Best State In The Midwest (live in, moving, friendly)

[pkava001]

I am also from the south (FL) and accepted a job out in Rochester MN. I am originally form the Caribben Islands and I have a problem being away from large, clean bodies of water. I heard that MN has some lakes that are clear for swimming and even SCUBA diving. Is this true. My soon to be husband has lived all is life in the midwest. I am pretty scared of moving out there as the cultures are so different or maybe not? I found that people there are really conservative and don't generally speak their mind which we tend to do down here a lot. Any advice or motivation on moving all the way out there? When I visited I felt like I did not fit in, especially with how I dress a little trendy and how blunt I am.

[M TYPE X]

Yah, the Upper Midwest has no 'large clean bodies of water.'

There are plenty of lakes in Minnesota.

[ajf131]

I think the best Midwest states are Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.

[Katarina Witt]

Want to offer a slight correction about Nebraska. Omaha is a quite hilly city. The first time I went there with my then-boyfriend (now husband), I was expecting a city like Chicago: flat. I found out differently. It's on the banks of the Missouri River, which makes it hilly. It's not boring, either, IMO. Lots of cultural activities (theater, museums, etc). It has a neat downtown called the Old Market. And do pray for the people out there and their loss this week.

[ekg56]

Omaha is a wonderful city. We were there when we visited Boys Town a few years ago. I am also thinking of the families involved in this senseless act this week.

[Trkstp Tina]

My sister lived in Minneapolis for about 7 years, and I very much enjoyed visiting her there. I love the mix of progressive and traditional values, the beautiful old homes, and the lakes and parks. I think it's one of the prettiest cities in the country. They always claimed the winters weren't as bad as you would think because the humidity is lower than on the East Coast (where my sister and her husband are from), so the cold didn't seem as "cold." It was more the length of the winter that bothered them. They really liked it there, but ended up moving back to the East Coast because they ultimately felt more comfortable there and wanted to be closer to friends and family. My brother-in-law likes the coast and sailing, and sailing on MN lakes just didn't cut it for him. My sister, who is very friendly and likable, had a hard time building a network of close friends--many of the people who lived there were from there and already had an established network of friends and family--it was hard to "break in." She said many of the out-of-state people felt that way in Minneapolis. Just something to think about.

[Camden Northsider]

I grew up in South Dakota (lived in both semi-urban and rural environments there), lived in Iowa(rural) and Michigan(Lansing), and have lived in both rural and urban Minnesota areas.

Minnesota is hands-down the best state in the Midwest, numerous quality of life stats will prove that - move to Minneapolis.

[KateDaum]

When we decided to buy a place to retire in we knew we wanted the upper midwest. We love Lake Superior and looked at Michigan, MN and WI. We would have been happy in any of the 3 but chose WI. We moved before retiring since we were tired of the east and our more then happy with our choice.

[Kerby W-R]

I've never lived in the midwest but have been through most of it.
Iowa always impresses me. The scenery is pleasing and the people
are very friendly. There's a certain open mindedness that the other
Midwestern states don't seem to have.

[GraniteStater]

Minnesota is super nice with a great blend of urban, suburban, and rural areas. I love the forests, lakes, and cold temperatures.