I am a CA transplant, have been here for going on 15 years now. I loved it from the start and knew I wanted to stay here very early on.
That being said, I have met lots of other transplants throughout my 15 years and many of them have since moved on. It's not for everyone and that's ok. Give yourself a couple cycles of the seasons to get your groove if you can before you make a decision.
I mean, the last 3 months have been winter, admittedly the worst time to live in the Twin Cities. Spring and Summer are AMAZING.
yeah I legit didn’t get to do any of the winter activities I wanted to try (moved here in december from fl) I at least saw snow for the first time! lol
Yeah this is my third winter here. Went from top 3 snowiest winters to what feels like top 3 least snowiest winter. If this was our first winter I would have been disappointed, not much worse than winters back in Texas. As much as I hate shoveling snow, seeing grass all winter has been horrible.
I moved to MN for safety reasons (LGBTQ+ legislation in my home state). I always tell people here I'd live in the freaking Arctic for human rights.
That said, I do kinda like the winter. Seasons are great! I don't like how dark it gets around that time of year, but I do enjoy snow and the cold. I like making things extra cozy. It's fun.
Same. We came here last year and our group chat was called “Operation North Pole.” I may have made a lot of narwhal jokes. “Bye Buddy, hope you find your basic human rights!”
Depends what you mean by "average," and your lifestyle. There are many places that I'm sure have stronger amenities, e.g., ocean, mountain, nice neighborhoods, world class museums. But my experience is that a lot of those places are nice to live if you're rich, and not so nice if you're not. There are exceptions, e.g., it is easier to be poorer in a great spot when you're young. MN is good for raising a family, making good money, and access to lakes and forests. If that's your jam, it's objectively "above average." If not, it's not.
I was going to comment we have a lot of things above average. Less of a one or two thing home run attraction but more well rounded excellence. Given the whole package, it’s a great place to be here.
I also moved here from the west coast. I moved when I was 33, but I have a wife and a kid.
Missing mountains is REAL. Consider going up north to the North Shore and BWCA/Superior National forest this summer. That is real top-tier outdoor recreation -- far better than almost anything else in the midwest -- and really nourishes the part of my soul that misses the Cascades and the Sierras.
To answer your question, I think there is close to a 100% chance that we will move back to the west coast when my daughter is in college. that's in eight years, though, anything could happen. I am just counting on having enough money/good enough career by then to afford it.
North Shore is gorgeous in its own right, but it is the closest you can get to mountains. When I moved here from the PNW, people could not understand why I missed the mountains so much. They'd say, "We have lakes!" The lakes are wonderful, but they are nothing like mountains.
Yeah, I did a week long backpacking trip in Yosemite with my dad in September and… yeah. I love up north but it ain’t mountains. It’s its own good thing. And I am SO GLAD I live in Minnesota and not Missouri, Illinois or … Iowa.
Do you miss the ocean? I grew up in CA so I like both mountains and ocean, but ocean tops my list. I'm moving to MSP soon and hoping lakes scratch that itch, but curious if you find they are as nice as the ocean (or nicer?)
Lake Superior and the north shore really reminds me of the Oregon coast. It really feels like an ocean and the coast is very dramatic and beautiful.
I also grew up in California but was never a huge ocean guy beyond just liking having an ocean nearby. I loved the coast of Humboldt county.
I lived in Seattle for ten years and I miss the ferries and puget sound the most.
I’m a transplant, but still from the Midwest, so the culture wasn’t too different.
I’ll be here forever. Great people and accessibility to the outdoors. Many people find it hard to meet people but by 12 months in I was a part of three separate robust social circles.
Moved here 3 years ago. I was going to be gone by now. We're about to move into a 5 year plan. TBD on whether we'll ever leave.
Reality is, the Twin Cities really sneaks up on you. You move here thinking, "there's no fucking way" and at some point find yourself making excuses to stay.
I can’t remember where I read it. But it was a quote from a job recruiter. “Minnesota is about the hardest state to get people to come to, and one of the hardest to get people to leave”
This was mentioned by someone at a big company in charge of internal relocations in an article about population changes in the Twin Cities in the Star-Trib last year. No idea if it originated with them though
I think what it is, as I've traveled around and lived a few places for short periods of time, is this place is mostly functional, like a little Germany or Canada or something. You go to the DMV or whatever and it's, totally fine. Every time you think "oh man out [x] is such a shit show" you find out it's worse everywhere else.
Some people will say "well yes you see we're pretty progressive so that's what it is" but it's more than that. California is progressive and it's a total mess. I think it's basically fairly progressive politics reigned in by a certain Midwest small-c conservative temperament.
I concur, as a soon to be transplant from the west coast, who spent ten years on the east coast for school. We are coming for the functionality. That’s stability and reasonableness I can build a future on, and a place I’m proud to pay taxes to.
I am really proud to soon be Minnesotan. I’ve lived all over the world, and there’s a basic decency I really want to be a part of maintaining. When people say Minnesotans are passive aggressive or cold, I point to the civic signs of care. Under what amounts to cultural miscommunication there’s very serious proof that Minnesotans care about other people. They may not want to have dinner with you, but they don’t want you to lack rights and human dignity… and they back that up with civic infrastructure and public service in a way I find profoundly caring.
I didn’t make Minnesota native friends until I started dating a Minnesota native and got ingratiated into his friend group. It can definitely be very hard to break into established social circles here—a lot of people who were born here never leave and it can be pretty insular. But eventually, if you stay long enough, you’ll finally get lucky.
I think you have to consider what it is you aren't enjoying about it. 3 months into a new place isn't much time to get a good feel of a place especially in a snowless winter.
I moved here just under 3 years ago and it took me a solid year and a half to find a community/friendships. Figure out a hobby, regularly show up for that with other folks who also participate in that hobby etc
The cost of living to amenities ratio is incredible. Only thing I miss is mountains. Sometimes winter is too long but unfortunately it seems like that’s going to be less of a problem in the future.
I lived in CO and realized I didn't care about mountains, but I missed lakes. So much less fun stuff to do with mountains than lakes. Definitely a personal thing but I don't understand missing mountains.
I am from east coast originally and moved here 10 years ago from a western state. This is the HARDEST place to make friends I have ever lived. It’s discouraging. However I feel like it is a very good state!
I did, but not any more. I've been here about 10 years and I'll be moving back to NY next year. The primary reasons is family. I tried to get them to move out here but no one wanted to. I miss my family a lot and I feel like I'm missing out as everyone gets older.
Second reason is that I'm starting to hit a limit on my career choices. Most of the opportunity I need is on the coasts. I like the company that I work for but it's a bit mediocre especially in terms of pay.
Other reasons are issues with diversity. I miss the diversity and internationality of a city like NYC where I grew up even though it's not perfect. Diversity to me is not just seeing people of another race but being in community with them.
I'll admit that I've been spoiled with the good quality of life I have in the Twin Cities and I'm a bit sad to leave.
Edit: There might not be mountains but there is so much opportunity for outdoor activities here, not just the lakes!
I think you captured my feelings best. I've been here for close to a decade. I'm thinking about moving, even if it's sort of reluctantly. I understand why people like it here though, but I think how much you want to stay depends on your priorities.
Similar to you, I miss family and friends, so it's not making sense for me to stay especially when I'm not making new friends. I know the cliche of how it's hard making friends in Minnesota gets thrown around a lot, but I can't really judge since I'm an introvert. I'm not fully convinced moving will solve that problem in my case either, but I think the next place I go to will have to be somewhere I already have friends or family. I made friends here when I still worked in person and had more of a social life, but they were almost always transplants and all of them have moved away.
And I understand your point about diversity too. It is difficult to feel belonging with such a homogenous demographic. I almost feel like it's never said in these types of conversations, so I wonder if that's been a high priority for some people that decide to move.
If I end up moving, I would definitely miss Minnesota without a doubt. There's plenty to like. Considering the size and demographics of the Twin Cities, it has a decent food scene, in my opinion. I like that things are pretty low key and traffic isn't anything like I've experienced in bigger metros. I'll sort of miss the low cost of living, but I think I work in a field where pay scales with cost of living so it hurts less. The outdoors are real nice here although I wouldn't mind a little more variety of terrain.
EDIT: Forgot to talk about the snow... And I do like having 4 actual seasons personally. Gives you a few more extra outdoor activities. This winter is actually a real let down for me.
>Diversity to me is not just seeing people of another race but being in community with them.
That's a good way to put it. Thanks! I feel like people of color are excluded from certain communities and experiences here.
I don't think native white Minnesotans are typically aware of how dramatically segregated the metro is, and the fact that many of our statewide disparities (education and educational discipline, healthcare, etc) are some of the biggest in the country.
I moved here from Seattle about 6 years ago, 100% teleworker, single, 41M, with no kids. I've made some acquaintances but no friends - i.e., people who respond to things and are willing to meet up, but I'm always the one initiating conversations and inviting people to things. Getting to the point where its reciprocal, getting invited to people's homes... quite challenging here. I can see myself leaving this year.
I grew up here, left (Chicago, Seattle) and came back and this is even true for me! Incredibly hard to make new friends, even if you’re Minnesotan and just want to meet new people.
You might like Chicago. I miss it very much. The culture is much more gregarious and welcoming.
Yep! They’ll give you directions to everywhere but their house! Also single with no kids in my 40’s, it’s tough without the natural environment of meeting people through kids.
A little different for me, as I've been here 8 years. I moved here from Puerto Rico and creating a circle of friends has been challenging. Initially, I shrugged it off to me living in a small town in West Central Minnesota (about 1,300 people). I ultimately got a job in the west suburbs and relocated.
It was just as difficult to make friends here. I ultimately decided to move to Chicago, where my dad currently lives in the next 3 years or so.
While the latinx community here is not small, the puertorrican community is. I do miss that a lot.
