Looking for info about Minneapolis/St.Paul area

Hi Twin Cities DUers.

I am considering a visit to your nice area sometime in the near future. I am also seriously considering a possible move there within the year. I am looking for info on the following.

1. The job market

2. People (friendly or...?)

3. Nightlife.

4. Where's the funky, counter-culture neighborhood? (i.e. coffee houses, used record/book stores, vintage clothing, punks, goths, etc...)

5. Anything else.


Your input would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah! How is the mass transportation there?

Thanks again!

John

Minneapolis.

The cold keeps mean people away. :)

(that's all I got)

Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis

From all over the world
The people came
Even the president flies in to watch the thing called fame
Red, white and blue boy girls
Tonight everyone's the same
Some people say it's dying
But we don't want to play that game

Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis - sing
Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis

Show us the drive around
Makin' the hours its cool I know
Rock 'n' roll will never die
Let the minnie ha ha flow
Chose a land of a thousand lips
Is sometimes made of snow
There'll always be another king who got butt naked on the floor

Rock 'n' roll is alive and it lives in Minneapolis

edit: -P.R.N.

it was fun as a kid, but as an adult it's an armpit.

1. The job market....comparatively good. unemployment rate is consistently lower than national and upper midwest....a few friends have had a hard time finding a new job but most I know have been able to pick something up pretty quickly after layoff, etc.

2. People (friendly or...?)people seem pretty friendly, and most that i know make a point of reaching out to newcomers. but City Pages, the alt weekly (at least I think I recall it was CP) did a a piece a couple of years ago based on interviews with newcomers and most thought the natives were pretty stand-offish. Of course, if you're a DU type, you won't have any trouble fitting in. There's a lot to do here. There are several college campuses here, from the very liberal Macalester in St. Paul to the Univ of Minn. and you can always find an interesting speaker, ethnic festival, world music types performing and...

3. Nightlife. pretty good, i think, though i don't live the wild life i once did. there are a very wide variety of bars & night clubs, from funky little corner tavern types, to music cafes and fancy spots. Restaurants are excellent, especially if you like food from far-off lands. (Twin cities supposed to have highest per capita rate of vietnamese restaurants in the country; there is also thai, ethiopian, caribbean, ....well, lots and lots of spots. the first Kurdish restaurant opened recently (haven't been there yet.) there is a fine very cheap Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant, Black Sea, near the Hamline U. campus that is great, and run by a great couple that are heroes to students. Music scene is pretty good, some would say damn good. you certainly can find a variety.

4. Where's the funky, counter-culture neighborhood? (i.e. coffee houses, used record/book stores, vintage clothing, punks, goths, etc...) well, there is Uptown, but some now call it Yuptown as it's been dandified and gentrified a bit. but that's where a lot of the nightlife is (south Mpls.) plus bookstores coffee shops etc.
in st. paul Grand ave, or crocus hill, is something like uptown though here too some people complain that it's gotten too hip for its own good. a little more laidback and less pretentious than uptown. more families in the neighborhood, i think. grand leads to the east for a couple of miles from the Macalester campus, eventually winding its way to downtown st. paul, which is itself making something of a comeback despite former mayor Norm Coleman leaving the city with massive debts.

5. Anything else.
don't get involved with the sports teams. they'll only break your heart. if you're a sports fan, pick one of the small colleges and follow them like mad. you'll have more fun that way.

DO get involved in politics. we need all the help we can get. Mn. used to be seen as a bastion of progressive/liberal politics, but there has been a swing to the right that has caused whiplash. (witness Norm Coleman and our new gov., timmy pawlenty, who wants us to fry criminals again, something minnesotans have found unnecessary for about 100 years. also, you'll meet great people.

Your input would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah! How is the mass transportation there?
supposed to be pretty good compared to many cities, though riders sometimes complain about haphazard scheduling changes, transfers etc. but the basic routes are covered pretty well i think. the first light rail line will go into service next year.
Thanks again!
feel free to p.m. me if you want more info.

"DO get involved in politics. we need all the help we can get. Mn. used to be seen as a bastion of progressive/liberal politics, but there has been a swing to the right that has caused whiplash. (witness Norm Coleman and our new gov., timmy pawlenty, who wants us to fry criminals again, something minnesotans have found unnecessary for about 100 years. also, you'll meet great people."


