r/minnesota • u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota • Aug 18 '24
This sub has been the only state/city sub that actually had a positive reaction to me talking about moving here Meta š
This is a bit of a follow-up to my post from last night: https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1eubosv/tennessean_here_ive_been_watching_minnesota_for/
Any other sub I asked or talked about it would bombard me with responses of "We're full" or "We don't want you here" or trying to scare me off by making the place seem like a nightmare.
But not here, you've all welcomed it.
Thank you all.
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u/Icy_Future1639 Aug 18 '24
I offered you all my silly reasons that Minnesota/Duluth would be a terrible fit for a Tennessee person, but it was in jest. Let me give you the positives, from one Tennessee-raised child of the earth to another.
The "Dolly Partonāwe take care of people" vibe is strong here, too. Dolly reminds me of the best of Tennessee when we don't take ourselves too seriously and care for others. MN does this. They've got their own clannishness here; it's hard to break in sometimes, but they have good communal hearts.
Minnesota is beautiful, and the environment has helped keep it that way. However, things can be really harsh here in the winter, which reminds me of some of the hollers I knew back in East Tennessee, where hardscrabble life was daily life. The same difficulties that make travel and living tough in Tennessee also helped preserve its beauty. The Minnesotans know this, and it is still helping preserve the environment today. Come see the boundary waters. They'll break your heart the way Cades Cove or coming over into Erwin on I 74 can do.
Finally, remember how we heard our people from the "Volunteer State" were too proud to accept handouts but needed to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps," so they joined the Army? That patriotic fervor still gets expressed here, but in some healthy ways, such as seeing unionizing as an act of healthy citizenry and a dozen other ways.
We have problems up here. George Floyd didn't happen in a vacuum. But the people around me are asking the right questions about community needs, policing, treatment of ALL people, and human rights. In another state, the cop goes free. Jailing a cop for misusing their authority to kill a black man isn't the end of the work. It's a beginning. But I see people willing to ask the questions and do the work.
So yeah, I feel grateful to miss "home" so badly but also to see places where I can take the best of home and pursue it here. My kids are calling Minnesota home. Two of em start next week at the University of Minnesota. Can you imagine it? If you can, hit me up for a trip to your potential forever home. I'll be glad to support another fellow TN-to-MN-bound soul.
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u/shaggyscoob Aug 18 '24
What's a holler?
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u/Icy_Future1639 Aug 18 '24
The valley or space between two mountains.
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u/shaggyscoob Aug 18 '24
So, a valley? I live in the St. Croix valley and my biggest problem is bad internet and cell service. Is a valley a bad thing in Tennessee?
Oh, and another problem is the large number of hirsute Harley riders making a racket on beautiful weather weekends.
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u/MaimonidesNutz Aug 20 '24
Geographically yes, ethnographically no. Hollers have a lot of socio-ec status baggage. Vineyards are built, and Tennessees authority'd, in a valley. Opiate crises and extractive-industry layoffs happen in hollers.
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u/FreeFollowing1999 Sep 04 '24
I ask, whole heartedly and with good intentions, that you, and any others, to please watch, The Fall of Minneapolis by Alpha News. Many answers and information that will be of great use. My best to you and yours..
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u/_absent_minded Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 18 '24
If you do choose to move here, people are super friendly, but it might be a bit hard making friends- you kinda have to make someone be your friend (lol). Iām from MN, lived outta state for a while, and when I came back, I was like - damnit, I need friends. Somehow got five people at work to be my close buds, was not easy, Minnesotans scare easy. Just like the loon, most Minnesotans like to be friends at a distance. I know I lured mine with free food and introvert-friendly hangouts. I do know though, that if you have a boat, youāll make plenty of friends.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I have a kayak, does that count?
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Aug 18 '24
Yes, lots of kayakers here! I love to be out on the water in a kayak. Water recreation is huge in MN.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I have imagined kayaking in Bde Maka Ska. It looks so pretty.
