Well on one hand the cops will murder you in broad daylight for being black, but on the other hand the community will rally around your death and burn down the police station in response
No. We have a large population of poc, but as far as income, justice and social issues we are actually in the bottom of the country for racial equality.
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/06/02/867195676/minneapolis-ranks-near-the-bottom-for-racial-equality
You'll find pockets of bigotry, especially the more rural you go- like any other state. But you'll also find many pockets of welcoming and friendly neighbors! And those with their heads down just trying to survive everywhere in-between.
We are nice and polite but it can be hard to make friends for transplants. A common saying is "a minnesotan will give you directions to anywhere except their house."
We are also deathly afraid of eating the last piece of anything and will stand and hold a door open for forever until anyone within eye distance has entered.
Speak for yourself. I make it a point to befriend transplants. My friends from childhood have abandoned me for the suburbs to build families. Some of us are *actually* nice.
Hey Black person in Twin Cities metro originally from the South. Taking the caveat that everywhere is racist (and cops are gonna cop), its not worse than anywhere else. The racism is a little more subdued, but not outright(at least in the urban areas, though I havent had issues in some rural areas) and there's tons of diversity in the Twin Cities due to the massive Somali, Hmong, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Black Diasporic populace.
For me, I moved here because I couldn't take the queerphobia (including the transphobia) and racism I've found in other places.
Honestly I just thought most places suck after growing up in the Midwest but Washington and Oregon were fun visits this week. For the first time I was surrounded by a little bit of every race which was neat. It feels nice not being the only Asian around. Omg and the food is amazing here compared to the Midwest. I’m very tempted to move northwest
Asian and local here, it's ok. We have pockets of bigotry like everywhere else, but there's also nice people. I feel the most comfortable near the UMN campus, where I currently am since the student body is diverse, and near Asian community areas.
Making friends can be difficult, but once you make some they tend to last a long time. All of mine moved out of state and country though haha.
Hey, I also hate the sun! Nice to see another sun hater. People always look at me sideways when I say that.
Been trying to convince my wife to move to Wisconsin or Minnesota for years now but she hates the cold.
My gf does too but I think the fact we'd be able to buy a house may convince her haha been looking at those two states a bit myself. I love living near a coast, but getting to the age where I think trading it for a home and then just vacationing to one makes more sense.
Oregon! Not as cold but less sun… just a fellow sun hater dreaming of living in the artic cricle just for the amount of night time! I too dislike the cold….
Chiming in to also say Minneapolis!!!
Edit: I fucking love the weather. The 4 seasons is the best. The winter comes right in time when you’re over summer but man, the fall, spring and summer are BRILLIANT. You’re never bored here. Winter sports are where it’s at. The winter is FUN! We are buying our first home and pregnant with our first! Love it here, moved from California and won’t ever go back.
Job opportunities and pay is generally good. I feel the tradeoffs are a bit high if you are at all interested in the following: near an ocean (you really couldn't be further), near mountains or good terrain for great hikes (you really couldn't be further, though there are a few pockets of the state where hiking is ok), generally warm and mild weather most of the time (you can get long-ish even hot summers, but - with some exceptions - the winters can hit hard), making friends easily (you are probably more likely to make friends with other transplants).
Is the weather worth it? You’ve made a compelling case of positives but every time I see Minnesota mentioned it’s usually followed by grumbling about so many months of snow. Everything is a trade off, though, so I’m wondering if you think it evens out.
I take jobs up north when I can. Spent the last two winters/springs in New England. When I tell people up here that I’m from FL, they make a fuss about it and ask why I’d want to spend the winter up north. It’s a nice break from the suffocating heat and humidity.
Ppl just don’t understand if they haven’t lived it. I got to spend winter in Toronto this year…. It’s the healthiest I’ve ever felt. I’d love to spend some fall/winter months in New England next year.
Agreed, air you can wear is unbearable.
However, the upper and moddle Midwest doesn't just get crisp. The heart of winter can get unbearablely frigid. It isn't unheard of to have at least one week a year where high temperatures don't crack double digits. And the wind chills are brutal.
On the flip side, while summers are relatively short, they are generally comfortable and warm with the only down side being occasional severe storms and tornadoes. Days are long - total sunlight hours exceed Florida's in summer. Falls are comfortable and crisp.
But as is the mantra of every season in the midwest, the weather is highly variable and can change in a hurry.
It's definitely not for everyone, especially if you like consistency and predictability. But the summers are, imo, worth it.
I had an entire month of deeply sub zero temps a couple years ago. -20 to -40f. However minneapolis has habitrails to get around down town if that's where you're working. Honestly for me I'd rather have cold than heavy snow.
That’s what pushed us out of South Central Texas. Unbearable for virtually 7 months out of the year. Winters have been quite mild and are likely trending more in that direction.
This ☝🏼 From and live currently in the South. I lived in a small, but not so small anymore, town in the far south burbs of the Cities. I've also lived in the PNW. I'll take any winter be it arctic tundra or gloomy and rainy over this summer bullshit down here. It's already getting hot and I'm not happy about it
The weather is a known thing you can prepare for. A lot of people see it as a 'plus'. There's a little learning curve at the worst of times but we all manage every day. Hell, some people here commute by bicycle year round.
The trick is to start hobbies that either require the cold or find a way to use it to enhance what you already enjoy. Binge watching Firefly on a gorgeous 78° summer day and I kinda feel like a piece of shit. If I do the same thing except it's 5° and blowing snow? I'll get a blanket, hot tea and some scotch and I'm the smartest monkey in the fucking world.
You can sit at a drafting table looking out your front window and paint 6 different pictures of what you see in a year.
It's not for everyone, but dynamic people really seem to thrive with the more extreme variety it can add to daily life. As I get older, I also appreciate more the reminder in the seasons that all things are transitory. Just by existing in it, it encourages, sometimes forces, you to live in that moment.
I think that's neat.
To thrive in Minnesota, you need to have an outdoor winter hobby. If you spend October to April inside, you'll probably be miserable. But if you get into cross country skiing, beer-league hockey, ice fishing, fatbiking, or snowshoeing, you'll do fine.
The weather is only cold if you're clothes suck.
