does Rochester feel itself apart from the rest of Minnesota? (Madison: fit in, transplants)

[nickerman]

Rochester is truly unique among'st all the towns of Minnesota because of the Mayo Clinic. I get the feeling that Rochester is a town that has sort of an international mentality which is unusual in the midwest with exceptions like Madison, Wisconsin and probably a few other places. Also it seems that Rochester isn't quite as insular as other towns because of the big influx of out of town workers at Mayo. In many towns a person doesn't really feel like they fit in after many years of living there. I wonder if Rochester is unique in the way that outsiders can come in a feel a part of the community after a few years instead of decades that it takes in other towns.

[goillini8]

Certainly, the Mayo Clinic makes Rochester unique, but I see the same effect to some degree in some Midwestern college towns - even beyond the ones you mention. Transient nature of the population, and the fact that people are coming from all over, can give these places (not all of them, but some of them) a different vibe than a similarly sized place nearby.

I'm not sure this would make Rochester feel itself apart from Minnesota. It can be a unique place, but still be part of a larger whole.

[HighFlyingBird]

I moved to Rochester a year ago from the south. I read a lot about living in Minnesota and knew what to expect. But Rochester wasnt that much like what I expected. There is some Minnesota-nice going on. But it seems easier to make friends with other transplants (and there are a ton of them!). I am always surprised when I meet someone that actually grew up here. They have been more accepting of newcomers then I expected, mostly. Maybe they are used to us.

Its likely the draw to work at Mayo (although so many people who work at Mayo did their training at Mayo). But it also might be that it is somewhat of a city, not a town.

2 things I notice a lot here that drive me insane (I don't know if its all over Minnesota but assume it is) if you hold a door open for someone, they are likely to divert their route and use another door. And people don't speed up to free way speed to merge on the freeway...its as if they are being overly polite? Or lazy? I don't know. Drives me INSANE!

Edit to add: Oh and no one seems to know how to zipper merge. And people seem really afraid to speak their mind and get offended easily when you do, even if you are not intending to be insulting at all.