Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Full Disclosure: I grew up in the Minneapolis area in the mid-1990's-early 2000's and then lived there for a number of years as an adult after college. I moved to the East Coast in 2013. My comments below are implicitly comparing the Twin Cities to other places I've lived and worked (Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and elsewhere overseas).
I speak to the area from the perspective of a 'native' (i.e. grew up there). Many people feel that Minnesota can be kind of insular when it comes to reaching out to transplants, so I can't really speak to that or haven't experienced it as much.
1. Weather. This is understandably a popular topic for people considering moving to the area. Minnesota experiences all 4 seasons and a large range of temperatures from frigid winters to blistering summers and beautiful, temperate climates in between. I personally prefer warmer weather, so I can speak of the many enjoyable things which are available in Minnesota during the summer, namely: clean air, fresh water lakes, plenty of natural beauty parks, camping, hiking, biking, recreation etc. Winters also experience clean, crisp air. The Minneapolis/St. Paul area often doesn't experience high snowfall levels, but the air tends to be dry, crisp and very cold. If you don't mind dressing warm and can invest in a car with a decent heating system, you'll be fine. Bonus for renters: Many apartments in Minneapolis include heating as part of the rental cost; this can be a significant utility expense, especially if you are staying in an 'loft-type' or refurbished, brick building (ask me how I know ).
2. Driving/Commuting. With a few exceptions the Twin Cities area is flat with large highway systems and very robust snow removal infrastructure. Getting to work the morning of (or after) a snowstorm is less fearsome than you might think, especially if migrating from a state that doesn't experience extreme climes. Many people prefer to drive AWD vehicles, but to be honest, I got by fine for a number of years commuting back and forth in my VW Beetle. Most of the public infrastructure in the Twin Cities is built with the assumption that people commute in to the 'cities from the various suburbs. Reverse commuting can be difficult if relying on public transit alone. That said, many people commute using public transit and there are some very good bus services out of the suburbs that cater to commuters, as well as a well-maintained light rail system and commuter rail. I currently take the NYC Metro North train and can attest that the Minneapolis options are 1000x better (and cleaner) - enjoy! Cyclists may be pleasantly surprised to find that year-round bike commuting is extremely popular in Minneapolis. The flat landscape and robust number of bike paths and lanes make it a great alternative to driving. I loved biking in Minneapolis and when I lived downtown it was my oft-preferred mode of transport.
3. Activities. People often talk about winter 'survival' tips for living in Minnesota. The biggest one I can think of is find a hobby. As in, identify something you love to do outside of work which can be accomplished indoors, if necessary. Of course there are many great outdoor winter activities and you'll find plenty; but when the days are short, dark and cold it's nice to have something to look forward to. You'll find many people in Minnesota partake in a number of hobbies. For example, I used to knit a lot while living in Minnesota, and found a large number of social groups and coffee shop-type meetups where I could socialize with others who also enjoyed it. If you're new to the area, having some kind of hobby will help you meet the locals, apart from the usual bar/pub type scenario. Hit up Meetup.com as a good starting point. In addition to this, you'll find a large variety of cultural amenities in Minneapolis: theaters, restaurants, museums, etc. The Uptown area of Minneapolis is an eclectic mix of humanity (read: hipster), so if you're into good coffee, vinyl record shops, vintage clothing and theaters which show silver screen movies, it's the place for you! If, conversely, you prefer the suburban life, you'll find plenty of sprawling suburbs around the entire Twin Cities area. Housing and property taxes are affordable for working professionals (again, I say this from my current perspective living in the NYC metro, so .. relatively speaking) and commuting options mentioned earlier make life a little easier for getting into the city, as needed.
I grew up in the east NW PA to be exact and we always had 4 seasons. Each has its pros and cons. I love the cold crisp winter days, when walking around outside and breathing in the cold air just makes your lungs hurt (and your nose run.)
I live in the PNW and we have two seasons wet and dry. Yep we do occasionally get the snow but it never lasts long and they are always having big freak outs closing down the schools and everything else. I stay off the road because these people can barely manage to drive when it rains let alone the snow.
Last year my daughter missed 8 days of school because of weather. It was ridiculous at least half they could of gone and one day she was stranded at school because they did not make the call to call off school when it started to snow and that time was once when it actually made sense. Not to mention they did a horrible job of communicating with families as to what was going on. They have an alert system but they neglected to use it. For me it was not a big deal as my daughter was in 5th grade so old enough to be okay with it but I felt bad for the parents and those little kindergarten and first grade kids. My daughter told me a lot of the kids were scared and crying.
Have to see what this winter brings. I am a little more worried as she goes to an option school and rides 2 buses to and home from school and the school is on the other side of town making a pick up much more difficult if it does snow. We will have a plan in place and just follow it so she wont be stranded and I hopefully will not have to drive and pick her up as i already said these people are clueless when driving in the snow. If she can get to the drop off point at the high school it would not be too bad.
So far we have been getting quite a bit of rain the past few days.
Last year my daughter missed 8 days of school because of weather.
If you live in the metro you will not miss 8 days of school. Actually, in the last 12 years of living in the metro, I think there has been a total of 7 days missed in 12 years with 4 of them due to being too cold (Note, the winter of 2010 involved 3 huge loads of snow that occurred on Friday night and into Saturday). Contrast this with outstate rural areas that have a sizeable "country kid" populations that have to cancel school if it is windy and couple of inches of snow (drifting can block or make roads treacherous). One year, when I was kid, we missed 18 days. I lived in the SW part of Minnesota that is part of plains area so flat and open leads to more drifting.
