I will delete this if it's inappropriate, but I am requesting some info about Minnesota. I am retiring this year and

[Comfortably_Numb]

can’t leave Texas soon enough. I am looking for seasons, cold and snow sound so good after heat Humidity and hurricanes here in Houston. Denver is too expensive, and my wife gets altitude sickness, so we need lowlands. The prospect of living in a blue state is appealing and midwestern values sound good to me. Pros and cons? It’s just me and the missus retiring, so no schools considerations.

[bamagal62]

1. My son lives

In Minneapolis. He loves it. he’s young. It’s cold as F@ck. I’d check taxes for retirees. I think Minnesotas taxes are a bit high.

[Comfortably_Numb]

11. lmao...cold as F@ck we can handle. Visited Denver in winters, and Ohio and WVA back in the day. You can put layers of

clothes on to warm up, but you can only get so nekkid trying to cool down…

[Comfortably_Numb]

12. And I am fine paying taxes when you get something for them. Texas property taxes are exorbitant!!

Among the highest in the nation and we get a fundamentalist Christian spear in the eye.. I hate this shithole state.

[bamagal62]

17. True dat!

[iemanja]

43. None of those places come close to MN cold

The interiors of Canada and Alaska are closer.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I enjoyed the 2 1/2 years I spent in Rochester, MN. It's been a long time ago so I'm

sure Rochester has grown since then. Loved the farm auctions and county fairs.

[Comfortably_Numb]

8. Funny you mention Rochester. I have a lot of really complicated medical issues and I've been the topic of numerous

Talks at medical conferences according to my primary care physician. She suggested that we write the Mayo Clinic and try to get on to see their specialists. I had forgotten about that!!

[Comfortably_Numb]

9. I had a 9 acre animal rescue before I moved to the city, so a farm sounds like home.

[IbogaProject]

3. The Twin Cities are a huge sprawl

But I hear good things about that area. Good luck.

[Ocelot II]

4. I love it.

I took early retirement from a job I really liked so I wouldn't have to move to Atlanta. It's cold in the winter and the taxes are high, but it's very civilized and liberal in the big cities (out in the country it's basically cold Alabama - scenic but you wouldn't want to live there). Minneapolis was recently named the happiest city in the US. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-named-happiest-city-in-us/ Schools are generally very good (even if you don't have kids it's nice to live among educated people); major league sports teams and a world-class symphony orchestra; there are several top-rated colleges and universities; it's one of the best states for health care; it's a sanctuary state for trans people and women needing abortions; Minneapolis is a sanctuary city for immigrants; and Tim Walz is awesome (but you knew that). Down-sides: cold winters, high taxes, mosquitoes in the summer; public transportation is a bit spotty; and people in NY think we're hicks who talk like the characters in Fargo.

[bamagal62]

18. The people in Minneapolis (and most of the Midwest)

Are very friendly.

[iemanja]

44. I have to disagree with that

Last edited Mon Mar 3, 2025, 12:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Minnesotans are polite but not friendly. There is a saying: Minnesotans will give you directions to anywhere but their own house.

[OldBaldy1701E]

53. I have to concur.

There is such a thing as 'Minnesota Nice'. I have seen it many times. The problem is there is seldom much, if any, 'Minnesota Friendly'.

Look, I know there are people who move to the South and complain that people want to talk to them all the time. I get that some people are just cave dwellers. However, there is a difference between being introverted and being rude. That line is rather blurred here. I was also told that saying and I have found it to be true, to date.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. It gets hot and humid here in the summer, so don't expect relief from that entirely, and as climate changes,

the southern part of the state gets its share of damaging storms.

[Comfortably_Numb]

6. Do houses typically have central air conditioning? Here in Houston we basically shelter inside from May to september.

Houston has entire underground city so you don’t have to go outside in summers.

[Ocelot II]

10. Newer ones do. My house is old and heated with radiators, so I use window units

since I don't have the ductwork for central air. The hot, humid days mostly occur in July and August and those spells tend not to last very long - it can get pretty sticky but it's nothing like Houston. People are outside all the time in the summer. The main feature of houses here is cold protection - thick insulation and triple-glazed windows.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. Depends on where you buy and age of the house. I live up north and do not have central air.

There's about a week in the summer when I wish I had it, but it's manageable otherwise.

[Comfortably_Numb]

15. This helps. Coming from this sauna if the realtor told me there was no central air I would default to "oh hell no" !!

Now I know better.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. Not sure if you're looking at the Cities, Roch, Duluth or something rural, but the older the house without central air,

the more likely it's built to manage without it, no matter where you're at.

[Comfortably_Numb]

22. I screenshot your comment so I can look those areas up. I have a decent equity in my house here

which I’m hopeful will carry to Minnesota.

[sinkingfeeling]

16. Having lived in both MN and Texas, you probrably won't notice the humidity in Minnesota. I will

say property taxes were pretty high.

[mzmolly]

25. Central air is very common.

It's not hard to come by at all.

