Northern Cali Vs Minnesota

[CCbaxter]

Excellent idea, I hadn't thought of that. It looks like parking would be a wash, but I wouldn't have as far to drive.

[manzelka]

Atlas Traveler,


I wish you had posted this four years ago! I moved from northern California to Minnesota and it was everything you said and worse. I will add, if you parent your children in a progressive manner stay out of Minnesota because you will not fit in. We are out of there now safely back on the west coast and we couldn't be happier about it!

[CCbaxter]

Originally Posted by manzelka

Atlas Traveler,


I wish you had posted this four years ago! I moved from northern California to Minnesota and it was everything you said and worse. I will add, if you parent your children in a progressive manner stay out of Minnesota because you will not fit in. We are out of there now safely back on the west coast and we couldn't be happier about it!

How do you define 'progressive manner'?

[mn shutterbug]

Originally Posted by rainydayparis

Looks like you all are talking only to each other, since the OP opened this thread on
October 1 and hasn't been back in 15 days. Heck, she only has this 1 post on c-d.
Kind of rude.

But she is getting feedback, which is what she was after.

[BreakY]

6 months later, but I'll give my two cents. I moved here from Emeryville in November. I've also lived in Cincinnati, LA, and I'm originally from Hawaii.

Everyone knows Minnesota is going to be cold in the winter so you can't really complain about that. That's like complaining that it gets hot and humid during the summer, when that's how it works. It gets hot and humid during the summers here, btw. Not as bad as some other places but you will sweat just sitting down!

I oftentimes tell people who ask, that Minnesota feels a lot like where I'm from, Hawaii - it's a small town, so it definitely has that small town feel. Things move at a slightly slower pace than what I encountered back in SF and LA.

There is a higher quality of living here than California without the California price, but I do see the gap closing especially in terms of costs with food and going out. Lot of cool shops, eateries, and breweries springing up. When I lived in Cincinnati, it was so hard to find authentic cultural foods, and was afraid I would run into the same thing moving here. Nope, there are so many Pho joints, sushi places, awesome ramen, and amazing americana. Mexican could be better, but at least its there! Ramen Kazama, Red Cow, Cocina Del Barrio, Surly Brewing, Patty Wagon, Pub 819, George and the Dragon, the list goes on.

Home prices should definitely be cheaper than in Cali, and the traffic is a lot more manageable than anything Cali has. You'll still run into the daily traffic on major freeways between 4-6, but nothing crazy like the 405 every minute of every day.

I think the only negative I can see is that it can feel same-y, which just might be me. Norcal did feel like there was more to do and more secrets to find. I'm single, 36, have no kids, I'm a bachelor. If I had kids, this place is perfect. Great schools, Minnesota really pushes for amazing education, which is not what I can say about California. There's enough space out here for people to have lives, and it's grounded. Not hyperrealism city like I encountered in Cali.

I like that the people that I met and friends I made are rooted in realism here. Maybe its because the winters every year is like a nice slap to the face to remind you that life can be harsh, so be nice. People are humble here for the most part. There are still douchenozzle cocky jackass dudes here like everywhere else, but I ran into less of those here.

Just be aware that it is hard to make friends and connections here. It's a matter of fact. It's true that because a lot of people here are lifers, they have no motivation to really get out of their comfort zone. Minnesota and the surrounding states is pretty much all they know, which isn't a bad thing per se, just that it makes it harder for them to relate to outsiders. It's exactly the same with Hawaii local lifers. They typically only know about Hawaii, and some things about Vegas, LA, and Seattle, and stay friends with people from childhood, and rarely make friends outside of that. If they do, it's not deep connections, since they already have that.

Personally from me, I'm most likely going to leave when my lease is up. Really enjoy being here and quality of life here is top notch, but my industry is not well represented. Its also hard to meet meaningful ladies here. Ran into too many women with over-entitled attitudes and BS behavior.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by manzelka

Atlas Traveler,


I wish you had posted this four years ago! I moved from northern California to Minnesota and it was everything you said and worse. I will add, if you parent your children in a progressive manner stay out of Minnesota because you will not fit in. We are out of there now safely back on the west coast and we couldn't be happier about it!

To each their own. There are also people on this forum that moved to MN from CA or another state and like MN. That easily counters your generalization: "Stay out of Minnesota because you will not fit in". Some people have fit in just fine. Better to respectfully say "It was not for me."

I like living in northern California, but there are other good places to live too. If I did not own a home here, or did not have strong ties to family and friends here, and was younger instead of in my mid-50's, I might have even considered moving back to Minnesota. Colorado, where I also have a couple friends, would be another possibility. The OP has been provided with some good Minnesota cities to live in.