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Hello, my husband and I are considering moving to Minneapolis from Salt Lake City, UT (thanks, earthquakes!) and formerly from Jacksonville, FL. We've done a fair amount of research, but also wanted to get some general opinions on the area.
Things that are important to both of us are:
1. Thriving vegan scene
2. Craft beer and craft cocktails
3. Outdoors (running, hiking, rock climbing, camping)
4. Fiscally responsible government
5. Liberal population
6. Making friends (we're a childfree married couple in our late 20s/early 30s, but want to have 2-3 sets of close friends who we hang out with semi-regularly; we're slightly odd in that we're both Christian but very liberal - always feels like we're slightly "out of place" in whatever community we're in. Too black sheep for Christians but too goodie-goodie for atheists)
7. Low unemployment; even during COVID-19 times, I'm getting tons of interviews in Minneapolis and I don't even live there. I have a bachelor's degree and some administrative/finance experience, but I don't have some specialized skillset.
8. Low cost of living (compared to SLC)
9. The vibe of the city - you all seem very culturally thriving and I love that it's described as basically "South Canada." I know your human development index is one of the highest in the country, and is compared to Switzerland and Scandanavia.
Things we're afraid of:
1. Winters; we HATE heat which is why we moved away from FL. We like winters in SLC, other than driving in snow. But your winters seem far longer and far worse. Are they as bad as people make them seem? Are the livable if you mostly stay in doors? Do you have snow days from work when it gets so cold your car won't start? Will my dogs be able to use the bathroom outside during negative temp days or will I have to lay a puppy pad down inside?
2. Status; it might feel weird telling people we're moving to the mid-west on purpose. However we're from the south (Jacksonville, at that) and the mormon headquarters - two real armpits of places.
3. Natural disasters; we'd stay in SLC forever if we weren't overdue for a major "city destroying" earthquake (57% chance of it happening in my life). Minneapolis has virtually no earthquake risk. But I know you have tornadoes and flooding. Are natural disasters pretty heavily expected or do you feel generally safe?
I having trouble finding the "somewhat alternative" part of your description---you'd fit in well here in Minneapolis.
Winters are long, but I've never had my car not start due to cold, and my dog always goes outside. It makes winter better if you embrace it and get outside too. No real fear of natural disasters, just don't live in a flood zone.
If you love SLC (yet call it an armpit?), I find it hard to believe you'd move solely because of an earthquake chance sometime in the next 50 years. You're more likely to be in a car accident or slip and fall in the shower. If you love it there, stay and buy a sturdy house. If you don't love it and are ready for a change, Minneapolis seems like a good fit
Hey thanks for your reply! That's helpful. I guess the alternative thing is being vegan/childfree. Basically more liberal, we've had a hard time fitting in in the Bible belt/Jacksonville and Mormon belt/Utah.
Your reply is really helpful! I do just want to argue that I love Salt Lake and the only reason I'm moving is because of earthquakes. I could write an essay on why I love SLC (and it's similar to why I'm called to move to Minneapolis!) but I could write a much longer essay on how earthquakes could affect the city and I'm mentally not okay with that risk.
I'm glad you commented, it's given me some great perspective!
Of your list of things of importance:
1) We aren’t vegans but will eat vegan food occasionally. There are several vegan restaurants in town, assuming they survive the shutdown. My personal favorite is a food truck turned restaurant called Reverie. There is also a vegan butcher shop in town (The Herbivorous Butcher) which I believe was one of the first in the country? A place I imagine you’d be frequenting if you lived here.
2) Yes, plenty of craft breweries and distilleries in town.
3) Yes. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have excellent park systems and within a few hours you can get to a number of state parks.
4) Others here will disagree but I think the local and state governments do a pretty good job with managing a budget, especially compared to the s-show happening at the federal level.
5) If you’re talking Minneapolis or St. Paul proper, yes it is fairly liberal here. To put things in perspective, the 5th congressional district, which covers Minneapolis and parts of the inner suburbs has a CPVI of D+26, which would probably feel pretty liberal in contrast to Utah’s 4th congressional district, which has an R+13.
