Reviews & Comments
Charlotte, NC
Very Underrated... but maybe that's a GOOD thing? -
7/5/2018As another reviewer posted earlier...
This city DOES remind me of a "young" Dallas... what with the Uptown, NoDa, Dilworth neighborhoods and the VERY impressive Light Rail. This city impresses me with it's walkability and urbanity as well as being fairly "clean" much like Minneapolis, MN actually. This is suprising b/c most cities of those sizes(and bigger) are not as aesthetically "pretty" and CLEAN too, which is a big draw for some! (it is for me)
More of a "southern" feel and less of that wannabe feel you might get in the Southwest.
PLUS, it's the banking (or 2nd behind NYC) capital of the US.
Minneapolis, MN
re: Challenging place, but possibly worth it. -
7/5/2018Your Trump comment is off btw... I am a VERY STRONG Trump supporter and never had any big issues proclaiming my support for him as long as it wasn't "over the top"(much like Trump's comments LOL).
Minnesota is a "flip state"
Minneapolis, MN
re: Challenging place, but possibly worth it. -
7/5/2018Nearly... spot on review!
I disagree about it "taking awhile" to make friends in MSP though. It took me a few weeks to make friends in the metro and I am from Texas originally myself. Then again, often times I would get confused for being an ACTUAL "native" Minnesottean(sp?) which I always found ironic.
The gay community comment I find amusing as I always though Houston had that, although I'm not gay. I think it's much more just "open" in Minneapolis. But at the same time you have areas "designed" for certain "social groups". For instance, you would hang around Dinkytown if you were 18-23 and in college. Uptown for 25-35 professionals. North Loop is kind of your "hipster" scene. etc etc etc.
You are 100% correct about the local pride, which actually is a big PLUS to me! You don't really get that in a lot of other cities.
Not a lot of traffic. Not a bunch of illegals. BRUTAL winters.
Minneapolis, MN
re: VERY, VERY, VERY underrated -
7/5/2018Jay
I think it's worth it... This is an "in" or "out" city/state. Either they will like and "accept you" or not. Just know that...But depending on where you are in life, how "grown up" you are, and your hobbies (i.e. sports, working out b/c this is a VERY VERY fit metroplex, social skills, etc)
For me it was a little different as I am from Texas originally but i've always fit the "Minnesota handsome" stereotype honestly and most people within the MSP metro actually think that I AM ACTUALLY FROM Minnesota lol which is funny. I feel that a lot of people go "in between" these states a lot:
Texas <-> Minnesota <-> Arizona <-> California (just an FYI)
As mentioned before you MUST be ready for winter, so have a winter car (or a housing setup where you can not drive in the winter months), lots of winter set clothes, shoes, hockey gear, etc.
I think in MSP, you'll need "at least" $70,000 to have a fairly comfortable lifestyle in the Cities as it is NOT a "cheap" metro to live in. So, you didn't disclose your income but that is my take...
Couple of the negatives people have said, are actually POSITIVES in my opinion...
There are a LOT of natives who grew up there...went off to college/first professional job(AFTER college) and then RETURN to the cities... Some people may view these people as having limited exposure, narrow mindedness, etc...that's actually the OPPOSITE imho considering the fact that Minnesota BORDERS Canada and has a TOP 10 (easy) airport in the country. It just proves one thing...
They loved/missed MSP so much that they eventually moved back. (You'll notice something VERY SIMILAR in Charlotte, NC too btw). This actually helps with the uniqueness, personality, charm, "genuineness" of the city IMHO; because people here have a sense of pride in their city(i.e. like a "hometown pride" type of thing). I always loved that about MSP.
Most people you will meet within the cities grew up and have lived there all their lives. They've traveled and gone off for college but came back... but that gives the sense of "community" that most other big cities don't really have. Does that make sense?