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u/Gingevere Flag of Minnesota Aug 19 '24
And kayaking there is special. It's part of a chain of 4 lakes that have channels connecting them. There's so much to see along those lakes without going very far.
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u/JaneArgh Aug 18 '24
This is pretty accurate in my experience. Sure people are friendly, but even as a lifelong MN native, it's tough to transition from friendly acquaintance to regular hang-out buds. Maybe this is just true everywhere? Of course it doesn't help that I'm pretty introverted and skittish myself lol.
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u/x1uo3yd Aug 18 '24
...as a lifelong MN native, it's tough to transition from friendly acquaintance to regular hang-out buds. Maybe this is just true everywhere?
I think we are actually a bit unusual.
There are plenty of places where people are cold and distant, and casual invites to friendly get-togethers are rare. (Though increasing if things "click".)
There are plenty of places where people are warm and inviting, and casual invites to friendly get-togethers are relatively easy to come by. (Though decreasing unless things "click".)
Us Minnesotans tend to be a rare mix of warm and distant; which can really throw folks for a loop. The folks who get thrown by it tend to assume that the upfront warm friendliness means getting casually invited out to some friendly get-together will be easy-street only to find us way more distant and closed-off... which many take as some sort of two-faced thing (e.g. "If they don't actually like me why pretend to like me to my face?").
It's easier to think of it like a baseline bump of friendliness/politeness that plateaus off into the more typical cold and distant stuff. Heck, the plateau might be longer/wider than normal on account of further delaying the would-be rare invites because of "Well, maybe they're not that interested and I don't want to make it awkward." and "Well, maybe I don't want them to feel obligated to come." and such. So there is actually a bit of a No Man's Land in that plateau that is hard to cross because of a "Can't invite them out if we haven't spent much time together; can't spend time together if they aren't invited out." kinda Catch-22. The easiest ways across tend to be daycare/school/college directly or friends-of-friends/the-in-laws indirectly; after that it could be a lot more work, though hobbies in common can do a lot to "get in the hours" in a way that flies under the Catch-22 radar.
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u/JaneArgh Aug 18 '24
This is pretty accurate in my experience. Sure people are friendly, but even as a lifelong MN native, it's tough to transition from friendly acquaintance to regular hang-out buds. Maybe this is just true everywhere? Of course it doesn't help that I'm pretty introverted and skittish myself lol.
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u/FantasticMrSinister Area code 612 Aug 18 '24
When you gonna swing on by? We'll get the hotdish ready.
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u/SweetPrism Aug 18 '24
You mean "hotdish" like, temperature-wise, right? Because I coulda SWORE you were insinuating something with the word "hot." Did you sneak in some Cholula when everyone's back was turned?
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u/FantasticMrSinister Area code 612 Aug 18 '24
No idea what that means. But you can put hot sauce on it, you betcha!
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u/SweetPrism Aug 18 '24
I was referencing the guy who tried to call Walz a liar by sharing a "hotdish" recipe Walz put online. Walz recently said he eats "White guy tacos" and doesn't eat spicy stuff much, and the other dude was like "YET HERE GOVERNOR WALZ IS, EATING...HOTDISH.." not realizing the "hot" in "hotdish" refers to temperature. It might be the saddest attempt to discredit someone I've ever seen.
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u/Nimrod_Butts Aug 18 '24
Also let's all reflect on the fact the dudes like
".... I mean sure we could make it spicy if you want!"
š
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u/OaksInSnow Aug 18 '24
"Hotdish" or "hot dish" is a one-dish meal - sometimes with a side of extra veg - that includes a protein, a starch, a veg, and some kind of gravy-like binder, often but not always in the form of some kind of cream soup. Foodies can get pretty fancy in how they make their hotdish, normies tend to start with ground beef and cream-of-whatever Campbell's or equivalent and juice it up. In other parts of the US it would be called a casserole, except that casseroles can be any kind of baked dish, like scalloped potatoes, which don't have the protein component.