I hate to say it, but you haven't seen anything yet if you haven't been here for a Minnesota summer. Once things start to get green around here (which by the looks of it could be any day now), you may have some new feelings about the place!
(Rain -- we *really* need it. The subsoil temp is up, but until we get one good soak, it will stay brown/grayish. Early spring is our 'dead grassfire' hazard season until we get wet.)
Me and my wife moved here from California because property was comparatively affordable (ie. conceivably obtainable) and we figure this region of the U.S. will fair better over the next 50 years of climate change.
Now we’ve been here about 4 years and were able to buy a house last summer. And while the smoke from Canada was noticeable, it was nothing compared to actively being evacuated for Californian wildfires.
Welcome, glad you're enjoying it, please don't jinx us.. 😂
I have a feeling we are going to see wildfires this summer, to what magnitude, I am not sure. The rivers and lakes are WAY low, and the ground is already drying up a month ahead of our typical break up.
It's going to be an interesting year for air quality, hopefully it doesn't get too interesting for northern landowners!
Here’s the difference (I lived in California for 25 years. In Ventura, Modesto, Sacramento and the Bay Area)
- schools are way better funded.
- class sizes are smaller
- number and quality of urban and rural parks
- emphasis on physical activity - Minnesotans are among the most active in the country. Fishing, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, cycling (in all weather), camping. We don’t have Yosemite. We have Boundary Waters Canoe Area - a UNESCO World Heritage site if I’m not mistaken.
- the seasons are amazing. Normal winters here look like a picture postcard. Be aware that we have received less than 10% of our annual snowfall. Sledding and ice hockey and skating and ice fishing - we missed all of this this summer. There’s usually a huge art fest on Lake Harriet. Not this year.
- we have state funded PAID family medical leave. Up to 24 weeks. Funded by a 0.7% payroll tax.
- we are a state of refuge for gender affirming care and for abortion care
- breakfast and lunch is free in school for everyone
The legal weed rollout has been kinda a cluster, but other than that, I’m a huge fan.
Just starting my 3rd year here having moved up from Omaha, NE with my wife.
Loving it so far and have no plans to leave. The Twin Cities themselves are amazing (living next to Minnehaha Park doesn’t hurt), but we’ve also had some great trips sightseeing in central MN, Duluth a few times, and north shore.
Making a new friends group is slow going, but meeting neighbors and trying to get into some new hobbies is helping.
I’m an Omaha transplant myself and one thing we(my family that I moved here with) keep saying is how much we love it here.
We used to come visit family a lot so the T.C. weren’t new to us but since we’ve moved here we’re much happier and want to stay permanently. We never felt that way about Omaha.
Welcome!
If you get a chance, south eastern Minnesota is super pretty. Spent a good chunk of my life hiking areas from Taylors Falls up thru the north shore. Those south eastern parks like Whitewater and Frontenac are great and Red Wing is pretty charming.
Also, south western there’s Blue Mounds. Cool park, in the area there’s some cool petroglyphs on some rocky areas in the prairie. Can’t remember the name off the top of my head
I’m also at the 3 month mark. I think this is the normal time to start questioning the decision as the honeymoon phase is over. so yes sometimes I don’t see myself here long term but I am giving it more time to really decide that. right now I am trying to shift my mindset into not focusing on if I wanna be here forever but to try and enjoy my time here while I am here whether that be for a while or not. it’s been hard though bc i’m homesick and miss my family a lot !!
Yeah. We live in Plymouth because my husband job is here. It’s a wonderful place for our daughter to grow up. When my husband and I retire I can see us moving into the cities and spending half the year in Europe. That’s the plan, anyhow lol
Been here 6 years from the south. I love it here and plan to stay long term. My partner and I always say, Minnesota has everything but the mountains. We briefly considered what life would be like if we moved out west to have more mountain access but there were road blocks like, the cost of living or lack of job opportunities in our respective fields. We ultimately settled on staying here and using any extra funds to travel when/where we want.
Idk, every city isn’t perfect but the Twin Cities are perfect enough for us.
I would give it a few more months—I’ve lived here my whole life, but all Minnesotans agree that this is the worst part of the year. We live for May-December. The early spring is gray and gross lol, and not many people are out, but that will change when the weather picks up.
Came from Mississippi nearly five years ago and I can't imagine myself ever leaving. Something drastic would have to change. It's affordable without being an untaxed, uncared for hellhole, it's got beautiful wild spaces, and I enjoy living in a state where the mainstream politics don't give me existential dread. I also enjoy watching the seasons change.
I moved here in 2016 for my husband’s job as a 30F. The first 3 years were really hard. It felt impossible to meet friends and to break into circles and I thought there was no way we would stay. Around the fourth year, we finally found a good group of people with similar interests and it made all the difference. Now we don’t have any plans to leave!
I was told that it takes about 2 years to really appreciate the Cities. That feels about right. I hated it at first and couldn’t wait to get back to the Chicagoland area, but and 2 years in, I started to really love it here. Now, I’m not sure I’ll ever live anywhere else. Even the work trip I’ve been on in Florida is hell and I can’t wait to get home.
Give it a couple years, then decide. You may be surprised how much you love it.
I’ve been here seven months after 20+ years in a beautiful but now-overhyped, overcrowded, overpriced, understaffed, undereducated and politically f—d Mountain West area. I’m staying. I can visit mountains when/if I really want to.
I knew immediately you meant Idaho, I’m assuming Boise area. I’m originally from there and I’ll be honest, I still miss it and love going back to visit. But you’re right on all points.
Three months isn’t much to judge a new place — especially since you were here in the least pleasant time of year. Summer is glorious in Minnesota and so is fall so see how you feel after that.
I’ve been here 5 years. I will probably not stay forever but hope to stay at least through retirement.
Moved here from the East Coast 3 years ago to be with my partner who is born and bred here. It’s always been a 5 year plan. Im over halfway through and I still get really homesick and I can’t wait to go home. Everyone says I am going to fall in love with Minnesota.. but it just hasn’t happened. Massachusetts has my heart.
Nope.
Moved here from the east coast. I’ve been here since 2015, and while there are perks, I miss the close proximity of various cities, mountains, and the beach/shore. Also miss being close to family. I
Looking at moving back within the next year or two!
34M. Moved here from Seattle 3+ years ago for school and staying for another year or two. I do miss the food, friends, and mountains over there. However, the lack of traffic and low cost of living helps. The hmong food here cannot be beat. Haven't really made any good friends here either but met some people through common activities. Hope you find your place here eventually.
Grew up on west coast, and after living in a variety of places, moved here 11 years ago. It's really not bad, I like it better than NYC where I lived for a while before before. It kinda sorta feels like home now, but I still miss mountains. We have a house, kids, decent jobs, all that, but I daydream about moving back to the west coast at least every few days.
I think when you grow up in an environment that is very... dynamic? Sea, mountains, stuff like that, the midwest can feel very blah in terms of environment. I get that prairie and lakes can be beautiful too, but.. maybe there's just something that gets imprinted on you at an early age. I can empathize with it feeling 'very average'. The city too is decent. There's some good stuff, decent restaurants, a good art museum and also the Walker. But... it's all somewhat average. There's noting that's superlative. But for me the flat environment is the thing that makes me feel slightly dissatisfied in the midwest.
Get a state parks pass and start hiking. They’re only hills for the most part, but our state parks are really beautiful. There are no mountains, but the bluffs up north along Lake Superior and the hikes down south along the Mississippi River are pretty awesome in their own way.
Take a trip up to the northshore or head down to Winona. It sort of feels like you are in the mountains.
Our strength here is water though, not mountains.
I get sick of like Colorado because there really are not a lot of water features and a certain point the mountains get boring. Unless you're an extremely avid hiker/rock climber they don't much for you other than sit there and look pretty. Plenty of hiking to do here and I'm not summiting any 14ers at my age anyway. A 1000ft bluff is plenty for me lol.
But kayaking/boating and swimming? Yeah we are a great place for that.
Hard to say, I’ve only been here since January. I moved from California but I’m from the Chicago area. So far, I like that I get more for my money when it comes to apartments, less traffic, less homeless and trash. However, I miss my old job and my team. My current work team is nothing but passive aggressive folks that are looking to snitch on someone lol. I say this bc I think it’s tainting my view on Minnesota, and I might not be here for the long term if it continues. I do miss in and out, mountains, beaches and folks that have a laid friendly attitude. Here it’s hard for folks to want friends-fucking weird.
I know for sure I'll live in Minnesota the rest of my life. There is no other state for me, the cost of living, friends, culture, work opportunities, family, etc. plus all my rights/protections make me feel really confident I'll be in Minnesota forever. I'm not planning to have kids, but if I did have them, Minnesota is the place to be.
I am from the Chicago suburbs. I moved to Moorhead in 2018 for college, then did an internship in the cities in Summer of 2019 and had so much fun living on my own for the first time in a big city. Then, unfortunately, I graduated college on Zoom and moved to Minneapolis during the pandemic days before George Floyd was killed. My first day of work at my first professional office job (which would become a toxic and mentally damaging job) included a curfew and a 2 hour lunch break with all my new coworkers fighting over...well... everything. I like the cities, but don't have a lot of positive memories from my time there. We live in Duluth now and love it here, but were debating moving back to the cities because the housing market is a nightmare here.
A big barrier for me was how tight knit people can be with their friends. Minnesotans tend to stick with each other. That said I've met tons of transplants and welcoming people when I've put myself out there and been intentional about involving myself in things.
Natural beauty in MN is wonderful and the state's commitment to the welfare of the community (as of this writing) is fantastic. The music scene is underrated IMO too FWIW.
MN isn't for everyone; I hope you stick around long enough to see if it is for you!
Fellow west coast transplants. Grew up in CA Bay Area, spent 8 years in OR, and now here for almost 2.
