****Are there any transplants to MN who are happy with their move to MN? (Minneapolis: high school, living)

[folkguitarist555]

I have at least 15 houses that are all semi newish around Big Lake, Becker, Princeton and etc...even a few in St Cloud, there is one or two, but yes, most of the listings I have saved, are great houses, large, semi newish, and on acreage, all under 250k.......one even has 9 acres....great inventory up around there....for my price range. And the twin cities is a hop skip and a jump away.......try finding the same type of nice housing inventory 30 or 40 or more, miles outside of Seattle....impossible

[folkguitarist555]

I looked at Tucson, heard they have a great VA, and looked at Sierra Vista as well....my concern there, is illegal immigration issues and the crime and extreme heat.....and I am not a desert fan....and I have also read that Tucson has a good number of some very rough pockets.....

[folkguitarist555]

there are way more better looking, nicer, newer homes on acreage, east of St Cloud, then anywhere in the state of AZ...Prescott has gotten terribly expensive as well....which was one area I was looking at for a bit....if FL was the way FL was 20 years ago, I would have considered it, but FL is not sounding very safe and nice these days, plus homeowners insurance is over 2k at least....surprisingly homeowners insurance is not that cheap in MN as well too, though...I have discovered...but not near as bad as FL.....Boise, Colorado Springs, Reno, home prices have all gone up very high, as well, in recent years.....the only places affordable for me are the southern states, and parts of the Midwest....

[folkguitarist555]

anyone from St Cloud or the outskirts?? Seems like a nice part of MN.....please chime in....thanks

[cheapheadphones]

My fiance and I moved here in April 2014. It has definitely been a tough transition and still is. When he and I walk around the lakes in Minneapolis or drive around the North Shore, we absolutely fall in love with the place. Unfortunately whenever we have to deal with people here, we immediately hate it again. The people here are a tough pill to swallow when you're used to being very social.

My own experience with trying to meet people here has been frustrating to say the least. People seem friendly at first, but they turn out not to be very warm or welcoming. Trying to maneuver an already established social circle (be it at work or outside work) is extremely tough and can feel very deflating.

Getting a job here is also a bit trying. It seems like there is a lot of nepotism within companies and hiring an outsider is regarded suspiciously.

Minnesota driving habits is also a challenge. No one knows how to merge onto a freeway or turn left onto your lane at the right speed. You also get very a**hole-ish maneuvers from drivers that just boggle your mind.

If you leave the metropolitan areas, the cities are less ethnically diverse and there is a prevailing sense of racism that also makes me nervous.

However, the winter is not as bad as everyone told me it would be. It is freezing cold, but I find the snow to be beautiful!

With our experiences here at 50/50 good & bad, we'll probably move once our apartment lease is up.

[Atalanta]

Originally Posted by cheapheadphones

My fiance and I moved here in April 2014. It has definitely been a tough transition and still is. When he and I walk around the lakes in Minneapolis or drive around the North Shore, we absolutely fall in love with the place. Unfortunately whenever we have to deal with people here, we immediately hate it again. The people here are a tough pill to swallow when you're used to being very social.

My own experience with trying to meet people here has been frustrating to say the least. People seem friendly at first, but they turn out not to be very warm or welcoming. Trying to maneuver an already established social circle (be it at work or outside work) is extremely tough and can feel very deflating.

Getting a job here is also a bit trying. It seems like there is a lot of nepotism within companies and hiring an outsider is regarded suspiciously.

Minnesota driving habits is also a challenge. No one knows how to merge onto a freeway or turn left onto your lane at the right speed. You also get very a**hole-ish maneuvers from drivers that just boggle your mind.

If you leave the metropolitan areas, the cities are less ethnically diverse and there is a prevailing sense of racism that also makes me nervous.

However, the winter is not as bad as everyone told me it would be. It is freezing cold, but I find the snow to be beautiful!

With our experiences here at 50/50 good & bad, we'll probably move once our apartment lease is up.

Huh?
You must be from the North Pole or something
You posted today and with wind chill it is 35 below.

I am sorry you are not fitting in.
Hopefully it will get better.

Go to
Find your people - Meetup
and look at things going on to find peple with to do the same things you and your fiance like doing.

I cant disagree with you about the driving here

[whovian1977]

Originally Posted by starrider434

I have read some pretty tough things about MN, from never ending, brutally cold winters, to mosquito infested short summers, to people who are generally not overtly friendly, and extremely standoffish and aloof. I driven thru the state a few times over the years, and thought it looked clean and nice. I know nothing about the state though, as far as living there, which I am considering. Can any transplants chime in and give me their opinions on their new lives as transplants to the state of MN? Much appreciated.

All you need to know:

The Outsiders: Is Minnesota Nice to Newcomers? | Minnesota Public Radio News

[cheapheadphones]

Originally Posted by Atalanta

Huh?
You must be from the North Pole or something
You posted today and with wind chill it is 35 below.

I am sorry you are not fitting in.
Hopefully it will get better.

Go to
Find your people - Meetup
and look at things going on to find peple with to do the same things you and your fiance like doing.

I cant disagree with you about the driving here

Haha! I just meant that never having grown up around snow or even really experiencing it leaves me noticing the dazzle more than the freeze!

I'll check out the meetups. Thanks so much.

[cheapheadphones]

Originally Posted by whovian1977

All you need to know:

The Outsiders: Is Minnesota Nice to Newcomers? | Minnesota Public Radio News

Thanks for that link! I'll read through it today at work while being ignored by my coworkers ;p (hehe)

[uptown_urbanist]

It sounds like you are in the metro area. Keep in mind that in Minneapolis, only half of the population is native Minnesotan -- so even if you don't like people, half of them, like you, moved here from elsewhere, and so it's a little unfair for people to blame everything on "Minnesotans," or at least not on native Minnesotans (as everyone who lives here now is by definition now a Minnesotan, whether they like it or not!). Although it's true that it's less transient than the big cities -- which may make it more difficult because you don't have as many brand-new people arriving all the time, but on the other hand, once you've been here awhile you also may appreciate that the flip side is that your friends won't always be moving out of town (which was our experience other places we've lived; when you have lots of people coming, you also tend to have lots of people going.) Sounds like you have a difficult work environment; maybe a different job would help? Although it does feel like people socialize outside of work less, as a general rule, with coworkers than they do some places. Also remember that there's almost always a learning curve when you move to a new place, so don't give up yet. I think sometimes there is just a tendency to hibernate when it gets this cold, so things may feel very different in the spring.