6) I would think that finding a good church would help with building a social circle. This one may take a little more effort here than in other places but it can be done.
7) The economy here is well diversified and home to more than a dozen fortune 500 companies. There are also several large companies in town that should be well positioned to sustain during challenging economic times (Cargill, 3M, General Mills, Target, UnitedHealth, etc.)
8) I had to look it up but it appears that Minneapolis/St. Paul has a lower cost of living than Salt Lake City.
9) Ya shure.
Of the things you hate:
1) YES. I would say this is the major downside of living here and for me it does cause me to have some seasonal depression. However it does make spring and summer that much sweeter after you’ve been cooped up for months. The first warm day of the year feels like a holiday with everyone walking around outside with smiles on their faces. Many Minnesotans either keep busy with winter activities or vacation down south so there are ways to tolerate it.
2) Nah, I don’t think this will be a factor. There are plenty of transplants who came here for a job or to get closer to family, etc.
3) I have lived here for the better part of 38 years and I remember two tornados total that caused damage in the Twin Cities area. Yes they can occur but probability is pretty low. They aren’t a concern for me personally. Flooding hasn’t been a huge factor here yet but it may become a larger issue in the coming years related to climate change. To be pro-active, don’t buy a house located on a flood plain. In terms of flood risk, I’m guessing that you’re probably better off here than Florida.
"1. Winters; we HATE heat which is why we moved away from FL. We like winters in SLC, other than driving in snow. But your winters seem far longer and far worse. Are they as bad as people make them seem? Are the livable if you mostly stay in doors? Do you have snow days from work when it gets so cold your car won't start? Will my dogs be able to use the bathroom outside during negative temp days or will I have to lay a puppy pad down inside? i've never had an issue with a car not starting even after sitting in the parking lot at work all day. does it happen? sure but mainly for junker cars or those not well maintained it seems. people are active outside all winter long, even on below zero days.
2. Status; it might feel weird telling people we're moving to the mid-west on purpose. However we're from the south (Jacksonville, at that) and the mormon headquarters - two real armpits of places.
3. Natural disasters; we'd stay in SLC forever if we weren't overdue for a major "city destroying" earthquake (57% chance of it happening in my life). Minneapolis has virtually no earthquake risk. But I know you have tornadoes and flooding. Are natural disasters pretty heavily expected or do you feel generally safe?"
i moved from Mpls to utah but not to SLC. i know you all have been having a rash of quakes/aftershocks for the last week or so and are probably getting a bit freaked out about it.
1. winters are a bit longer and can get a lot colder. the thing you will notice is the snow that falls in november stays for the season. there is generally no time that it melts during the winter and the snow is gone until the next snowfall. but of course it's livable, there are more people in the twin cities metro area than live in the entire state of utah. i have never had a dog issue, they are generally fine going outside, going for walks, etc. if you have a dog like a greyhound or some other short hair dog a sweater may not be a bad idea. besides a lot of people in the metro there are a ton of dogs. they do fine as did mine.
2. the morridor - say no more
3. flooding is an issue if you're near water. never had a problem or was even worried about it. i lived in MN for 62 years and never had any problems with tornado damage. thunderstorms and hail/wind damage to roofs is sometimes a concern. moving from SLC to MN just be aware you're back in mosquito territory. they are the unofficial state bird.
Hello, my husband and I are considering moving to Minneapolis from Salt Lake City, UT (thanks, earthquakes!) and formerly from Jacksonville, FL. We've done a fair amount of research, but also wanted to get some general opinions on the area.
Things that are important to both of us are:
1. Thriving vegan scene
2. Craft beer and craft cocktails
3. Outdoors (running, hiking, rock climbing, camping)
4. Fiscally responsible government
5. Liberal population
6. Making friends (we're a childfree married couple in our late 20s/early 30s, but want to have 2-3 sets of close friends who we hang out with semi-regularly; we're slightly odd in that we're both Christian but very liberal - always feels like we're slightly "out of place" in whatever community we're in. Too black sheep for Christians but too goodie-goodie for atheists)
7. Low unemployment; even during COVID-19 times, I'm getting tons of interviews in Minneapolis and I don't even live there. I have a bachelor's degree and some administrative/finance experience, but I don't have some specialized skillset.