But the downsides again:
1) VERY, BRUTALLY, LETHAL winter cold
2) NOT cheap... you will need AT LEAST 70,000 (I personally think around $100,000 is safer) salary
3) They will either "accept you" or "not"
4) a lot of people will snowbird... which is actually in my long term plans between MSP and like Scottsdale/Phoenix ... pretty common actually
Nashville, TN
re: White guy from Texas' perspective -
6/7/2018I just want people to be aware and to be informed as I feel that Nashville is 'advertised' incorrectly
It is NOT, I REPEAT NOT a good place for young, single EDUCATED professional transplants... It is also NOT a 'Southern" town at all, I just want people to be VERY INFORMED and to save them the trouble
It is GREAT for FAMILIES and for if you are VISITING... that's it
Dallas, TX
Not Top 10 but good enough and close -
6/6/2018I'm a native Texas boy, home grown and have family all across the state.
Hell, I went to school in Dallas... the "well known" one...take a guess where?
And while I cherish my time in Dallas and education, there are better cities in the country.
I do however miss Uptown Dallas and Knox-Henderson... Especially as those are both so close to each other and urban/walkable lol. But compared to other cities in the country, it's not anything "special" lol.
I miss the suburbs and have many, many, MANY very very CLOSE ties in the North Dallas suburbs.
People who complain about Dallas don't realize that it's a city that is "big enough" to where you will have all the big city amenities that you want. But it's not like "first/top tier" in the country. But it's 'good enough'.
Listen, it could be worse... and I would know lol. I've lived in much worse lol
But that shouldn't discourage one from coming to Dallas. I just wouldn't make it my top/first choice.
The main negatives would be that:
- it's VERY, VERY pretentious (this is true lol)
- it's urban, but not 'as urban' as other cities in the country...so you have MUCH BETTER options. I wouldn't turn down going to LA/NYC/Chicago for Dallas as an example... That would be VERY stupid as an example lol.
- BRUTALLY hot, HOT summers... I don't miss those Dallas summers (especially July - September)
4 stars... I can't give it 5... although I have many, many friends back home in Dallas it doesn't deserve a top star rating.
Minneapolis, MN
re: It’s probably you not them -
6/6/2018I agree!
I never understood the "negative" reviews of people against Minneapolis or Minnesota in general. And I'm not a Twins or Vikings fan, but been too MANY over the years! But they definitely do take pride in their hometown athletes (Mauer, Thielen,etc) and that's GREAT, I think that brings "cohesiveness" to the culture.
My only complaint has always and ONLY been the WINTERS! Jesus Christ they are BRUTAL and you actually REALLY DO need a "winter car/vehicle" if you use a sport(ier) car as your Daily Driver. It just simply won't survive or be safe. Even with the salted down roads, it's still a hazard without a "winter vehicle". Even let's say if you commute from Minneapolis/St.Paul TO/FROM the outer 1st shell (Maple Grove, Vadnais Heights, Cottage Grove, etc)... it's actually still dangerous during the winters without a "winter vehicle" lol.
Other than that, man... nothing but good (er... GREAT) things
Minneapolis, MN
VERY, VERY, VERY underrated -
6/6/2018I absolutely LOVE this city!
And would put this in my Top 10 cities in the country easily...
No order:
-New York
- Los Angelos
- Washington DC
- Chicago
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Atlanta
- Minneapolis
- Boston
- One of the Texas top 3 (would be LAST)
*Again, that list is no particular order and I am a "Texas native".... so i am a little "biased" towards the Texas cities but
I absolutely love Minneapolis
NEGATIVES first:
- INTENSE, deathly winters... they are VERY, VERY intense here! I own a newer convertible and don't drive that one up when I am in Minneapolis winters because it simply will NOT survive! The coldest winters in the country BAR NONE!!
- "In or you're out" type mentality... I will get to this later
- Can be a pretty expensive city with all the taxes and having to pay/prepare for winter weather.
POSITIVES:
- amazing live music scene
- excellent location for if you wanna travel to other states to see family
- very good, DISTINCT neighborhoods
- very, very Urban and incredible architecture
- always something going on
So the big negative I hear from most others is of the "Minnesota (N)Ice"... Well honestly, it's an "in or you're out" type of thing. Minnesota is OBVIOUSLY heavily Scandinavian lol. So they will either "accept you" out the bat or dislike you and you can generally tell.
