Are you a Twin Cities transplant? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: apartment complex, rental, chapel)

[BPtransplant]

Originally Posted by StilltheSame

Sorry. First YCs is a typo - it should have been TCs (Twin Cities). I am hesitant to share about the social aspect because I think everyone should have their own experience; I think you create your reality in large part; and my Mn folks get really riled up at any criticism. That being said, it is a wonderful place to live, winter and all, but it is very insular and closed to outsiders. After 8 years, I have a few associates and no one I would return to visit here as I visit friends throughout the country elsewhere. In fact, I have friends since childhood scattered all over the country and have maintained those friendships for decades. Not here though. It is difficult to explain, but it s becoming more pronounced over time as some of the niceness wears away and the self righteousness, smugness and hypocrisy are more evident. However, on a surface level and as neighbors, absolutely lovely people. Just not as deep, close friends.

It helps if you are an introvert and are not in need of close friendships. If the opposite is true, then hopefully you have children as I think that engages other parents and you can kind of find some connections that way. If a single extrovert, I would probably recommend reconsidering.

Could not agree more. It's difficult to explain. I've been here 7 years and the natives want you to believe that they have a monopoly on "niceness" and that everyone outside of MN is just rude. They claim that what makes them "nice" is their willingness to help their neighbor....Ummmm, I've lived all over this country and in my experience people everywhere are willing to help their neighbor and those in need.
Is this a bad place? Absolutely not. I like it for the most part. What wears on me is the natives that push this undeserved label of being "nice", and the fact that when you mention anything that could be interpreted as negative, they become super thin skinned and defensive.

[Chester Burnett]

Originally Posted by BPtransplant

Could not agree more. It's difficult to explain. I've been here 7 years and the natives want you to believe that they have a monopoly on "niceness" and that everyone outside of MN is just rude. They claim that what makes them "nice" is their willingness to help their neighbor....Ummmm, I've lived all over this country and in my experience people everywhere are willing to help their neighbor and those in need.
Is this a bad place? Absolutely not. I like it for the most part. What wears on me is the natives that push this undeserved label of being "nice", and the fact that when you mention anything that could be interpreted as negative, they become super thin skinned and defensive.

Are you referring to City Data posters? If so I can see your point. Out in the actual world that hasn't been my experience at all.

[citychik]

BPTransplant, I'd love to read your responses to my little list of questions in the first post, if you wouldn't mind. Thanks!

[BPtransplant]

Originally Posted by Chester Burnett

Are you referring to City Data posters? If so I can see your point. Out in the actual world that hasn't been my experience at all.

Out and about. And then when I read on city data what other transplants see, it confirms my impressions. I should have added, not everyone is like that of course.

[BPtransplant]

Here you go:

1. How has Minneapolis-St. Paul compared to where you came from?
   H[color="Red"]Hard to compare places 1 to 1 but overall it is a great area. A lot to do, not crowded at all, clean, and for the most part safe.
   
   
2. Do you live within city limits or in a nearby suburb?
   We lived in a northern suburb for about 6 years and just moved into St Paul about a year ago.
   
   
3. Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
   
   Absolutely love our housing situation. We moved into St Paul because we love the proximity to everything and being able to walk everywhere.
   
4. a. How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
   Compared to big cities, the traffic here is pretty much non existent. Traffic is caused here by weather events or the construction that has to get done during the summer. We mainly use our car but have the ability to use public transportation. The public transportation network here is very good.
   
   
   b. If you do use public transportation, whether regularly or occasionally, how would you rate the system(s) there, and how does it compare to where you lived before? See above
   
   
   
5. Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
   Overall yes. See my previous post for my biggest complaint which admittedly in the grand scheme of things isn't really that big of a deal. We have young children and the schools here (even the 'bad' ones) are pretty good. The weather sucks but you just deal with it and do what you can to get outside and keep moving. Yes we will most likely stay long term. At least until the kids are done with HS.
   
   
   
6. How would you rate the arts and cultural offerings (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.) in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
   Excellent
   
   
7. Please share your opinion on the cost of living there. In your experience and from what you've observed, do you think salaries in the Twin Cities keep pace with the COL?
   Higher than I expected. Housing is better when compared to other cities but child care costs are through the roof. Also, I think someone else mentioned this but food costs are ridiculously high as well. Maybe I should have expected that but I didn't.
   
