Great Place to Live
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8/22/2007
Great place to live. Took a job transfer from suburb of Philadelphia and love it here. Minnesota nice has been very true for us. As an example, went to a parade in the city and asked a large group of people to allow me to throw out a cup in the trash can that they happened to be standing around. They turned and offered to throw it out for me!
As mentioned, people are very friendly. Location is great. Since I fly frequently, it was important for me to have easy access to the airport. Door to door is only 25 minutes which is great. And, MSP is a great airport that is easy to get around with lots of amenities.
Shopping is great. Burnsville Center Mall (Macy's, Penney's, and Sears) is within about 10 minutes and Mall of America is less than 20 minutes away.
Culturally, can be in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul in about 30 minutes.
Though traffic can be a little heavy during rush hour around the beltway and into the city, it is manageable (remember, I lived outside of Philly).
Schools are very good. If you are transferring in with kids during the school year, the deans at our kids' middle school (Century) arranged for peer guides on their first day. These students were kids in the same classes as mine who gave them a tour of the school, introduced them to their friends, and made them feel at ease. Both kids (6th grade and 8th) commented how 10 kids each asked them to join them for lunch.
One other thing, Minneapolis is one of the cleanest cities and healthiest cities to live. In Lakeville, their are bike paths that go for miles which encourages physical activity. It is not unusual to see people outside in the winter time jogging, walking their dogs, etc.
Overall, we have been very happy living here even though we never lived outside of PA.
Brian | Lakeville, MN