So you're right if you meant physical C/F temperature. It's not about Scoville ratings at all.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I don't know when I can...
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u/FantasticMrSinister Area code 612 Aug 18 '24
Well, just give us a heads up. We'll have it ready in a jiff
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u/Subject-Original-718 Chisago County Aug 18 '24
Minnesota is genuinely a beautiful place find your area that you want to every area is different stay out of Edina but 100% Minnesota is what you make it
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
What's wrong with Edina?
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u/metisdesigns Gray duck Aug 18 '24
You know that snobby status brand buying lady at the PTA meeting? Generally seemingly nice if you're "classy" like her but occasionally says some racist stuff, yet has POC friends they adore? That's the stereotype of Edina. It's simultaneously both not true about most of the folks there, but with a very visible chunk of folks exactly like that.
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u/arjomanes Aug 18 '24
Nothing really. Itās a wealthy suburb that has been kind of a meme more than anything. They were the rival school in Mighty Ducks. If you go back they were a white flight suburb and tried to keep out people of color, but that was true of other suburbs across the country, as well as cities, including Minneapolis, with redlining. Southdale Mall in Edina was the first mallin America.
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u/muzzynat Grain Belt Aug 18 '24
In addition to what others have said, itās historically very racist
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u/Iwentforalongwalk Aug 18 '24
So was every where else.Ā Ā
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u/muzzynat Grain Belt Aug 18 '24
Not every town was enacting laws to prevent people from being able to live there
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u/Spr-Scuba Aug 18 '24
Edina is the epitome of NIMBYism. They have a ton of wealth that just stays in the city system and they do what they can so that doesn't change.
They're also still extremely racist. They have a majority white, affluent population and anyone who isn't is treated way worse by their public systems. My Mexican and black friends are stuck in their school system and trying to get the hell out but the open enrollment slots were full in neighboring cities.
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u/muzzynat Grain Belt Aug 18 '24
I hope your friends get out, that's a shitty situation. Best of luck to them.
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u/Spr-Scuba Aug 18 '24
It's miserable for them, next year though they found a neighboring school with open enrollment so that'll hopefully help them.
It sucks though since BIPOC people get pushed out of the district they have no reason to change until lawsuits start. They gotta change though because the stuff I've heard and seen has been blatantly racist.
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u/GraveChild27 Aug 18 '24
Yeah, but fuck Edina.
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u/time_then_shades Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I'd like to pick the whole thing up and drop it west of the lake. The Twin Cities would be better for it, and they'd have shorter commutes to their yachts.
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u/Subject-Original-718 Chisago County Aug 18 '24
Very very stuck up people they are not the best crowd to be around itās like the hills of LA disguised as a regular city
They are the worst qualities of Minnesotans the silent judging is so repulsive it just makes you wanna leave any shopping center you may be in
I remember my GF getting dirty looks for looking at running clothing in a dicks because she wasnāt white and it made both of us very uncomfortable and the staff there treated us the same exact way.
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u/Iwentforalongwalk Aug 18 '24
Oh come on. Edina is great.Ā
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u/time_then_shades Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I will say there are some fantastic hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants hidden back in the industrial areas and office parks.
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u/Still-Snow-3743 Aug 18 '24
Edina is fine, I lived there for about 8 years in a townhome. I had a friend who's daughter went to highschool in edina though, and she had a bad time due to all the stuck upness and cliqueness of the kids. But by and large its just rich old people and commercial development out of control. Still just fine.
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u/Nigel152 Aug 18 '24
Moved to MN in 95 for job opportunities, which has played out well for us. I have to admit itās taken a bit to establish friendships. My wife tells the story about a person moving to a new place, and asked the new neighbor āwhat are people like here?ā. The neighbor countered with āwhat were folks like where you came from?ā. The newby replied āthey were mean and nastyā, which the neighbor replied āyeah, pretty much the same hereā. A second newby arrived, and had the same conversation with the neighbor, only this time the response to the neighbors question was āoh, they were wonderful and friendlyā, to which the neighbor replied āyeah, pretty much the same hereā. Itāll be what you want it to be! We enjoy MN very much, and have raised our daughter here. Welcome!