If I were you and you planned to live in Rochester, make a thread asking how many school days they miss or call the school district to see if you can get that actual statistics. I predict, for them, for a low probably around 4 and and high around 10.
From what my brother tells me, QOL is Minnesota is simply AWESOME!!! Just a great place to live, work, and call home. He's hoping it stays that way. After living in Jokelahoma for 8 years, MN is like paradise.
I think that people who have spent their entire life in one place have a harder time judging that place in relation to other locations. Having said that, I would say that Minnesota has a pretty good "quality of life" relative to South Dakota, Montana, Alaska, Oregon, China, Malaysia, and Stinkapore.
But I could be wrong.
Well, take it from me at least, I've lived in 2 countries and 3 states (I left one country at too young an age, but I know damn well I would never wanna live there again!) and Minnesota is my favourite place I have lived, Texas being second. This is somewhere I can see myself staying for long term. And considering how much I pay for my 5 bedroom house here versus how much a similar sized (and two storey to boot) house would cost in my hometown... yea. Definitely a bang for your buck. Not as cheap as Texas but, you could do way worse. I was just in California last week and it's a beautiful place but I am glad the trip was paid for by CBS because otherwise, I could not have afforded it. They throw random fees for a bunch of stuff down there! And the gas? I thought it was bad up here! lol
I love Minnesota, moved up here last August and despite some trials and tribulations (which had nothing to do with the state itself, just issues of work and my car situation) its been great. I've been without a car for almost a month now, thanks to a dead transmission, which does suck because to really enjoy MN, you need to get around.
Before my car broke down I spent a lot of my free time driving around to different lakes, nature trails and parks. I can't wait to get a car again and be able to explore some more. If you're a nature lover, Minnesota is fantastic. I also love the change of seasons. I grew up in Florida, I never experienced snow until I was 15. I was deprived lol I hate hot weather thats sticky and oppressive and never ends. Heat is fine in summer but come off it by October. I love seeing the leaves change, especially the maples. We got fall colours in Texas but they would come a month later and only a handful of trees can even compare. Texas is mostly oaks which are dull in fall even up here. I can't wait for winter to come. I'm making it a thing to enjoy as many winter activities in the season, especially ice skating.
I like how safe it feels. Even though my neighbourhood has the occasional drunk sketchy creep, its not that bad. Occasionally I'll carry a switchblade with me just to be on the safeside but I live in a pretty tight nit area, lots of kids playing outside in the day which you don't see as much in many cities. But one thing, I'm glad I live in Saint Paul. Maybe its cuz I had a job in Bloomington that I hated lol but I really don't care for Bloomington. Too generic, vanilla suburbia for me. I'd rather do Roseville if I'm to live in a suburb. I like St. Paul, at least my area. It's got that blue collar hometown vibe. A lot of people know each other but its still a city, not a small town. I really dig it. As far as passive aggressive folks? Yea, there's people like that, but I've met lots of cool people too. One thing is they're more blunt up north. But we got passive aggressive people down south too, hell I can be passive aggressive but only to those who deserve it!
Overall, I love MN. Any grievances I've have had since moving here have had nothing to do with the state and now that I got a new job in the city that I am actually no longer living paycheck to paycheck, its only gonna get better! I love Texas too, even Florida as much as I bash it, will always have a place in my heart, but Florida just sucks and Texas is nice but sadly, scenery wise, much of it is a face only a mother could love!
It would be great to live in a state that measured "quality of life" as Minnesota does: low poverty, high income, high educational attainment, high gross state product, and welcoming to new immigrants. Here in Wisconsin, "quality of life" is measured in how much you can drink. Oh, yeah, there's cheese and brats. And Milwaukee wears its racial segregation as almost a point of pride. As a lifelong Wisconsinite, I had the chance to move to the Twin Cities in the late 1990s. I turned it down and it's one of the biggest regrets of my life. I have a nice life in Milwaukee, but there's a certain aspiration in Minnesota that seems to be lacking elsewhere in the "Midwest"
If I were you and you planned to live in Rochester, make a thread asking how many school days they miss or call the school district to see if you can get that actual statistics. I predict, for them, for a low probably around 4 and and high around 10.
In Roch it seems like 4-5 days of missed school a year is pretty typical. But they have it built into the calendar so it doesn't really make waves at all. Roch is awesome at clearing roads. Most of the time they are cleared before you wake up in the morn.
When there is a big snow in the day, a lot of parents pick kids up early, even if they aren't called to. Schools so far have seemed pretty laid back about that and expect it. Some people do live on bigger hills where it is hard to drive to when the snow stacks up.
In Roch it seems like 4-5 days of missed school a year is pretty typical. But they have it built into the calendar so it doesn't really make waves at all. Roch is awesome at clearing roads. Most of the time they are cleared before you wake up in the morn.
When there is a big snow in the day, a lot of parents pick kids up early, even if they aren't called to. Schools so far have seemed pretty laid back about that and expect it. Some people do live on bigger hills where it is hard to drive to when the snow stacks up.
That's weird. An hour north is Hastings, I would say we average 0-1 days/yr.
That's weird. An hour north is Hastings, I would say we average 0-1 days/yr.
Maybe we are wimps.
We have a lot of hills up to people's homes that the busses cant really get to in the snow, I think that is why.
Once a year we have a day off that no one can understand why its off because the roads and weather forecast is clear.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
). 