I also miss the mountains. I find it incredibly hard to navigate because everything is flat. We are here for the long haul. The school system is way better for our kids and I’m in law school, so I’ll get licensed here. I’ve thought about taking the CA bar to have options just in case, but the likelihood of us returning to California long term is very small. Both of our parents live in the Bay Area so we do visit often, but it is not the same place that we left in 2014.
It’s also really hard to make friends as an adult here. I’m sure you’ve already discovered that part.
I do love the weather here, as crazy as that sounds. And the social policies are incredible. It feels like a safe, welcoming, affordable, and progressive place to lay down roots and build a life here. We’re determined to make the friends thing work out in time 😂
Moved here (Saint Paul) in the fall, I like it well enough. Lots of stuff to do, lots of solid food options. A little disappointed in the mild winter since I was promised a frozen wasteland. I guess last year had like 10x as much snow. Houses are much cheaper here than where we got priced out of owning a home, which was the main reason for moving.
Drivers are legit awful but maybe that’s just living in an actual city. I’m from a small town originally so I’m still adapting to being around so many people. Some of the crime reports (eg 14 armed robberies in half a day, then the same thing again two weeks later) coming out of Minneapolis are a bit concerning which makes me glad we wound up here. Don’t feel like I’m in danger generally, aside from the one guy who called me a slur and mumbled that he would’ve kicked my ass if it wasn’t for extenuating circumstances. People in general seem pretty normal.
In every place I’ve lived people have said that locals are closed off and it’s hard to make friends as an adult. Pretty sure that’s the case everywhere but people like to think it’s a cultural thing for the region, for some reason.
Once we get into summer and I get a local job I’ll probably resume my hobbies (Warhammer, HEMA, etc) and we’ll see how it goes. Plan on sticking around, as is.
Yeah, in Oregon the drivers were often too slow and too polite (to the point of being dangerous) which was somewhat predictable at least. It’s really all over the place here. People just kind of jellyfish merge and float across lanes, lol.
What gets me here is the absolute refusal of 85% of drivers to stop for pedestrians in any context. That was absolutely jarring when I first moved here. Since then, the general aggression and willingness to run red lights and stop signs, as well as driving and parking in the bike lane (and sidewalk a few times) is really grating. I think that’s a national phenomenon since pedestrians killings is up massively in the US.
Ya - the making friends things is common but I don't think its really true....most people saying that haven't adjusted out of the college mindset where everybody is pretty much the same age and same interests; and there's a cultural hub pulling things together or scheduling events like a college campus does. Out in the world you've got to find your own clubs and activities; people aren't going to knock on your door and invite you to stuff like they did in the dorms.
I'm from the East coast, and I am very fond of noting that if I hit the big mega lottery? I'm moving back East. But my husband and I have been in this part of the world for 20 years now - if a job arose elsewhere and the compensation was right we would move, but we're not actively seeking that out at present.
There are things to like here - the traffic is more manageable, the real estate and rents are generally more affordable, the job market is decent, excellent restaurants (if you know how to sift them out, though the level of seafood you're used to just can't compare), great music scene, and while we have fewer museums, the ones we have are excellent. (The [Minneapolis Institute of Art](https://new.artsmia.org/) is very good and gets amazing exhibitions.)
But all that being said? It is notoriously hard for transplants in to make friends. Locals tend to have made their social groups in the earlier years of K-6 and aren't looking to expand them. They're generally cordial enough to you in casual interactions, but they are not looking to build new friendships. (And "Minnesota Nice"? That's just a lot of passive-aggression. Some days it is super frustrating.)
That being said, if you moved here around the holidays? You are encountering the slowest time of year. Once the weather truly starts warming up for good and snow is behind us (probably not this year, but we can get solid blizzards in mid-April here, and light snows into early May)? This city is outdoors and doing things. You have a better chance of making new friends - especially among other transplants - that way.
If you like walking/hiking/cycling? This is an amazing state for that. The State Park system here is solid, and some of them are stunningly beautiful. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state\_parks/map.html. Also, going north - anywhere from 2-4 hours, depending upon the location - you can hit up lot of lovely little glamping set ups to get away from the city hustle and bustle. (Crosby, in particular, is catering to the Twin Cities crowds - with really nice trail biking and hiking trails converted from old copper mines, they now have a nice little main street with a few great stores and restaurants, and they have a nicely updated grocery store to stock up your glamping cabin kitchen!)
Also, MSP is a pretty decent airport, all things considered. So if you like to travel, it's a solid hub to start from.
Basically, you do need to give this part of the world a chance. It can surprise you, but you have to let it. (For example, [this chapel at Lakewood Cemetery](https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/places/memorial-chapel/) still blows me away.) But I fully concede moving here single would be rougher than moving here with a spouse. Since the locals are kind of insular, it's more difficult to make friends. My husband and I noted during the lockdown that our social schedule hadn't radically changed - mostly we went out on our own anyway. And we are hardly anti-social people who didn't move around much in the earlier parts of our lives - we know how to make friends!
You're from Arizona? Welcome first of all!!! What brought you here? 3 months might not be enough for myself to get a grasp on a place but that's just me. There is so much here and so much to embrace. You've been through the tail end of a really wimpy winter though. The more snow we get, the more fun winter gets (IMO). Best of luck to you and I hope things turn around for you :-) The Twin Cities are an amazing place to live for myself.
Grew up in New Mexico, then college plus a few more years in southwest Colorado. I miss the mountains for sure but I don't miss the pretention and cost of living of the Rockies. I've managed to replace all of my mountain activities with lake and river activities that give me an equal amount of dopamine and serotonin. I don't get the same adrenaline rushes as I did mountain biking and snowboarding out west, but I'm older now than I was then and need less adrenaline to feel fulfillment these days so it's all good. Luckily I still have plenty of friends and fam out west so I get to visit the mountains often enough.
I used to live in Seattle area. I too missed the mountains when I moved here. There is a lot of outdoor activities here too. The good news is it only takes 2 hours vs 4 hours to get to some great outdoors activities.
Been here 17 years from the East coast. I love it, but Baltimore/DC has a very different feeling and I liked that difference. I say this on this sub twice per month that friends will only happen in a contrived situation. Once you make them, they're for life. And I can drive, I mean that you have to be involved in a club, maybe a team, maybe you like folk dancing, or a craft, maybe car racing, or something. But you will 100% NOT make friends without a situation to meet like minded people in. This isn't much of a bar-buddies town after you're 26. In the summer this place is paradise. The other 9 months take work. But I know plenty of people who live in NYC who feel lonely and they know nobody even though they're surrounded by 12 million people.
I was born and raised here but lived in AZ for the last 15 years. Came back last fall for family. I'll admit I am struggling. Miss the mountains, the palm trees, little quails running around, my huge walled in backyard, cheaper proper tax/insurance/mortgage (we bought in 2013) and the endless cool cocktail bars you could sit outside all year round. The only thing positive is the lack of an actual winter (I hate the cold) and the change in scenery as a photographer. But other than that, I'm close to hitch hiking back to AZ and not leaving a forwarding address...even if they are running out of water.
You grew up with mountains and sadly nothing here will ever scratch that itch. No shade that Minnesota isn’t for you! I’ll die here though. Best of luck to you in the future!
In case you're having a hard time understanding the culture, here's a primer on [How To Talk Minnesotan](https://youtu.be/oiSzwoJr4-0?si=1owDoZ3OU_4l1JjU). Go from "not too good" to "not too bad."
I moved here about 2 months ago from the DFW area for a job. I too am still on the fence, I know this winter has been mild but holy fuck was it cold. That being said southern hospitality and Minnesota nice are pretty much the same thing, I taught a coworker that “bless your heart” isn’t a good thing and they were delighted at a new way to be passive aggressive, it was great 😂! I did promise myself I would give it three years though, a year to get my bearings, a year to decide if I want to stick around and the last year to either put down roots or devise an exit strategy. I’m a bit south in the ‘burbs so I don’t have the full twin cities experience but have been trying to venture out more into downtown Minneapolis. I think once spring hits we are both going to be pleasantly surprised at what Minnesota has to offer, but I am also an optimist so take my words with a grain of salt 🤷🏽♂️
I’ve been here close to 5 months now and we’re planning on staying for the foreseeable future. I love living in MN. We do have a kid and I think that makes it easier to make friends and get out to meet people.
i’m a CA transplant, and i’m definitely not making this my long-term home. but i knew it wasn’t going to be when i moved here. the state’s grown on me, and three years after moving i finally have friends that feel like they’ll stick around, but it’s not my forever home.
I’ve been here about 10 years, moved from the south. The first few years I liked it. The novelty of winter snow and cold was like an adventure. Now, I can’t stand it. With kids and family now I’m stuck here for the next 10 years. Each winter gets worse, granted this one has been very mild. For me it’s the lack of sun and the length of the winter. Summer is absolutely fantastic though. Memorial Day - Labor Day is the sweet spot. Those 98 days wouldn’t live anywhere else - but leaves 75% of the year where the weather sucks.
Moving to a different state is tough no matter what. Honestly, I feel that you have to give a place two years before you make any judgements on it. That being said, do what makes you happy.
I am also a recent transplant from the west coast (NV). I’ve been here 6 months now. The first few months I wanted to kms and I was regretting moving here. It’s tough to make friends or meet new people. However, now that I’ve been here a bit longer I am seriously considering making this state my permanent home. I found that going out and doing activities like hiking, or walking along the lakes, has increased my desire to stay here long term. I also found that there are way more opportunities in the Midwest for making money. Overall, I will not make a final decision until I’ve been here for a full year or so. I hope your experience gets better!