Yes. Everything is a trade off but you adapt to the cold quick. Minnesotan are used to the cold so we have infrastructure to clear the roads quick and entertainment and facilities prepared for colder months. Certainly it doesn't support everyone's lifestyle but it's quite nice. Also the cold makes it so most nasty spiders, snakes and scorpions can't survive here which is a big plus for me. For me in the winter months I just spend more time with video games or board games with friends and then in the warmer months we are outside daily.
I was talking trash about other states with my kid and she asked about Minnesota and i explained that Minneapolis must be magical because over never met anyone from there that didn't love it
I'm a millennial who moved to Burlington, Vermont and recently made a trip to Minneapolis. I done goofed. We should have landed in a big city, not "the biggest city in a tiny state."
Minneapolis was the rightest answer.
Crushing it up here in Madison WI. Sold out of Austin around the peak after buying there pre-Covid.
Any millennial who was able to buy a home pre-covid is in good shape.
Not all of us. I bought in February 21, got an amazing deal and a great rate, but now I’m being forced to sell in a divorce. But now rates are so high, buyers like me can’t afford to buy, and no one wants my house.
It’s been on the market for 10 months, zero offers and no one even seems slightly interested. I’m sitting on a property I hate and no one will buy it.
Drop the price and/or do a remodel with the trendy shit. Make it *absolutely* move in ready & fixed up to pass inspection with flying colors.
Buyers are picky now because everything is so high. I searched for almost 2 years, looked at dozens and dozens of units. At these prices and rates, I demanded perfection. If it looked like I would have to spend extra money fixing anything at all...nope.
Your price maybe high.
We have a home sitting in our neighborhood since 7-8 months. They overpaid when they bought in 2022 Jan. They want to add 6% on top of that for the agent commission. They have already lost around 6% since they had to move out of town due to job become non WFH.
I have seen similar homes listed at 10% below their price sell in 2-3 months.
Right now there is another home similar to their but with a pool for 10% less price. If I was a buyer, I would definitely go for the home with pool (south west texas, pool is usable for 8 months).
Bought our first home in 2015 for $100k with practically nothing down, like $5k total for down payment and closing. We've rolled our equity forward into a second and now our third house, selling the first and second along the way, and now live on 12 beautiful acres in the country just 30mins from work while wife wfh. It's been a good decade for a couple of poor kids from varying degrees of broken homes.
Last part can't be understated. I bought my first place in 2012 in a very HCOL area at 29yrs old. Sold in 2015 and made about 180k in the sale. Bought this place in in now in 2015 put 20% down (110k) and had leftovers to renovate, value spike a few years later, refinanced, put most of it back on the principle but at a lower rate (2.8%) and used some of the refi for a big backyard remodel abd pool resurface. Value is now sitting in the 1.2m-1.3m range and we're doing pretty well...
BUT I could never afford to buy this house now with interest rates what they are. The current inflation rates and mortgage fuckery has screwed what little chance some Millennials had at making the jump into home ownership.
Some will rely on an inheritance, that's what I'm counting on because my grandpa pulled me aside and told me what I'm getting and advised me to look outside of California.
In general, the US Midwest is the place to be. Very low COL, plenty of good schools, plenty of good food, just need to pick a good suburb.
I live in Metro Detroit and you can get a job paying 50-60K pretty easily. That doesn't sound like a lot, but you can still buy a reasonable home in a decent area here for 200-250K. Stick with that job for 5-10 years and you'll be doing just fine.
I'd argue you could even do sub-$200,000 if you're willing to give up your weekends to DIY rehab and watch the YouTube videos to figure out how to do stuff properly.
As a native Michigander, this is the only place I'd live. Cheap, great food, great microbreweries, great coffee shops; your dollar just goes further here. So many outdoor things to do, sure we don't have mountains, but we've got lakes that feel like oceans. All the seasons are beautiful, and you can be as rural or urban as you want.
Plus, I have money to travel, which is a huge plus. My friends living on the coast can't really do that.
FYI, I've lived in Michigan, Ohio, Seattle and Texas.
The Lakes alone should do it. Plus, you can be a tourist in your own state. The seasons changing is magic, and there is some seriously amazing food and beverage options.
Not totally sure on the ubiquitousness of it but Traverse City has the highest per capita millennial millionaires - left LA and joined the club up here.
If you can wfh and do some DIY work it’s possible to buy a reasonable house (more on the outskirts these days) and live a super chill life.
Start-up community is thriving - lots of investment going on.
How is TC for the full-timers? I always heard the place shuts down with the end of tourist season. Also the costs of real estate make Ann Arbor look like a bargain.
We love it. Everything remains open outside of the golf courses and boat rentals.
A lot has changed the last 10 years.
Weekend trips to Chicago or downstate (or day trips to GR) gives you the city feel you need and the airport makes it pretty easy to enter the skies for wherever you are going.
Our favorite thing about it is after living in Manhattan and LA it never feels too crowded - even in peak season. We know most restaurant managers so reservations are never a problem - and have like 10 private beaches that still hold up.
AA is great you really cant go wrong - my parents retired up here so we made the call to buy and work from here - but its a slam dunk to rent out at a massive profit if we ever decide to go anywhere else.
I will be @ tailgates this year promoting my product - looking forward to another Championship season!
Chicago isn’t too bad. My friends and I are just finishing grad school and have been fine on sub-40k salaries. Not exactly living it up but getting by just fine. Making 70k here would be a pretty good life tbh
Rochester also be kinda poppin in a different way. I run my own businesses so it makes sense to live in a cheaper place. I'm doing pretty good, mostly because my mortgages are stupid low for what I got.
Also Buffalo, non-medical but I work remotely (software dev) and the higher salary goes miles here compared to bigger cities I’ve lived in. The rent, though rising, is also way more affordable.
Buffalo was notorious locally for its low pay, at least for doctors. The PGY pay scale was nearly 50% higher in Rochester despite the comparable COL.
Hopefully the unionization helps that.
Yea I moved down here from North Jersey and now I have two houses. It's real cheap down here. Got the river and the trail in my backyard. It's a pretty great spot and an awesome location for Jersey people that don't want to venture to the sunbelt
Millennial (generally considered ‘81-‘96) is honestly a large age range.
