody describe something in Minnesota in comparison to the only place it's better? Only New York City has more theater seats per capita than Minneapolis. Other than the Big 5, Minnesota has the best symphony orchestra. Or a slight and indirect variation: Minnesota has a big league team in four major sports.

For better or worse, our modest boasting describes the state quite accurately. By whatever criteria you rank, Minnesota will rank among the best. Minnesota has a strong and diverse economy. Most communities are safe, clean, and have strong schools. There's no shortage of entertainment including theater, sports, and music. Unless you want mountains, Minnesota offers any outdoor recreation you want.

But for all of those strengths, somebody else is better. If you want a dream job in a specific field- say technology- you probably have more options in such places as Washington, California, or Texas. If you want theater, our common boast tells you to go to New York. If you want to root for a consistently competitive small-market baseball team that does things the right way, then eastern Missouri might be a better option.

It's really a double-edged sword. On one hand, I appreciate that Minnesotans can essentially take for granted all sorts of quality-of-life issues. On the other, it would be nice to have the best of something. I guess we're all above average.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by r_shackleford

Bragging about second place is about as Minnesotan as it gets. How often do you hear somebody describe something in Minnesota in comparison to the only place it's better? Only New York City has more theater seats per capita than Minneapolis. Other than the Big 5, Minnesota has the best symphony orchestra. Or a slight and indirect variation: Minnesota has a big league team in four major sports.

For better or worse, our modest boasting describes the state quite accurately. By whatever criteria you rank, Minnesota will rank among the best. Minnesota has a strong and diverse economy. Most communities are safe, clean, and have strong schools. There's no shortage of entertainment including theater, sports, and music. Unless you want mountains, Minnesota offers any outdoor recreation you want.

But for all of those strengths, somebody else is better. If you want a dream job in a specific field- say technology- you probably have more options in such places as Washington, California, or Texas. If you want theater, our common boast tells you to go to New York. If you want to root for a consistently competitive small-market baseball team that does things the right way, then eastern Missouri might be a better option.

It's really a double-edged sword. On one hand, I appreciate that Minnesotans can essentially take for granted all sorts of quality-of-life issues. On the other, it would be nice to have the best of something. I guess we're all above average.

Well-except with going to NYC because you like the theater means paying $1800/month for a studio apartment in a not so nice area or taking a job in Texas means you have to live in Texas . New Hampshire is "#1 so it's not like NYC or Texas is better. I also disagree that you need to live in WA, TX or CA for a tech job give the diverse employment opportunities in MN. Point being, you can get all of the NYC stuff in MN for a fraction of the price.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by r_shackleford

Bragging about second place is about as Minnesotan as it gets. How often do you hear somebody describe something in Minnesota in comparison to the only place it's better? Only New York City has more theater seats per capita than Minneapolis. Other than the Big 5, Minnesota has the best symphony orchestra. Or a slight and indirect variation: Minnesota has a big league team in four major sports.

For better or worse, our modest boasting describes the state quite accurately. By whatever criteria you rank, Minnesota will rank among the best. Minnesota has a strong and diverse economy. Most communities are safe, clean, and have strong schools. There's no shortage of entertainment including theater, sports, and music. Unless you want mountains, Minnesota offers any outdoor recreation you want.

But for all of those strengths, somebody else is better. If you want a dream job in a specific field- say technology- you probably have more options in such places as Washington, California, or Texas. If you want theater, our common boast tells you to go to New York. If you want to root for a consistently competitive small-market baseball team that does things the right way, then eastern Missouri might be a better option.

It's really a double-edged sword. On one hand, I appreciate that Minnesotans can essentially take for granted all sorts of quality-of-life issues. On the other, it would be nice to have the best of something. I guess we're all above average.

Don't generalize a state of 5 million people, please. It might make you sound ignorant. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of being ranked the "second best state" in some meaningless poll. Especially when there is 48 other states. Minnesota is the best in a lot of things, it's just that there are very few things to be the "best" in. It's all objective.