[iemanja]

45. I have a house built in 1914 that has

central air. Suburban homes all have central air, all newer ones, and old ones if they’ve been redone in the past 50 years.

[waterwatcher123]

7. Lived there most of my life (would not trade MN for most states - except for Hawaii when it is minus 31 degrees).

Minnesota has always been a well-run state with honest elections and decent people (at least for the most part). It is a state with both income taxes and high property taxes. However, the schools are good, the state parks are superb, and the highways and local streets come with planting holes (potholes in local parlance). Stay away from the NW suburbs of the Twin Cities if you are looking for progressives. It is a hot bed of MAGA types that spawned the likes of Michelle Bachman and Tom Emmer. Minnesota is the only state in the nation with a sales tax where the proceeds are dedicated to the arts (both visual and performance), historic preservation, water quality and wildlife habitat improvements. We spend more on the arts than in most states on a per capita basis.

It is dam cold in MN in the winter. Where we live, the air temperature in January was minus 31 or colder for a week straight (much colder windchill). But, if you embrace it, it is also one of the few places where you can walk on water (frozen water). People ski (cross country and downhill), ice boat and ice fish and use motorized vehicles like ATVs and snowmobiles. My father was an ice fishing fanatic. He used to go all over the place to fish for sunfish by bobbing a little jig with a wax worm up and down in holes on his Swiss cheese like patch of ice (drilled lots of holes). He was at an old school type that believed that if you needed an ice-house, it was too cold to go fishing (minus 20 was his cut off). We had a snow dog that loved that minus -45 to -50 wind chill stuff (had to walk her twice a day totally bundled up in googles and works). So, there are critters who really like the freezing weather.

MN is one place where a four-wheel drive vehicle is more than nice. It helps a great deal to plow through snow drifts and to get up steep hills and driveways (some places like the North Shore are semi-mountainous). We have trout streams, over 90,000 miles of rivers and creeks, share one of the country’s best Wild and Scenic Rivers with Wisconsin (the St. Croix) and have well over 10,000 lakes. It also sits on the greatest of the Great Lakes, Superior. Superior is bigger than the State of Maine and is shared by Canada, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It is a one-of-a-kind lake where you can drive for nine hours and still be on the same lake.

Anyhow, without adding any more information, suffice it to say that Minnesota has always been one of the best states in the nation. It has its share of people with delusions of grandeur. But most everyone is reasonably practical (which is a useful tendency at minus 31).

[Comfortably_Numb]

14. Thanks so much. It sounds like a great spot.

[bamagal62]

20. For what it's worth,

I’d probably move to Minneapolis. I’ve lived in Chicago (my favorite city) and am about to move into Manhattan. But, as I said, my son lives in Minneapolis and loves it and I also have a friend I met in Hong Kong that lives in minneapolis and she loves it. My son is in the city center. My friend is in the suburbs.

[Comfortably_Numb]

23. Retired, I could move out into the burbs easily.

[Comfortably_Numb]

26. This seems like a consensus. And as I'm retired means I could be basically anywhere without worrying about a commute.

[iemanja]

46. Just to add

AWD works fine here too.

[Nanuke]

21. I feel proud and happy I live in Minnesota.

I live in a southern suburb of Minneapolis near a big mall and the airport. Lived here since 1968 when my parents moved here. The people for the most part are decent and kind. Neighborhoods are close knit and people watch out for and respect their neighbors. The arts are important too, as is education. We are generally a welcoming bunch which is why we have so many diverse immigrant populations. Lots of churches too but most are moderate and not over the top. Winters are cold and snowy but are overall much milder these days with climate change. We pay high taxes and it’s worth it. Recreation and outdoor fun is tops with our lakes and parks. We have the Best State Fair in the country.

[Comfortably_Numb]

27. As corny as it may sound, I'd like to be proud of where I live for the last years I'm on this orb. Texas is nauseating

and indefensible. And hot and flooded and the power goes off all the time!

[mzmolly]

24. I love Minnesota.

Last edited Thu Feb 27, 2025, 01:14 AM - Edit history (1)

That said, it does get very cold and driving in the snow can be hazardous. If you can hunker down when it's cold and you don't have to haul out a snowblower or drive when the roads are bad, that's a bonus.

Embrace a hygge lifestyle in the winter.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-getting-cozy

There are some great towns near the metro, like Stillwater, which has loads of character and history.

[Comfortably_Numb]

29. I learned something new from you-hygge . The missus and I are basically homebodies, so that sounds really good.

[mzmolly]

33. It's a nice philosophy.

I used to dread winter and all the darkness because the sun sets earlier, of course. But I’ve learned to enjoy it and the fact that my neighbors are not outside making noise 😂. It’s peaceful and quiet, a nice time to have a fire in the fireplace, enjoy a cup of tea or cocoa and hunker down with a book or a nice movie. 🙂

[Comfortably_Numb]

35. In the cold..... lord in heaven in actual cold. And I've spent time in cold so I have an idea.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Minnesota is a little bit like Canada and it is close. . . . nt

[Comfortably_Numb]

30. If I could afford it, I would move to Montreal in a heartbeat. We go to the Montreal Grand Prix every year and

those folks are typically happy, kind, and proud of Canada.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. Canadian dollar is 70 cents of US. $6.00 eggs (common price) are $4.20 US. . . . nt

[Comfortably_Numb]

32. I've got a Canadian $5.00 bill on my monitor stand in my home office. A constant reminder of how much I absolutely love

Canada.