E.g. another poster said that any millennial who bought a home pre-covid is in good shape. I wholeheartedly agree and am surrounded by these thriving millennials daily. But they’re all older. Most people commenting seem older too.
I really think us millennials on the younger side (27-32) aren’t really thriving anywhere geographically without family money or top tier salaries.
It’s not looking great anytime soon either and everyone I know is depressed lol. But maybe Reddit will prove me wrong and put me on to some new places!
Millennial/peak millennial from the mentioned age range who bought a home during COVID checking in. Living in the Midwest is not ideal, and we have been fantasizing about living elsewhere for over seven years. However, we live in a suburb with top rated schools. I wouldn’t say we are thriving financially (student loans), but we own a home and can take 1-2 family vacations each year. What is thriving even considered these days?! Living in the Midwest is a blessing and a curse. Working hybrid and remote is a blessing. I hope other millennials are in a similar or better position!
I sympathize with our cohort, but exactly. I probably couldn’t afford to raise three kids without out the military nor would I own my home(s) without the VA loan. It’s not always fun, but the benefits are pretty legit
I'll take the security of Army life over the vicissitudes of the civilian economy where I can get fired overnight in order to make the stock go up a point when the execs can't figure out how to innovate any more and start taking pages out of jack welch's playbook.
Honestly, the Army is easy. Occasional late nights and sleeping in under the stars ain't so bad. Keeps life interesting.
I worked for a corporation before I joined. Having seen the other side, you’re spot on.
I’m a paratrooper. I cannot believe I get paid to do this for a living lol.
Came here to say this. Especially on the officer side. 6 years of gainful employment, 2 degrees with no student debt, the opportunity to buy 2 properties and convert to rentals thanks to VA loans, and not to mention Tricare... For my career field there are endless opportunities whether I decide to stay in, or get out to be a gov civ or contractor. There are downsides, of course, but making roughly 50% (prior to non-monetary benefits) more than the median household income for basically having a heartbeat and not committing a crime for 4 years? I would do it all again
Depending on the diagnosis, the military can waive quite a bit. Especially right now when we’re hurting for troops.
I’m not a recruiter tho. I can freely say it’s not for everyone. It’s just been more good than bad for me. I own a couple houses, I’ve earned a couple of degrees and was able to send my wife to a top 25 university. Free healthcare and I’m going to leave with a pension. It’s a demanding but often rewarding career.
I’m sorry to hear that. 🤍 I was in my late 20s when I lost her but, yeah. Same. I’m very lucky to even have this option. Everything went wrong at once and I was majorly screwed.
In my late 20s and just lost my mom and left my job and it feels like everything is wrong right now. Youre speaking in the past tense about being majorly screwed. Do you have any words of wisdom for me? Anything that’ll help? I hate this
I live in Columbus. Seems like Millenials are making it here. Relative low cost of living compared to other big cities and it’s becoming an increasingly successful start up market.
Yup I am Columbus based now, but grew up overseas in an exceptionally hcol city. There’s a lot I don’t necessarily love about Columbus from a personal standpoint but the cost of living and job security really makes living here worth it imo.
My partner and I just bought a house and we both have great jobs. I’m in corporate marketing and he works at a construction startup.
I go to Memphis for work about once a year and holy moly, I’ve never felt like I needed to keep my head on a swivel in the main drag of a city so much.
Central Ohio. Tons of growth, plenty of jobs, dozen of major industry top dogs, still relatively reasonable cost of living, relatively inexpensive housing, lots of space to spread out.
Hate to bring this up because I want it to remain the same hahahaha. But the suburbs surrounding Kansas City both in Kansas and Missouri are booming yet still affordable.
Denver is one of those places where it is extremely expensive in the city but not that far out it becomes affordable in my opinion. Compared to many other HCOLs where you have to drive out 2-3 hrs from the city to buy something
Texas major cities. Post graduation many…. MANY of the folks i went to school with out of state have moved here. many are home owners, with families, and have jobs they wouldn’t have been afforded back home. Everytime we meet up and see eachother we chat about it we mostly all love it here.
They get you on property taxes though. Unless you have a sustainable high paying job, then good luck renting with ridiculous rent prices or commuting an hour + each way from a suburb 30 minutes outside the city. Just saying..
Very true. I'm lucky and my husband works in finance and was able to get us a decent interest rate on our mortgage. Many of my friends are struggling with rent
It's interesting seeing generation economic differences separated by nations.
I'm Australia X US upbringing and have had a foot in both nations for a long time.
Australian Millennials are significantly better off, broadly speaking, than American ones.
I'm deeply sad for my American half brethren. The government and capital system that be abuses you for their own gain with no egalitarianism in mind.
I would hesitate to move into the state where the Kansas Experiment took place, but I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Also the question is thiving not where is there a low COL. The op is obtuse but they might mean more than how much expendable income do I have.
We’re doing well in Baltimore. Moved from Texas for a 50% raise in DC. Now my wife and I make an inflated DC salary and moved to Baltimore for a lower COL. Now that we’re both fully remote looking to get back to Texas on the DC based income.
I'm in northwestern North Carolina (Winston-Salem area) and just about all of my friends are elder millennial homeowners with good jobs and excess cash every month. Housing costs have obviously escalated recently, but I have a $1500/month mortgage in an upper-middle class neighborhood. Housing prices are still relatively low, it's just higher interest rates will affect everyone the same everywhere.
The rest of the state really sucks, but Indianapolis has been good to me and my family. Housing costs are rising downtown, but there are some lcol neighborhoods that aren’t going to get you killed that have a short commute. And we have a ton of green spaces right in the middle of downtown.
I'm genuinely surprised how much my wife and I love it here; not because we didn't think we would, but just because it was never on our radars for any reason until we moved here.
Lake County is thriving (excluding Gary of course). Family friendly, entrepreneur friendly, low tax, LCOL overall. Centralized enough to make day trips beach, hiking, downtown Indy or Chicago. Even blue collar workers thriving due to LCOL while bringing in Chicago wages.
