Thinking about Minnesota: Potential migrants want opinions

[politicat]

The Love of my Life and I have decided that we really can't take too many more Colorado summers - hot, dry and fiery. So we have shortlisted several states as potential new homes while I get another master's in either Spanish or Slovak languages and he gets his DPhil in robotics. Minnesota is on the short list.

So the questions we have are:
1. Would out-of-staters be welcome? (In Colorado, they're not really welcome.)
2. Would we be able to find work? (He, senior level programmer/architect; me medieval historian or psychologist.)
3. Are the state universities good for post-grad work?
4. Is housing available for less than the $350,000 average house price in this area?
5. What would you, as a resident of your state, warn us to be careful about?

Thanks!

[Lindacooks]

1. As a native Minnesotan, I offer these answers:

Out of staters are usually very welcome. Minnesota Nice still exists, even though that may be hard to see on our freeways.

Finding work: the Twin Cities is doing okay on the job front. Take a look at Monster.com for more information.

The University of Minnesota is a superb institution, but Repukes, especially the rat Pawlenty, have been cutting the budget. Check on your area first on the U of M website.

Housing is definitely available for less than $350,000, especially in the condo and townhouse area.

Warn you about? Hmm, well, coming from Colorado you understand winters and winter driving, although our winters have been warmer with less snow lately. Be prepared to be infuriated with Pawlenty and his misadministration; however, with a bit of luck he'll be out next year. When it comes to driving, be patient; there are tons of very large road projects going on, especially on the 494 corridor. The saying 'Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction' are pretty true.

[politicat]

13. Oh! So I won't be changing State Flowers!!

MN's is the Orange Coneflower, too?

(Another of our motivations is that the road we live on is due to be under construction for the next 5 years, as 6 new developments are put in. It's time to go.)

[Another Bill C.]

17. The state flower

The Minnesota state flower is the pink and white ladyslipper. Very few Minnesotans have actually seen one.
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Symbols.asp

[Lindacooks]

2. As a native Minnesotan, I offer these answers:

Out of staters are usually very welcome. Minnesota Nice still exists, even though that may be hard to see on our freeways.

Finding work: the Twin Cities is doing okay on the job front. Take a look at Monster.com for more information.

The University of Minnesota is a superb institution, but Repukes, especially the rat Pawlenty, have been cutting the budget. Check on your area first on the U of M website.

Housing is definitely available for less than $350,000, especially in the condo and townhouse area.

Warn you about? Hmm, well, coming from Colorado you understand winters and winter driving, although our winters have been warmer with less snow lately. Be prepared to be infuriated with Pawlenty and his misadministration; however, with a bit of luck he'll be out next year. When it comes to driving, be patient; there are tons of very large road projects going on, especially on the 494 corridor. The saying 'Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction' are pretty true.

[Lindacooks]

3. As a native Minnesotan, I offer these answers:

Out of staters are usually very welcome. Minnesota Nice still exists, even though that may be hard to see on our freeways.

Finding work: the Twin Cities is doing okay on the job front. Take a look at Monster.com for more information.

The University of Minnesota is a superb institution, but Repukes, especially the rat Pawlenty, have been cutting the budget. Check on your area first on the U of M website.

Housing is definitely available for less than $350,000, especially in the condo and townhouse area.

Warn you about? Hmm, well, coming from Colorado you understand winters and winter driving, although our winters have been warmer with less snow lately. Be prepared to be infuriated with Pawlenty and his misadministration; however, with a bit of luck he'll be out next year. When it comes to driving, be patient; there are tons of very large road projects going on, especially on the 494 corridor. The saying 'Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction' are pretty true.

[Lindacooks]

4. Sorry about the three responses - thought the first two didn't take.

[KitchenWitch]

5. In addition to the University of Minnesota

there are several small private universities in the area.

Summers can be warm and humid here, but are relatively short compared to other regions of the country.

If you want to beat the summer heat, there are scads of lakes in the area, and Duluth/Lake Superior is just less than a 3 hour drive away.

[dpbrown]

6. Minnesota is a good pick

1. Minnesota is not so insular as Colorado. I'm from Wisconsin and there are a lot of people who come here from other places, especially China, Laos, etc.
2. The unemployment rate is low, and there are a lot of academic jobs as well as technology jobs here. Minnesota is pretty high tech.
3. The University of Minnesota puts a big focus on research, but any type of post-grad work would probably be supported.
4. My house cost a lot less than that, and I live in a good neighborhood in St. Paul less than a mile from the Mississippi River.
6. Summers can be hot and humid, and the Republicans are trying to turn Minnesota, which has traditionally fully funded education and social services, into Mississippi. We have our work cut out for us to keep them at bay here. They keep telling us we're a "swing state" to keep the freepers foaming at the mouth.

[GRocky]

7. Come on up.

1) Yes. Maybe too welcome. There aren't a lot of "real" Minnesotans left.
2) Yes. Lots of software jobs up here.
3) Yes.
4) Oh yeah. I bought a house in Minneapolis this spring for under $170k... and it's in a great neighborhood.
5) Living in the suburbs. BOO!