Yes. It seems the DFL is in dire need of some help after the tragic loss of Paul Wellstone and the Senate seat to Norm Coleman (why do I think of a rat whenever I hear that name?). There needs to be more more unity btw.among those on the left and not just in the state of Minnesota. What is the mayor of Minneapolis Ryback like? Is he liberal?

"1. The job market....comparatively good. unemployment rate is consistently lower than national and upper midwest....a few friends have had a hard time finding a new job but most I know have been able to pick something up pretty quickly after layoff, etc."

Sounds better than what is in Seattle right now.

"2. People (friendly or...?)people seem pretty friendly, and most that i know make a point of reaching out to newcomers. but City Pages, the alt weekly (at least I think I recall it was CP) did a a piece a couple of years ago based on interviews with newcomers and most thought the natives were pretty stand-offish. Of course, if you're a DU type, you won't have any trouble fitting in. There's a lot to do here. There are several college campuses here, from the very liberal Macalester in St. Paul to the Univ of Minn. and you can always find an interesting speaker, ethnic festival, world music types performing and..."

I have heard it is definately a different vibe there people wise. Definately Midwestern but at least progressive.


"3. Nightlife. pretty good, i think, though i don't live the wild life i once did. there are a very wide variety of bars & night clubs, from funky little corner tavern types, to music cafes and fancy spots. Restaurants are excellent, especially if you like food from far-off lands. (Twin cities supposed to have highest per capita rate of vietnamese restaurants in the country; there is also thai, ethiopian, caribbean, ....well, lots and lots of spots. the first Kurdish restaurant opened recently (haven't been there yet.) there is a fine very cheap Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant, Black Sea, near the Hamline U. campus that is great, and run by a great couple that are heroes to students. Music scene is pretty good, some would say damn good. you certainly can find a variety."

Sounds great. I am not done enjoying the wild life but I do it moderately now. I like ethnic restaurants.

"4. Where's the funky, counter-culture neighborhood? (i.e. coffee houses, used record/book stores, vintage clothing, punks, goths, etc...) well, there is Uptown, but some now call it Yuptown as it's been dandified and gentrified a bit. but that's where a lot of the nightlife is (south Mpls.) plus bookstores coffee shops etc.
in st. paul Grand ave, or crocus hill, is something like uptown though here too some people complain that it's gotten too hip for its own good. a little more laidback and less pretentious than uptown. more families in the neighborhood, i think. grand leads to the east for a couple of miles from the Macalester campus, eventually winding its way to downtown st. paul, which is itself making something of a comeback despite former mayor Norm Coleman leaving the city with massive debts."

It always seems to be the funky neighborhoods that always get gentrified and yuppified isn't it? Too bad. Sounds like a lot of choices of neighborhoods. There I go again! Norm Coleman's name comes up and I am thinking of a rat.


"5. Anything else.
don't get involved with the sports teams. they'll only break your heart. if you're a sports fan, pick one of the small colleges and follow them like mad. you'll have more fun that way."

Well, I do want to check out a Minnesota Wild hockey game at some point. I will still be a devout Sonics basketball fan though.

I am sure I will need more info but this is a good start. Thanks for your help!

John

1) The job market isn't as bad as other parts of the country. If you're in high-tech, you have a better chance of getting a good job. There's TONS of schools/tech colleges and the like in the area as well.

2) People are VEEEERRRYYY friendly. Not as friendly as Fargo, but nice nonetheless.;-)

3) Tons of daily nightlife along Hennepin Avenue downtown, and in Uptown, on the corner of Lake and Hennepin on the west side.

4) The funky counterculture is mostly in Uptown Minneapolis. Lots of punk, goth and San Francisco-esque artsy flavour there. All along Lake Street, you see the same deal as well.

5) The outer suburbs are STAUNCHLY right-wing. If you want a place with other like-minded liberals and progressives, stay in the inner-ring suburbs and the cities. There's not many slums for a city that size. Most of Minneapolis looks nicer than 10 years ago.

PS. The first phase of the light-rail transit system is expected to be completed next year sometime. This will help alleviate problems in the barely-adequate metro bus system.

