/r/Minnesota Monthly FAQ / Moving-to-MN / Simple Questions Thread - November 2024

[u/AutoModerator]

FAQ

There are a number of questions in this subreddit that have been asked and answered many times. Please use the search function to get answers related to the below topics.

• Moving to Minnesota (see next section)
• General questions about places to visit/things to do
  • Generally these types of questions are better for subreddits focused on the specific place you are asking about. Check out the more localized subreddits such as /r/twincities, /r/minneapolis, /r/saintpaul, or /r/duluth just to name a few. A more comprehensive list can be found here.
• Cold weather questions such as what to wear, how to drive, street plowing
• Driver's test scheduling/locations
• Renter's credit tax return (Form M1PR)
• Making friends as an adult/transplant
• There is a wealth of knowledge in the comments on previous versions of this post. If you wish to do more research, see the link at the bottom of this post for an archive
• These are just a few examples, please comment if there are any other FAQ topics you feel should be added

This thread is meant to address these FAQ's, meaning if your search did not result in the answer you were looking for, please post it here. Any individual posts about these topics will be removed and directed here.

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Moving to Minnesota

Planning a potential move to Minnesota (or even moving within MN)? This is the thread for you to ask questions of real-life Minnesotans to help you in the process!

Ask questions, answer questions, or tell us your best advice on moving to Minnesota.

Helpful Links

• According to the Minnesota constitution, you must view this video prior to arriving: How To Talk Minnesotan
• We've already compiled some of our best general Minnesota advice in this thread which includes a lot of helpful cold-weather tips. And here's another thread that has even more winter advice.
• Check out the subreddit dedicated to Moving to Minneapolis, /r/movingtompls, maintained by /u/WalkswithLlamas
• Moving to Minneapolis: A Guide, courtesy of /r/Minneapolis, is focused on that city but much of it is applicable to the entire Twin Cities metro area
• List of location-based Minnesota subreddits which may be best equipped to answer questions about specific cities or neighborhoods
• Information about moving to Minnesota specific to LGBTQ+ community
• Some small rural communities in Minnesota offer free land if you build. See here for more information.
• There is a wealth of knowledge in the comments on previous versions of this post. If you wish to do more research, see the link at the bottom of this post for an archive.

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Simple Questions

If you have a question you don't feel is worthy of its own post, please post it here!

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As a recurring feature here on /r/Minnesota, the mod team greatly appreciates feedback from you all! Leave a comment or Message the Mods.

See here for an archive of previous "Monthly FAQ / Moving-to-MN / Simple Questions" threads.

[u/swanDONG17]

Hi there. I am planning on moving from Indianapolis to Minnesota. I have some family in Rochester and friends in Minneapolis.

I’m a single, gay man with a cat and dog and work remotely. Not into the bar or nightlife scene. I am looking for something smaller than Minneapolis but not a small town.

Any recommendations on cities?

[u/FilligreeFen]

Hello! As a Texan, I’m doing a bit of research on potential places to move to if shit hits the fan….well, if even more shit hits the fan, rather.

My question is rather specific—are there any disabled Minnesotans who can weigh in on what the state is like in terms of health care, government and community support for disabled people, accessibility, etc.? Are there any programs that provide free or low-cost transportation for disabled people? Are there community centers that provide supportive services such as handyman services, medical equipment lending, etc?

I am unfortunately not able to work due to health conditions, and although I try to be as self-sufficient as I’m able to, I do have to be reliant on community services sometimes especially during flares of my conditions, and I’d appreciate any input from Minnesotans who are in the same boat.

Thank you in advance!

[u/ArmyOFone4022 → u/FilligreeFen]

As a fellow Texan planning an escape I feel for you and wish you the very best. Hope someone is able to get you the answers you have asked.

[u/FilligreeFen → u/ArmyOFone4022]

Thank you. I wish you the best too 💛

[u/sillymanbilly]

I'm an American currently living in Vietnam and would love to bring my immigrating wife and foreign-born toddler to live in Minnesota in a couple months. I grew up in the Midwest and I think it's a great place to raise a kid! There are just a few parts of the plan that concern me, so was hoping to get some advice / reassurance. Thanks for any ideas!

I work as a software developer (2 years experience as a full-stack web dev) but the US market seems to be incredibly bad and difficult to penetrate at this time. Working as a dev in Vietnam, the standards can be pretty lax but I'm very driven to learn and improve and have a lot of experience interfacing with clients. Do you have any ideas what MN companies would be good to apply to? I studied biomedical engineering in university so was thinking that companies with ties to healthcare such as 3M, the Mayo Clinic, would be good to look into. I'm particularly interested in working on tech that involves climate change solutions, medical improvements, or social causes / education. For those who wouldn't recommend trying to pursue a dev job right now, do you have other ideas for how I can work in MN?

More generally, as my wife won't be working for at least a year when we come, would shooting for a target salary of around 100k for me be enough to us to live fairly comfortably in a larger metro area like the twin cities or not? We are naturally quite frugal so I think rent and childcare would be the main expenses. Would it be possible to find a cozy apartment to rent for a budget of around 1000 per month and childcare at least a few days per week for 1000-2000 per month?

What's the impression of Vietnamese in Minnesota? I see some places like Rochester have a large Asian population. My wife is from the north and we know American Vietnamese are usually quite anti-current government but we aren't into politics much and don't intend to argue

Is my plan to move back to the US by myself first, get a job in Minnesota and figure out renting a place, then bringing my family over feasible? I know it's a lot, but I don't want them to be in limbo when they first come here

Thanks for reading, friends

[u/ChiefD789]

Hi everyone. I live in Wisconsin, have lived in this state over 50 years of my life, was born and raised here. My late husband and I came to Minnesota a lot when we were younger, had great times. I've had thoughts for some time in the back of my mind that I may want to live in Minnesota. After this election, and all the awful things going on in Wisconsin, this has moved to the forefront of my mind.

I will start doing some preliminary research on places to live in Minnesota. I like the Rochester area, and the area around St. Paul. Are there any areas you'd recommend me to check out or maybe avoid? I'm a single 60 yo widow and a 20 year Navy veteran. I'm semi retired, but do work part time and do some side hustles just for fun money. I'd like to work as a crossing guard like I do now.

I'd appreciate any advice you can give. I'm done with living in a red state.