8. Low cost of living (compared to SLC)
9. The vibe of the city - you all seem very culturally thriving and I love that it's described as basically "South Canada." I know your human development index is one of the highest in the country, and is compared to Switzerland and Scandanavia.
Things we're afraid of:
1. Winters; we HATE heat which is why we moved away from FL. We like winters in SLC, other than driving in snow. But your winters seem far longer and far worse. Are they as bad as people make them seem? Are the livable if you mostly stay in doors? Do you have snow days from work when it gets so cold your car won't start? Will my dogs be able to use the bathroom outside during negative temp days or will I have to lay a puppy pad down inside?
2. Status; it might feel weird telling people we're moving to the mid-west on purpose. However we're from the south (Jacksonville, at that) and the mormon headquarters - two real armpits of places.
3. Natural disasters; we'd stay in SLC forever if we weren't overdue for a major "city destroying" earthquake (57% chance of it happening in my life). Minneapolis has virtually no earthquake risk. But I know you have tornadoes and flooding. Are natural disasters pretty heavily expected or do you feel generally safe?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
I haven't lived there in a while now, but Minneapolis should hit most of your markers I would think.
I am not sure about finding a "liberal" church (I'm agnostic myself) but the area is pretty liberal, so I am sure they exist.
Fiscally responsible is not something I would consider is the case in Minneapolis though.
I chimed in mostly to mention one thing though.
Insects.
The long hard winters there have evolved the local bugs to come out hard and fierce when it warms up. It is difficult to keep away from the little bitey critters outdoors during the warm seasons, especially at night.
I hear you about earthquakes though. I lived in Mexico City for several years until recently, and the earthquakes scared the bejeeezus out of me too.
Move to Minneapolis, go to a liberal main line denomination church (there are plenty— just look for the gay pride flags), and actively seek out something to do in the winters. There are lots of people just like you here in Minneapolis, but if you want to be happy here, the winters are way too long to just sit home.
Not sure what fiscally responsible means to you. This is a high tax state and it’a easy to find wasteful spending, but plenty of people are convinced they get good value for their tax dollars.
I haven't lived there in a while now, but Minneapolis should hit most of your markers I would think.
I am not sure about finding a "liberal" church (I'm agnostic myself) but the area is pretty liberal, so I am sure they exist.
Fiscally responsible is not something I would consider is the case in Minneapolis though.
I chimed in mostly to mention one thing though.
Insects.
The long hard winters there have evolved the local bugs to come out hard and fierce when it warms up. It is difficult to keep away from the little bitey critters outdoors during the warm seasons, especially at night.
I hear you about earthquakes though. I lived in Mexico City for several years until recently, and the earthquakes scared the bejeeezus out of me too.
There are liberal church congregations in Minneapolis and St. Paul - thinking about UUs and Quakers, depending on your definition of liberal (or religion, I guess). There are also more liberal mainstream congregations, again more in M and StP as it falls off by the second-ring suburbs.
Winters are long here, for people who are not used to it or coming in with different expectations.
Not as long as they used to be (we've lost 16 days of the winter season since 1970, 12 fewer ice days on the lakes in that time as well (https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/0...-it-used-to-be), but for you coming to the state without context, that really means nothing other than, "Ice on lakes? What is that all about?"
Yeah, ice on lakes translates to ice fishing, which is still pretty popular here. I don't do it, but it brings up the point that you simply have to find something to do that embraces winter here or you will not be happy. We've got great state parks and they are busy in the winter with snowshoeing, SC skiing, hikes, winter biking, etc. Simply having a dog that makes you go out for a walk once a day (sometimes with a flask - let's not kid ourselves, even the dog hates the sub-zero walks) helps.
The winters the past five years - perhaps the past ten - are more erratic. Used to be typically snow in November or early December, sunny December-January, deep freeze in early January, mid-January warmup (which is warm compared to the deep freeze), grey February, sunny and warmer March and April was anyone's guess, green grass and 60s in early May. The past few years, it seems any of that can happen at any time in the winter. Except grey February - February is always grey.