   
   
8. What do you like best about the Twin Cities?
   Getting the most bang for your buck. If we purchased the type of house we live in, in the location and with the amenities we have by us, in a city like San Diego, we would be paying millions of dollars. Some things here are more expensive but for the most part, this area is pretty affordable.
   
   
   
9. What do you like least?

See my previous post. Oh, and the weather wears on you. the last few winters have been 'mild', but it can get pretty rough.

THANK YOU![/quote]

[Chester Burnett]

Originally Posted by BPtransplant

Out and about. And then when I read on city data what other transplants see, it confirms my impressions. I should have added, not everyone is like that of course.

Fair enough. I've heard the same from others so you're not alone. Thanks for your reply.

[Justabitoff]

1. How has Minneapolis-St. Paul compared to where you came from?

My husband and I moved here from Rye, NY (a suburb of NYC) about 3 years ago. The East Coast in general is denser, and with a lot more mainstreams even in the suburbs. Minnesota feels a lot like suburban sprawl, and while I love living in Northeast MPLS, we have struggled to find a suburb that is as walkable with "mom-and-pop" shop as our previous town was.

However, I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and it's nearly the same set-up. A fairly dense, walkable city, with suburban sprawl around it.

Do you live within city limits or in a nearby suburb?

Right now, we live in Northeast MPLS.

Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.


We own our house.

a. How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.

We both have a car. I have not used the public transportation at all in MPLS.


b. If you do use public transportation, whether regularly or occasionally, how would you rate the system(s) there, and how does it compare to where you lived before?

I used public transportation all the time in NY. Have not used it at all in Minnesota.


Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?

We will probably be here long-term, but mostly because we haven't come up with a better place to move to. We have family and jobs here, and that has a lot more weight now than it did when I was 21. (I'm now 31 and expecting my first child).


How would you rate the arts and cultural offerings (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.) in Minneapolis-St. Paul?

Very good, I just wish we had the time and money to do more!


Please share your opinion on the cost of living there. In your experience and from what you've observed, do you think salaries in the Twin Cities keep pace with the COL?


Compared to NYC, living in Minneapolis is practically free.

What do you like best about the Twin Cities?

Less traffic! Everything feels / is closer. Doesn't take as long to get outstate either. There's enough to do, but without feeling overwhelming with crowds. I have really enjoyed all the street fairs that Minneapolis and St. Paul have.

What do you like least?

The weather, obviously.

I wish some of the neighborhood retail areas in Minneapolis were slightly larger. Usually it's just one block by one block, so while it's great if you live close by, it's hard to spend an afternoon "just walking around" without needing to get back in the car / bus and driving somewhere else (there are a FEW exceptions, such as Grand and Lake). But that was more of a quality of NYC than the suburb that we lived in or nearby. I also wish that more of the suburbs had more old-fashioned main streets (Hopkins, Anoka, Excelsior and Stillwater are examples of what we do like).

Minneapolis is also a million miles away from the nearest major city. You have to fly almost everywhere, which is frustrating.

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by Justabitoff

Minneapolis is also a million miles away from the nearest major city. You have to fly almost everywhere, which is frustrating.

Not nearly as bad as Denver. At least Chicago is 6 hours away, drive 6 hours out of Denver and you're still nowhere.

[Justabitoff]

Originally Posted by MsBall

Not nearly as bad as Denver. At least Chicago is 6 hours away, drive 6 hours out of Denver and you're still nowhere.

Well, I'm pretty sure the OP was asking what I disliked about the *Twin Cities*. Not Denver. If I lived in Denver, I'm sure the distance to other major cities would also be something I dislike. And 6 hours is still a very long drive in my book. When we went to Chicago, it took us 8 hours to get there.

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by Justabitoff

Well, I'm pretty sure the OP was asking what I disliked about the *Twin Cities*. Not Denver. If I lived in Denver, I'm sure the distance to other major cities would also be something I dislike. And 6 hours is still a very long drive in my book. When we went to Chicago, it took us 8 hours to get there.

Everyone has a different perspective, I wasn't demeaning yours, I was simply sharing mine.