Should I move to Minneapolis?? (St. Paul, Edina: fit in, transplants, how much)

[Future82]

A little background about myself, I'm a 28 year old African-American male raised in metro Atlanta, Ga, no wife, no kids. I work in the medical field(Accounts Receivable Representative), and I've been thinking about moving to the Twin Cities alot lately. I've never really felt like a southerner on the inside & have always wanted to leave. Why Minneapolis? "Trendy cities (NYC, LA, MIA) really don't intrigue me like they used to, I consider myself a liberal, progessive minded individual and I hear the Twin Cities described in the same way, I also prefer to date interracially which I hear is more common place in Minneapolis than many other cities in the country, I'd love to hear feed back from everyone, but more particularly from people who are transplants to the Twin Cities, thanks in advance.

[west336]

You would fit in seemlessly, it sounds! Your priorities are very well-aligned with people who choose to live here. I am in Cleveland, OH right now but would love to move back when I can. The Twin Cities is a progressive town with lots of amenities. The job market is strong relative to the rest of the country and your background with Accounting AND in a medical field are a perfect match for what a lot of employers in the area are looking for right now (namely, Medtronic, UnitedHealth Group, area hospitals, etc.) and it shouldn't be hard for you to find a good job quickly. Black and white is much less of a big deal it seems in the Twin Cities compared to most places I've lived. Interracial dating and marriage is not only common but it's "normal" here (as in, it's not something that draws any unnecessary attention).

Are you pretty set on moving at this point, or are there any concerns you have? What are they?

[Future82]

West336 thanks alot for responding, Did you move to the Twin Cities from Cleveland Ohio? I hear alot about the people of Minneapolis being passive socially & not really accepting of any who isn't a childhood friend "fake Minnesota nice" did you experience this? I've also heard about the dating scene being kinda difficult because alot of people there get married really young to their high school sweetheart, and there aren't alot of transplant from other states like there is here in Atlanta, this would concern me because I would be moving there as a single 30 year old looking to find someone to date, any thoughts??

[Minneapolisville]

People say that Minnesota is a very passive, which is usually true. It is, however, very untrue of Minneapolis. Inside the city proper, people are very unlike what the stereotypes of a usual Minnesotan is. Transplants are more celebrated in this city, and the whole "Marrying your childhood sweetheart" is becoming much less common these days. If you make friends easily, and especially if you have a liberal mindset, Minneapolis is the perfect place to meet people. The Minnesota Nice thing is a little more common than it would be in Atlanta or many other states, but it's really not a problem. People will occasionally talk behind your back, which is annoying, but it usually ends up just dying down, instead of a huge confrontation where people can get hurt and grudges can be set. And again, it's way less common than people make it out to be. No promises is you plan to live in the suburbs however .

[phlinak]

Future82 - I have to agree with west336's assessment.

We are an interracial family (I'm black and she's white, our six kids are, of course, biracial).

Back in 2009, we took a vacation in the MSP area and had a blast!! To this day, the kids still talk about how much they loved MSP and can't wait for the chance to return.

In fact, we love the area so much that I have been working on getting a promotion or transfer to the Twin Cities.

In response to your questions regarding the acceptance of interracial relationships, I am originally from Philly but I have lived in suburban Baltimore, Alexandria, VA and for the last 8+ years in Alaska.
I have never been to a more accepting and diverse place than the Twin Cities area. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of interracial couples and families that we observed everywhere and also noticed that no one seemed to pay any attention to them or us but everyone was "Minnesota nice" and we felt nothing but welcomed and appreciated.

As west336 stated, I believe that you will fit in like a round peg in a round hole.

IMHO, you should take a trip to MSP and experience it for yourself.

[west336]

Originally Posted by Future82

West336 thanks alot for responding, Did you move to the Twin Cities from Cleveland Ohio? I hear alot about the people of Minneapolis being passive socially & not really accepting of any who isn't a childhood friend "fake Minnesota nice" did you experience this? I've also heard about the dating scene being kinda difficult because alot of people there get married really young to their high school sweetheart, and there aren't alot of transplant from other states like there is here in Atlanta, this would concern me because I would be moving there as a single 30 year old looking to find someone to date, any thoughts??

