St. Paul, Minnesota

As the more serious, slightly quieter city of the Twin Cities, St. Paul is more affordable, homier and more suburban, while just over the river from the bigger city amenities of Minneapolis. Meanwhile St. Paul has its own culture, great music, fun activities and an arts scene.

In the rising WFH culture, direct proximity to a business district drops in importance and St. Paul gets on more equal footing to Minneapolis.

Here's the pov of St. Paul from a Chicago transplant:
I'm from the Chicagoland area, do you see all the green and trees between us and the city behind us, that doesn't exist in Chicago. We live in a very suburban flavored neighborhood, I don't feel claustrophobic despite how close I am to downtown. There are nature preserves in and around both of the twins, it is absolutely beautiful. And while the locals aren't perfect drivers (tailgating and merging issues) they aren't batshit crazy like Chicagoans, I refuse to even consider driving in Chicago but can drive through St. Paul during rush hour and the locals let me make my lane changes in bumper to bumper traffic so I can make my exits/turns, so Minnesota nice!

But the best part of living in St. Paul is that it is in Minnesota. Minnesotans are proud of Minnesota like most people are proud of their state but they honestly have so much to be proud of.

For more reviews of what living in St. Paul is like from locals check out: The Buzz

The climate might be changing, but snowy winters are a constant in St. Paul -- winter will be cold and it will snow. A lot. But the city knows its stuff, so streets get cleaned up fast and the snow is not that disruptive. Renters will want to make sure that the responsibility of snow shoveling is understood because those that do not clear their sidewalks can be fined.

**Here's a local with some counsel on living with the winter: **
Going into winter now, the biggest thing you're also going to want to look for in housing is whether or not your landlord/HOA is going shovel snow for you or if you're going to be shoveling your sidewalk/entryway/driveway yourself. This year is supposed to be a "warm" winter, which means largely temps between 15-30 F for extended periods of time, which usually means LOTS of snow.

Make sure your car can handle snow and when you get here go get a nice winter coat. For me, my main winter coat costs more than any other single piece of clothing I own, including shoes. A close second are my winter boots. You're going to be living in your coat whenever you're outside from Nov-Apr, so don't be afraid to shop around and spend $$ on it.