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Hi everyone. I am in a possible once in a lifetime situation (good or bad). I am about to become unemployed. I am currently living in a small city near Kansas City that I hate living in. I can move to KC as I like the city but I hate the weather, imagine never opening a window even at night from May through Sep because of heat and humidity, and there is no real water here for boating. I am from Detroit and spent half of my career there and my family and long time friends live there but just no jobs now or very good outlook in the future. I am basically free to move and work anywhere but places I have in the past.
Because of this and my occupation, accountant for privately held companies, from past experience looking for a job I am not an attractive applicant unless I already live where the job is. For my best chance at a job where I would like to live I need to move there before looking for a job. I prefer an upper Midwest large city that has water for boating. I gladly will exchange mild winters and harsh summers for harsh winters and mild summers. I am seriously thinking about relocating to the Twin Cities. I lived there when I was real young but my parents over the years have nothing but kind words about the area and they rarely have kind words for anything.
My questions:
1) Forget the recession, but over the years and when the economy recovers are there a significant amount of medium size companies (50-200 employees) in the manufacturing/distribution fields?
2) Where is the best place/website to look for an professional job in the Twin Cities?
3) Is there a specific area where manufacturing is mostly located?
4) Friendly is way too subjective and the other threads show that. In a specific way are neighbors more likely to say high and have conversations with their neighbors and volunteer to help a neighbor out or are they likely to just keep to themselves and if they see a senior citizen neighbor struggle with putting out their trash they ignore the neighbor and walk back into their house?
Manufacturing has generally been pretty healthy in the twin Cities. It is scattered all over the metro. There's decent concentrations in cities like Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Eagan, Shoreview/Arden Hills, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Park, plus further out suburbs and NE/SE Minneapolis and the Midway area of St Paul.
To your last question, I don't know many people who wouldn't lend a senior a hand with taking out their garbage.
My husband lost his job in accounting for a public company this year & we are moving as a result of his finding a job in another state. We found the accounting field tough in middle-management and mid-range jobs. Executives are safe and companies like to keep inexpensive employees at lower levels around. I would look at linked in, Robert Half, Hudson consulting in the twin cities as possible places to look. I wish you luck with your job search and potential move! I think working through recruiters is the best way to go.
Like others have said, jobs are scattered across the metro area, with some areas with higher concentrations than others.
People are pretty friendly; I think where newcomers get thrown off is that just because a neighbor helps out with something or is friendly in a small talk kind of way that it will easily transfer into a deeper friendship. I think that yes, most people are willing to give a helping hand if needed (i.e. with shoveling the sidewalk of an older neighbor, keeping an eye on the house and bringing in mail/papers while a neighbor is on vacation, that sort of thing), but like any other place, it's going to depend on the individual.
Thank you for all the replies. I am very happy to read there is small manufacturing companies there because some stuff I read on the Internet was not promising.
I think Minnesota nice should be looked upon as a good thing. I have moved a few times where I had to start my social life from scratch. I was living someplace where in the five years I only talked to two neighbors and only because I approached them and no one did anything nice for anyone. Where I live now if anything it can be too time consuming to be outside your house because most of my neighbors will small talk you to death. But they will do you favors even before you could ask them or even if you want them to do it.
But I agree with you uptown any individual moving anywhere has the responsibility to get there own social life. Co-workers and neighbors are not obligated to becoming good friends and entertaining you. In a large city if you make the effort should have little trouble making friends that share your interests. I have yet to see groups like boaters shun a new boater or a golfer be shunned by the golfing community. But you have to put yourself out there.
Hi everyone. I am in a possible once in a lifetime situation (good or bad). I am about to become unemployed. I am currently living in a small city near Kansas City that I hate living in. I can move to KC as I like the city but I hate the weather, imagine never opening a window even at night from May through Sep because of heat and humidity, and there is no real water here for boating. I am from Detroit and spent half of my career there and my family and long time friends live there but just no jobs now or very good outlook in the future. I am basically free to move and work anywhere but places I have in the past.
Because of this and my occupation, accountant for privately held companies, from past experience looking for a job I am not an attractive applicant unless I already live where the job is. For my best chance at a job where I would like to live I need to move there before looking for a job. I prefer an upper Midwest large city that has water for boating. I gladly will exchange mild winters and harsh summers for harsh winters and mild summers. I am seriously thinking about relocating to the Twin Cities. I lived there when I was real young but my parents over the years have nothing but kind words about the area and they rarely have kind words for anything.
My questions:
1) Forget the recession, but over the years and when the economy recovers are there a significant amount of medium size companies (50-200 employees) in the manufacturing/distribution fields?
