Minnesota or Texas (I know crazy right?)

[Meemur]

I'm going to do a "drive by" post. I hang out in the MN forum since I have relatives in the Cities.

OP, you might also take a peek at Des Moines. The economy is decent, and it's a little warmer in the winter (-5 instead of -20, LOL) and slightly more tax-friendly than MN, and I won't push that far because it's not LOW taxes by any means.

Texas has some excellent aspects, including a growing economy and affordable housing in some areas, but it does have some cultural differences from the Midwest that just don't work well for some. I would suggest spending some time there shopping and going to events before you commit to move there.

Des Moines has been a compromise for some families who enjoy winter but want a slightly less harsh environment in a family-friendly area.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by TxTnVtMn

I am a native Texan now living in Minnesota.

My more recent return visits have really convinced me that I will in all likelihood never be moving back. I am full of Texas pride and love the state on many levels, but it is Just. Too. Crowded. I would rather raise my kids in Minnesota.

It is concerning to me what Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Austin feel like these days given the explosion in population. My suggestion would be to have a look at San Antonio - to me that is the most livable city in Texas now, especially if you don't enjoy an upper middle income.

You asked about other states, and I would throw out Tennessee and Oklahoma. Both are on the rise in my view, still are low cost, but lack the overcrowding and other concerns of their neighbors to the south (Georgia and Texas). I also think there is a reasonable amount of sophistication to those states, unlike other parts of the Deep South (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina). Florida just seems like a crowded, soulless mess to me. Louisiana seems too insular.

I agree, TN and OK would be good states to consider for the OP for the reasons pointed out above.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by Jk1w

Thanks everyone for the input it seems like TX might be the better option, now are there aany other states that I should consider besides TX?

The Dakotas and Nebraska are my favorite. safe, affordable, plenty of jobs, almost not as a rat race.

[davephan]

I think you have larger problems than deciding which state is best for you. You have a family and you are working half time for $8.75 an hour with no benefits and probably zero or close to zero in savings. That seems like your largest problem. Maybe you should consider which state has the best economic assistance. Between Minnesota and Texas, I think the answer is pretty clear that Minnesota offers more economic assistance.

You didn't mention how old you are, what kind of job skills you have, and how you got in the situation you are in with a family that depends on you. I think your biggest concern should be how to dig yourself out of the hole that you are in. Ten or twenty years from now, do you think you'll still be earning minimum wages with no job skills? Or, would you rather see a much different situation, where you are making a good income with benefits and living in decent housing?

Rents of $500 a month sound very cheap. I would guess most rents are at least double that amount in most areas of the twin cities. The low rent areas are between the downtown areas and the first ring suburbs in the urban areas in the Twin Cities. Stillwater is lot a low rent area. Maybe you could get in section 8 housing, but that might take years on a waiting list.

The key to your long term success is educating yourself in the right field, so you can earn a good income. However, I don't know how you would do that given your situation that you are in now. Have you talked to social workers how to get yourself into a better situation in the long term?

[SyraBrian]

At your current earnings pace, I'm sure that you're getting a federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Minnesota has the highest state Earned Income Tax Credit in the nation.

Texas, on the other hand, doesn't have an Earned Income Tax Credit because they have no income tax.

[northstar1985]

This is a very old thread but wanted to give my two cents after reading several comments. I have lived in both states back when this threat was first posted and more recently.

First of all, arguing which state is better overall in an abstract sense may be futile when an individual with very specific circumstances is weighing options. The two states are VERY different. Different weather. Different political styles. Different demographics. Different economic makeup. Etc, etc.

The biggest thing that sticks out to me when comparing Dallas-Fort Worth and Minneapolis-St Paul is the perception of human development across various zip codes in the larger regions. Vaguely speaking, both regions have relatively low and high crime areas, relatively more affluent and poor areas, differences in educational attainment across zip codes (or smaller political units), and differences in measures of other good or bad metrics.

Texas is growing faster population wise from both domestic migration and differences in birth rate as well as differences in the average age (which, to my knowledge, is 6 or more years different as the median). There is also more overall job growth overall, but it can be difficult to isolate how much of the job growth is from having a younger work force and faster population growth and it can be difficult to measure what kind of jobs are growing the fastest. Texas has gained a lot of companies, perhaps has faster growing companies, and has had fewer companies leaving for other places and has had more companies relocating to the state.

Despite all this population and job growth, it absolutely needs to be pointed out that Texas as a whole is still considerably less educated than Minnesota, is less healthy than Minnesota, is more unequal than Minnesota, and has significantly worse measures on metrics that may more or less be related to the big cohorts of stats involving wealth, health, and educational attainment. Per capita traffic and pedestrian fatalities, to my knowledge, are at least double. Mass transit is less effective and fewer people "optionally" use it. There are significant differences in civic engagement, volunteerism, social cohesion, and other important metrics. The US State Human Development Index tool brought to us by the Measure of America site, ranks metro Minneapolis St. Paul as one of the most developed metro areas and every major region in Texas is like average or below, and that doesn't include the VAST areas that are not part of the Texas Triangle that have poverty, crime, and other problems not seen anywhere in Minnesota. Minnesota and the overall neighboring states are arguably also more developed than the immediate region Texas is part of. In their respective regions, Texas is a relatively well off place and Minnesota arguably is in their vicinity as well.

I live in Texas now but am considering moving back to Minnesota yet again because I'm worried about trends and overall quality of life. Almost nowhere in Minnesota do you have entire zip codes in urban or suburban areas where 20, 30, or even 40% of the population has less than high school or its equivalent completed. Minneapolis and St. Paul have some "bad areas" but there are fewer areas that feel "really poor" or underdeveloped, in my opinion. Even in relatively bad areas of St. Paul or Minneapolis, you don't have these areas where the sidewalk is in disrepair or non-existent and picks back up again. Minnesota has better pedestrian and biking infrastructure and transit, which helps not just with mobility for the poor, frugal, or environmentally conscious, but also contributes to a more and healthy populace, despite very long winters. Are Minnesota taxes perhaps too high? Possibly. Do things need to be tweaked? Absolutely. But I think trends are more stable in Minnesota. Challenges regarding educational attainment (in general or for growing minority communities) are less severe in Minnesota, healthcare and basic services are better, and despite taxation levels, Minnesota has indeed held on to the vast majority of its biggest companies and measures of development are pretty stable. Climate change is set to shave off 10% of Texas GDP or GDP growth as well (or some high number) while the effects will be more minor in Minnesota.