An example was, on my VERY FIRST day in Minneapolis I was invited to someone's house to watch a ballgame. I've heard different stories, but my experiences have always been VERY, VERY positive actually with Minneapolis and Minnesota as a whole. Also I am NOT a Vikings or Twins fan so that is also suprising. But I have always been "in". I missed my time going ice fishing, to Twins games(not a fan of them), going boating, hiking, etc. It's definitely a pretty "exclusive" culture, but once you're "in" they are your friends for life. That's just the culture there.
So what that means is... you will either be "in" and have the time of your life and have made the BEST DECISION of your LIFE. Or it will suck... lol
I'm white btw.
Nashville, TN
White guy from Texas' perspective -
6/5/2018I'm a little biased as I'm a home grown native guy from Texas who has family and VERY CLOSE ties all across Texas. I'll try to be objective here...
Many of the negative reviews are "spot on"... If you come to visit with friends it will be AMAZINGLY FUN!!
But living here is VERY, VERY different....
Coming from Texas, I've heard people describe Dallas as "fake", Houston as "trashy", and Austin as not "Southern" and San Antonio as "too ethnic/diverse"
Honestly... all of those would describe Nashville IMHO.
The state of Tennessee is GORGEOUS and I do admire the Vanderbilt area and surrounding areas But inner city Nashville, in my opinion coming from Texas, is pretty fake, (VERY) trashy, (VERY) not Southern, (WAY TOO) diverse/ethnic.
You may come for the weekend and head out on Friday night, ALL DAY Saturday, ALL DAY Sunday and thiink that it's the greatest place on Earth and you'll probably "love" your stay. But that little microcosm does not embody what it's like to "live" in Nashville.
There is no neighborhood targeted for young, EDUCATED, AMBITIOUS 25-35 year olds who take care of themselves. That would be Brentwood/Franklin area... which are GREAT, but those are suburbs lol. Not much different than what I would get back home in Texas.
Which pretty much leads you to live in a very, LOUD, TOURISTY part of town, a BAD part of town, or by the Vanderbilt area. The Vanderbilt area is great and I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED that part of town but it's honestly kind of "lame" IMHO if you hang out around that area past the age of 25/26; unless you work at Vandy or at the medical center.
So pretty much everyone in that demographic lives in Brentwood or Franklin LOL... so it's not really different than "white flight" back home.
Let me tell you about this though...
It's not "gentrified" here... which means, and i've read this a few times on here, that youo may run into "undesirables" when out at night with friends. This happens quite frequently actually and coming from Texas, where we simply DO NOT ALLOW people like that in to establishments... this was SHOCKING
*I believe that this attributes to the INSANELY HIGH crime rate here*
The crime is VERY VERY VERY HIGH, especially considering the size of the city...
It makes me believe that a lot of the tourists or out of towners come in and cause trouble b/c they have nothing to lose.
It's not very appealin when there are OTHER OPTIONS in the country lol
Also... the fakeness... this is mostly attributed to the city of Nashville NOT being "southern" at all. Aside from the surrounding area and MAYBE the Vandy area, this is NOT NOT NOT NOT a "Southern" city lol.
Austin is more "Southern" than Nashvile and I mean that if you've lived in both you can TELL. Plus, a lot of the good country is "Texas country" so they don't know much about Eli Young, Randy Rogers, George Strait, etc here... it's a big "culture shock" actually LOL.
Last but not least, it is NOT a "classy" city. I used to believe that Houston was the epitome of a "trashy" city back in Texas... Oh boy, Nashville takes the cake lol. Besides the smell from the O&G refineries in Houston, Houston is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH classier than Nashville. This is on many levels from day to day life, to how people "carry and present" themselves, to the dating scene, to even the nightlife. If you come here you will know what I mean.
I honestly feel that Nashville is much "closer" to Las Vegas than ANY other city LOL. But that would probably be insulting to Las Vegas.
This is NOT a "Southern" city.
This is NOT EVEN CLOSE to the next "IT" city or Austin
This is TRASH.
In 12 years... YES, you heard it 12 YEARS!!! They are predicting it will hit 1 million in the metro area... So ....what that means is...
In 12 years!!!! It will be what Austin was in its starting/infancy LOL as far as size/people/nightlife/culture
That's a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time!!!!!!