One could say Minnesota is the "healthiest" state. But what criteria do you use?
One could say Minnesota is the "cleanest" state. But what criteria do you use?
One could say Minnesota is the "smartest" state. But what criteria do you use?
One could say Minnesota is the "best employment" state. But what criteria do you use?

[Govie]

Originally Posted by r_shackleford

Bragging about second place is about as Minnesotan as it gets. How often do you hear somebody describe something in Minnesota in comparison to the only place it's better? Only New York City has more theater seats per capita than Minneapolis. Other than the Big 5, Minnesota has the best symphony orchestra. Or a slight and indirect variation: Minnesota has a big league team in four major sports.

For better or worse, our modest boasting describes the state quite accurately. By whatever criteria you rank, Minnesota will rank among the best. Minnesota has a strong and diverse economy. Most communities are safe, clean, and have strong schools. There's no shortage of entertainment including theater, sports, and music. Unless you want mountains, Minnesota offers any outdoor recreation you want.

But for all of those strengths, somebody else is better. If you want a dream job in a specific field- say technology- you probably have more options in such places as Washington, California, or Texas. If you want theater, our common boast tells you to go to New York. If you want to root for a consistently competitive small-market baseball team that does things the right way, then eastern Missouri might be a better option.

It's really a double-edged sword. On one hand, I appreciate that Minnesotans can essentially take for granted all sorts of quality-of-life issues. On the other, it would be nice to have the best of something. I guess we're all above average.

We also have quite a rich history as well. Produced more wheat than anywhere else on the planet in "Mill City" in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Produced the majority of the iron America used in WWII on the Iron Range. Produced more lumber product than anywhere else in America in the 19th Century. Sent one of the first brigades in the Civil War. Have the largest in-land port in the world in Duluth on Superior. We have one of the world's foremost medical institutes in the Mayo Clinic, and our capital city second place in the entire country in colleges per capita. Racially as well we are more fair than just about any other place in the country and our history is evident of it.

I could go on.

[Rail-to-Rail]

Originally Posted by mystree

Hoping to move up 43 spots and move from South Carolina back to Minnesota...sigh

I guess if I went back to Minnesota from Washington where I am now, I'd move up 8 spots.

Funny thing is when I moved out here a decade or so ago, I thought maybe I had made a mistake, and that I should have gone east instead of west. I asked myself "Wasn't I supposed to go to New Hampshire or something?"

Well maybe that could still be a future move :-)

[Anneee]

I've lived in several other states around the country and I can't help thinking that Minnesota's cold weather keeps the people to a higher standard: you can't be an idiot when it's 20 below. And I can't imagine too many hoodlums wandering the streets looking for trouble when it's way below freezing. And you can't just show up here without a job or somewhere to live. You have to have your act together to live in Minnesota.

[past50]

We are #1 for the highest number of people who obsess about how Minnesota ranks on various lists!
For me: my life started here. Met a girl, married her, have 2 kids nearing the end of their education here in a very good public school district. Cost of living is reasonable, too high in some areas compared to the rest of the U.S., a lot cheaper in other ways. Some taxes are high (income and sales tax) but they get you one way or another. In Houston TX (no state income tax) you can pay $6000 a year property tax on a house valued at $200K (someone in my family does!). Loads of sunny days in the summer, and 14-16 hours of daylight each day to enjoy them. Most people are pretty cool. The economy here is as diversified as anywhere in the country, and the manufacturing base is stronger than you think. Lot of smaller mfg. concerns in outstate MN doing cool things, for example, there's a glass company in Owatonna that supplied the glass for the new World Trade Center in NYC.
I guess why I like it here is, whenever I travel someplace else, no matter how much fun I've had, it always feels good to come back home.

Things that bug me: endless, endless winter. Many years, spring lasts only a couple weeks, not months. Pro sports teams here are worse than any city except Cleveland and a few other places. You watch the Super Bowl and think: will the Vikings get to another one of these before I die? And the Twins, ugh. They played better in the Dome.
Passive-aggressive behavior, especially while driving. Nuff said!
I've lived here 24 years and depending on who I'm with, I can still feel like a newcomer. The population is more diverse than it used to be, but I still think the majority of people here have lived here their whole life.