Trying to convince my partner that we should be in MN (Anoka: purchasing, schools)

[Teacher Terry]

I went to graduate school in northern Wisconsin which is 90 minutes from the twin cities. I grew up between Milwaukee and Chicago so I was used to the cold but that was an entire level up. There were times it was minus 40. Apartments advertised they had plug ins. I didn’t know what they were but apparently you can buy cars with the ability to plug in the car at night so it starts in the morning.

If you have a rainy spring the mosquitoes will be out during the day so it’s impossible to use the hiking trails or spend time outside. Usually it’s only a problem at night. While both Minnesota and Wisconsin are pretty you couldn’t pay me to live there now.

[SkyLark2019]

I loved Minnesota but keep in mind, anyone who won't adjust to winter won't be too happy there.

[otterhere]

Originally Posted by J Baustian

It's true that some folks love winter: outdoor ice skating, cross-country skiing, deer hunting, ice fishing. But for people with jobs it's mostly just a hassle: waking up in the dark, hoping the car will start, scraping the windshield while the engine warms up, driving to work on ice-covered roads while it's still dark, and then repeating everything at the end of the workday.

Which is why I asked their ages and whether or not OP is currently working (she implied her job went south, no pun intended). If you're going to just play in the snow at your leisure or read by the fire, yeah, winter is great. If you have to navigate it to work your job with a pension attached, like your partner, that's a different story.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by TheKiwi

I've recently become convinced that MN is for us. I know no place is perfect, but MN sure seems close to me, certainly better all-around from Atlanta. For context: we are two women in our late 30's, vote blue, love being outdoors, no kids. I LOVE snow activities and grew up in Denmark (and have Norwegian and Finnish roots), and MN reminds me of 'home'. My partner is a librarian, loves bookstores and is involved in book clubs, loves weekend getaways to cabins with cute small towns, loves to cook, likes to bike and go walking, and also is very into watching hockey. We are also very into kpop and Korean culture.

I've started making a list of the reasons I think we should move there. What else would you add?

- sanctuary state for LGBTQ+ / strong LGBTQ+ hate crime protections
- lots of good housing stock in the $300,000's
- free school breakfast & school lunch for all children in the state started in spring 2023
- current governor set up a little free library in his office with books that are banned in other states
- large refugee populations (Laos, Somali, Ukrainian)
- close to the Scandinavian model (well as close as US states can really be)... higher taxes but also lots of social programs!
- progressive criminal justice system (NO for-profit prisons)
- same sex marriage legal here 2 years prior to nationwide
- abortion legal and protected in constitution
- one of top 3 states for life expectancy (Hawaii, Washington and then Minnesota)
- great healthcare system
- 4 true seasons
- lots of hockey including pro women's hockey team and plenty of other sports to watch locally
- good schools + very well educated population (literacy has always been very important so there are some great libraries in the state)
- cost of living lower than national average
- top 10 most environmentally friendly state
- nonstop flights to Atlanta (2hrs 40 mins), 3 hours to NY, 1.5 hr to Chicago
- working on getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040
- Minneapolis have a Danish American Center, a Norway House and a American Swedish Institute - how fun!
- summers range from 70-80 degrees (high humidity though)
- union-friendly state
- Minneapolis is one of the best biking cities in the US - and they have an electric bike share program
- The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport had the lowest rate of flight delays in the world in 2023
- roaches/palmetto bugs aren't much of a problem - but mosquitos!

Anything that you would add that seems in line with these, or things that might interest my partner?

A lot of this has nothing to do with two ladies pushing 40.
How often do you check out a book at the governor's office, send your kids to school for free lunch and watch a live hockey game.
Environment this and that but a busy airport and easy connections are important.
When was the last time you lived and worked in Denmark?
As long as you have to "convince" your partner you are manipulation and pushing your cause. What do you really see in MN that you do not have in the Atlanta market besides that your partner has family and a rather secure job thus is independent?

