Honest Opinion from an Outsider
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6/14/2019
Pros: Instagram worthy skyline, Multiple small- to medium-size Fortune 500 companies (money and jobs); Intermodal transit; Affordable housing; Decent education (primary and secondary outpace than post-secondary options); Tens of thousands of tiny yet intricate lakes (some in the city, lots in the suburbs); Nature friendly (most of the city and Metro does not feel condensed and allows for a lot of green space); Nationally renowned dining; And many more...
Honestly, if you can mind the cons, it’s the perfect place to live.
Cons: Near arctic weather (most locals consider the warmer days as tolerable); Urban sprawl (do not expect to live in a medium- to high-rise building, those are reserved specifically for the articulately planned CBD); Post-war 20th century highway system (most of the Metro - neighborhoods and suburbs - are not walkable nor densely populated, they are separated by tiny degrading highways), even the downtown which once had so much potential for multipurpose integration was one of the unfortunate mid-size American cities to be destroyed by a surrounding loop freeway); recklessly designed suburbs which all mimic a Levittown (no appreciation to aesthetics or beauty); Oddly designed bicycle byways (if you are American and planning on biking here, do not ride on the streets as they do not seem bike-friendly; Everything is so spread out, it is not abnormal to drive ten min. or more for shopping or even 30 min. or more for work and/or other activities; Horrible location (do not expect to be in driving distance of any other American city worth visiting... unless you’re extremely frugal or prefer driving over flying); Surprisingly less trees and natural scenery than you’d expect for a Northern city (except the lakes); No waterfront (a dealbreaker for most, not to mention the loss of a coastal or great lake skyline); Flat geography (few hills, peaks, and vistas - has to do with glacial history); Spread out downtown (no pedestrians, no living, little shopping, yet a lot of money); Not world renowned by any means (most people in SE Wisconsin have never heard of St. Paul and seldom the Twin Cities unless for business let alone further states and the rest of the world); And a few more...
The cons are not meant to be offensive in anyway (Minnesota people are very prideful, and have a right to be so), but are based upon how locals describe Minneapolis and the surrounding Metro vs. how I (an outsider) perceived it upon first visit.
Overall I would say it is one of the best places to live in America, but it comes at many costs to sacrifice.
Kyle | Brookfield, WI