Who loves winter? (Minneapolis, East Grand Forks, Houston: to live, stats, move)

[blanker]

I prefer winter to summer. The heat, the humidity - hate it. If it were 70 degrees and not humid all summer I'd be okay with it.

[davephan]

I've lived in the Twin Cities for all my life, but I've visited most of the states and parts of asia. The weather is cold and snowy in the winters here, but the climate has absolutely changed in the past 18 years, as confirmed by the University of Minnesota. Last year was colder than it had been for more than a decade, but not has cold as it was if you go back 20 to 60 years ago. If you look back 20 years or more, we used to have one to one and a half weeks in last January to early February were the high was -5 and the low was -25. Now, that can happen, but it will only last 2 - 3 days at the most.

In the summers, the mosquitoes are annoying. This summer has been worse for mosquitoes than other summers, going back quite some time. You will need to spray yourself with mosquito spray. Ultrathon mosquito spray made by 3M is the best, used by the military and serious campers, although it is harder to find at stores. The mosquitoes get worse if you go to southern Canada. In the summers in southern Canada, you have to run from the car to stores or the car to your home, otherwise you will be covered by very large and aggressive mosquitoes if you haven't sprayed yourself down. There are significantly less mosquitoes in the Twin Cities due to the mosquito control as mentioned on another post.

Most people who live in Minnesota do not like winter and are very happy when it is over. There are some people, but they are in the minority that love winters. I absolutely hate the winters here, but this is where I work, so when I retire in only 5 years, I will be done with cold and snowy winters forever. It's a good idea to have your snow removed for you. I do the snow removal myself, which is annoying. I plan to hire it out starting this coming winter. The days are getting shorter and the state fair is soon, so winter isn't that far way, even though it's still summer now.

The Twin Cities are snow plowing is much better than the outstate areas. A heavy snow is plowed by the next day, and the main roads are clean by the second or third day. There are exceptions. The cities of Minneapolis and St Paul usually have very poor snow plowing quality. The last Republican governor came up with an idea to clear the freeways and highways in 2 - 3 days instead of 1 day. Everyone in the state was very unhappy with that experiment to 'save money'. The idea to make it take longer to clear the roads to save money was very quickly dropped and some people pretended like they never came up with the idea and implemented the policy. I remember it though. It was 'headline' news every day that week it was tried. Some areas that have sidewalks require you to clear the sidewalks within 24 hours, otherwise you are fined and charged at a very high rate to have a crew clear your snow. You might want to avoid those areas. There are cases where people, even in good shape, collapse and die shoveling snow. A guy at my wife's company was found dead on his driveway when he was shoveling snow. He was in his 50s and in good health/weight condition.

In general, Minnesota is a Democratic state. From time to time, there are Republican governors and legislature. The Rochester area is very conservative and very Republican. I don't know if that makes a difference to you. Minnesota is also considered to be very generous to people on welfare and tends to attract people that don't want to work. For some, it is a way of life, waking up at noon, sitting around their home doing nothing. Some people scam the system. They don't live a 'high' life, but they are lazy and don't want to work. There are some people who deserve help, but there are many that just are scamming the system for decades.

Many people here complain about the high personal income taxes, which Texas does not have. The property taxes in Minnesota are fairly high for some, but drastically cheaper than in Texas.

Minnesota does not have poisonous snakes. The worst spider here is the Brown Spider.

Rochester is near the I-90 corridor, which is a windy part of the state where there are many wind turbines. Rochester is the home of the Mayo Clinic, one of the finest medical facilities in the world. Wealthy people fly in on their private jets from around the world to go to the Mayo Clinic. I've heard that the Mayo Clinic is efficient, so it is possible for someone with an average income to use the Mayo Clinic.

People complain about how bad the schools are here, but they are in general much better than most other areas of the county.

Your kids might like the winter, especially if they don't have to do chores, like shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. You will have to learn how to drive during the winter. You can't just jam on the brakes. You'll quickly discover, that doesn't work! During heavy snow storms, there are usually about 200 - 300 accidents around the Twin Cities. If you can avoid driving during those times, telecommuting, then you can significantly reduce the risk of an auto accident. Some people commute from Rochester to the Twin Cities for work. I think they are crazy to drive that far. I've driven to Rochester many times to visit friends and once in a while to fix problems in a remote office in Rochester.