And taking getting someplace warm for a few days in February helps, though that, too, though even in the southern U.S. February has been a crapshoot the past five or ten years.
Summer and Fall are usually glorious here. Though, again, the past few years blow that out of the water.
I didn’t realize SLC received in general earthquakes and many of recent? I never experienced any until I moved to Alaska and felt a few in one year. We had a 7.9 a 150 or so miles from where I lived. Shook our house for about minute, trees were moving a ton. Was weird, and after no destruction to my house, was really cool to experience it. AK is on another level, more earthquakes, volcanoes, and large predator animals then anywhere.
Hello, my husband and I are considering moving to Minneapolis from Salt Lake City, UT (thanks, earthquakes!) and formerly from Jacksonville, FL. We've done a fair amount of research, but also wanted to get some general opinions on the area.
Things that are important to both of us are:
1. Thriving vegan scene
2. Craft beer and craft cocktails
3. Outdoors (running, hiking, rock climbing, camping)
4. Fiscally responsible government
5. Liberal population
6. Making friends (we're a childfree married couple in our late 20s/early 30s, but want to have 2-3 sets of close friends who we hang out with semi-regularly; we're slightly odd in that we're both Christian but very liberal - always feels like we're slightly "out of place" in whatever community we're in. Too black sheep for Christians but too goodie-goodie for atheists)
7. Low unemployment; even during COVID-19 times, I'm getting tons of interviews in Minneapolis and I don't even live there. I have a bachelor's degree and some administrative/finance experience, but I don't have some specialized skillset.
8. Low cost of living (compared to SLC)
9. The vibe of the city - you all seem very culturally thriving and I love that it's described as basically "South Canada." I know your human development index is one of the highest in the country, and is compared to Switzerland and Scandanavia.
Things we're afraid of:
1. Winters; we HATE heat which is why we moved away from FL. We like winters in SLC, other than driving in snow. But your winters seem far longer and far worse. Are they as bad as people make them seem? Are the livable if you mostly stay in doors? Do you have snow days from work when it gets so cold your car won't start? Will my dogs be able to use the bathroom outside during negative temp days or will I have to lay a puppy pad down inside?
2. Status; it might feel weird telling people we're moving to the mid-west on purpose. However we're from the south (Jacksonville, at that) and the mormon headquarters - two real armpits of places. 3. Natural disasters; we'd stay in SLC forever if we weren't overdue for a major "city destroying" earthquake (57% chance of it happening in my life). Minneapolis has virtually no earthquake risk. But I know you have tornadoes and flooding. Are natural disasters pretty heavily expected or do you feel generally safe?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
I'd just like to make a couple points.
First, tornadoes. The entire state of Minnesota has seen 99 fatalities due to tornadoes since 1950. That's an average of 1.4 per year - again, this for the entire state. Over 2/3rds of those fatalities occurred before 1970. Advancements in weather forecasting, including detecting tornadoes and their immediate precursors with radar, and in public alerts have significantly cut into deaths. The odds of dying due to a tornado in Minnesota in any given year are millions to one. Literally.
Second, earthquakes. The risk to Salt Lake City that you reference comes from a 2016 report which cites a 57% chance of a magnitude 6+ earthquake on the Wasatch Fault and other faults in the region through the year 2066. That's for the entire fault from north of Brigham City to south of Utah Lake, and for faults such as those in the north of the Great Salt Lake itself and in border regions of Idaho and Wyoming. The reports published chance of a quake on the Wasatch Fault itself in the time-frame is 18%, and only a subset of that 18% represents earthquakes within or immediately adjacent to Salt Lake City itself. Further, a 6.0 earthquake is not a 'city destroyer'. For example, the Northridge Earthquake in Los Angeles in 1994 certainly did not destroy the city. Granted, LA is likely much better prepared that is Salt Lake City, because the fault system in northern Utah has not been as well understood until relatively recently. That said, a 6.7 is 5x as powerful as a 6.0. Simply put, for most natural disasters I wouldn't worry too much about them. The chances are simply too long. Better to live where you want to live and diligently prepare, in my opinion.
All of that said, Minnesota might be the least seismically active of the fifty states. At least, as far as we know.
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