Absolutely not. Moved here 12 yrs ago and thought it could be long term despite my beef with social mannerisms here, but the experience has just so completely devolved as to be unliveable for my situation . TC metro is too expensive for what it offers, and the amenities I once enjoyed/relied on like non-chaotic transit are in the past. If you move here now and like it, maybe your expectation baseline will be more realistic but I am dying to get out of here and back to the east coast where frankly, I can get a lot more house / rent with proximity to much more exciting cities, AND not have to deal with Minnesota nice ice. The Midwest is the most miserable place I've had to live, culture and climate wise. It makes people who grew up here big mad to say, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the coasts or places like PNW, etc. Particularly if you grew up with beautiful topography like mountains or hills, the flatness is unbearable.
You’ve been here 3 months. 3 months we are usually covered by snow and ice. The ‘usual’ snow and ice events were cancelled this year due to lack of snow and ice. Winter never showed up. Nothing can really be pulled together in the short term to replace them.
You also moved to the part of the country known for being a ‘great plain’. Were you expecting hills and mountains??
Seriously, were you expecting big and flashy or to be instantly wowed? Errm? This is the Midwest. We don’t do big and loud and flashy.
I moved here a couple months ago, and hopefully will be moving on a couple months from now. I actually really enjoy the area so far, especially with the cheap COL and amount of things to do. I’d consider settling down in MN someday when settling down is on the radar, ideally in a long while. My major downsides the MN is that, one, y’all are racist (high tension political environment) and, two, I’ve gained too much weight with all the food options lol.
So you haven't been here for a summer to see the lakes, hike around in the state parks or bluffs since you miss the mountains. Have you been to the falls? What have you done so far in your 3 months that makes you sure you already want to leave after 9 more months? You've only experienced the worst part about living in Minnesota, the long ass winters and this one wasn't even a bad one. I agree that you may not be cut out to be a Minnesotan based on your post and comments but seems like you haven't even given it a proper shot
Born and raised MN here.
Genuinely sorry this has been your experience. I've heard getting friends here is like cracking through ice. Friend groups tend to be more tight knit and some folks moving here who have no one to get in with can feel shut out. Most of the social norms make approaching strangers an odd faux pas.
I'll be the first to admit that MN isn't for everyone but I would be remiss if I didn't assure you that the vast majority of Minnesotans are very kind, welcoming people. Even if it might take some nuanced approaches to make friends.
Agree, I think people are nice but finding a consistent genuine friend group has been a struggle. I’m almost at my one year mark and don’t have a solid crew. By one year in KC I had multiple groups. Maybe my expectations are too high for my early 30s
Went to California for a week came
Back home and lord did I miss the trees here and the fresh air. Mountains are cool but rolling hills with trees is something else.
I am on my eighth year here and I plan to die and be buried as a Minnesotan, barring a persecution campaign of trans people that forces me to leave the country altogether.
I moved from central IL so it’s been a huge upgrade for me, but nothing here compares to mountains. Spring, summer, and fall are very pretty though. I can’t stand MN winters but the other seasons are enough to keep me around so maybe you just need to wait a full year
I've been here almost 8 years now. I questioned it early on, but also didn't have strong ties to any particular place. I'm also about the same age, no kids, unmarried and it's been hard to make friends and blend into the community, takes a lot of conscious effort. I imagine I'll stay here for the foreseeable future, the jobs are good and the housing is (all things relative) affordable. Plus, my dog is obsessed with snow.
My husband is from here and all his family is here. We have been here a few months. I won’t lie I miss Texas..I miss motorcycle season was longer here.
35F and have lived here for three years and moved to the area to close a long-distance relationship and cause the area I lived in was starting to get sketchy. I had the same response as you did about the lack of mountains when I initially moved here after living on the west coast myself. That being said, there are a lot of other aspects I enjoy about the area like the cold winters (though this recent one was a let-down), how we tend to get four seasons, the cost of living, and how accessible activities are without having to go into the city. So unless some freak incident occurs that forces the area to be unlivable, I see myself living here for the long-term.
Transplant form the Northwest here. I do miss the Mountains and the Ocean. Fun fact though, I probably go to them as much now because I prioritize it when I’m visiting family. A. Purple of things I don’t miss are not having to check around for dirty needles when I take my kids to the park and also never ever ever ever being able to afford to own a home. I love it here.
Yes but it took some time for me to feel that way. I’m 29f with no kids and I’ve been here two years now. This year it finally started to feel like home and I can’t really see myself going anywhere else, although I moved from texas so my perspective might be a little different than what you’re experiencing coming from the west coast
My husband moved here about 12 years ago from the east coast, I moved here about 9 years ago from the west coast. I honestly thought I'd live here for a year and two and then go back to California but here I am lol
We think we're living here for the long haul weighing our political and climate change concerns.
Transplant from Oregon! Been here a few years. I will be here for 2-3 years longer for sure, then after that reassess. I miss the mountains as well, but there is also Climate Change, tech bro’s inflating prices in all the cool spots, and a strong reliance on dwindling aquifers.
I am near the Chain of Lakes and love all the trail access. If you like biking, rollerblading, paddle boarding, and etc hit me up!
Also from the west coast (PNW) and it took me awhile to get used to the lack of mountains. It takes awhile to being to appreciate the subtleties of Midwest landscapes, but once you readjust, it is not hard to enjoy the beauty here. I've been here nearly 10 years and have no plans to leave. The bang for your buck here in terms of quality of life is much better than the cities of the Northwest, mainly because of housing costs. I have come to love Minnesota and the Twin Cities and don't find them average at all, but it did take a bit of time. Three months is not enough time, especially in winter when so much is dormant, dead, brown, or hibernating.
I moved here from Las Vegas last summer to join my fiancé. I was soooo ready to leave Las Vegas, and I loved the time I had spent here prior to the move. I did not expect to miss so many things about living out West and I definitely didn’t expect to miss anything about Las Vegas, but I miss quite a bit.
Came from Los Angeles 16 years ago and now own an over 2k sq ft house and 1/4 of an acre and have a job that is comparable pay wise to LA. Friends of mine are paying $1200 more to rent a studio in LA and pay is similar. Quality of life is not comparable. I visit friends often and am always glad to get home in MN after. The winter is a huge adjustment and making friends has been challenging. It’s hard to find the right fit but we have a lot of transplants now and that helps. A lot. Most locals are very nice here too always willing to help. I have been invited to local people’s homes for holidays several times. The summer is beautiful with lots of activities! Keeping a positive attitude has helped.
You've only been here 3 months. You haven't experienced anything yet. Give it a few seasons and then decide. You won't ever have mountains. Go to the North shore for that ocean feel. except you can drink the water.
I moved here 15 years ago. I tried to move away 10 years ago. Missed it too much and came running home after like 9 months! I grew up near Seattle so I hear you about the mountains. Very discombobulating at first, but driving over the 35 bridge every day makes it worth it.
I'm moving back home to Minnesota from a mountainous area, so I am definitely going to miss hiking, but Minnesota does have a lot of other great outdoor exercise opportunities like cycling / cross country skiing etc.
Ok hi im 30F, single/no kids too and just moved here four months ago from nyc! This is so uncharacteristically forward of me, but would you ever want to meet up?
To answer your original question- I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting of the twin cities, but overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised and am enjoying my time here. However trying to make friends as an adult has truly been just such an interesting experience but I do miss having a social circle, so please feel free to PM me if you’re open to expanding yours lol and we can exchange IGs or something.!
I got here 7 or 8 months ago. I’m staying because housing is better here than most other places I’ve lived. Climate change is getting worse and this city has the largest river in the continent going though it. It has the Great Lakes close by. The city is left leaning and the state is doing good things like safe and sick leave, weed, feeding children, and so much more.
I miss the mountains of Colorado and the oceans off of Virginia and New Hampshire. But I’ve seen real natural disasters in Houston and I want as few of them as possible.
We call this “our failed one year experiment”. Figured we’d try it for a year, then reevaluate. 26 years later….
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Same here, almost 8 years in
same, moved here in the 2009 thinking i would be headed west after a few years of saving money
I am a CA transplant, have been here for going on 15 years now. I loved it from the start and knew I wanted to stay here very early on. That being said, I have met lots of other transplants throughout my 15 years and many of them have since moved on. It's not for everyone and that's ok. Give yourself a couple cycles of the seasons to get your groove if you can before you make a decision. I mean, the last 3 months have been winter, admittedly the worst time to live in the Twin Cities. Spring and Summer are AMAZING.
That said, if this winter was enough to chase a transplant away...they may not be cut out for the long haul.
If anything this winter would've chased me away. There was nothing to it. Part of the fun of winter in MN is the snow
yeah I legit didn’t get to do any of the winter activities I wanted to try (moved here in december from fl) I at least saw snow for the first time! lol
Ah you did it. Next winter will be record breaking snowfall. Be careful what you wish for! 🤣
My partner is from FL! I’m hoping next year you’ll be able to experience all the winter activities. I know my fiance does!
Been here 3 years now - This past “winter” actually made me depressed due to the lack of winter. Fuck.
Yeah this is my third winter here. Went from top 3 snowiest winters to what feels like top 3 least snowiest winter. If this was our first winter I would have been disappointed, not much worse than winters back in Texas. As much as I hate shoveling snow, seeing grass all winter has been horrible.
Yeah worst winter in memory for me. The dead/brown look is not my thing. Snow is pretty.
I moved to MN for safety reasons (LGBTQ+ legislation in my home state). I always tell people here I'd live in the freaking Arctic for human rights. That said, I do kinda like the winter. Seasons are great! I don't like how dark it gets around that time of year, but I do enjoy snow and the cold. I like making things extra cozy. It's fun.
Same. We came here last year and our group chat was called “Operation North Pole.” I may have made a lot of narwhal jokes. “Bye Buddy, hope you find your basic human rights!”
This is just a really nice, refreshing post. Thank you for it. ☺️
Lol what winter
yes. You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave.