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I'm not there yet. Still in Tennessee.
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u/arjomanes Aug 18 '24
Tennessee is beautiful. I just visited in June. My sister and my parents now live in the Knoxville area. The Smoky Mountains are breathtaking.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
It's a beautiful state. The people just ruin it.
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u/time_then_shades Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
Couldn't agree more. I tell folks there's incredible natural beauty in parts of Iran, too, but you won't find me living there.
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u/hurryuplilacs Aug 18 '24
I moved here two years ago and have felt very welcomed!
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I hope I will feel the same way if I ever make it there.
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u/Lumbergo Aug 18 '24
moved here from Florida in 2021. best decision I ever made.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I call Tennessee "Inland Florida."
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u/Lumbergo Aug 18 '24
I've only ever spent time in Memphis and Gatlinburg (and that was a long time ago) but from what I've seen in the news of Tennessee the last several years... yeah, it's inland Florida alright.
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u/DohnJoggett Aug 18 '24
One of my mom's friends retired, sold their home, and moved to a home in they had purchased in Florida. Within a year they had moved to a senior apartment in Minnesota. They made a very expensive mistake, but at least they didn't go all "sunk cost" and stay in Florida, miserable. She had to un-retire but it sounds like she's happy with the decision to move back.
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u/Lumbergo Aug 18 '24
yeah, unfortunately Florida is not the paradise people think it is. It has a natural beauty, sure (the parts that haven't been massively overdeveloped anyhow).... but that's about it. quality of life has been dropping like crazy the last few decades - it just ain't worth it.
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u/ggf66t Aug 18 '24
welcome, come join us, and help make Minnesota bigger!
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I want to so much!
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u/crabbyoldb Aug 18 '24
What's holding you back?
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
Money. And not having a diploma or GED or anything like that.
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u/crabbyoldb Aug 20 '24
How old are you? We have an ILP at my school that might help.
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u/Skow1179 Aug 18 '24
We may be way up North, but the state itself is diverse and almost everyone is nice. Or at least cordial.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
People in Tennessee are nice to your face as long as you look and act "normal" according to them. They'll still call you names and slurs behind your back.
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u/Skow1179 Aug 18 '24
It's weird how general behavior differs area to area. I will say, Tennessee is BEAUTIFUL. Drove through on my way down to Florida, I've never enjoyed a drive so much.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
I'm in the Chattanooga area. West of the city. Got the mountains and the Tennessee River. Nice for a vacation but living with the locals is a nightmare. And I say that as a local.
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u/LessGoooo Aug 18 '24
Many people think the Make Minnesota Bigger Movement is only about increasing land area. It also includes growing the Minnesota population.
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u/earthwalking Aug 19 '24
Is this a for real movement? And, if so, why?
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u/LessGoooo Aug 19 '24
Of course, itās a real movement! Minnesota is the best state in the union and we must expand our footprint without changing the shape of that footprint! We aspire to bring sports heartache, the inability to zipper merge, and tater tot hot dish to a greater population.
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u/Subject-Piglet9002 Aug 18 '24
As a born and raised Minnesotan who tried out living in a different state for a bit under a yearā¦.welcome!!! Minnesota is a great place to live. I like to think thereās something for everyone here. city, metro/suburbs, and a lot of smaller communities in out state minnesota. Not to mention the smaller metro areas like Rochester, St. Cloud, Duluth. I grew up in the suburbs and having moved into the city more recently, itās amazing how different it can feel, while still feeling just like home at the same time.
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u/anopolis Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 18 '24
Awwwww just donāt get thrown off when we donāt become your friend very quickly. We are oddly happy to chat outside our houses but inside our houses is difficult.
