Would an out-of-state young family feel welcome in Minnesota smaller towns/cities (twin cities area)? (Minneapolis: crimes, house)

[nicagrace]

Hello all!

My sister lives in Minneapolis and we are looking to move to the area. I was looking at some of the smaller towns and cities in the area, like Delano, Stillwater, Northfield, Anoka, etc. We are coming from California, though we spent several years living in Kansas, so are somewhat familiar with Midwest living. My husband is half-Thai, so I'm slightly concerned about how welcomed we would feel as a not totally white, Californian family moving into town. We would both be working remotely, so commute isn't an issue. Would like to be within an hour of Minneapolis, so I'm hoping that the surrounding cities are more used to out of towners

Thanks in advance!

[jennifat]

Of course your family would feel welcome!

I know that people on the coasts think the entirety of the US between the Rockies and the Appalachians is scary racist right-winger territory, but Minnesota (especially the Twin Cities area) isn't like that at all.

[RandomPerson79]

You wouldn't get a second glance. Not a whole lot of Thai, but there are some, and a pretty large Hmong population.

[paiste13]

You will have zero issues in any of those towns you mentioned.

Anoka isn't really a "small town" as much as a suburb that happens to have an older Main Street. You may not be "into" politics and certainly MN is less outright political than CA but each of the towns you listed except Delano are solidly Democratic. Delano still wouldn't be an issue for a visable minority. MN is not a scary place like the rural south - totally different type of person in general.

[forsheamountain]

paiste13, you are doing the op a disservice. MN is indeed a scary place, the inhabitants being decidedly worse than any you would find in the rural south.

[paiste13]

Originally Posted by forsheamountain

paiste13, you are doing the op a disservice. MN is indeed a scary place, the inhabitants being decidedly worse than any you would find in the rural south.

I don't buy the idea that someone wanting to move to an area is a bad thing. People should take pride in their quality of life and not put a moat around it.

[Camden Northsider]

The Twin Cities has one of the largest concentrations of Asian-Americans outside of the coasts, largely due to a significant SE Asian population here-- in addition to Hmong persons, there are thriving Lao, Vietnamese, Karen/Burmese, Khmer and other communities here (lots of individuals who hail from Thailand but not sure how many actually identify as 'Thai' vs another community).

Much of the heart of Asian culture is found in the core urban areas, but you will find diversity in a variety of metro area suburbs/towns (all of which should have demographic data publicly available). I wouldn't worry in general about any of the cities you referenced, but I do know Delano has unfortunately had some racial incidents in recent years that weren't specific to Asian persons (to my knowledge), but may indicate a climate that needs some work there.

If you were to say more about what you are looking for in a city/town/neighborhood, you might get some better insight on which areas may be a better fit for your family's needs. Good luck and welcome!

[jennifat]

Originally Posted by forsheamountain

paiste13, you are doing the op a disservice. MN is indeed a scary place, the inhabitants being decidedly worse than any you would find in the rural south.

Appreciate your sarcasm.

[SkyLark2019]

The good news- most of the racists in Minnesota are afraid of the police so hate crimes are not too common.

The bad news- there still is some subtle racism in rural Minnesota...it depends on who you are dealing with....I don't want to get too specific but I worked with a woman from a rural town in MN who was such a bigot. I had to tread carefully in our work conversations.

Rural MN is very quiet, so your family might have a harder time adjusting to the lack of activities or social scene.

The Twin Cities are a bit pricey for family outings. I always enjoyed the Cities as a single person so I didn't have to dig too deep to have a good time. Summers in Minneapolis are awesome.

[nicagrace]

Sorry, I wasn't getting notifications for this post! We are pretty open to what we are looking for. My husband would like a house with a larger lot, ideally 0.25 acre or more. My mom would like a Catholic church, which pretty much everywhere has! I guess within an hour of Minneapolis, and if there are any towns/suburbs that are more known for a community feel, I would love something like that!