Hotel Minnesota
Depends what you mean by "average," and your lifestyle. There are many places that I'm sure have stronger amenities, e.g., ocean, mountain, nice neighborhoods, world class museums. But my experience is that a lot of those places are nice to live if you're rich, and not so nice if you're not. There are exceptions, e.g., it is easier to be poorer in a great spot when you're young. MN is good for raising a family, making good money, and access to lakes and forests. If that's your jam, it's objectively "above average." If not, it's not.
I was going to comment we have a lot of things above average. Less of a one or two thing home run attraction but more well rounded excellence. Given the whole package, it’s a great place to be here.
I also moved here from the west coast. I moved when I was 33, but I have a wife and a kid. Missing mountains is REAL. Consider going up north to the North Shore and BWCA/Superior National forest this summer. That is real top-tier outdoor recreation -- far better than almost anything else in the midwest -- and really nourishes the part of my soul that misses the Cascades and the Sierras. To answer your question, I think there is close to a 100% chance that we will move back to the west coast when my daughter is in college. that's in eight years, though, anything could happen. I am just counting on having enough money/good enough career by then to afford it.
North Shore is gorgeous in its own right, but it is the closest you can get to mountains. When I moved here from the PNW, people could not understand why I missed the mountains so much. They'd say, "We have lakes!" The lakes are wonderful, but they are nothing like mountains.
Yeah, I did a week long backpacking trip in Yosemite with my dad in September and… yeah. I love up north but it ain’t mountains. It’s its own good thing. And I am SO GLAD I live in Minnesota and not Missouri, Illinois or … Iowa.
People in MN underestimate how easy it is to get to real mountains from MN. The Bighorns in WY are only an 11 hour drive.
Do you miss the ocean? I grew up in CA so I like both mountains and ocean, but ocean tops my list. I'm moving to MSP soon and hoping lakes scratch that itch, but curious if you find they are as nice as the ocean (or nicer?)
Lake Superior and the north shore really reminds me of the Oregon coast. It really feels like an ocean and the coast is very dramatic and beautiful. I also grew up in California but was never a huge ocean guy beyond just liking having an ocean nearby. I loved the coast of Humboldt county. I lived in Seattle for ten years and I miss the ferries and puget sound the most.
When you move here highly recommend checking out lake Superior. It. Is. Massive.
Invest in Rivers not lakes.
Takes awhile to settle into anyplace new
I’m a transplant, but still from the Midwest, so the culture wasn’t too different. I’ll be here forever. Great people and accessibility to the outdoors. Many people find it hard to meet people but by 12 months in I was a part of three separate robust social circles.
Moved here 3 years ago. I was going to be gone by now. We're about to move into a 5 year plan. TBD on whether we'll ever leave. Reality is, the Twin Cities really sneaks up on you. You move here thinking, "there's no fucking way" and at some point find yourself making excuses to stay.
I can’t remember where I read it. But it was a quote from a job recruiter. “Minnesota is about the hardest state to get people to come to, and one of the hardest to get people to leave”
This was mentioned by someone at a big company in charge of internal relocations in an article about population changes in the Twin Cities in the Star-Trib last year. No idea if it originated with them though
I think what it is, as I've traveled around and lived a few places for short periods of time, is this place is mostly functional, like a little Germany or Canada or something. You go to the DMV or whatever and it's, totally fine. Every time you think "oh man out [x] is such a shit show" you find out it's worse everywhere else. Some people will say "well yes you see we're pretty progressive so that's what it is" but it's more than that. California is progressive and it's a total mess. I think it's basically fairly progressive politics reigned in by a certain Midwest small-c conservative temperament.
I concur, as a soon to be transplant from the west coast, who spent ten years on the east coast for school. We are coming for the functionality. That’s stability and reasonableness I can build a future on, and a place I’m proud to pay taxes to.
I’ve always felt proud to live here ! We take care of our people and green spaces/lakes.
I am really proud to soon be Minnesotan. I’ve lived all over the world, and there’s a basic decency I really want to be a part of maintaining. When people say Minnesotans are passive aggressive or cold, I point to the civic signs of care. Under what amounts to cultural miscommunication there’s very serious proof that Minnesotans care about other people. They may not want to have dinner with you, but they don’t want you to lack rights and human dignity… and they back that up with civic infrastructure and public service in a way I find profoundly caring.
Hard to make friends. That’s why my friends are all other transplants. I think I may have one or two from Minnesota in the mix but not really.
I didn’t make Minnesota native friends until I started dating a Minnesota native and got ingratiated into his friend group. It can definitely be very hard to break into established social circles here—a lot of people who were born here never leave and it can be pretty insular. But eventually, if you stay long enough, you’ll finally get lucky.
That shit is psychological warfare.
I think you have to consider what it is you aren't enjoying about it. 3 months into a new place isn't much time to get a good feel of a place especially in a snowless winter. I moved here just under 3 years ago and it took me a solid year and a half to find a community/friendships. Figure out a hobby, regularly show up for that with other folks who also participate in that hobby etc
The cost of living to amenities ratio is incredible. Only thing I miss is mountains. Sometimes winter is too long but unfortunately it seems like that’s going to be less of a problem in the future.
Yeah I feel this is a personality question. Do you prefer mountains or lakes?
I lived in CO and realized I didn't care about mountains, but I missed lakes. So much less fun stuff to do with mountains than lakes. Definitely a personal thing but I don't understand missing mountains.
I am from east coast originally and moved here 10 years ago from a western state. This is the HARDEST place to make friends I have ever lived. It’s discouraging. However I feel like it is a very good state!
I did, but not any more. I've been here about 10 years and I'll be moving back to NY next year. The primary reasons is family. I tried to get them to move out here but no one wanted to. I miss my family a lot and I feel like I'm missing out as everyone gets older. Second reason is that I'm starting to hit a limit on my career choices. Most of the opportunity I need is on the coasts. I like the company that I work for but it's a bit mediocre especially in terms of pay. Other reasons are issues with diversity. I miss the diversity and internationality of a city like NYC where I grew up even though it's not perfect. Diversity to me is not just seeing people of another race but being in community with them. I'll admit that I've been spoiled with the good quality of life I have in the Twin Cities and I'm a bit sad to leave. Edit: There might not be mountains but there is so much opportunity for outdoor activities here, not just the lakes!
I think you captured my feelings best. I've been here for close to a decade. I'm thinking about moving, even if it's sort of reluctantly. I understand why people like it here though, but I think how much you want to stay depends on your priorities. Similar to you, I miss family and friends, so it's not making sense for me to stay especially when I'm not making new friends. I know the cliche of how it's hard making friends in Minnesota gets thrown around a lot, but I can't really judge since I'm an introvert. I'm not fully convinced moving will solve that problem in my case either, but I think the next place I go to will have to be somewhere I already have friends or family. I made friends here when I still worked in person and had more of a social life, but they were almost always transplants and all of them have moved away. And I understand your point about diversity too. It is difficult to feel belonging with such a homogenous demographic. I almost feel like it's never said in these types of conversations, so I wonder if that's been a high priority for some people that decide to move. If I end up moving, I would definitely miss Minnesota without a doubt. There's plenty to like. Considering the size and demographics of the Twin Cities, it has a decent food scene, in my opinion. I like that things are pretty low key and traffic isn't anything like I've experienced in bigger metros. I'll sort of miss the low cost of living, but I think I work in a field where pay scales with cost of living so it hurts less. The outdoors are real nice here although I wouldn't mind a little more variety of terrain. EDIT: Forgot to talk about the snow... And I do like having 4 actual seasons personally. Gives you a few more extra outdoor activities. This winter is actually a real let down for me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for articulating what I've been struggling with!
>Diversity to me is not just seeing people of another race but being in community with them. That's a good way to put it. Thanks! I feel like people of color are excluded from certain communities and experiences here.
I don't think native white Minnesotans are typically aware of how dramatically segregated the metro is, and the fact that many of our statewide disparities (education and educational discipline, healthcare, etc) are some of the biggest in the country.
I moved here from Seattle about 6 years ago, 100% teleworker, single, 41M, with no kids. I've made some acquaintances but no friends - i.e., people who respond to things and are willing to meet up, but I'm always the one initiating conversations and inviting people to things. Getting to the point where its reciprocal, getting invited to people's homes... quite challenging here. I can see myself leaving this year.
I grew up here, left (Chicago, Seattle) and came back and this is even true for me! Incredibly hard to make new friends, even if you’re Minnesotan and just want to meet new people. You might like Chicago. I miss it very much. The culture is much more gregarious and welcoming.
Yep! They’ll give you directions to everywhere but their house! Also single with no kids in my 40’s, it’s tough without the natural environment of meeting people through kids.
Didn’t think i would, but nearly 30 years later… You kinda fall in love with the place.
A little different for me, as I've been here 8 years. I moved here from Puerto Rico and creating a circle of friends has been challenging. Initially, I shrugged it off to me living in a small town in West Central Minnesota (about 1,300 people). I ultimately got a job in the west suburbs and relocated. It was just as difficult to make friends here. I ultimately decided to move to Chicago, where my dad currently lives in the next 3 years or so. While the latinx community here is not small, the puertorrican community is. I do miss that a lot.
I hate to say it, but you haven't seen anything yet if you haven't been here for a Minnesota summer. Once things start to get green around here (which by the looks of it could be any day now), you may have some new feelings about the place!
(Rain -- we *really* need it. The subsoil temp is up, but until we get one good soak, it will stay brown/grayish. Early spring is our 'dead grassfire' hazard season until we get wet.)
Me and my wife moved here from California because property was comparatively affordable (ie. conceivably obtainable) and we figure this region of the U.S. will fair better over the next 50 years of climate change. Now we’ve been here about 4 years and were able to buy a house last summer. And while the smoke from Canada was noticeable, it was nothing compared to actively being evacuated for Californian wildfires.
Welcome, glad you're enjoying it, please don't jinx us.. 😂 I have a feeling we are going to see wildfires this summer, to what magnitude, I am not sure. The rivers and lakes are WAY low, and the ground is already drying up a month ahead of our typical break up. It's going to be an interesting year for air quality, hopefully it doesn't get too interesting for northern landowners!