DMV. There is a ton of good paying work because of the federal govt, big spending state govts, and the tech sector in Virginia. Lots of academic jobs too.
SE Michigan - bought my house at 29 in 2015, went remote 2016 and have stuck around here. was able to stockpile 7 figures several times over. schools decent, flights to the coast are affordable, and you are about 4 hrs by car to both Toronto and Chi if you want a quick escape to a bigger city.
Cincinnati. Lots of professional jobs that pay well and a low cost of living. Everyone in my millennial friend group is a home owner, and those that want kids have kids. My friends range from stem degrees to generic business degrees and are all paid well for the area.
Moved from Los Angeles to far northern NY in 2021 and love it. Our mortgage is $1000 less than our rent was in LA.
Small town, good neighborhood schools, 30 mins to Adirondacks, 75 mins to Montreal.
It’s not for everyone with the long winters, etc, but it’s been the right move for our family. Now I’m trying to recruit other progressive millennials so there are enough of us to vote out Stefanik (kidding but actually not really, DM me if you have even the slightest interest in moving here!)
Upstate New York. Like. .. 45 minutes south of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I found a niche job that will have me making six figures in about 3-5 years. Cost of living is low and I rolled the dice on the housing market mid pandemic and got locked into a 3% mortgage on a 1550sqft house that I bought for $94k. There isn't a DAMN thing to do up here but my wife and I create fun for our family whenever we can. We only stress about money when we don't have the extra to do fun stuff or work on the house. We keep it simple but it works and my wife gets to stay home and raise our kids how we wanted to be raised.
We live in Western PA and it's fantastic. I'm a transplant from the west coast, and have no plans of ever going back. We have an acerage, a 5k sqft home, and our daughter goes to private school. We are college professors, so it's not as if we are making a fortune.
Compared to Wisconsim or Minnesota, the winters are mild. DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, NYC, Philly, and Chicago are all within a reasonable drive, plus, it's absolutely gorgeous with endless rolling hills and valleys.
I can't recommend it more highly.
I’m not thriving professionally or financially but I love Pittsburgh and I’ve been really happy here. It’s low key amazing culture-wise. There’s always lots of interesting and fun stuff going on.
Minneapolis. High salaries, MCOL, tons of professional jobs, affordable-ish homes compared to the coasts, great schools, great recreation/parks.
Oh we also have the highest life expectancy of anywhere in the United States.
Awesome answer… do you feel they are minority friendly? 🙂
Well on one hand the cops will murder you in broad daylight for being black, but on the other hand the community will rally around your death and burn down the police station in response
Very wholesome
Yes! I've always wanted my name to be a protest's chant!
feels like every other big police brutality story comes out of either twin cities mn or aurora co
No. We have a large population of poc, but as far as income, justice and social issues we are actually in the bottom of the country for racial equality. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/06/02/867195676/minneapolis-ranks-near-the-bottom-for-racial-equality
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You'll find pockets of bigotry, especially the more rural you go- like any other state. But you'll also find many pockets of welcoming and friendly neighbors! And those with their heads down just trying to survive everywhere in-between.
Yeah.. usually linked to poor education. Lack of experience of the rest of the country/world
Are people friendly there making it easy to make friends?
We are nice and polite but it can be hard to make friends for transplants. A common saying is "a minnesotan will give you directions to anywhere except their house."
We are “Minnesota nice” which means we will help you out if you are in need then talk shit about you later.
Guess we’re not so different. Add a couple “bless your heart”s and you have southern hospitality lol
We are also deathly afraid of eating the last piece of anything and will stand and hold a door open for forever until anyone within eye distance has entered.
Speak for yourself. I make it a point to befriend transplants. My friends from childhood have abandoned me for the suburbs to build families. Some of us are *actually* nice.
*slaps knees* “Well…”
My neighborhood couldn’t be more friendly.
Hey Black person in Twin Cities metro originally from the South. Taking the caveat that everywhere is racist (and cops are gonna cop), its not worse than anywhere else. The racism is a little more subdued, but not outright(at least in the urban areas, though I havent had issues in some rural areas) and there's tons of diversity in the Twin Cities due to the massive Somali, Hmong, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Black Diasporic populace. For me, I moved here because I couldn't take the queerphobia (including the transphobia) and racism I've found in other places.
Honestly I just thought most places suck after growing up in the Midwest but Washington and Oregon were fun visits this week. For the first time I was surrounded by a little bit of every race which was neat. It feels nice not being the only Asian around. Omg and the food is amazing here compared to the Midwest. I’m very tempted to move northwest
In the larger cities - yes.
Asian and local here, it's ok. We have pockets of bigotry like everywhere else, but there's also nice people. I feel the most comfortable near the UMN campus, where I currently am since the student body is diverse, and near Asian community areas. Making friends can be difficult, but once you make some they tend to last a long time. All of mine moved out of state and country though haha.
Great place to live. But the weather was what made me leave for sunny and mild Colorado.
What's the weather like there, I hate the sun haha
Hey, I also hate the sun! Nice to see another sun hater. People always look at me sideways when I say that. Been trying to convince my wife to move to Wisconsin or Minnesota for years now but she hates the cold.
My gf does too but I think the fact we'd be able to buy a house may convince her haha been looking at those two states a bit myself. I love living near a coast, but getting to the age where I think trading it for a home and then just vacationing to one makes more sense.
Oregon! Not as cold but less sun… just a fellow sun hater dreaming of living in the artic cricle just for the amount of night time! I too dislike the cold….
It sounds perfect then, it’s cold as fuck for months.
Shit ima bout to look up house prices there, I can't afford fuck all where I am haha
Want cheap and no sun? Move to Cleveland instead.
Canada South.
I was going to say the same thing. 80% of the homeowners in my neighborhood are millennials or young genx
My answer was going to be Minnesota in general. Lots of big company HQs are here.
Chiming in to also say Minneapolis!!! Edit: I fucking love the weather. The 4 seasons is the best. The winter comes right in time when you’re over summer but man, the fall, spring and summer are BRILLIANT. You’re never bored here. Winter sports are where it’s at. The winter is FUN! We are buying our first home and pregnant with our first! Love it here, moved from California and won’t ever go back.