[mzmolly]

34. You could move near the border.

The North Shore is beautiful all year round.

[Comfortably_Numb]

36. Thank you so much!!! I would not even known about that area.

[mzmolly]

37. You're most welcome.

Two Harbors and Grand Marais are quaint, beautiful places and they vote blue. 🙂

[iemanja]

47. The North shore is beautiful!

I love the area near Grand Marais. Even along the gunflint trail is nice.

[LNM]

38. I love living in Minnesota

As others have said, the taxes are high but the services are very good. We have good roads that are promptly plowed (Mpls and St. Paul neighborhoods are the exception). The taxes are half the price in the suburbs as in Mpls or St. Paul and at least in Ramsey County (St. Paul) seniors get a property tax rebate. Minnesota doesn't tax food or clothing either which is great for people on a fixed income.

Come for a visit! We just hosted a friend from South Carolina who loved it here, especially all the fabulous restraunts
. He even tolerated us taking him out on a frozen lake for the Mlps Ice Shanty Project!

[Comfortably_Numb]

39. The wife and I will be making a trip up this winter. As a retiring senior, maybe the taxes won't be too bad. But as I

said in another post, I’m willing to pay taxes when I get something. In Texas I’m taxed and get nothing for it. I fantasize about a modest place in the suburbs.
I went to talk to her about all of the comments, and she told me she had been googling Minnesota. She was getting the general, while you all gave me numerous specifics. The story was the same. I’m an impulse kinda fellow, so I might be writing from Minnesota in the near term!!!

[dflprincess]

40. Reading through this, I can't think of much to add

but I didn't spot that anyone mentioned we have an excellent theater scene.

https://www.exploreminnesota.com/where-to-see-live-theater-minnesota

In 2024, Minnesota spent $9.62 per capita on public funding for the arts, making us the #1 ranked state- link opens in new tab. in public arts spending. That’s because Minnesotans have long valued the arts as part of a vibrant, thriving community, and nowhere is that commitment more observable than in the quality, breath, and depth of Minnesota’s theatrical landscape.

From long-standing institutions to upstart companies, Minnesotans are never at a loss for a show to go see, and no matter your taste (or age), there’s a theater producing work tailor-made for you.

[Comfortably_Numb]

41. That is an important addition. I'm retiring after 30 years in higher ed admin so I've always been in college towns with

a vibrant arts, music, theater scene. We patronize the Houston symphony and enjoy the general concert scene.

[question everything]

49. If you are retired you will not have to worry about driving in the snow and the cold to make it to work.

Just have the house well stocked and you can wait until the city clears the roads. And if you have to leave, or waiting for someone, there are many professional and individuals who would gladly get the job done.

As mentioned above, humidity can be hard, but only in July and August.

I know that in the past several years we've heard about hurricanes along the south and the East coast. Fires in the West. Even snow blizzard - knock on wood - have been going south of us, through Iowa and then to Wisconsin and all the way to New York.

And then comes April, and all of a sudden everything turns green.

[Comfortably_Numb]

50. Houston humidity is intolerable, from March to September. I mean horrid. I've lived in cold, and like you said,

retired means no where I have to be.

[iemanja]

42. The only cons

Are the winters, which haven’t been bad lately, and the relatively high state income tax. You, however, get what you pay for. We have excellent parks, state-funded arts, and social services. One thing to know is that Minnesotans aren’t really friendly, always polite but not warm.

[Comfortably_Numb]

48. My wife and I keep largely to ourselves. We help out a neighbor when we can, but let's just say lockdown didn't change

a lot for us lol. I’ll take polite over belligerent, shoot you on the tollway for not driving like they want. Houston has a horrific road rage problem and Texans have really changed over the last 50 years.

[Frasier Balzov]

51. Monroe County Indiana. County seat Bloomington.

Voted 63% for Harris.

And milder winters than Minnesota.

[dflprincess]

54. Not to be confused with Bloomington, MN

suburb of Minneapolis.

And has two claims to fame: 1) The Beatles had their only Minnesota concert in Bloomington at Met Stadium. 2) It is home to the Mall of America - which was built on the Met Stadium site.

[Mister Ed]

52. What sets it apart is: lakes everywhere.

Besides the cold, cold winters and the polite people, what distinguishes Minnesota from most other states is that the landscape is dotted with lakes large and small. Drive on 'em in the winter (seriously) and hike around their shorelines in the summer. Swim in 'em, boat on 'em, fish in 'em. We gotcher lakes right here. More lakes than you can shake a stick at. Believe me, I've tried. And so have lots of other people, because we have lots of sticks too.