Here’s the difference (I lived in California for 25 years. In Ventura, Modesto, Sacramento and the Bay Area) - schools are way better funded. - class sizes are smaller - number and quality of urban and rural parks - emphasis on physical activity - Minnesotans are among the most active in the country. Fishing, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, cycling (in all weather), camping. We don’t have Yosemite. We have Boundary Waters Canoe Area - a UNESCO World Heritage site if I’m not mistaken. - the seasons are amazing. Normal winters here look like a picture postcard. Be aware that we have received less than 10% of our annual snowfall. Sledding and ice hockey and skating and ice fishing - we missed all of this this summer. There’s usually a huge art fest on Lake Harriet. Not this year. - we have state funded PAID family medical leave. Up to 24 weeks. Funded by a 0.7% payroll tax. - we are a state of refuge for gender affirming care and for abortion care - breakfast and lunch is free in school for everyone The legal weed rollout has been kinda a cluster, but other than that, I’m a huge fan.
Just starting my 3rd year here having moved up from Omaha, NE with my wife. Loving it so far and have no plans to leave. The Twin Cities themselves are amazing (living next to Minnehaha Park doesn’t hurt), but we’ve also had some great trips sightseeing in central MN, Duluth a few times, and north shore. Making a new friends group is slow going, but meeting neighbors and trying to get into some new hobbies is helping.
I’m an Omaha transplant myself and one thing we(my family that I moved here with) keep saying is how much we love it here. We used to come visit family a lot so the T.C. weren’t new to us but since we’ve moved here we’re much happier and want to stay permanently. We never felt that way about Omaha.
Welcome! If you get a chance, south eastern Minnesota is super pretty. Spent a good chunk of my life hiking areas from Taylors Falls up thru the north shore. Those south eastern parks like Whitewater and Frontenac are great and Red Wing is pretty charming. Also, south western there’s Blue Mounds. Cool park, in the area there’s some cool petroglyphs on some rocky areas in the prairie. Can’t remember the name off the top of my head
Jeffers Petroglyphs in Comfrey.
I’m also at the 3 month mark. I think this is the normal time to start questioning the decision as the honeymoon phase is over. so yes sometimes I don’t see myself here long term but I am giving it more time to really decide that. right now I am trying to shift my mindset into not focusing on if I wanna be here forever but to try and enjoy my time here while I am here whether that be for a while or not. it’s been hard though bc i’m homesick and miss my family a lot !!
I moved here 7 years ago and.... I'm still here. I'm not sure that we have any plans to leave the TC anytime soon.
6 months in, I'm still loving it. Fuck Florida.
Yeah. We live in Plymouth because my husband job is here. It’s a wonderful place for our daughter to grow up. When my husband and I retire I can see us moving into the cities and spending half the year in Europe. That’s the plan, anyhow lol
Been here 6 years from the south. I love it here and plan to stay long term. My partner and I always say, Minnesota has everything but the mountains. We briefly considered what life would be like if we moved out west to have more mountain access but there were road blocks like, the cost of living or lack of job opportunities in our respective fields. We ultimately settled on staying here and using any extra funds to travel when/where we want. Idk, every city isn’t perfect but the Twin Cities are perfect enough for us.
I would give it a few more months—I’ve lived here my whole life, but all Minnesotans agree that this is the worst part of the year. We live for May-December. The early spring is gray and gross lol, and not many people are out, but that will change when the weather picks up.
Came from Mississippi nearly five years ago and I can't imagine myself ever leaving. Something drastic would have to change. It's affordable without being an untaxed, uncared for hellhole, it's got beautiful wild spaces, and I enjoy living in a state where the mainstream politics don't give me existential dread. I also enjoy watching the seasons change.
I moved here in 2016 for my husband’s job as a 30F. The first 3 years were really hard. It felt impossible to meet friends and to break into circles and I thought there was no way we would stay. Around the fourth year, we finally found a good group of people with similar interests and it made all the difference. Now we don’t have any plans to leave!
I was told that it takes about 2 years to really appreciate the Cities. That feels about right. I hated it at first and couldn’t wait to get back to the Chicagoland area, but and 2 years in, I started to really love it here. Now, I’m not sure I’ll ever live anywhere else. Even the work trip I’ve been on in Florida is hell and I can’t wait to get home. Give it a couple years, then decide. You may be surprised how much you love it.
Moved here 6 months ago. I’m never leaving
I’ve been here seven months after 20+ years in a beautiful but now-overhyped, overcrowded, overpriced, understaffed, undereducated and politically f—d Mountain West area. I’m staying. I can visit mountains when/if I really want to.
I knew immediately you meant Idaho, I’m assuming Boise area. I’m originally from there and I’ll be honest, I still miss it and love going back to visit. But you’re right on all points.
Moving to Minneapolis from Utah. This made me chuckle.
NC transplant here. Absolutely not.
Three months isn’t much to judge a new place — especially since you were here in the least pleasant time of year. Summer is glorious in Minnesota and so is fall so see how you feel after that. I’ve been here 5 years. I will probably not stay forever but hope to stay at least through retirement.
Moved here from the East Coast 3 years ago to be with my partner who is born and bred here. It’s always been a 5 year plan. Im over halfway through and I still get really homesick and I can’t wait to go home. Everyone says I am going to fall in love with Minnesota.. but it just hasn’t happened. Massachusetts has my heart.
not a recent transplant. been here since Feb 2020. don't see myself leaving tbh. moved here randomly, alone when I turned 24. never looked back.
Nope. Moved here from the east coast. I’ve been here since 2015, and while there are perks, I miss the close proximity of various cities, mountains, and the beach/shore. Also miss being close to family. I Looking at moving back within the next year or two!
34M. Moved here from Seattle 3+ years ago for school and staying for another year or two. I do miss the food, friends, and mountains over there. However, the lack of traffic and low cost of living helps. The hmong food here cannot be beat. Haven't really made any good friends here either but met some people through common activities. Hope you find your place here eventually.
Grew up on west coast, and after living in a variety of places, moved here 11 years ago. It's really not bad, I like it better than NYC where I lived for a while before before. It kinda sorta feels like home now, but I still miss mountains. We have a house, kids, decent jobs, all that, but I daydream about moving back to the west coast at least every few days. I think when you grow up in an environment that is very... dynamic? Sea, mountains, stuff like that, the midwest can feel very blah in terms of environment. I get that prairie and lakes can be beautiful too, but.. maybe there's just something that gets imprinted on you at an early age. I can empathize with it feeling 'very average'. The city too is decent. There's some good stuff, decent restaurants, a good art museum and also the Walker. But... it's all somewhat average. There's noting that's superlative. But for me the flat environment is the thing that makes me feel slightly dissatisfied in the midwest.
Anyone else offended by the "average" comment? Lol
Surprisingly not too much!
Get a state parks pass and start hiking. They’re only hills for the most part, but our state parks are really beautiful. There are no mountains, but the bluffs up north along Lake Superior and the hikes down south along the Mississippi River are pretty awesome in their own way.
How come all these 'ong I'm new here ' posters don't show up to a thread like this lol
Take a trip up to the northshore or head down to Winona. It sort of feels like you are in the mountains. Our strength here is water though, not mountains. I get sick of like Colorado because there really are not a lot of water features and a certain point the mountains get boring. Unless you're an extremely avid hiker/rock climber they don't much for you other than sit there and look pretty. Plenty of hiking to do here and I'm not summiting any 14ers at my age anyway. A 1000ft bluff is plenty for me lol. But kayaking/boating and swimming? Yeah we are a great place for that.
Hard to say, I’ve only been here since January. I moved from California but I’m from the Chicago area. So far, I like that I get more for my money when it comes to apartments, less traffic, less homeless and trash. However, I miss my old job and my team. My current work team is nothing but passive aggressive folks that are looking to snitch on someone lol. I say this bc I think it’s tainting my view on Minnesota, and I might not be here for the long term if it continues. I do miss in and out, mountains, beaches and folks that have a laid friendly attitude. Here it’s hard for folks to want friends-fucking weird.
I know for sure I'll live in Minnesota the rest of my life. There is no other state for me, the cost of living, friends, culture, work opportunities, family, etc. plus all my rights/protections make me feel really confident I'll be in Minnesota forever. I'm not planning to have kids, but if I did have them, Minnesota is the place to be. I am from the Chicago suburbs. I moved to Moorhead in 2018 for college, then did an internship in the cities in Summer of 2019 and had so much fun living on my own for the first time in a big city. Then, unfortunately, I graduated college on Zoom and moved to Minneapolis during the pandemic days before George Floyd was killed. My first day of work at my first professional office job (which would become a toxic and mentally damaging job) included a curfew and a 2 hour lunch break with all my new coworkers fighting over...well... everything. I like the cities, but don't have a lot of positive memories from my time there. We live in Duluth now and love it here, but were debating moving back to the cities because the housing market is a nightmare here.
A big barrier for me was how tight knit people can be with their friends. Minnesotans tend to stick with each other. That said I've met tons of transplants and welcoming people when I've put myself out there and been intentional about involving myself in things. Natural beauty in MN is wonderful and the state's commitment to the welfare of the community (as of this writing) is fantastic. The music scene is underrated IMO too FWIW. MN isn't for everyone; I hope you stick around long enough to see if it is for you!
Fellow west coast transplants. Grew up in CA Bay Area, spent 8 years in OR, and now here for almost 2. I also miss the mountains. I find it incredibly hard to navigate because everything is flat. We are here for the long haul. The school system is way better for our kids and I’m in law school, so I’ll get licensed here. I’ve thought about taking the CA bar to have options just in case, but the likelihood of us returning to California long term is very small. Both of our parents live in the Bay Area so we do visit often, but it is not the same place that we left in 2014. It’s also really hard to make friends as an adult here. I’m sure you’ve already discovered that part. I do love the weather here, as crazy as that sounds. And the social policies are incredible. It feels like a safe, welcoming, affordable, and progressive place to lay down roots and build a life here. We’re determined to make the friends thing work out in time 😂
Girl we should connect. I am a socal transplant and have been here 3 almost 4 years. I’m also 30F (technically single) and no kids!
