Author Topic: Minneapolis?  (Read 4787 times)

Stachsquatch

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Minneapolis?
« on: April 08, 2013, 12:39:32 AM »
I have the possibility of moving to Minneapolis for work, and I was wondering if anyone has any input on whether or not that would be a good move from a Mustachian perspective. To start, I have the potential to earn an additional 10-15% if I do move. Further, it looks like my wife and I could rent an apartment about 2 miles from work for about half what we are paying on the mortgage we have here, so from a pure monetary stand point it makes sense. What major considerations should I consider? I am aware of the rather cold winters, but fairly nice summers.

Any input from the MMM community would be appreciated, thanks!

Zora

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2013, 07:56:14 AM »
I guess it depends on where you're coming from.  I moved to the Twin Cities within the past year from a more crowded, higher cost of living city and I love it, even after a pretty bad winter... but it's all perspective I guess.  I marvel at our low mortgage payment and how easy it is to get around.  In terms of mustachian values, bike paths are great around Minneapolis (less so in St Paul), public transit is spotty but will get you downtown for normal work hours pretty much no matter where you live.  People take the summer extremely seriously and you are likely to find yourself with lots of unofficial opportunities to cut out early or take Fridays off in the summer.

Christiana

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2013, 09:27:58 AM »
It's a relatively easy place to bike, though not many people do in the winter.  If it snows fairly regularly, as it did this year, the streets get narrower and narrower, and the bike lanes aren't well-plowed.  But mostly winters are cold rather than snowy.  Summers can get very hot, with a glaring prairie sun, and are sometimes dry and sometimes humid.

Minneapolis has some good crime maps on the city's website, check those out before you commit to a place to live.

For me, the sales taxes seem high, especially on utilities and entertainment, but we've been working hard to minimize expenses in both of those areas.  Services like libraries and post offices are much, much sparser (per capita) than I'm used to from living in small towns.

There are a lot of good thrift stores in the area, Unique Thrift Stores is one chain with several locations.

Health insurance costs more in Minnesota than in many other states--you can use ehealthinsurance.com to get an idea of costs.

There are large populations of immigrants and refugees in the Twin Cities (Hispanic, Somali, Hmong in particular), so be prepared to encounter a wide variety of cultures.

I'd recommend making a trip to visit before you decide, if you can, and to focus on the qualities of the neighborhood you might be moving to--housing, stores, parks, options for non-car transportation--rather than the touristy stuff.

webguy

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2013, 12:50:54 PM »
I've never been to Washington State so don't really know how to compare, but I live and work in Minneapolis and love it!  I moved here directly from England and so don't really know how it compares to other parts of the US.  If you like to bike-commute then it's a great city to do that. I live about 12 miles west of downtown and can cycle all the way in on bike trails the whole way.  When I first moved here I would get the bus around a lot, and although the public transport system is nowhere near as extensive as England's it is still pretty easy to get around by bus/lightrail.  They are currently extending the lightrail lines too which will be nice, and are continually working on extending bike path networks. They're all really well maintained too.

There's always fun free stuff to do outdoors, even when it's freezing in the winter.  You'll likely find that there's a good 2-3 month period though when it's just too cold to be outside for an extended period of time.  It's a great time to work on an indoor hobby/interest though.  It's also a really safe/clean city too which is nice.

expatartist

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2013, 06:09:21 PM »
I did most of my schooling in Minneapolis and some family still lives there.

The Twin Cities are a pretty good value compared to the coasts, $-wise. It's more diverse than when I was a kid, and more interesting. However property and sales taxes are highish, as social benefits are higher than in other states. What does that mean for you? Maybe a good place to rent, not so much to buy.

Winters are colder yes but sunnier than in Washington State. Summers can be really humid with all the lakes/rivers nearby. Crime varies a lot depending on your neighborhood, like any largish American city.


FIRE Realtor

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2013, 01:04:37 PM »
I've lived here my whole life, so am obviously biased, but I'd definitely recommend it.  And I'm not even a fan of the winters.  But there is always tons of stuff to do, lots of music, art, outdoor events regardless of the weather.  We're consistently named one of the top cities for biking, which shouldn't be a problem for you if you're 2 miles from work.  If you tell me the specific neighborhood I could give a more accurate description - Minneapolis is very much a city of neighborhoods, sort of spread out, each with their own personality.  The rental market is very competitive right now there, low vacancies and higher rents, but from what I've heard from friends on the coasts, still ridiculously affordable.  If you were looking to buy/rehab a house there are lots of great deals for that too. 

Stachsquatch

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2013, 02:45:10 PM »
Thanks for all the responses! I would be working in the heart of downtown, so biking / walking distance from there would be ideal. Out of curiousity, what does a gallon of milk cost out there?

dizzean

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2013, 12:22:05 PM »
Around $3 in the Twin Cities, I've seen between $2.50 and $3.25 depending on where you go/shop so maybe someone in downtown can actually offer a more ideal estimate.

Fuzz

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Re: Minneapolis?
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2013, 07:10:30 PM »

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!