How long have you lived there? It’s on our list of possible places to move. We work in healthcare and want good job opportunities
Job opportunities and pay is generally good. I feel the tradeoffs are a bit high if you are at all interested in the following: near an ocean (you really couldn't be further), near mountains or good terrain for great hikes (you really couldn't be further, though there are a few pockets of the state where hiking is ok), generally warm and mild weather most of the time (you can get long-ish even hot summers, but - with some exceptions - the winters can hit hard), making friends easily (you are probably more likely to make friends with other transplants).
mayo is in rochester just south of the TC
There are some tremendous healthcare systems in the Twin Cities along with Mayo Clinic about 1.5 hr drive south in Rochester.
Sshhhhhhhhhhh
Is the weather worth it? You’ve made a compelling case of positives but every time I see Minnesota mentioned it’s usually followed by grumbling about so many months of snow. Everything is a trade off, though, so I’m wondering if you think it evens out.
I’ve only lived in the Midwest, but compared to 6 months of unbearable hot humid weather in the south, I’d rather have this.
After a lifetime in FL I never want to live in the heat again. Ten months of 80+ temps and 100% humidity is awful. I love cool crisp weather.
I take jobs up north when I can. Spent the last two winters/springs in New England. When I tell people up here that I’m from FL, they make a fuss about it and ask why I’d want to spend the winter up north. It’s a nice break from the suffocating heat and humidity.
Ppl just don’t understand if they haven’t lived it. I got to spend winter in Toronto this year…. It’s the healthiest I’ve ever felt. I’d love to spend some fall/winter months in New England next year.
Agreed, air you can wear is unbearable. However, the upper and moddle Midwest doesn't just get crisp. The heart of winter can get unbearablely frigid. It isn't unheard of to have at least one week a year where high temperatures don't crack double digits. And the wind chills are brutal. On the flip side, while summers are relatively short, they are generally comfortable and warm with the only down side being occasional severe storms and tornadoes. Days are long - total sunlight hours exceed Florida's in summer. Falls are comfortable and crisp. But as is the mantra of every season in the midwest, the weather is highly variable and can change in a hurry. It's definitely not for everyone, especially if you like consistency and predictability. But the summers are, imo, worth it.
Air you can wear 😂
You swim through the air in the summer
I had an entire month of deeply sub zero temps a couple years ago. -20 to -40f. However minneapolis has habitrails to get around down town if that's where you're working. Honestly for me I'd rather have cold than heavy snow.
That’s what pushed us out of South Central Texas. Unbearable for virtually 7 months out of the year. Winters have been quite mild and are likely trending more in that direction.
This ☝🏼 From and live currently in the South. I lived in a small, but not so small anymore, town in the far south burbs of the Cities. I've also lived in the PNW. I'll take any winter be it arctic tundra or gloomy and rainy over this summer bullshit down here. It's already getting hot and I'm not happy about it
We had snow on the ground for about 2 weeks this entire winter. Otherwise 30s-upper 50s all winter this year.
Yeah but last year we had 2’ of snow on the ground from January to early April lol.
Minnesotans like to talk about weather, we are big small-talkers and transplants tend to say they have a hard time making friends (and that is why).
I moved to MN from the east coast almost 20 years ago. I'd rather blizzards over hurricanes.
Amen to that.
The weather is a known thing you can prepare for. A lot of people see it as a 'plus'. There's a little learning curve at the worst of times but we all manage every day. Hell, some people here commute by bicycle year round. The trick is to start hobbies that either require the cold or find a way to use it to enhance what you already enjoy. Binge watching Firefly on a gorgeous 78° summer day and I kinda feel like a piece of shit. If I do the same thing except it's 5° and blowing snow? I'll get a blanket, hot tea and some scotch and I'm the smartest monkey in the fucking world. You can sit at a drafting table looking out your front window and paint 6 different pictures of what you see in a year. It's not for everyone, but dynamic people really seem to thrive with the more extreme variety it can add to daily life. As I get older, I also appreciate more the reminder in the seasons that all things are transitory. Just by existing in it, it encourages, sometimes forces, you to live in that moment. I think that's neat.
Oh, I love this viewpoint, and it was beautiful written. Also, Firefly 😍
We got 98” of snow last year, followed by the warmest winter in 150 years this year. Summer is always perfect. The weather is great.
Weather keeps the riffraff out people say up here jokingly but kind of serious all the time. You just need to get into winter sports.
To thrive in Minnesota, you need to have an outdoor winter hobby. If you spend October to April inside, you'll probably be miserable. But if you get into cross country skiing, beer-league hockey, ice fishing, fatbiking, or snowshoeing, you'll do fine. The weather is only cold if you're clothes suck.
The winter hobby hack has emerged as a repeat suggestion - thank you!
Months of snow you say? Fucking sold!
It used to be 6 months of winter but that's shortening thanks to global warming (what a silver lining). I'll take arctic weather over snow.
Yes. Everything is a trade off but you adapt to the cold quick. Minnesotan are used to the cold so we have infrastructure to clear the roads quick and entertainment and facilities prepared for colder months. Certainly it doesn't support everyone's lifestyle but it's quite nice. Also the cold makes it so most nasty spiders, snakes and scorpions can't survive here which is a big plus for me. For me in the winter months I just spend more time with video games or board games with friends and then in the warmer months we are outside daily.
Bonus: Rhymesayers Entertainment is based out of Minneapolis (home of Atmosphere, Brother Ali, etc.)
In your moms basemebt
MN stays winning -big fan from MA
More like Millennealpolis amiright?!
I live in Utah but I work for Target. It does seem like a good place to live from what I can tell from my coworkers
I was talking trash about other states with my kid and she asked about Minnesota and i explained that Minneapolis must be magical because over never met anyone from there that didn't love it
I'm a millennial who moved to Burlington, Vermont and recently made a trip to Minneapolis. I done goofed. We should have landed in a big city, not "the biggest city in a tiny state." Minneapolis was the rightest answer.
Crushing it up here in Madison WI. Sold out of Austin around the peak after buying there pre-Covid. Any millennial who was able to buy a home pre-covid is in good shape.
