Something for everyone? You betcha!!
Written: Apr 18 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean, little crime something for everyone
Cons: can be cold and lots of snow... Expensive to live here.
The Bottom Line: Depending on what you want, you will probably find it somewhere in Minnesota.
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| Ybo's Full Review: Minnesota |
Having lived here since I was kid (my family moved to Minnesota when I was 11) I consider Minnesota my home. All my family has since moved away and I remain, mostly because I do love it here and had no reason to move some place else. I'm currently trying to talk my Texas born and bread boyfriend to move here and have put some thought into why he should move from his warm home state to my "cool" one.
First I have visited many other places and states, among them, Iowa (not much different…), Nebraska (where I was born), New England, California, Arizona, Colorado even Europe…you get the picture, and still I consider Minnesota the best place to live.
Why do you ask? After all it's frigid there.. cold.. Siberia… (as my Texas guy puts it), Iceland… and yeah it's cold about 4 or 5 months a year, but if that's the ONLY reason for not living some where then I'll take it. After all there are good things:
Low crime. Minnesota continues to have some of the lowest crime rates in the nation "per capita". When the TV show "Cops" filmed here rumor had it they were bored… that's a GOOD thing!!!!!!!
Clean air/Water: Minnesota is noted for it's clean air and water and just clean general environment. Conserving, recycling and "environmentally friendly" products are pushed and easily accepted by most Minnesotans.
Nature. Even in town it's not all that unusual to see deer walking around streets at night or eating your flowers in the morning. This can be an annoyance but also what a site to look out your back door and see a hawk sitting in your tree waiting for you to let the poodle out, or a deer grazing in your garden…
All that aside, Minnesota conserves its natural resources including wild life. You don’t have to go far to commune with nature, including the free admission Como Zoo located in St. Paul or the large and well worth the price Minnesota Zoo located just south of the cities that includes a light rail and inside paths when the weather is not so nice.
Music/entertainment. Minneapolis especially is known for its musical diversity. There are many night clubs and eating establishments, along with plenty of shopping and I'm not just talking about the famous Mall, but Nicolette mall (which by the way is outside, and is blocked off to local traffic. Only busses are allowed on it), City Center and the other "not as famous but still fun" malls that line the metro area. There are sure things about living in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and that's there's a mall near you. After all the first mall ever built was Southdale mall located in Edina Minnesota. By the way both St. Paul and Minneapolis have indoor sky ways so you can literally walk from one side of town to the other without ever stepping outside.
There are art and many other types of museums in both St. Paul and Minneapolis, and it's easy to catch an off Broadway show if that's your deal.
Sports. If you are into sports, any sports, Minnesota has it.
Vikings for you football fans
Wild for you hockey nuts
Timberwolves for you basketball round heads
Twins for you batters, and the Saints for you minor league batters who want something slightly different.
Then of course the UoM teams, the hockey team winning the national championship twice in a row!!
The lakes. This goes with the nature comment. You don't have to go far to get to a lake. I have at least three within 5 miles of me, and they are considered average run of the mill lakes, but they are large, beautiful and well kept. This goes along with the river scenes. Although not as popular as the lakes, the rivers that run through the Minneapolis/St. Paul are popular mostly with the sail and boating fans. The St. Croix, Minnesota and of course the Mississippi rivers all run and merge around the cities.
There is something for every one here. Tired of the city scene? Go north. There you will find small towns, quiet and lots of nature. Any Minnesotan will tell you that Northern Minnesota and the Cities are TWO different places. Duluth for example is a whole different city then St. Paul or Minneapolis, but offers much of what the twin cities has, along with that big old lake it sits on. And every town you see will boast having the world's largest BASS sitting in fiberglass glory in a lake side parking lot. Of course don't get this confused with Paul Bunyon and the Blue Ox you can see in Brainard. This along with a light house, some really pretty water falls and lots and lots of pristine shore line to look at as you drive down the road or walk by when the weather is nice. At night you get clear skies and at the right time of the year the northern lights.
Now the downsides. I believe in being fair and no place is perfect, but here are the down sides:
Weather. From about mid to late November to April it's cold and there can be lots and lots of snow. But out of that, there are only a few weeks where the cold is unbearable and the only thing bad about snow is driving in it and clearing it away so you can drive, other wise snow can be fun. Snowmobile, skiing (yes we have some good sized hills here, especially up in the Duluth area), x-country skiing, snow shoeing, snowmen, snow angels, ice fishing. There are things that can be and are looked forward to by many Minnesotans in the winter. But if cold and snow is not your thing, then don’t come during the winter time unless you HAVE to.
Congestion. Minneapolis/St. Paul especially are getting crowded, and the roads are not keeping up. There is ALWAYS road construction going on all year but of course you notice it the most in warmer months. AND I agree with what some have said about driving in Minnesota. It's the worst. Just be prepared.
Minnesota nice. For the most part is true, except when behind the wheel… look out. Northern Minnesota (nice) is more noticeable.
Government. Now that we have a new governor that should calm down. I hope.
Housing. Very expensive to live here. The average home is close to $180,000…that's AVERAGE. Town homes start at $150.
While we're on housing…urban sprawl. It's getting bad and adding to the already mentioned road congestion. The silly light rail will not help much and the other mass transit (bus) is not good enough.
Mosquitoes. The worst. Horrible little suckers, but with all these lakes… go figure!!
Still, I find Minnesota a great place to live and raise a family, or just visit. You could do worse!!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
Ybo
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Member: Yvonne Graf
Location: Farmington, Minnesota
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
The good times are better then the bad times are bad.
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