I'm from Minneapolis, but moved back from Columbus, now I am in Cleveland but want to move back AGAIN. I do know of the anti-social people that you are referring to, but you're going to experience that ANYWHERE where transplants aren't and where small, rich, tight-knit communities with provincial people live (like Wayzata, Edina, or even Prior Lake maybe). Again, this is true EVERYWHERE I've ever lived. The people who tend to be the most open are people who are also looking to make new friends, and the people who have families and busy lives aren't usually looking to find more reasons to fill up their free time (if that makes sense). Go some place where there are lots of singles and you'll fit right in (just like anywhere). The dating scene in Minneapolis is EASY compared to most places I've been. The "highschool sweetheart" thing doesn't exist, as far as I know. No, it's not Atlanta with 2 million+ transplants, but people in Minneapolis-St. Paul aren't against transplants and there are plenty of transplants to meet if you aren't finding the locals to be open and friendly. That being said, it took my cousin all but 2 hours in Minneapolis (from Chicago) to "hook up" with somebody he met in Minneapolis, and he said he couldn't believe he could do that because it wouldn't have happened in Chicago -- whatever that means for you, IDK.....

In all, if you are a friendly person and don't let little $hit bring you down, you'll have very little trouble finding great people to meet and clubs to join. When I went to college I expected it to be easy(er) to make friends than it was, but it came down to me, my attitude, and my willingness to reach out and try to meet people, instead of waiting for people to reach out to me. If you are a hermit and you expect people to invite you into their world just to be nice you may be in for a bumpy ride -- and in my experience, it almost always comes down to YOU, not the millions of people around you.

[Harpoon]

Going from Atlanta to Minneapolis, the biggest thing would be the difference in climates. Minnesota winters definitely take a while to get used to, but the summers are outstanding and residents definitely take advantage of their few months to get outside before it turns cold again.

[west336]

To me, the only months that are TRULY "too cold" are December, January, and February, which all average below 32 degrees for high temps. That being said, since it's below freezing for such a long duration you are able to do outdoor winter activities like sledding, skiings, skating, etc. that you normally would need a mountain for. Maybe that doesn't appeal to you...IDK....but I'd recommend actually TRYING to do some winter (outdoor) activities that keep you active and maybe even outside in a way that you can actually ENJOY. It'll make winter THAT much easier to deal with if you face it head on. Trust me -- locking yourself inside for 3+ months is just not a way to live! Now the other two months in question may be November and March, but in each the average high temps are still in the 40's and 50's and occassionally in the 60's and 70's -- so I wouldn't call that "bone chilling cold".

Just 3 months that you are NOT used to.....I think you can handle it (you may even love it)!

[GBCommenter]

Of course, what is cold/hot and what's bearable or not is generally in the eye of the beholder. I'll preface my addition that, even as a native, I hate the winter so take my comments in that vein (and, yes, I realize the "awkwardness" of hating the winter but staying here 38 winters). However, be sure to note when our friend West336 mentions the average high is below 32F for Dec/Jan/Feb, according to Accuweather, the high falls around 24F - and that's the high. The average low is about 7F. -20F is not unheard of in these parts, and even with some regularity.

As West336 mentioned, part of it is your mindset and how you approach it. Just be mindful that natives find it cold, I imagine so will someone from Atlanta.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Future82

A little background about myself, I'm a 28 year old African-American male raised in metro Atlanta, Ga, no wife, no kids. I work in the medical field(Accounts Receivable Representative), and I've been thinking about moving to the Twin Cities alot lately. I've never really felt like a southerner on the inside & have always wanted to leave. Why Minneapolis? "Trendy cities (NYC, LA, MIA) really don't intrigue me like they used to, I consider myself a liberal, progessive minded individual and I hear the Twin Cities described in the same way, I also prefer to date interracially which I hear is more common place in Minneapolis than many other cities in the country, I'd love to hear feed back from everyone, but more particularly from people who are transplants to the Twin Cities, thanks in advance.

Sure. Move to Minneapolis. It sounds like you'd fit in very well.

I'm a native Minnesotan, moved away, moved back, (now moving away, but still like it here), but since you asked, I think the "people are only friends with people they knew as kids" thing probably does not apply so much to the city of Minneapolis. (and I'm sure many suburbs, too, but as a 28 year old single liberal single guy I think you'd probably be happier in the city or inner-ring suburbs) You'll find plenty of transplants here, and besides, most people don't limit their friends to such a limited circle (or if they did, they probably wouldn't be all that interesting to hang around with in any case). I don't think people get married particularly young, either; I think it's about average, so yeah, you'll find many people in their late 20s married, but you'll find lots of single people, too. And no one will blink an eye at an interracial relationship.