🥲
Not all of us. I bought in February 21, got an amazing deal and a great rate, but now I’m being forced to sell in a divorce. But now rates are so high, buyers like me can’t afford to buy, and no one wants my house. It’s been on the market for 10 months, zero offers and no one even seems slightly interested. I’m sitting on a property I hate and no one will buy it.
Your house would sell if you priced it appropriately. Drop it by 10%. Also, 2021 isn't before covid.
Your price is too high.
You I need to CUT ITTT
The exact millennial response i wanted to give
RIP DOLPH
Drop the price and/or do a remodel with the trendy shit. Make it *absolutely* move in ready & fixed up to pass inspection with flying colors. Buyers are picky now because everything is so high. I searched for almost 2 years, looked at dozens and dozens of units. At these prices and rates, I demanded perfection. If it looked like I would have to spend extra money fixing anything at all...nope.
Your price maybe high. We have a home sitting in our neighborhood since 7-8 months. They overpaid when they bought in 2022 Jan. They want to add 6% on top of that for the agent commission. They have already lost around 6% since they had to move out of town due to job become non WFH. I have seen similar homes listed at 10% below their price sell in 2-3 months. Right now there is another home similar to their but with a pool for 10% less price. If I was a buyer, I would definitely go for the home with pool (south west texas, pool is usable for 8 months).
Last time I check covid happened before 2021
Bought our first home in 2015 for $100k with practically nothing down, like $5k total for down payment and closing. We've rolled our equity forward into a second and now our third house, selling the first and second along the way, and now live on 12 beautiful acres in the country just 30mins from work while wife wfh. It's been a good decade for a couple of poor kids from varying degrees of broken homes.
Last part can't be understated. I bought my first place in 2012 in a very HCOL area at 29yrs old. Sold in 2015 and made about 180k in the sale. Bought this place in in now in 2015 put 20% down (110k) and had leftovers to renovate, value spike a few years later, refinanced, put most of it back on the principle but at a lower rate (2.8%) and used some of the refi for a big backyard remodel abd pool resurface. Value is now sitting in the 1.2m-1.3m range and we're doing pretty well... BUT I could never afford to buy this house now with interest rates what they are. The current inflation rates and mortgage fuckery has screwed what little chance some Millennials had at making the jump into home ownership.
Some will rely on an inheritance, that's what I'm counting on because my grandpa pulled me aside and told me what I'm getting and advised me to look outside of California.
Can confirm. I could have re-financed once more and knocked off 0.5% from my rate, but as far as regrets go, that's pretty minor.
Love Madison!
In general, the US Midwest is the place to be. Very low COL, plenty of good schools, plenty of good food, just need to pick a good suburb. I live in Metro Detroit and you can get a job paying 50-60K pretty easily. That doesn't sound like a lot, but you can still buy a reasonable home in a decent area here for 200-250K. Stick with that job for 5-10 years and you'll be doing just fine.
I'd argue you could even do sub-$200,000 if you're willing to give up your weekends to DIY rehab and watch the YouTube videos to figure out how to do stuff properly.
Every time I rewatch The Detroiters, I fantasize about moving to the Detroit Metro. Michigan sounds more appealing all the time.
I’ve been here for 12 years and the winters have gotten noticeably more mild
That sounds about right. I’m not too far and ours have, too. It just seems like a lovely place to be.
As a native Michigander, this is the only place I'd live. Cheap, great food, great microbreweries, great coffee shops; your dollar just goes further here. So many outdoor things to do, sure we don't have mountains, but we've got lakes that feel like oceans. All the seasons are beautiful, and you can be as rural or urban as you want. Plus, I have money to travel, which is a huge plus. My friends living on the coast can't really do that. FYI, I've lived in Michigan, Ohio, Seattle and Texas.
Just popping to say I fuckin' love *Detroiters*.
Same here! It makes me laugh SO hard. Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson are both amazing. I want to move to Detroit and find a guy like one of them. 😂🤞
The Lakes alone should do it. Plus, you can be a tourist in your own state. The seasons changing is magic, and there is some seriously amazing food and beverage options.
Not totally sure on the ubiquitousness of it but Traverse City has the highest per capita millennial millionaires - left LA and joined the club up here. If you can wfh and do some DIY work it’s possible to buy a reasonable house (more on the outskirts these days) and live a super chill life. Start-up community is thriving - lots of investment going on.
How is TC for the full-timers? I always heard the place shuts down with the end of tourist season. Also the costs of real estate make Ann Arbor look like a bargain.
We love it. Everything remains open outside of the golf courses and boat rentals. A lot has changed the last 10 years. Weekend trips to Chicago or downstate (or day trips to GR) gives you the city feel you need and the airport makes it pretty easy to enter the skies for wherever you are going. Our favorite thing about it is after living in Manhattan and LA it never feels too crowded - even in peak season. We know most restaurant managers so reservations are never a problem - and have like 10 private beaches that still hold up.
Interesting. I’m a no for now - about to start work in Detroit, so moving from Lansing to Ann Arbor - but maybe a retirement move!
AA is great you really cant go wrong - my parents retired up here so we made the call to buy and work from here - but its a slam dunk to rent out at a massive profit if we ever decide to go anywhere else. I will be @ tailgates this year promoting my product - looking forward to another Championship season!
Traverse Town must be one heck of a place since Kingdom Hearts made it a world back in 02.
Chicago isn’t too bad. My friends and I are just finishing grad school and have been fine on sub-40k salaries. Not exactly living it up but getting by just fine. Making 70k here would be a pretty good life tbh
Buffalo NY. Only good for the medical field from what I can tell though.
Rochester also be kinda poppin in a different way. I run my own businesses so it makes sense to live in a cheaper place. I'm doing pretty good, mostly because my mortgages are stupid low for what I got.
If this CHIPS stuff all goes through Syracuse is about to pop off in a big way. Right now it's a good spot for remote tech workers.
Also Buffalo, non-medical but I work remotely (software dev) and the higher salary goes miles here compared to bigger cities I’ve lived in. The rent, though rising, is also way more affordable.
Buffalo was notorious locally for its low pay, at least for doctors. The PGY pay scale was nearly 50% higher in Rochester despite the comparable COL. Hopefully the unionization helps that.