[dpbrown]

8. You mean the Anishinabe and the Dakota?

Yeah, you're probably right.

[katinmn]

9. Lydia Leftcoast, a Minnesotan, lived in CO for a while

She could probably give you the best advice and I bet she will be checking in soon.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Actually, it was Oregon

Except for changing planes in the Denver airport when I flew back here for the last time, I haven't been in Colorado since I was eight years old. And that was a LOOOONG time ago.
:-)

[katinmn]

11. Ok, I had an early senior moment. LOL

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. I just want to add that

Minnesota has a terrific offline DU group.

They were very helpful and supportive when I moved back here after nearly 19 years' absence. I felt at home right away after attending my first gathering, and three of them got me involved in the Kucinich campaign.

Also, we have "hosted" out-of-state DU guests, including socialdemocrat1981 from Australia and fudges stripe cookays from Texas. Both seemed to like us. :-)

[katinmn]

14. and Bushwentawol, too, from Iowa

He's almost a regular. If he makes the next one we might kidnap him and keep him in Minnesota for good.

[fudge stripe cookays]

15. Lydia's right...

The Minnesota bunch are an awesome group.

Coming from Texas, where there IS no history (and if there is, they promptly tear it down and build a parking lot or a mall), MY favorite thing about the Twin Cities is the absolutely GORGEOUS architecture there.

Tons of beautiful old Romanesque building blocks, and the warm people who live there. Two great reasons.

We're considering it ourselves if we can get the heck out of here. Our eventual destination is Alberta, but not sure when we'll be heading there. Our meantime possible destinations are ANYWHERE more progressive than here!

FSC

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. And now I'll answer your questions

1. Yes, there are more and more of you all the time, not only out-of-staters, but out-of-countriers (Minnesota has always been generous to refugees)
2. All I know is that it's not as bad as Oregon.
3. For post-grad work, yes, the U of M is well-respected in many fields, although thanks to legislative cuts, the tuition is high for a state U.
4. Yes, although it's moving up.
5. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the inner suburbs are bluish, while the outer suburbs and rural areas are reddish. The public transit system sometimes rises to the level of mediocrity, but is disappointing for a former resident of Portland. Summers are more humid than in the Rocky Mountain states, but not as bad as in the Lower Midwest. You'll need to learn to pronounce "Wayzata," "Mahtomedi," "Shakopee," "Mankato," "Nicollet," and all sorts of Scandinavian surnames.

[Nobody]

18. You'll be happy to know...

The winters have been very wimpy lately. We haven't had two straight weeks of -20 in February for about ten years, and last five winters, if there was one day that the temp didn't go above zero, it was a lot.

Global warming? Naaaaaahhhhhh.

[CatholicEdHead]

19. Maybe in central and southern MN

If you go to northern MN, either the Red River Valley or the Iron Range you can have more days below zero (and windchill) if you want.

[loveable liberal]

20. Minnesota, Only State to vote for Mondale! We were right!!!

So the questions we have are:
1. Would out-of-staters be welcome? (In Colorado, they're not really welcome.)
-Minnesotans love diversity. We have very high populations of Hmong and Somali residents. Come on over and have some hot dish.

2. Would we be able to find work? (He, senior level programmer/architect; me medieval historian or psychologist.)
-If your hubby is interested there will be a huge market for on-line graduate courses in the future. I am currently enrolled trying to get my masters from Metropolitan State University. There is huge potential for growth and improvement. You could become a teacher, we pay them well here.

3. Are the state universities good for post-grad work?
-Who can tell. The people who attend our Colleges and University's like them. They are good schools. The U of M is nationally recognized, the colleges are local treasures.

4. Is housing available for less than the $350,000 average house price in this area?
-1st ring suburb rambler goes for about 220,000. 60 or 70 miles out you can still buy a 4 bedroom split level for less than $180,000.

5. What would you, as a resident of your state, warn us to be careful about?
-We're crappy drivers, but not as bad as people from Wisconsin. It gets colder than a witches tit in a brass bra here. Learn to swim. In Minnesota, carbonated beverages are called 'pop'. Calling it 'soda' is for sissys. Dont ever mention the Colorado Avalanche. You are a Minnesota Wild fan now.

[kikiek]

21. You're always welcome here! There are some areas more friendly

than others, but I think that is common in any state. We have the lowest unemployment in the country, but I don't know about those particular jobs. Great state universities, and your housing allowance should land you in a very nice home. It seems to be a buyers market for homes currently. I would not play down the winters. Can get cold and snowy, but the best thing to do is not fight it. Get outside in it if you can. I love coming home and getting the fireplace going and having a hot buttered rum or hot chocolate. It can be a very cozy time during which you can relax and not feel like you got to be doing something. Slovak might come in handy here! Best of luck and keep Mn posted!