Best of the Midwest!
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2/5/2021
Minneapolis is my hometown. One would think that that would skew my review, but I actually have a pretty honest take on this city. Many of the things that have been written about Minneapolis on this site are valid and accurate. The one thing I disagreed with was a review that talked about North Minneapolis which was actually confused with Northeast Minneapolis, two very different sections of the city. Thankfully Cory from Golden Valley set the record straight. North Minneapolis is NOT a kitschy, hip kind of place to hang out with great coffee shops! It is a poverty-stricken hood with high crime (mostly motivated by drug running) and really horrible inner city schools that are too busy trying to manage the crime to be bothered with teaching. If you don’t nail it down or lock it on the northside, it will come up missing! I know the area very well, as I grew up there.
That said l, there are many things to be enamored with about Minneapolis. But as others have done, let me start with the weather. If you don’t like the winter, don’t move here. Unless you have a pretty high tolerance, a -40° windchill in January that feels like it wants to kill you will not seem appealing! The flipside to that argument is called knowing how to dress for it. It’s not rocket science-it’s called layering. Put on an under layer. For ladies that can be anything from a camisole to a tank top. On top of that, go with long sleeve Thinsulate. It’s lightweight and allows your skin to breathe, not trapping the moisture against your body. On top of that, some form of a thermal layer such as a sweater or sweatshirt. And if you live Minnesota but don’t own a parka, you might want to move elsewhere! Equally important are such things as scarves, earmuffs, wool mittens, Gortex gloves and heavily lined winter boots. No, not rain boots - Snow boots like Sorels. When it gets really cold in Minnesota, crack out your long underwear and put it on underneath everything you wear. If you’re opposed to wearing long underwear ladies, go to your local drugstore and pick up a pair of ‘fleece lined leggings’. You will thank me.
I currently live in Chicago where I’ve been for the past 15+ years. Prior to that I spent a lot of time in the Philadelphia area. I’ve travel around quite a bit and I have to say that my hometown of Minneapolis has a lot to offer. Everything from layers of entertainment, great restaurants with a full-blown foodie scene, a fabulous art culture, unbelievable lakes and parks, plenty of places to worship, a variety of watering holes, comedy and theater scene that rivals other larger cities, several pro sports teams, and by far the best public transportation system I’ve ever seen. Buses that run constantly with s light rail infrastructure that is tracked for several layers of expansion in the next 10 years.
As much as the inner-city struggles with education, some of the best Midwest schools exist in the suburbs of this and it’s sister city of St Paul. Additionally, there are a number of higher educational facilities including a community college/technical school in downtown Minneapolis, along with both public and private universities. There are five locations of the University of Minnesota - Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester, and the Twin Cities. The latter has been dubbed a “Mini Ivy League” due to a number of top performing professors and a multitude of top 10 programs in various areas of study. It is also my alma mater.
Every city has its problems. Minneapolis is no exception. There is work to be done to improve the city’s overall management, financial structure and revamp the police service. Getting there will require the population to decide which way it’s leaning - liberal or conservative. And if it’s going live in the middle, it’s going to need politicians who are willing to compromise.
What a great city!
#Minne-apple
Deb | Gurnee, IL