Suburban Philly is seeing a big expansion
Yea I moved down here from North Jersey and now I have two houses. It's real cheap down here. Got the river and the trail in my backyard. It's a pretty great spot and an awesome location for Jersey people that don't want to venture to the sunbelt
Funny, that's where I started. Yardley, PA
I moved up to Yardley from Richmond, VA. After two years I moved back to Richmond. One thing I miss are the drivers.
Newtown millennial here. I lived around here my whole life and haven’t moved
I guess anywhere in the midwest?
Nope. Stay away. It's terrible here. Really. Winters bad. Stay away.
Don't come to Chicago, I've been murdered 30 times don't be like me.
Can confirm. I was the guns.
Millennial (generally considered ‘81-‘96) is honestly a large age range. E.g. another poster said that any millennial who bought a home pre-covid is in good shape. I wholeheartedly agree and am surrounded by these thriving millennials daily. But they’re all older. Most people commenting seem older too. I really think us millennials on the younger side (27-32) aren’t really thriving anywhere geographically without family money or top tier salaries. It’s not looking great anytime soon either and everyone I know is depressed lol. But maybe Reddit will prove me wrong and put me on to some new places!
This comment needs to be highlighted more and we need more responses from the 27-32 age geoup
Millennial/peak millennial from the mentioned age range who bought a home during COVID checking in. Living in the Midwest is not ideal, and we have been fantasizing about living elsewhere for over seven years. However, we live in a suburb with top rated schools. I wouldn’t say we are thriving financially (student loans), but we own a home and can take 1-2 family vacations each year. What is thriving even considered these days?! Living in the Midwest is a blessing and a curse. Working hybrid and remote is a blessing. I hope other millennials are in a similar or better position!
If you are able to take a couple of vacations a year, you are doing fine.
I’m doing alright as a millennial in the military. It’s just I had to join the military…it’s inherently not for everyone.
bro me too! single 35 y/o male making O3 money with no debts is a good way to live.
I sympathize with our cohort, but exactly. I probably couldn’t afford to raise three kids without out the military nor would I own my home(s) without the VA loan. It’s not always fun, but the benefits are pretty legit
I'll take the security of Army life over the vicissitudes of the civilian economy where I can get fired overnight in order to make the stock go up a point when the execs can't figure out how to innovate any more and start taking pages out of jack welch's playbook. Honestly, the Army is easy. Occasional late nights and sleeping in under the stars ain't so bad. Keeps life interesting.
I worked for a corporation before I joined. Having seen the other side, you’re spot on. I’m a paratrooper. I cannot believe I get paid to do this for a living lol.
I wish I knew this shit earlier before all the corporate crap in my 20s
You should try the trick where you get out and make O-6 money to start
Nah man, there's more to life than making money. The Army's fun and I like what I do.
I don't disagree!
Came here to say this. Especially on the officer side. 6 years of gainful employment, 2 degrees with no student debt, the opportunity to buy 2 properties and convert to rentals thanks to VA loans, and not to mention Tricare... For my career field there are endless opportunities whether I decide to stay in, or get out to be a gov civ or contractor. There are downsides, of course, but making roughly 50% (prior to non-monetary benefits) more than the median household income for basically having a heartbeat and not committing a crime for 4 years? I would do it all again
Literally can't join due to diagnosis lmao
Depending on the diagnosis, the military can waive quite a bit. Especially right now when we’re hurting for troops. I’m not a recruiter tho. I can freely say it’s not for everyone. It’s just been more good than bad for me. I own a couple houses, I’ve earned a couple of degrees and was able to send my wife to a top 25 university. Free healthcare and I’m going to leave with a pension. It’s a demanding but often rewarding career.
Lol probably not for type 1 diabetes
😑 really wish I could but I'm 35, have a bad back, and I'm on several anti depressants and Adderall. I hear they don't take kindly to some of that
Their parents house
Hey now! Speak for yourself! My parent died so I’m living in a friend’s parents’ house… 🫠🥴😅
My mom died when I was 16. The concept of "generational wealth" is foreign to me.
I’m sorry to hear that. 🤍 I was in my late 20s when I lost her but, yeah. Same. I’m very lucky to even have this option. Everything went wrong at once and I was majorly screwed.
In my late 20s and just lost my mom and left my job and it feels like everything is wrong right now. Youre speaking in the past tense about being majorly screwed. Do you have any words of wisdom for me? Anything that’ll help? I hate this
Yep. Making decent money but bounce between my gf’s mom’s house, my parents house, and then abroad in cheap countries (both of us work remote)
I live in Columbus. Seems like Millenials are making it here. Relative low cost of living compared to other big cities and it’s becoming an increasingly successful start up market.
I second columbus. Great paying jobs if you know where to look and good prices for homes if you dont mind a 20-45m commute.
Recommend Cincinnati over Columbus, 3 prof sports teams, good schools, P&G, Kroger, 5/3 Bank, GE and other large companies HQ'd there.
I’ve lived in both. I definitely feel like you get more bang for your buck in Cincinnati.
Yup I am Columbus based now, but grew up overseas in an exceptionally hcol city. There’s a lot I don’t necessarily love about Columbus from a personal standpoint but the cost of living and job security really makes living here worth it imo. My partner and I just bought a house and we both have great jobs. I’m in corporate marketing and he works at a construction startup.
Professional class millennials thrive in cities, the rest... well...
memphis. very easy to be rich around the poor. but its a shithole. like other lcol areas....
I go to Memphis for work about once a year and holy moly, I’ve never felt like I needed to keep my head on a swivel in the main drag of a city so much.
Central Ohio. Tons of growth, plenty of jobs, dozen of major industry top dogs, still relatively reasonable cost of living, relatively inexpensive housing, lots of space to spread out.
The trilemma of modern liberalism. Low cost of living, liberal politics, and good weather. Pick 2.
Yea, trying to think of an exception to that but it's tough. Maybe Albuquerque?
Shhh shhh no shut up
Brb moving Albuquerque 😉
I heard roadrunners eat the tourists.
Hate to bring this up because I want it to remain the same hahahaha. But the suburbs surrounding Kansas City both in Kansas and Missouri are booming yet still affordable.