Here is an email about the downtown architecture I recently wrote:

Do you mean the US Bank building? http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/2706 - here it is from a wider angle: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1879

Or do you mean the squat one that looks like a blue stalk of celery? That's the AT&T building - one of my favorites. http://www.skyscraperpage.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2941

I love Minneapolis - sometimes I go downtown just to walk around ... here's another one of my favorite buildings: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/2072 - actually they're all my favorites except for the IDS building, which is unfortunately the most prominent, and the Pillsbury building, which is really huge, but so boring you literally don't notice it's there.

Almost every building downtown is connected by 26 miles of skyway: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/2443 - You can walk all over downtown without going outside!

The United Methodist Church is great - it's impossible to get familiar enough with it so you don't notice the incredible spire: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1706 ... this is halfway between where I live and the heart of downtown ... about a mile away.

The Mariott is another building that always seems new to the eye: it's oddly angled and it's hard to tell what way it's facing or what happens at the corners: (blue glass building on left) http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/2267

The Weissman looks like something from another planet - http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1761 - you can't tell from that photo, but it's perched atop the Mississippi river - it looks like a robotic growth coming out of the ledge.

There are parks, lakes and bike paths all over - here is the sculpture garden, just south of downtown: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1682

Check out this inside photo of City Hall http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1610 - the inside of the main post office is amazing as well. The county government center is also wild: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/2068 - 1/2 of it is an atrium! (we're fond of atriums here - here is the larget one downtown: Crystal Court: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1137 ) Government buildings seem to be wacky by rule in Minneapolis - here's the old Federal Reserve building, which has been closed because of an asbestos problem: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/121 - it moved across the street into a new building, can't frind a picture, but it's also really interesting. Here's the Federal building downtown - I wonder who's idea it was to put those mounds there, and how they're kept from crumbling: http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/1578

1. (The job market) don't know, work for myself mostly for out of state clients

2. (People (friendly or...?)) They are "nice" but not friendly like I experienced them in NC or Atlanta. For instance if you try to start up a conversation with a radom staranger, you need REALLY GOOD people skills to make it work.

3. (Nightlife.) There are TONS of great restaurants, the variety is as great or greater than in Chicago and it comes close to that of New York. If you like theater, this is a great town; there's no shortage of theater here. Bars are open until 2. Getting stuff to eat after 11 pm other than breakfast fare or Mexican (or something you cook yourself) is impossible.

4. (Where's the funky, counter-culture neighborhood? (i.e. coffee houses, used record/book stores, vintage clothing, punks, goths, etc...)) That would be near Uptown or the West Bank. Many "counter-culture" people live in Northeast now, since Uptown proper has become yuppified.

5. (Anything else.) Well, I love the architecture. There's plenty of art galleries so if going to openings is fun to you, you can find them every weekend. There's also three sizable art institutions. The traffic really blows, particularly if you need to get to the burbs during rush hours, which are significantly earlier than in other places. The public transportation is good enough for a few of my friends to get along without cars: 9/10 times I use mine, it's a weekly trip to my folks house for dinner.

Minneapolis is quite progressive politically - for instance there were as many moveon "uncovered" parties here as there were in Los Angles or New York.

If you need help arranging a trip send me a private message. Hope you check it out!

My family is all from there. The last visit I made there was extended due to 9/11. I got grounded there for two extra days and I almost decided right then to stay.

The downtown Minneapolis nightlife was great. It had a friendly, off beat feel that I used to find in Hollywood in the late 80's/ early 90's.
People are great there! I was taken out for drinks and sobered up at Denny's by a group of people I just met who insisted on buying everything.

They have a great sense of tradition and respect traditional businesses that have become fixtures in the community. My grandfather Moe has been working, and occasionally sleeping during his shift, at Nate's clothing store downtown for years and years. People still go there just to see him and keep that small place going.
(At least the last time I checked. I haven't talked to him much since his last visit to California and I didn't ask him about it last time, but my father would have told me if thing had changed, I imagine.)
If you can tolerate harsh winters, it is seems like a great place to live.

before moving back east, and I'm considering moving back again. The job market is much stronger than here in upstate Noo Yawk, the people are "nicer" if not exactly friendly, and (much to my surprise) the weather is better. There's tons to do there, and the bus system is excellent.

However: housing is very expensive, sprawl is dismal, and the traffic was getting pretty ugly by the time I left 3 years ago.

Still, I miss the place. Good luck!

quite a while ago. The people are friendly, there's more than adequate night life, museums, theaters, and so on. It's the unsung chicken salad capital of the world. I've never seen anyone talk about it, but lots of restaurants have it on the menu, and each one does it a little different. Order chicken salad!