2) Where is the best place/website to look for an professional job in the Twin Cities?
3) Is there a specific area where manufacturing is mostly located?
4) Friendly is way too subjective and the other threads show that. In a specific way are neighbors more likely to say high and have conversations with their neighbors and volunteer to help a neighbor out or are they likely to just keep to themselves and if they see a senior citizen neighbor struggle with putting out their trash they ignore the neighbor and walk back into their house?
Thanks for reading this.
I had to reply to this since I will most likely be doing the opposite of you and relocating to NW Missouri in a few years for family reasons.
I second the suggestion for the Minnesota Jobworks web site, Its the official state job and employer database.
I like the Twin Cities much better than KC. They just seem more cosmopolitian and put togther, more business oriented, less run down, and gotta love all the lakes and greenery. Plus the skyline of Minneapolis puts KC to shame.
As for weather, I know its warmer in Missouri in the summer, but I am in the KC/St. Joe area at least a few times each season (I know I-35 through Iowa like the back of my hand) and dont really notice a big difference in the weather except our snow sticks around longer and its a little less humid up here. But then again, whenever I stay at my grandpas house in Missouri in the summer (he dosn't usually use air conditioning) I am fine with sleeping with the windows open.
The only thing I wish Minnesota had more of that Missoui has is the lightning bugs. I enjoy them when I visit my family in Missouri.
What town are you coming from?
I had to reply to this since I will most likely be doing the opposite of you and relocating to NW Missouri in a few years for family reasons.
I second the suggestion for the Minnesota Jobworks web site, Its the official state job and employer database.
I like the Twin Cities much better than KC. They just seem more cosmopolitian and put togther, more business oriented, less run down, and gotta love all the lakes and greenery. Plus the skyline of Minneapolis puts KC to shame.
As for weather, I know its warmer in Missouri in the summer, but I am in the KC/St. Joe area at least a few times each season (I know I-35 through Iowa like the back of my hand) and dont really notice a big difference in the weather except our snow sticks around longer and its a little less humid up here. But then again, whenever I stay at my grandpas house in Missouri in the summer (he dosn't usually use air conditioning) I am fine with sleeping with the windows open.
The only thing I wish Minnesota had more of that Missoui has is the lightning bugs. I enjoy them when I visit my family in Missouri.
What town are you coming from?
We are looking at doing the exact opposite. I have lived in Saint Jo for eleven years. I am stunned your grandfather does not have air conditioning and you must be one of those persons that weather has little affect on.
The days in the summer are not that bad except for here and there over the summer they get either way hot or way humid. But most places have those types of days. The nights in the summer here are the real killers. Up there I am sure it cools down quite a bit. But here EVERY night during the summer the winds dies down to nothing and the humidity skyrockets. Most people do not even bother to open their windows once they turn on the air conditioner the first time.
I like KC a lot. The people are nice and it has most things. I would not mine living there but the weather and my enjoyment of lake activities and a more mixed political positions, pure bright red where I am now, and I prefer where being in the middle did not feel like I was far left.
We are looking at doing the exact opposite. I have lived in Saint Jo for eleven years. I am stunned your grandfather does not have air conditioning and you must be one of those persons that weather has little affect on.
The days in the summer are not that bad except for here and there over the summer they get either way hot or way humid. But most places have those types of days. The nights in the summer here are the real killers. Up there I am sure it cools down quite a bit. But here EVERY night during the summer the winds dies down to nothing and the humidity skyrockets. Most people do not even bother to open their windows once they turn on the air conditioner the first time.
I like KC a lot. The people are nice and it has most things. I would not mine living there but the weather and my enjoyment of lake activities and a more mixed political positions, pure bright red where I am now, and I prefer where being in the middle did not feel like I was far left.
But the lightening bugs are very cool!
Lol. He got AC about 15 years ago, but rarely uses it. I suppose after 70 years with no AC you get used to it.
The humidity at night here might surprise you. At least July and August, granted we get more breaks from it.
In the Twin Cities, you will find the central cities more liberal and the suburbs, especially the northern burbs more conservative. The small towns in southern Minnesota are pretty much just as red as the small towns in northern Missouri. I live in a small "red" town now, but I am more "blue" and seem to get along fine. Most people are very nice. I dont notice much difference in attitude between here and northern MO. I do notice a difference in accents though. Its crazy how the way people talk changes from one side of Iowa to the other
I am not a real big fan of St. Joe for some reason. I actually prefer Maryville more than most other towns in NW Missouri. Maybe its the college and Lake Mozingo.
Anyway, good luck with your decision.
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