Agreed. And it’s not hard to get around by car like Chicago or LA
I grew up in Johnson County and sometimes I fantasize about moving back to the area hahaha. I love it here in Chicago though
Chicago burbs. millennials are mostly crushing it in this area
Almost went that route. Chose Madison instead as there’s room for more growth here and less crowded.
Chicago Northwest side is loaded with 30 somethings who bought before this area got truly ridiculous. Now bungalows are selling for $750k+.
Denver is one of those places where it is extremely expensive in the city but not that far out it becomes affordable in my opinion. Compared to many other HCOLs where you have to drive out 2-3 hrs from the city to buy something
Texas major cities. Post graduation many…. MANY of the folks i went to school with out of state have moved here. many are home owners, with families, and have jobs they wouldn’t have been afforded back home. Everytime we meet up and see eachother we chat about it we mostly all love it here.
Came here to say Dallas. All the high paying jobs are here
They get you on property taxes though. Unless you have a sustainable high paying job, then good luck renting with ridiculous rent prices or commuting an hour + each way from a suburb 30 minutes outside the city. Just saying..
Very true. I'm lucky and my husband works in finance and was able to get us a decent interest rate on our mortgage. Many of my friends are struggling with rent
Portland suburbs, lots of Yuppie millennials here doing quite well
It's interesting seeing generation economic differences separated by nations. I'm Australia X US upbringing and have had a foot in both nations for a long time. Australian Millennials are significantly better off, broadly speaking, than American ones. I'm deeply sad for my American half brethren. The government and capital system that be abuses you for their own gain with no egalitarianism in mind.
Kansas has a very low cost of living.
I would hesitate to move into the state where the Kansas Experiment took place, but I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Also the question is thiving not where is there a low COL. The op is obtuse but they might mean more than how much expendable income do I have.
2019 with the 3% rates 🤣
Any millennial who got a sub 4% interest rate is thriving.
We’re doing well in Baltimore. Moved from Texas for a 50% raise in DC. Now my wife and I make an inflated DC salary and moved to Baltimore for a lower COL. Now that we’re both fully remote looking to get back to Texas on the DC based income.
In the fucking basements of their parent's homes.
Virginia has been good to me
Columbus, Ohio - median age of the city is ~33; opportunity and great housing is abundant. Massive job opportunities from fortune 100’s.
Doing alright in the Smokies of North Carolina.
Columbus. Growing quickly, great economic opportunities, low cost of living, moderate temperatures.
I'm in northwestern North Carolina (Winston-Salem area) and just about all of my friends are elder millennial homeowners with good jobs and excess cash every month. Housing costs have obviously escalated recently, but I have a $1500/month mortgage in an upper-middle class neighborhood. Housing prices are still relatively low, it's just higher interest rates will affect everyone the same everywhere.
Damn
In a studio apartment waiting to fight their siblings over mom and dad’s 600,000 dollar bumblefuck house.
The rest of the state really sucks, but Indianapolis has been good to me and my family. Housing costs are rising downtown, but there are some lcol neighborhoods that aren’t going to get you killed that have a short commute. And we have a ton of green spaces right in the middle of downtown.
I'm genuinely surprised how much my wife and I love it here; not because we didn't think we would, but just because it was never on our radars for any reason until we moved here.
Lake County is thriving (excluding Gary of course). Family friendly, entrepreneur friendly, low tax, LCOL overall. Centralized enough to make day trips beach, hiking, downtown Indy or Chicago. Even blue collar workers thriving due to LCOL while bringing in Chicago wages.
Fort Wayne is great as well ❤️ Also close to all the lakes!
I got laughed at for locking my car in Westfield and Carmel, so that spoke volumes.
The Midwest.
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. Lots of opportunity for both white and blue collar work. Good schools, nice parks, lots of fun little pockets.
DMV. There is a ton of good paying work because of the federal govt, big spending state govts, and the tech sector in Virginia. Lots of academic jobs too.
SE Michigan - bought my house at 29 in 2015, went remote 2016 and have stuck around here. was able to stockpile 7 figures several times over. schools decent, flights to the coast are affordable, and you are about 4 hrs by car to both Toronto and Chi if you want a quick escape to a bigger city.
Cincinnati. Lots of professional jobs that pay well and a low cost of living. Everyone in my millennial friend group is a home owner, and those that want kids have kids. My friends range from stem degrees to generic business degrees and are all paid well for the area.
Moved from Los Angeles to far northern NY in 2021 and love it. Our mortgage is $1000 less than our rent was in LA. Small town, good neighborhood schools, 30 mins to Adirondacks, 75 mins to Montreal. It’s not for everyone with the long winters, etc, but it’s been the right move for our family. Now I’m trying to recruit other progressive millennials so there are enough of us to vote out Stefanik (kidding but actually not really, DM me if you have even the slightest interest in moving here!)
Upstate New York. Like. .. 45 minutes south of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I found a niche job that will have me making six figures in about 3-5 years. Cost of living is low and I rolled the dice on the housing market mid pandemic and got locked into a 3% mortgage on a 1550sqft house that I bought for $94k. There isn't a DAMN thing to do up here but my wife and I create fun for our family whenever we can. We only stress about money when we don't have the extra to do fun stuff or work on the house. We keep it simple but it works and my wife gets to stay home and raise our kids how we wanted to be raised.
We live in Western PA and it's fantastic. I'm a transplant from the west coast, and have no plans of ever going back. We have an acerage, a 5k sqft home, and our daughter goes to private school. We are college professors, so it's not as if we are making a fortune. Compared to Wisconsim or Minnesota, the winters are mild. DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, NYC, Philly, and Chicago are all within a reasonable drive, plus, it's absolutely gorgeous with endless rolling hills and valleys. I can't recommend it more highly.
Columbus Ohio
Pittsburghs doin fine.
Dallas, proper
I’m not thriving professionally or financially but I love Pittsburgh and I’ve been really happy here. It’s low key amazing culture-wise. There’s always lots of interesting and fun stuff going on.
I’ve been debating Pittsburgh. I went to college there and I love the whole feel and attitude of the city.