Moving to Minneapolis from Ky (St. Paul, Edina: middle-class, apartments, violent crime)

[Adam Wilson]

Hello guys my name is Adam and I am coming to Minneapolis from Mayfield,Ky which is a small town in Western, Ky. I Just recently graduated last year with a a bacholer's degree in Communications with a Concentration of Marketing and I am going to be looking for a job. I will be looking for something entry level in the field as to I only have restuarant experience. But however I do have many interviews in the Minneapolis-St Paul area and what i wanna know is how hard is it for someone like me to get a job in the Communications/Marketing field? How long would it probably take to come across a job. I will be staying with some family til i reach my goal and conception of living on my own. Also is there any type of assistance programs that will help an individual in need if you need it? Which neighbors hoods are the safest and which neighborhoods are dangerous? Which sides of Minneapolis-St Paul should i avoid. I also have done some research and i know that Minnesota is really cold in the winter and where is a place to by winter coats, boats and other things for the harsh Minnesota winter? Any helpful tips would be most consideration guys I have also looked into the Cedar 94 apts do any one know anything about those? If so please let me know thanks any info would be helpful.

[srsmn]

Originally Posted by Adam Wilson

Hello guys my name is Adam and I am coming to Minneapolis from Mayfield,Ky which is a small town in Western, Ky. I Just recently graduated last year with a a bacholer's degree in Communications with a Concentration of Marketing and I am going to be looking for a job. I will be looking for something entry level in the field as to I only have restuarant experience. But however I do have many interviews in the Minneapolis-St Paul area and what i wanna know is how hard is it for someone like me to get a job in the Communications/Marketing field? How long would it probably take to come across a job. I will be staying with some family til i reach my goal and conception of living on my own. Also is there any type of assistance programs that will help an individual in need if you need it? Which neighbors hoods are the safest and which neighborhoods are dangerous? Which sides of Minneapolis-St Paul should i avoid. I also have done some research and i know that Minnesota is really cold in the winter and where is a place to by winter coats, boats and other things for the harsh Minnesota winter? Any helpful tips would be most consideration guys I have also looked into the Cedar 94 apts do any one know anything about those? If so please let me know thanks any info would be helpful.

I can't help you much on the job front (not my field), but I feel bad that nobody has responded yet, so I'll field some of your more general questions:

Places to avoid:
GENERALLY, people avoid the entire Northside of Minneapolis. I don't mean to offend any Northsiders here, and I myself grew up about five minutes from the heart of the Northside. The facts are the facts, though....the Northside accounts for the majority of violent crime in Minneapolis, and has for some time. There are a few nice, stable neighborhoods, but I wouldn't recommend a newcomer taking their chances. Plus, the Northside is very residential, and not very amenity rich.

Cedar-94 is an address nearby where I used to live, so I googled those apartments. That area is fine, but it is also high-crime. You'd be more or less safe, but it may be jarring if most of your experience is with a small town. Anything basically from there west to 35W and north of Lake Street will be iffy-- that is Phillips, and it is sort of the last "rough neighborhood" left in South Minneapolis.

Anywhere else on the Southside, or anywhere in Nordeast would be considered safe, with the areas around the Lakes (Calhoun Isles) the border with Edina (Linden Hills, 50th and France/Fulton) or any major Parkway (Like St. Anthony or Minnehaha) being the most desirable. Recommendations there would depend on more specific priorities, price range, and whether or not you'll have a car.

GENERALLY, people avoid the East Side of St. Paul between about Rice and Arcade. People also tend to avoid the North End (along University Avenue from the Capitol all the way west to about Snelling). St. Paul is remarkably safe, though. Much safer as a whole than Minneapolis.

Attractive neighborhoods in St. Paul would be anything west of the Capitol and south of 94 (Mac-Groveland, Highland Park, near the colleges, Summit Hill, etc.)

You could get winter gear at any Target or Walmart. If you want to make an investment on something that will last, you have a few options. If you plan on doing things that are outdoorsy, any REI or Dicks Sporting Goods should stock items beginning in the Fall. Midwest Mountaineering is another great option (and local). If you are looking for something stylish (a peacoat, for instance) that might be more appropriate to wear into an office, any upper-scale department store like Macy's should carry them starting in the Fall.

The winters get cold, so be prepared. There is typically one week or so in January where people avoid going outdoors (besides to and from the house, office, and car) because of temperature drop (we're talking negative temps all week). To avoid cabin fever, stay as active as possible. 20-35 degree days are actually really nice and leave you sweating if you are physically active and bundled up. I used to go snowshoeing on the lakes, but it can be anything. People like to ski (downhill or cross-country) on weekends, and the runners that I knew all thought that winter weather was much closer to ideal conditions than a hot summer day. Practically every neighborhood park (and we have lots of them) will flood a field or softball diamond during the winter to make a seasonal ice rink, so take up hockey if you can afford it....or just buy some skates. In a close-knit community, those rinks can be a great opportunity to meet neighbors, too.

In general, use your opportunity living with relatives to explore the city(s) a little bit to see what's out there. Come back to us with some more specific questions when/if you have them. I can't guarantee that Minneapolis (or St. Paul....or a suburb) will have anything that will meet every one of the criteria you come up with, but typically the posters here will be able to recommend a neighborhood or suburb that comes pretty close.