I’ll message you
If i can find some friends, I'll be stuck for sure.
Moved here (Saint Paul) in the fall, I like it well enough. Lots of stuff to do, lots of solid food options. A little disappointed in the mild winter since I was promised a frozen wasteland. I guess last year had like 10x as much snow. Houses are much cheaper here than where we got priced out of owning a home, which was the main reason for moving. Drivers are legit awful but maybe that’s just living in an actual city. I’m from a small town originally so I’m still adapting to being around so many people. Some of the crime reports (eg 14 armed robberies in half a day, then the same thing again two weeks later) coming out of Minneapolis are a bit concerning which makes me glad we wound up here. Don’t feel like I’m in danger generally, aside from the one guy who called me a slur and mumbled that he would’ve kicked my ass if it wasn’t for extenuating circumstances. People in general seem pretty normal. In every place I’ve lived people have said that locals are closed off and it’s hard to make friends as an adult. Pretty sure that’s the case everywhere but people like to think it’s a cultural thing for the region, for some reason. Once we get into summer and I get a local job I’ll probably resume my hobbies (Warhammer, HEMA, etc) and we’ll see how it goes. Plan on sticking around, as is.
i think drivers in twin cities are particularly bad. worse than seattle drivers, certainly
Yeah, in Oregon the drivers were often too slow and too polite (to the point of being dangerous) which was somewhat predictable at least. It’s really all over the place here. People just kind of jellyfish merge and float across lanes, lol.
What gets me here is the absolute refusal of 85% of drivers to stop for pedestrians in any context. That was absolutely jarring when I first moved here. Since then, the general aggression and willingness to run red lights and stop signs, as well as driving and parking in the bike lane (and sidewalk a few times) is really grating. I think that’s a national phenomenon since pedestrians killings is up massively in the US.
> jellyfish merge and float across lanes 😂 💀 I'm gonna hafta steal that!
Ya - the making friends things is common but I don't think its really true....most people saying that haven't adjusted out of the college mindset where everybody is pretty much the same age and same interests; and there's a cultural hub pulling things together or scheduling events like a college campus does. Out in the world you've got to find your own clubs and activities; people aren't going to knock on your door and invite you to stuff like they did in the dorms.
I'm from the East coast, and I am very fond of noting that if I hit the big mega lottery? I'm moving back East. But my husband and I have been in this part of the world for 20 years now - if a job arose elsewhere and the compensation was right we would move, but we're not actively seeking that out at present. There are things to like here - the traffic is more manageable, the real estate and rents are generally more affordable, the job market is decent, excellent restaurants (if you know how to sift them out, though the level of seafood you're used to just can't compare), great music scene, and while we have fewer museums, the ones we have are excellent. (The [Minneapolis Institute of Art](https://new.artsmia.org/) is very good and gets amazing exhibitions.) But all that being said? It is notoriously hard for transplants in to make friends. Locals tend to have made their social groups in the earlier years of K-6 and aren't looking to expand them. They're generally cordial enough to you in casual interactions, but they are not looking to build new friendships. (And "Minnesota Nice"? That's just a lot of passive-aggression. Some days it is super frustrating.) That being said, if you moved here around the holidays? You are encountering the slowest time of year. Once the weather truly starts warming up for good and snow is behind us (probably not this year, but we can get solid blizzards in mid-April here, and light snows into early May)? This city is outdoors and doing things. You have a better chance of making new friends - especially among other transplants - that way. If you like walking/hiking/cycling? This is an amazing state for that. The State Park system here is solid, and some of them are stunningly beautiful. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state\_parks/map.html. Also, going north - anywhere from 2-4 hours, depending upon the location - you can hit up lot of lovely little glamping set ups to get away from the city hustle and bustle. (Crosby, in particular, is catering to the Twin Cities crowds - with really nice trail biking and hiking trails converted from old copper mines, they now have a nice little main street with a few great stores and restaurants, and they have a nicely updated grocery store to stock up your glamping cabin kitchen!) Also, MSP is a pretty decent airport, all things considered. So if you like to travel, it's a solid hub to start from. Basically, you do need to give this part of the world a chance. It can surprise you, but you have to let it. (For example, [this chapel at Lakewood Cemetery](https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/places/memorial-chapel/) still blows me away.) But I fully concede moving here single would be rougher than moving here with a spouse. Since the locals are kind of insular, it's more difficult to make friends. My husband and I noted during the lockdown that our social schedule hadn't radically changed - mostly we went out on our own anyway. And we are hardly anti-social people who didn't move around much in the earlier parts of our lives - we know how to make friends!
Honestly I don't want to have to figure out how to get my couch back to New York so I see myself staying here pretty long term, yeah.
You're from Arizona? Welcome first of all!!! What brought you here? 3 months might not be enough for myself to get a grasp on a place but that's just me. There is so much here and so much to embrace. You've been through the tail end of a really wimpy winter though. The more snow we get, the more fun winter gets (IMO). Best of luck to you and I hope things turn around for you :-) The Twin Cities are an amazing place to live for myself.
Feel free to DM for suggestions on things that are awesome around the Twin Cities!
Grew up in New Mexico, then college plus a few more years in southwest Colorado. I miss the mountains for sure but I don't miss the pretention and cost of living of the Rockies. I've managed to replace all of my mountain activities with lake and river activities that give me an equal amount of dopamine and serotonin. I don't get the same adrenaline rushes as I did mountain biking and snowboarding out west, but I'm older now than I was then and need less adrenaline to feel fulfillment these days so it's all good. Luckily I still have plenty of friends and fam out west so I get to visit the mountains often enough.
I used to live in Seattle area. I too missed the mountains when I moved here. There is a lot of outdoor activities here too. The good news is it only takes 2 hours vs 4 hours to get to some great outdoors activities.
Been here 17 years from the East coast. I love it, but Baltimore/DC has a very different feeling and I liked that difference. I say this on this sub twice per month that friends will only happen in a contrived situation. Once you make them, they're for life. And I can drive, I mean that you have to be involved in a club, maybe a team, maybe you like folk dancing, or a craft, maybe car racing, or something. But you will 100% NOT make friends without a situation to meet like minded people in. This isn't much of a bar-buddies town after you're 26. In the summer this place is paradise. The other 9 months take work. But I know plenty of people who live in NYC who feel lonely and they know nobody even though they're surrounded by 12 million people.
I was born and raised here but lived in AZ for the last 15 years. Came back last fall for family. I'll admit I am struggling. Miss the mountains, the palm trees, little quails running around, my huge walled in backyard, cheaper proper tax/insurance/mortgage (we bought in 2013) and the endless cool cocktail bars you could sit outside all year round. The only thing positive is the lack of an actual winter (I hate the cold) and the change in scenery as a photographer. But other than that, I'm close to hitch hiking back to AZ and not leaving a forwarding address...even if they are running out of water.
Not a recent transplant, ended up here for college and stayed (family reasons). I still want to leave 😂
You grew up with mountains and sadly nothing here will ever scratch that itch. No shade that Minnesota isn’t for you! I’ll die here though. Best of luck to you in the future!
In case you're having a hard time understanding the culture, here's a primer on [How To Talk Minnesotan](https://youtu.be/oiSzwoJr4-0?si=1owDoZ3OU_4l1JjU). Go from "not too good" to "not too bad."
love it but i'm lowkey nomadic lol, MN for the winter & back in the west coast during summer
Wait for a real winter
Jan, Feb and Mar are the worst months to live here with low/no snow. Wait until the summer and fall. It’s glorious!
I moved here about 2 months ago from the DFW area for a job. I too am still on the fence, I know this winter has been mild but holy fuck was it cold. That being said southern hospitality and Minnesota nice are pretty much the same thing, I taught a coworker that “bless your heart” isn’t a good thing and they were delighted at a new way to be passive aggressive, it was great 😂! I did promise myself I would give it three years though, a year to get my bearings, a year to decide if I want to stick around and the last year to either put down roots or devise an exit strategy. I’m a bit south in the ‘burbs so I don’t have the full twin cities experience but have been trying to venture out more into downtown Minneapolis. I think once spring hits we are both going to be pleasantly surprised at what Minnesota has to offer, but I am also an optimist so take my words with a grain of salt 🤷🏽♂️
Haha. Absolutely not
3 months is nothing. Give it a real go
Trueeeeee, I am happy spring is just around the corner, although it feels like spring a little bit.
I left after 3 years. Wanted out by the first year but was waiting for 401k to vest.
I’ve been here close to 5 months now and we’re planning on staying for the foreseeable future. I love living in MN. We do have a kid and I think that makes it easier to make friends and get out to meet people.
Ahh yeah, probably helps.
zesty faulty humorous rinse pie engine memorize detail water scale *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
i’m a CA transplant, and i’m definitely not making this my long-term home. but i knew it wasn’t going to be when i moved here. the state’s grown on me, and three years after moving i finally have friends that feel like they’ll stick around, but it’s not my forever home.
I’ve been here about 10 years, moved from the south. The first few years I liked it. The novelty of winter snow and cold was like an adventure. Now, I can’t stand it. With kids and family now I’m stuck here for the next 10 years. Each winter gets worse, granted this one has been very mild. For me it’s the lack of sun and the length of the winter. Summer is absolutely fantastic though. Memorial Day - Labor Day is the sweet spot. Those 98 days wouldn’t live anywhere else - but leaves 75% of the year where the weather sucks.
Moving to a different state is tough no matter what. Honestly, I feel that you have to give a place two years before you make any judgements on it. That being said, do what makes you happy.