[shamrock4]

Since you will be working most of the time, you may be overestimating your time to spend in nature. As someone said, mostly it is a slog to get to work and back starting in a freezing cold car over sometimes treacherous streets in the winter. The snow is not always white and beautiful, but becomes dirty gray slush that can turn to ice.

I lived in a climate very similar to MN for almost 30 years on the other side of the Great Lakes. The cold is absolutely bone chilling at times. We did ski plus camped and sailed in the summer. The mosquitoes are truly atrocious (do they also have biting black flies in MN?).

As someone who has lived in a more moderate climate for years now, your partner’s adjustment may be really tough. Most people I know would not choose to go back to that climate when there are so many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in the mountains relatively near you now. Northern GA is beautiful plus the high country in both SC and NC are not out of a weekend’s reach. Have you really explored there with so many waterfalls, hiking trails and attractive mountain towns?

Add family, longtime friends, and a career with a good pension/benefits to the mix and the advantages gained for your partner just don’t seem that compelling. I wish you both the best but a minimum of at least 2-3 weeks or longer should be experienced in the winter before a decision. People are also affected by SADD with the grayness of the winter environment.

[Teacher Terry]

Shamrock, yes there’s biting black flies in Minnesota. They like to bite you while you swim. If you duck under the water they wait for you to surface. I can’t tell you how many have flown in my hair and you pull them out by the pieces. Fun times-not!!

[shamrock4]

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

Shamrock, yes there’s biting black flies in Minnesota. They like to bite you while you swim. If you duck under the water they wait for you to surface. I can’t tell you how many have flown in my hair and you pull them out by the pieces. Fun times-not!!

I remember that while swimming! I was bitten by one on my face before a job interview and it took a full week for the swelling to go down - my eye was almost swollen shut. They were the worst in June.

[SkyLark2019]

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

I went to graduate school in northern Wisconsin which is 90 minutes from the twin cities. I grew up between Milwaukee and Chicago so I was used to the cold but that was an entire level up. There were times it was minus 40. Apartments advertised they had plug ins. I didn’t know what they were but apparently you can buy cars with the ability to plug in the car at night so it starts in the morning.

If you have a rainy spring the mosquitoes will be out during the day so it’s impossible to use the hiking trails or spend time outside. Usually it’s only a problem at night. While both Minnesota and Wisconsin are pretty you couldn’t pay me to live there now.

I live in plug in -ville- it's essential if you care about your vehicle. The plug in heater keeps the engine warm enough to avoid hard starts. Also get the correct viscosity oil (preferably synthetic) for your automobile. Garaging your vehicle is way nicer, if you rent a decent apartment some have basement garage parking or overhangs to avoid the whole scraping snow thing.

There are many pluses to the Twin Cities region (I can include the towns nearby over the Wisconsin border as a kind of "bedroom community" thing to the Twin Cities.) However if you have never experienced hard winter you probably will not like urban Minnesota. Also rural Minnesota can be off-putting in some ways. It's pretty but a lot of the locals (not all) are very conservative.

Housing prices all over the state have gone up, be warned.

[rodentraiser]

Originally Posted by Bungalove

I've never lived in Minnesota but used to visit our radar station there. What Roboteer says about the weather is absolutely true. We had times where all of the vehicles at the station were immobilized because their tires were frozen solid to the ground. There's a good reason for the Minneapolis Skyway System - it's too cold to walk between buildings outside. Summers are the opposite with heat, humidity, and insects. The guys joked about the mosquitos being the state bird as well. I've seen some of the worst, scariest thunderstorms there in my entire life and tornadoes are fairly common as well. Thankfully never seen them!

Oh, God, I forgot about the severe storm warnings and the tornadoes. Those scared the hell out of me. But also, my aunt is going to be 94 and lived in Minnesota her whole life and has never seen a tornado. So there's that.

On the plus side, most of the worst storms are in the evenings and at night, which means it doesn't often rain during the day.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

I loved Minnesota but keep in mind, anyone who won't adjust to winter won't be too happy there.

Having my picture taken throwing my hat in the air, next to the statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing hers, is on my bucket list, but I’ll go in summer, lol.