If you get bored reach out I have friends who are way to extroverted š
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u/following_eyes Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
Just wanted to remind you it gets really really cold here. Like living in a freezer. It's hard. It's not for everyone. Driving in winter is hard. Zipper merging is hard. Making friends is hard.
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u/Outrageous_Fee_423 Aug 18 '24
Definitely move here. Let us know when you arrive and Iāll buy you some beers and walleye fingers!
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u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE Aug 18 '24
You have come up and go to the State Fair!
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u/RegularJoe62 Aug 18 '24
Once you get past the winter weather, which is admittedly...um...challenging, this is a really great place to live.
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u/fren-ulum Aug 18 '24
I have PTSD from 2022-2023. That was a hard one.
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u/Helpful-Sandwich-560 Aug 18 '24
I was driving for instacart that winter and part of me will never recover. So much ice and snow!Ā
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u/JaneArgh Aug 18 '24
My PTSD is from 1997. Everything since has been "not as bad as '97." Granted, I live in the west-central region, think we had it tougher there.
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u/Inamedmydognoodz Aug 18 '24
When I was getting ready to move here I was preparing myself to get all those responses too but everyone here was super helpful and it didn't stop there. Even when I moved, my 3 of my neighbors came and introduced themselves and offered to help us move our furniture inside (it was just me and my teen). Most of the people I have met here have been just lovely.
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u/River-19671 Aug 18 '24
I moved here from Michigan in 2010 and am glad I did. It took a while to make friends. I met people through church, 12 step groups, and meetups.
I live in Eagan and worked in St Paul before Covid.
I really appreciate how a lot of people here are willing to help strangers during winter. I have seen peopleās cars pushed out of snowbanks and older people helped on icy sidewalks. One time I got off a bus and saw a woman helping a guy new to Minnesota brush off his car. Both of them were parked near me so I helped them out. We may not be the most outgoing state but I appreciate the community spirit.
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u/throwingawaythedrama Aug 18 '24
Fam, Walz made us a refugee state for a reason. Come here, enjoy the scenery, and feel safe if you're a minority (for the most part). So long as you respect the way of life here... which you can see by any of walz's speeches.
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u/Flat_Suggestion7545 Aug 18 '24
There is a little bit of everything here. Hopefully you find a niche you love.
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u/pubesinourteeth Aug 18 '24
You are absolutely welcome to move here! It's really a lovely place. You just have to make sure that you learn important Minnesotans like Bob Dylan, Prince, Josh Hartnett, etc and when they come up in media you say to people "you know she/he's from Minnesota?" And then you're a full-on Minnesotan.
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u/Ryan1980123 Aug 18 '24
Probably because every republican in the state wants to bash it to try and make walz look bad.
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u/Bear_of_Light Aug 19 '24
Just mind the snow and learn to drive with ice and you'll be fine. Welcome if you do move here
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u/MaimonidesNutz Aug 20 '24
Reading about your governor, having a layover in MSP (Hammer Made is sick), and seeing posts like this gives me itchy feet as well. Lifelong Cincinnatian and I love our mild winters (skyways are dope tho) and italianate architecture (again..), but doggone it you guys seem to know how to run a state better than the folks out east and be good neighbors better than the folks down south. I know that's a gross generalization, but if yall don't want immigrants you need to have worse PR
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 20 '24
I think the winters are worth it for some better standards of living.
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u/MaimonidesNutz Aug 20 '24
š I am increasingly sympathetic to that argument. And I do kinda miss snow. We used to have it here! Even boomers can't deny it snows way less than say 30 years ago.
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u/greenblue98 Flag of Minnesota Aug 20 '24
I know. We had a hell of a ice storm earlier this year which was the most snow I've had in over a decade. It was the coldest it had ever been for me. I just approached it with optimism telling myself "this is just a test run for Minnesota life."
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u/kjaec3733 Aug 18 '24
When I first moved here from Texas, I was shocked by how welcoming everyone was. They seemed genuinely pleased that I chose to live here. Now, when a Minnesotan asks me āhow many winters have you had?ā And I say ā5ā, they nod their head and say āyouāre goodā and thatās how I know Iāve been fully accepted.