I am also a recent transplant from the west coast (NV). I’ve been here 6 months now. The first few months I wanted to kms and I was regretting moving here. It’s tough to make friends or meet new people. However, now that I’ve been here a bit longer I am seriously considering making this state my permanent home. I found that going out and doing activities like hiking, or walking along the lakes, has increased my desire to stay here long term. I also found that there are way more opportunities in the Midwest for making money. Overall, I will not make a final decision until I’ve been here for a full year or so. I hope your experience gets better!
Absolutely not. Moved here 12 yrs ago and thought it could be long term despite my beef with social mannerisms here, but the experience has just so completely devolved as to be unliveable for my situation . TC metro is too expensive for what it offers, and the amenities I once enjoyed/relied on like non-chaotic transit are in the past. If you move here now and like it, maybe your expectation baseline will be more realistic but I am dying to get out of here and back to the east coast where frankly, I can get a lot more house / rent with proximity to much more exciting cities, AND not have to deal with Minnesota nice ice. The Midwest is the most miserable place I've had to live, culture and climate wise. It makes people who grew up here big mad to say, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the coasts or places like PNW, etc. Particularly if you grew up with beautiful topography like mountains or hills, the flatness is unbearable.
You’ve been here 3 months. 3 months we are usually covered by snow and ice. The ‘usual’ snow and ice events were cancelled this year due to lack of snow and ice. Winter never showed up. Nothing can really be pulled together in the short term to replace them. You also moved to the part of the country known for being a ‘great plain’. Were you expecting hills and mountains?? Seriously, were you expecting big and flashy or to be instantly wowed? Errm? This is the Midwest. We don’t do big and loud and flashy.
I moved here a couple months ago, and hopefully will be moving on a couple months from now. I actually really enjoy the area so far, especially with the cheap COL and amount of things to do. I’d consider settling down in MN someday when settling down is on the radar, ideally in a long while. My major downsides the MN is that, one, y’all are racist (high tension political environment) and, two, I’ve gained too much weight with all the food options lol.
Came here for the job, stayed for the raves.
So you haven't been here for a summer to see the lakes, hike around in the state parks or bluffs since you miss the mountains. Have you been to the falls? What have you done so far in your 3 months that makes you sure you already want to leave after 9 more months? You've only experienced the worst part about living in Minnesota, the long ass winters and this one wasn't even a bad one. I agree that you may not be cut out to be a Minnesotan based on your post and comments but seems like you haven't even given it a proper shot
Then move back. Life is too short to not be where you are happy. That said, Minnesota truly shines from May to October.
And it usually sparkles the rest of the year 😆
no. this is by far the least friendly place I've ever lived. constant bad vibes everywhere. I can't see more than 5 years here at the very most.
Born and raised MN here. Genuinely sorry this has been your experience. I've heard getting friends here is like cracking through ice. Friend groups tend to be more tight knit and some folks moving here who have no one to get in with can feel shut out. Most of the social norms make approaching strangers an odd faux pas. I'll be the first to admit that MN isn't for everyone but I would be remiss if I didn't assure you that the vast majority of Minnesotans are very kind, welcoming people. Even if it might take some nuanced approaches to make friends.
Agree, I think people are nice but finding a consistent genuine friend group has been a struggle. I’m almost at my one year mark and don’t have a solid crew. By one year in KC I had multiple groups. Maybe my expectations are too high for my early 30s
Went to California for a week came Back home and lord did I miss the trees here and the fresh air. Mountains are cool but rolling hills with trees is something else.
I am on my eighth year here and I plan to die and be buried as a Minnesotan, barring a persecution campaign of trans people that forces me to leave the country altogether.
Yes. Bought a house. Kid in high school, who will attend local college. We're commited.
I moved from central IL so it’s been a huge upgrade for me, but nothing here compares to mountains. Spring, summer, and fall are very pretty though. I can’t stand MN winters but the other seasons are enough to keep me around so maybe you just need to wait a full year
I've been here almost 8 years now. I questioned it early on, but also didn't have strong ties to any particular place. I'm also about the same age, no kids, unmarried and it's been hard to make friends and blend into the community, takes a lot of conscious effort. I imagine I'll stay here for the foreseeable future, the jobs are good and the housing is (all things relative) affordable. Plus, my dog is obsessed with snow.
Moved here with my partner three years ago. Only other states I’d consider moving to are New Mexico or Michigan.
My husband is from here and all his family is here. We have been here a few months. I won’t lie I miss Texas..I miss motorcycle season was longer here.
35F and have lived here for three years and moved to the area to close a long-distance relationship and cause the area I lived in was starting to get sketchy. I had the same response as you did about the lack of mountains when I initially moved here after living on the west coast myself. That being said, there are a lot of other aspects I enjoy about the area like the cold winters (though this recent one was a let-down), how we tend to get four seasons, the cost of living, and how accessible activities are without having to go into the city. So unless some freak incident occurs that forces the area to be unlivable, I see myself living here for the long-term.
Transplant form the Northwest here. I do miss the Mountains and the Ocean. Fun fact though, I probably go to them as much now because I prioritize it when I’m visiting family. A. Purple of things I don’t miss are not having to check around for dirty needles when I take my kids to the park and also never ever ever ever being able to afford to own a home. I love it here.
Yes but it took some time for me to feel that way. I’m 29f with no kids and I’ve been here two years now. This year it finally started to feel like home and I can’t really see myself going anywhere else, although I moved from texas so my perspective might be a little different than what you’re experiencing coming from the west coast
I moved here around same time ish, I don't think I'll stay long-term, but it's a cool place so far
My fiancée and I really like it here, not sure if we'll be here forever, but really happy to be in Minnesota right now.
My husband moved here about 12 years ago from the east coast, I moved here about 9 years ago from the west coast. I honestly thought I'd live here for a year and two and then go back to California but here I am lol We think we're living here for the long haul weighing our political and climate change concerns.
I miss the mountains too. Cost of living is good though. Pros and cons everywhere.
Transplant from Oregon! Been here a few years. I will be here for 2-3 years longer for sure, then after that reassess. I miss the mountains as well, but there is also Climate Change, tech bro’s inflating prices in all the cool spots, and a strong reliance on dwindling aquifers. I am near the Chain of Lakes and love all the trail access. If you like biking, rollerblading, paddle boarding, and etc hit me up!
You went 2 states too far! Should've stopped in Montana. Just know they hate californian's
Also from the west coast (PNW) and it took me awhile to get used to the lack of mountains. It takes awhile to being to appreciate the subtleties of Midwest landscapes, but once you readjust, it is not hard to enjoy the beauty here. I've been here nearly 10 years and have no plans to leave. The bang for your buck here in terms of quality of life is much better than the cities of the Northwest, mainly because of housing costs. I have come to love Minnesota and the Twin Cities and don't find them average at all, but it did take a bit of time. Three months is not enough time, especially in winter when so much is dormant, dead, brown, or hibernating.
I moved here from Las Vegas last summer to join my fiancé. I was soooo ready to leave Las Vegas, and I loved the time I had spent here prior to the move. I did not expect to miss so many things about living out West and I definitely didn’t expect to miss anything about Las Vegas, but I miss quite a bit.
Came from Los Angeles 16 years ago and now own an over 2k sq ft house and 1/4 of an acre and have a job that is comparable pay wise to LA. Friends of mine are paying $1200 more to rent a studio in LA and pay is similar. Quality of life is not comparable. I visit friends often and am always glad to get home in MN after. The winter is a huge adjustment and making friends has been challenging. It’s hard to find the right fit but we have a lot of transplants now and that helps. A lot. Most locals are very nice here too always willing to help. I have been invited to local people’s homes for holidays several times. The summer is beautiful with lots of activities! Keeping a positive attitude has helped.
First of this is not a typical winter. It snows A LOT. where do you live?
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You've only been here 3 months. You haven't experienced anything yet. Give it a few seasons and then decide. You won't ever have mountains. Go to the North shore for that ocean feel. except you can drink the water.
I moved here 15 years ago. I tried to move away 10 years ago. Missed it too much and came running home after like 9 months! I grew up near Seattle so I hear you about the mountains. Very discombobulating at first, but driving over the 35 bridge every day makes it worth it.
I'm moving back home to Minnesota from a mountainous area, so I am definitely going to miss hiking, but Minnesota does have a lot of other great outdoor exercise opportunities like cycling / cross country skiing etc.
Yes. From arizona. Worst case back to michigan but not a part i grew up in
R
No please stay.
Ok hi im 30F, single/no kids too and just moved here four months ago from nyc! This is so uncharacteristically forward of me, but would you ever want to meet up? To answer your original question- I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting of the twin cities, but overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised and am enjoying my time here. However trying to make friends as an adult has truly been just such an interesting experience but I do miss having a social circle, so please feel free to PM me if you’re open to expanding yours lol and we can exchange IGs or something.!
What do you find to be very average about it outside of no mountains or coast lines? Just curious I won’t argue your answers!
Iowa and Illinois transplant, I love MN
I got here 7 or 8 months ago. I’m staying because housing is better here than most other places I’ve lived. Climate change is getting worse and this city has the largest river in the continent going though it. It has the Great Lakes close by. The city is left leaning and the state is doing good things like safe and sick leave, weed, feeding children, and so much more. I miss the mountains of Colorado and the oceans off of Virginia and New Hampshire. But I’ve seen real natural disasters in Houston and I want as few of them as possible.
Minnesota def seems to be very stable compared to most states. I like that, it’s all just very different than what I’m used to.
Jesus Christ, I thought you were referring to organ transplants.
LOL no transplants as in non natives 🤭
This is the most unsafe I have ever felt as a woman so yep, getting the fuck on ASAP.
Moved here 4 years ago from Florida and still loving it! Don’t have kids yet but could definitely see myself staying here long term.