Good luck, and keep us posted...

[angelsweb]

Adam,
Welcome to Minnesota. I grew up in Mayfield, and just spent my first winter up here, so maybe I can give you some hints on the weather. You'll need a hat and gloves for sure. We moved here from Alabama, so we did have to buy a few winter things too.

Depending on your transportation, you might try the Columbia store in the Albertville outlet mall off I-94 northwest of the Twin cities for winter gear. There's a Cabela's outdoors store in Rogers, which is also on I-94.

Despite the snow, I found winter here wasn't too bad, just way too long. It's a drier cold, than Kentucky, and the sun actually shines a lot.

Since we live in a far outer corner of the Twin Cities, I really can't help with your other questions.

Good luck in the job search!

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by angelsweb

Adam,
Welcome to Minnesota. I grew up in Mayfield, and just spent my first winter up here, so maybe I can give you some hints on the weather. You'll need a hat and gloves for sure. We moved here from Alabama, so we did have to buy a few winter things too.

Depending on your transportation, you might try the Columbia store in the Albertville outlet mall off I-94 northwest of the Twin cities for winter gear. There's a Cabela's outdoors store in Rogers, which is also on I-94.

Despite the snow, I found winter here wasn't too bad, just way too long. It's a drier cold, than Kentucky, and the sun actually shines a lot.

Since we live in a far outer corner of the Twin Cities, I really can't help with your other questions.

Good luck in the job search!

Keep in mind that last winter was NOT NORMAL, not even close to normal...at least the part of snow into May . Usually by the end of March we start seeing warmer temps, no snow, grass greening up, etc. I hope to never see a "spring" like that again!

[Astron1000]

SRSMN gave good advice, but do not confuse "Northside" of Minneapolis with "Northeast" Minneapolis or simply NE. NE is the opposite - middle-class and the hub of the local art gallery scene. It's the big area north and east of downtown across the Mississippi River and borders the U of M area (which is oddly considered to be SE Minneapolis).

Minnesota has a liberal assistance program for low-income people. You can find a wealth of info here: http://mn.gov/dhs/

[chessgeek]

The Victory neighborhood would be the exception in North Minneapolis. It has the beautiful Victory Memorial Parkway in a nice neighborhood and the aptly named Victory 44 restaurant is considered by many to be north Minneapolis' finest restaurant. The neighborhood is safer than the other north Minneapolis neighborhoods.

[Beenhere4ever]

I think Northside is about 50/50. Meaning you have about a 50 percent chance of neighborhood peace, depending on where you reside. Other parts of town are higher, that is, less chance of any risk. I'd go so far as to say Minneapolis has more safe neighborhoods than unsafe ones.

[Mr. In-Between]

Since you're new to the area, don't know for sure where you'll be working, and it sounds as though money may be a little tight, it's probably prudent to look at affordable areas that are conveniently accessible to both major cities and have good public transit options. Seward and Cedar-Riverside are excellent choices if these are your criteria. They're both to the east (that is, the St. Paul side) of Downtown Minneapolis, and are well-served by both bus and light rail. They also straddle I-94, the freeway between the two downtowns. Also consider the Prospect Park neighborhood, which straddles University Avenue on the eastern edge of Minneapolis. Probably more expensive than Seward or Cedar-Riverside, but much quieter and more secluded than most of the other two neighborhoods would be. Very nice little neighborhood, and the winding, twisty streets will make you feel at home (I live in Kentucky now myself, so I know what you're used to driving on!)

As for winter gear, Midwest Mountaineering (in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood) is top of the line, but you don't need (and may not want to) spend top dollar for a good winter coat. My main winter coat cost 70 bucks at JC Penney 10 years ago. I only spend bigger bucks on outdoor recreational wear, like gear for winter hiking and snowshoeing and the like. Affordable winter wear is all you usually need for everyday.

Boots.... you want to wear rubberized shoes or boots in the city, because the salt slush will soak into leather or fabric and ruin them. Again, any decent department store will have options that more than meet your needs. Make sure you get good, warm socks, and good gloves or (preferably) mittens. You'll be surprised at how quickly and how badly your extremities can freeze the first time it drops below zero and your bus is 15 minutes late. Get a warm hat, too, something to protect your southern ears. There's not much circulation in the ears, and they freeze fast.

Welcome to the Cities. You'll like it there, I'm sure. Very different from Mayfield, but it's a damned good place to live.

[pete6032]

All good advice. Best bet to get a deal on a coat is to find one you like at the big retailers and then go online and compare prices. I just found a brand name jacket the other day at Dicks Sporting Goods and it was going for $99, took a picture of the tag with my phone so I could remember the name and sku, went online and found it for $60 shipped.

[JONOV]

Good Luck in Minneapolis. I loved it, lived there for two and a half years. I would look at the Uptown or Northeast neighborhoods. Seward can be a neat place too...IT all depends what your looking for. Cedars 94 is a complex I would avoid...I had friends that lived their, one that worked there, and there are better situations to be had. Every major retailer has winter gear, don't worry about that. When it comes to the winter, embrace it! take up ice fishing, drinking, or cross country skiing, something that gets you out of the house...