Minneapolis, Minnesota

bigger_sky
Living in Minneapolis
2y ago
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I moved here almost 3 years ago. Here are some of the things that I do and don’t like:

Like:

•great for outdoor activities at all times of year

•bike infrastructure is terrific by North American standards

•people are generally a lot more polite and courteous than where I grew up

•traffic is not too bad for a city this size

•pretty good craft beer scene

•bus system is one of the better ones in the US

•great art scene

•the summers here are insanely nice (even though locals will complain about the heat)

Dislike:

•for a major us city there isn’t a lot of street life in most places that you would think there would be (ie downtown)

•very car centric outside of a handful of neighborhoods

•people are much more reserved and shy toward strangers than what I’m used to

TheMiddleShogun
Living in Minneapolis
2y ago
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Pros:

It's believed MN will be a climate refuge (I know folks from the desert talking about moving up here since they're running out of water)

Relative to other major cities MSP is quiet and not a concrete prison.

Similar to above you can find a park just about everywhere

We are a smaller city but our transit is still pretty good. It's having driver shortage issues rn but when that wasn't an issue we had a very comprehensive bus network. It's shrunk but if you don't mind walking a few blocks for a connection in certain areas you can get to just about anywhere in city proper and surrounding suburbs. (rumor has it that metrotransit is seeing more interest in operator positions)

We've got loads or art, music, theater, entertainment options. On a spiritual level there's a decent amount of diversity in worship options. Plenty of mosques, synagogues and (mostly Lutheran) churches. there's even some Buddhist and Hindu temples but not as many.

Walkability and bikeable: we have dedicated bike paths and trails and lanes. Decent bike amenities, and generally people respect you when your on the road (generally…)

MSP stopped annexing territory very early on so many of the immediate suburbs have the same feeling as MSP, in some areas you wouldn't even be able to tell you left Minneapolis or st Paul. Those may also be good areas to look if you don't find a place in Minneapolis proper to live. All of them have good (non highway) access to the city.

Small metro area: you can get from the western side of Minneapolis to the eastern side of st Paul in about a half hour in a car.

uberseed
Living in Minneapolis
2y ago
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Edited 2y ago
Imma start with the other list and adjust for my own opinion. Pros:

People are nice and are generally more progressive. If you lean conservative then I'd say this is not a pro.

Walkability/bikability/close to everything - I live in downtown Minneapolis specifically for this. The skyway is great for winter. Public transit is decent. I sold my car (1 remaining in the household) and only have to uber a handful of times a month.

Restaurants: yes the food scene is very good here.

There are some grocery stores in downtown, but honestly they are kind of meh. Lund&byerly is expensive for good quality grocery, but that's unnecessarily expensive so I only shop there for last minute items. Target is generally expensive for the ok quality, and the fresh selections just arent very good tbh. Wholefoods is basically a bigger and more corporate Lund. They have $12/12 oysters on Friday though. Trader Joe's is good, but the meat is a bit pricey. My opinion on pricing is based off of Costco.

Lots of random events throughout the year, which is great when combined with the walkability.

ravravioli
Living in Minneapolis
7mo ago
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I grew up in Austin in the 90s, early 00's and have lived in the twin cities for the last 8 years. Part of it really reminds me of how Austin was 20+ years ago. Traffic isn't terrible, people live and spend most of their time in their neighborhoods, lots of family friendly stuff going on, people freaking love being outside, large college population, etc. It's a large city but with some small town feel.

The biggest "con" is winter, but it is what you make it. I personally love the winters, they make you really appreciate summer, which is a dream up here compared to Texas. Grocery stores are also not as good as HEB and Central Market and certain kinds of cuisine are not as abundant and great (but we do have a great food scene!) People are not as friendly, but they are kind. You may not meet your neighbor until they are helping you dig your car out after a massive snowstorm. I really like Minnesotans, but most of my best friends up here are also from out of state.

Pros for me come in the form of great social services. Free school breakfast and lunch for all kids, ratified human rights, solid infrastructure, investing in building out bike trails and public transit. For renting, one of the big pros is a lot of areas are trying to improve density, so there's lots of new apartments going up that aren't just luxury highrises downtown.

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN THE TWIN CITIES MINNESOTA