What I do have to ask, is do they still have the Italian restaurant that didn't use garlic? Please tell me they went out of business.

I was back this summer for the first time in years, and was taken aback by how bad the traffic has gotten. In my opinion, all the things they've done to try to make the traffic flow better seems to have just created more congestion. Of course, sheer numbers of cars will do that. I'm glad to hear there's light rail going in.

It's one of the big regrets of my life that we weren't able to stay there, but husband couldn't find work at the time.

The nice thing about the extreme cold is that it tends to keep out the riff-raff. But the Winter Carnival in St Paul is awesome!

1. Don't know about the job market. I'm self-employed and work for customers in Japna.
2. Not Southern friendly, but almost always polite and pleasant.
3. It's a big city, so it has a bit of everything. I've never been into clubbing, besides which I'm almost old enough to be the mother of the typical clubber, but there are lots of clubs, movie theaters that show non-commercial films, art museums, classical ensembles, two public TV stations, and three public radio stations plus a community radio station and the "college" station from the U of M.
4. Uptown and the West Bank in Minneapolis. I guess Grand Avenue in St. Paul, although I don't get over there as much.
5. About the public transportation system: I lived without a car in Portland for ten years and suffered very little inconvenience, because the transit system was designed to allow people to not drive. Here, the transit system is focused mainly on getting people to and from work downtown, so if you're not going downtown, the transit system is iffy. In addition, the routes have not been significantly changed since the days when Mpls and St. Paul were two separate worlds, so there are only two bus lines that travel between the two cities with any frequency. I make a point of driving as little as possible, but unlike Portland, there are times when I absolutely have to drive. Even so, I've used only one tank of gas per month or less since moving here in August.

By the way, give us a heads up when you come. Perhaps we can arrange a little DU gathering for you, as we did for socialdemocrat1981 when he came through from Australia.

Job market in TC better than outstate; depends on field of course
I think the people here are great!
Nightlife good; lots of clubs, theatres, museums, sports, etc.
I like the Hennepin/Lake area of Mpls, near the lakes, funky stores (Ragstock, Corner Store, Cheapos used records/CDs/tapes/books) fun stuff like rental blades for rolling around Lake Calhoun) and there is always the Electric Fetus, my favorite...
Some fun neighborhoods near University too, Frogtown, etc.
Beautiful metro area, lots of lakes and woods and parks and it doesn't take long to get out of the metro and into some real wilderness! Duluth and the spectacular North Shore of Lake Superior always worth the drive too.
Buses OK, working on LRT

All of what I have read and heard about Mpls/St. Paul sound very inticing. I have been unemployed for five months and I am very close to saying the hell with Seattle. Hundreds of resumes and applications have resulted in nothing. Don't get me wrong. I love Seattle. This is my birthplace and I am glad to be from here but the last couple of years has been a big downer for me particularly this year. I guess I am looking for a fresh start someplace else.


Keep tempting me guys!

I am about to email my first resumes to employers in your town tonight!


John

live in St. Paul, visit Minneapolis.

Job market? Well, I'm not really sure, I work in WI and I'm trying to find another job currently.

People are great, depending on where you go, but overall everyone's pretty friendly.

As for counter-culture, there are a lot of dance clubs, bars, etc. mostly in minneapolis. I suggest staying near the U of M campus, dinkytown is great, lots of bars, coffeshops, etc.

I live in west St. Paul, and go to clubs in east minneapolis, there really is no shortage of hotspots. Plus the local music here is great, if you like spending money, you could be at a different show almost every night.

PM me if you want.

Seeing as I live in a suburb. People are normally ok to everyone else but last week I met someone who, well, shall we say pessimized me (that might not even be a word).

See, I was with my Asian friend Richie by a Wal-mart (don't laugh, we're poor) and these people called him "chink." Man, did that piss us both off.

But I've lived here my whole life and that's the first time I've ever seen any racial animosity, so I'm sure it was just a fluke, but it just made me mad and I had to rant about it for the third time. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here, though our governor is an ASS.

The guys that called your friend "chink" sounded like some Archie Bunker moron types anyway. Those are everywhere. As for your governor, he strikes me as an ASS. And Norm Coleman is a RAT!

What do you think of R.T. Rybak? He's a liberal right?


John