Minneapolis is going downhill
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6/22/2006
I've lived in Minneapolis since 1968. I moved here as I liked the wonderful quality of life, a city with no "slums" and a low crime-rate. That has all changed. The people I moved here to get away from have all moved here. Minneapolis of 2006 hardly resembles the Minneapolis of 1968. It was an "Ozzie and Harriet" all-American city and still had many of the characteristics that other places lost back in the 1940's like a busy, bustling business district, many downtown department stores, movie theatres, etc. It now is beginning to resemble other midwestern cities with a downtown that is almost dead except for the offices, banks and business headquarters which employ many people. Those people come to work in the morning and leave the city after work. There is one department store, a nearly empty "City Center" shopping mall, and many of the old businesses and restaurants are gone completely. There are gangs of minorities on street corners who panhandle, harass etc. There have been murders right in the heart of the city. It is depressing to know what it once was and what it has become. It isn't as bad as some of the worst rust-belt cities like Detroit or Buffalo, but it will be there within ten year unless the residents wake up and see what is happening. It is run by an elite group of very liberal politico's who are afraid to do anything about the criminal element downtown. Their main concern is re-election, not the city or downtown. I would never move here now, if I had to do it all over again. It's sad to see a once-beautiful city come down to this disgusting level. Furthermore, I find the people here to be somewhat "cliqueish" and although they are polite, they aren't really friendly. If you're not pretty out-going, and don't get involved in some organizations, church etc. you won't make many friends as you would in an East Coast or West Coast city. Most of the people who have become my friends throughout the years moved here from someplace else. I am moving out to a suburb to get away from the criminal element that has now pushed into the Uptown area where I live.
John | St. Paul, MN