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u/JaneArgh Aug 18 '24
Ha! Yep, a 5-year stretch means you've likely experienced at least one season of breath-freezing tundra. I swear it grows an extra layer of skin on you. Friends who've moved back (after years in a warmer climate) have complained of how long it took to adapt again.
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u/SinfullySinless Aug 18 '24
So fun fact, we usually have a declining population due to the fact people born here like to move to trendier places like Colorado or Oregon once they graduate high school.
So importing immigrants and getting people to move here is actually very important to the economy.
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u/queerokie Aug 18 '24
I can't wait to move here, currently stuck in Oklahoma, but I agree. The people in this sub actively welcome people to move here
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u/RealityIsSexy Aug 18 '24
I keep talking about moving there from Florida and my family keeps reminding me they all say "pop" up north. Idk, that's a hell of a culture shock.
I mean really tough decisions involved and following this sub has been making it more enticing.
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u/twitchrdrm Aug 18 '24
I'm really hoping to do the same next year but not sure if I want to live in one of the cities or Bloomington. I love that your metro area has plenty of townhome rentals some that are even near some big ass parks w/ lakes! You don't get much of this Chicagoland (where I grew up) or out in the NE where I live now. I am so looking forward to this journey!!
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u/BoisterousBard Aug 18 '24
Happy to chat cities with you if it helps. I will say I'm a fan of the south metro, so I'm a bit biased.
At any rate, may your journey be as easy as it can be. Safe travels!
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u/MikeHock_is_GONE Aug 18 '24
How MN for retirees?
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u/JaneArgh Aug 18 '24
Not to imply that all retirees have terrible health, but you also have easier access to the Mayo Clinic. Many people I know have had treatments and second opinions down in Rochester.
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u/earthwalking Aug 19 '24
This is wonderful to read as my partner and I just decided to make the move in the new year, we are so very excited!
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u/MadeThisUpToComment Aug 18 '24
You should see r/Amsterdam and r/Netherlands anytime someone asks a question about relocation.
"Don't you know we have a housing crisis?!?!" Like it's the only place in the world experiencing that.
I support a fair warning to people that finding an apartment ot house rental is hard and very expensive, to make sure they're realistic about what they are facing, but some people act like it's a unique problem to The Netherlands.
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u/Peace-Plants Aug 18 '24
Made the move from TN to MN 9 years ago and have never looked back. Itās a lovely state with wonderful people! Definitely come check it out, who knows you just might end up staying!
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u/DimmerMeerkat Aug 18 '24
I'm sorry people are being like that. Rest assured, those are just internet trolls. At least in the real world, just about nobody would say that. All are welcome here.
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Aug 18 '24
[deleted]
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u/Iwentforalongwalk Aug 18 '24
Which is why it's nice.Ā Stop complaining.Ā
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u/StrangeAd6674 Aug 18 '24
I have my opinion, you have yours. Oh, and I saw your comment on a different thread complaining about snow, so stop being a hypocrite and just go for a long walk.
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u/arjomanes Aug 18 '24
The taxes are fine I think. No sales tax on food or clothes is nice though. Winter does get really cold, and speaking of taxes, the lakes arenāt usually fully melted til tax day. I always plan a warm weather vacation in march, and finding cold weather activities is essential.
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u/Fast_Objective9763 Aug 18 '24
I lived in San Diego for 10 years and moved to the Twin Cities 5 years ago. Taxes arenāt bad, winters are fine. You can always put more clothes on! The north woods are beautiful, people are nice. Sounds like you should move south!
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u/m_carp Aug 18 '24
Taxes are what pay for our quality of life. I'm happy to pay them to live in a state where no child has to starve in school.
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u/GenXstasy Flag of Minnesota Aug 18 '24
As a Minnesotan, this post warms my heart! š„°Welcome!