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I figured I would give a shout out to Hatrack and see if I can get a bit of information. There is a possibility I will be offered a job in the Minneapolis area. I don't have any real desire to move out there, but if the offer is too good to pass up I may do so anyway.
So tell me what it is like to live in that area. Are the winters ridiculously bad? Are the summers muggy and mosquito-filled? Is the city a cesspool of crime and decay, or a paradise on earth? Tell me anything you think relevant whether good, bad or indifferent. Tell me about traffic and weather and schools, housing prices and universities etc.
Posts: 4548 | Registered: May 2001
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I grew up there and would move back in an instant, given the chance.
Yes, the winters are cold and the summers are muggy and mosquito filled. MN public schools are some of the best in the country. There are many private colleges and universities, plus the UofM. The amount and variety of live theatre is greater than anywhere else between New York and Calfornia. Crime is average for a city that size, traffic is not too bad. ElJay can probably fill you in on current housing prices -- she's in South Minneapolis and keeps an eye on that kind of thing.
Oh -- the Science Museum, Zoo, and Children's Museum are top-notch.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I live in Minneapolis, and I love it. Yes, it's cold in the winter. Yes, there are usually a couple of weeks in the summer that are really muggy and gross. And yes, we have mosquitos.
The city is beautiful, has a great parks system, and a vibrant local music scene. We make the most of the summer we have, and there is a free festival of some sort practically every weekend, along with some pretty impressive not-free festivals. There is a wide range of activities close by, if you like hiking, fishing, or camping it's a great area to live in, likewise winter sports, of course. If you're not into that sort of thing, there's also fabulous restaurants, cool museums, and great shopping. Without knowing more about you, it's hard to get more specific.
The Twin Cities together are smaller than, say, Chicago, and since there are two downtowns it feels even smaller, but it has a bigger infrastructure than you'd expect just looking at Minneapolis or St Paul alone. I feel safe by myself most places in the city at most times. There are certainly neighborhoods where I wouldn't go for a walk alone after dark, but I live in the city itself and have never had a problem with crime. Oh, except some jerk dumped tires in my alley once. Minneapolis itself is relatively liberal.
Does that help? Ask any questions you want, and I'll do my best to answer them. I don't have kids, so I don't pay much attention to the schools. I've heard that we're in a housing bubble right now and that home prices might drop soon. There are plenty of universities in town with great reputations.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Minneapolis is known as the City of Lakes and a brilliant early parks commissioner claimed all the lakefront as city parks. So there are miles and miles of free beach and hiking/biking trails around the lakes. Plus places to rent sailboats, canoes, kayaks, etc.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Looking at your profile, you're in Maryland now? If you've never lived in the Midwest before, things will be much more casual than you're used to. I have heard transplants say that while everyone seems nice, it's harder to make close friends here because many people still hang out with people they went to high school with. I haven't seen that to be the case personally, and I know transplants who have a wider social circle than I do, but I've heard it enough that it's worth mentioning.
Older 2 - 3 bedroom houses in my neighborhood sell for around 170,000 for 1.5 stories, around 1300 square feet. There is a condo boom right now, with many condos available in the 200 - 300,000 range with "luxury" type kitchens and finishes. This is for in the city itself, the suburbs are completely different. Again, with more information on what you'd be looking for I could point you in the right direction, for buying or renting. Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I also have to say that I think St. Paul is among the most "liveable" cities in the US. Mineapolis is a bit of an urban sprawl, but it has some fantastic neighborhoods. St. Paul, in contrast, has kind of a compact urban feel (to me anyway), and the downtown area is not as vibrant in terms of nightlife...but...it has this fantastic skyway system that connects everything.
Oh, and if you like Ren Faires, the one in Minnesota is the best I've ever been to. Really.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Minneapolis has a great skyway system, too, just for the record. I have no idea why you would think one is more sprawl-ish than the other, since to me that says more about the suburbs and surrounding areas than the cities themselves.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks for the good feedback! To be honest I am not sure what sort of information I am looking for just now. I have a job I enjoy, and while I lived in Maryland up until a year ago, I am now back in my native Utah. We have family in this area, and of course having grown up here it is tough to think of leaving.
The decision (assuming there is one to make- I am still in the early interviewing process) is a complicated one. As I said, things are good just now. When recruiters etc. come calling I have had a policy of asking for a healthy salary so that any company which continues to be interested would really make it worth my while.
The real complication is with the direction I want to take my career. I currently work as an electrical engineer, but I study bioengineering and would like to make the transition at some point. The position I may potentially be offered is one which I think I would really enjoy.
At any rate- I have thought of a couple more questions:
Do the twin cities have good public transportation? I am thinking specifically of something like a commuter rail or subway system.
Just how cold does it tend to get? Are subzero temps common in the winter?
Obviously weather is a difficult thing to quantify. What I really need to know is how minnesota stacks up to Utah and Montana. I lived in Bozeman for a while, and that place was far too bloody cold for my taste. I guess a good baseline measurement would be this: does most everyone have an engine block heater in the twin cities?
Posts: 4548 | Registered: May 2001
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Public transportation -- short answer, no, but we're getting there. We built our first light rail line about two years ago now. If you happen to live on the line and work downtown Minneapolis, it's great. Otherwise, you're out of luck. There are bus routes throughout the city, but no more rail yet. They're looking at connecting the two downtowns for the first expansion of light rail, but I don't know a timeframe on that. So far, however, the line has been blowing rider estimates out of the water and proving very popluar, so I'm hopeful it will continue to expand.
I don't have an engine block heater, and I don't know anyone who does. My truck lives outside, not in a garage, and there were maybe two mornings this year that I was concerned it might not start. But it did both times. It's over 10 years old, and I replaced the battery last a couple of years ago, for referance.
Sub-zero temps happen in the winter, and we've got amazing windchills. They happen often enough not to be surprising, but aren't the norm all winter or anything. I would be surprised to have a winter without at least one really cold week, but I'd also be surprised to have more than three weeks (not consecutive, either) that were really cold. This year, we had some really warm weather in January, all the snow was gone, and it seemed like Spring. In fact, I'd say we've had two Springs this year so far. Then last week we got almost a foot of snow on a Monday and another 5 - 6" on Wednesday, and it's still around. I would expect that to be winter's last hurrah, and it should be gone by next week. At least I hope so, that's when I'm planning to get my motorcycle out. Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Those are some of the “big” theaters and museums. We have professional football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer teams, too, if that’s more to your interest.
Do you know if the company is located in Minneapolis itself or in one of the suburbs?
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DKW and ElJay missed one item. As an electrical engineer interesting in bio-engineering, you might be interested in the large number of medical device companies headquartered, or with major divisions in the Twin Cities. If it would help to have more information in this area any of us could fix you up for a phone call with the head of Guident's test engineering branch (Pacemaker, recently purchased by Boston Scientific). Good luck with your decision.
Posts: 21 | Registered: Dec 2004
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ElJay- the company is Medtronic. As I understand it they have several different plants all over the Twin Cities area. I am not sure which one I am interviewing for.
Poseable Nurse- Thanks. I knew that the twin cities area was big in bioengineering, but now that I am mulling over a possible move there I am doing a bit more homework to find out exactly what companies are in the area.
Posts: 4548 | Registered: May 2001
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*nod* I used to know a couple of people who worked for Medtronic, but I'm not currently in touch with any of them. None of their offices that I know of are actually in the city, they're near the freeway loop. Which means that unless you like urban living you would probably be living in the suburbs and driving to & from work.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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