The people in Minnesota drive fairly reckless and fail to yield compared to other places. Although I heard that driving in Houston is very aggressive, white knuckle driving. Many areas on the freeways now have anti-cross-over fences to stop cars from crossing over the median, causing head on collisions. The cross over fences weren't needed decades ago, they are probably needed because of people on their cellphones aren't paying attention and lose control of their cars.

People that can afford it, and have the vacation time, like to escape the winters for several weeks during the winters to break up the long winters. After living nearly 60 years in Minnesota, I will be done with it in 5 years, at least the winters. I may do snowbirding or move, but I absolutely won't be here during the winters.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by davephan

I've lived in the Twin Cities for all my life, but I've visited most of the states and parts of asia. The weather is cold and snowy in the winters here, but the climate has absolutely changed in the past 18 years, as confirmed by the University of Minnesota. Last year was colder than it had been for more than a decade, but not has cold as it was if you go back 20 to 60 years ago. If you look back 20 years or more, we used to have one to one and a half weeks in last January to early February were the high was -5 and the low was -25. Now, that can happen, but it will only last 2 - 3 days at the most.

.

ah, last year was the 9th coldest winter on record.

Coldest Winters in Twin Cities History: 1873-2014: Minnesota DNR

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

The word "Northern Minnesota" just makes me .

I would much rather prefer NJ winters where there is usually sufficient snow and cold, but not to the extreme that Northern MN gets.

Summers are not too bad either up here, minus a few uncomfortable days like Houston, and there is always the jersey shore .

[Kamsack]

I live in far northwestern Minnesota in the Red River valley....and I moved to the area for the winter cold. Snow is ok....enough to blanket....but much prefer a long stretch of below zero days.... though staying below zero all day long doesnt happen too long in a stretch in the Grand Forks-Crookston area. Wind is our major factor in the RRV and is the most despised about winter. And yes....like most although I like winter, the spring snowmelt season can be very dirty, bleak and overall something I wish would be fast.

[Beenaroundabit]

I love the winter AND the snow. I grew up in VT, but my wife is from southern VA. I told her that the key to enjoying winter is to get out and do things: snowmobiling, cross-country skiiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, etc.

I also think winter and snow keep MN the great place to live that it is. If the winter weather was always balmy, we'd be like Florida, which is way too crowded for me.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

ah, last year was the 9th coldest winter on record.

Coldest Winters in Twin Cities History: 1873-2014: Minnesota DNR

That's right, last year was an exception, as I mentioned. The cold winter caused a lot of damage to the evergreens around my area and the zone 5 trees. Our area used to be zone 4B, and is still defined that way by the USDA. But from the information from the U of M, the area in the east metro, within about 10 miles from the St Croix river is zone 5, which is the same as central Iowa. It's been that way for about 18 years now. However, last year was colder, which caused problems.

They've been selling zone 5 trees in our area for over a decade now. That never happened if you go back decades ago.

One plus side to the cold winter is the Asian beetles were very late this year. I thought they might have been killed off, but they just made their appearence a few weeks ago.

\Lady Bugs: Asian Lady Beetles: Identification, Prevention & Control

[Tipsy McStagger]

Originally Posted by davephan

They've been selling zone 5 trees in our area for over a decade now. That never happened if you go back decades ago.]

Last year was heck on plums which had previously been doing really well. Everyone I know who had a plum lost theirs.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Tipsy McStagger

Last year was heck on plums which had previously been doing really well. Everyone I know who had a plum lost theirs.

I have a Toka Plum here in Chisago Co. which made it through without any issue

[GraniteStater]

The older I get, the more I like Winter. I hate the hot sun, heat, and humidity. My preferred spot is far northern Wisconsin, which has a climate similar to east-central Minnesota. Cold? Yes. Vilas county recorded a low of -34F in MARCH this year. Businesses did well in the Northwoods this past year for those that love all winter activities.