You sound like you would be a perfect fit for the neighborhoods you listed.

If your job is north or west of downtown, then N.E. makes sense.

If your job is south of downtown, the commute north through town will be brutal in the winter.

So basically, try living close to work, or at least on that side of downtown.

Good luck.

North Loop, the parts of NE closest to downtown, and neighborhoods around Uptown (Lowry Hill East, Whittier, Lyndale, South Uptown) are what I’d recommend for most walkable and interesting neighborhoods. These areas are especially good for getting downtown without a car because there are great bike and transit options.

You have to find things you like doing outside in winter. I like walking my dogs and going for hikes, and I also bike year round even with small kids. Getting outside is the key to not just tolerating but enjoying winter.

Understand that Minnesota has distinct seasons. Winter, while being uniquely intense, is just one of them. If you really want to make this place home you'll need to learn how to enjoy each–especially outdoors.

Re: neighborhoods–Those are all totally different. North Loop is dense and full of trendy restaurants, apartments, bars, etc. It would be walkable if your corporate HQ is downtown. Linden Hills is a high-income residential neighborhood with walkable amenities but you'll still probably need to drive to get anywhere else. St. Louis Park is a large inner-ring suburb with everything from luxury apartments and shopping malls to quiet residential neighborhoods and local shops.

If you're really considering a move you should visit now during winter. And maybe again summer or late spring. Spend some time in each of these places.

Transplant from Chicago here.

Minneapolis isn’t really a walking city. There are a few walkable pockets (areas in Uptown, North Loop, maybe bits of NE), but for day-to-day life you’re pretty car-dependent. Street parking is easy and driving isn’t stressful, but if you’re used to dense, transit-connected neighborhoods, this will feel like a downgrade.

Calling the infrastructure “good” is a stretch. The light rail barely covers half the city, so most people rely on buses. Downtown feels straight up dead a lot of the time, and when there aren’t many normal people around, the issues that are there become way more noticeable. It can feel empty in a weird, uncomfortable way.

Nightlife is limited. It’s mostly dive bars, breweries, and restaurants that convert into a dance floor. Everything shuts down at 2AM, and unless you’re going back to someone’s place for a kickback, the night is basically over. There also isn’t really a legit post night out food scene other than McDonald's, Taco Bell, and one diner on Nicollet.

Winters are rougher than people admit, and snow removal is noticeably terrible. Main roads eventually get cleared, but residential streets can stay partially snow packed for a while. The city seems fine leaving a thin layer of snow to get packed down into ice (honestly wtf...they can salt it off)

The “luxury” apartment market is overrated. A lot of buildings charge Chicago level rents without Chicago level build quality. Thin walls, average finishes, and amenities doing most of the work. You can find decent value if you avoid the high-end new builds, but the pricing often doesn’t match what you get.

Imo Minneapolis feels better suited for people who are looking to settle into a slower phase of life. As a 26 year old, I've come to learn that this city really isn't me but work keeps me here (for another year at least).

I’d definitely recommend visiting and staying in the neighborhoods you are considering - best way to get a good feel of the personality of each neighborhood. Also what do you mean by maintain discipline?

All the neighborhoods you listed are generally well off, not very diverse, close to nice trail systems, and have a lot of amenities. North Loop is the most walkable, not as family oriented, generally the trendy area right now, lots of boutique fitness studios and expensive lofts… great restaurants and bars and right by the river.

St Louis Park I always classify as intro to suburbia - younger, more family oriented, and only walkable in places like West End or off of Excelsior. Lots of amenities, near nice trail systems, and also by a lot of shopping.

Linden Hills is a wealthier neighborhood in Minneapolis and has great walkability and right by the chain of lakes. A bit more family oriented from what I’ve noticed and lots of good restaurants.

I’d also check out Bryn Mawr and Sheridan or St Anthony East neighborhoods also.

For winter, I’d recommend finding a winter hobby. Also lots of spa and sauna culture here in the last few years in particular if you’re into that.

Otherwise I’d say Minneapolis punches above its weight for cost vs quality of life. The trade off is the weather and not quite as much going on as a place like Chicago, but there is still a ton to do here and something for everyone.

Search through r/Minneapolis and read the responses to the many many similar posts.

So many people moving to Minneapolis?

First off - I have no idea why some commenters are being so rude. Reddit often brings out the worst but hope that doesn’t spoil your attitude towards us. I am also a transplant circa 4yrs ago. Moved when I was 30. I thoroughly enjoy living in Northeast Minneapolis. I live near St Anthony Main area. Look up the Main Movie Theater if you want an idea. It is right by the “downtown” area of NE on Hennepin Ave there. Very walkable. Great coffee shops. Great access to the river walk trails for walking and running. Plenty of solid food options. It’s the area around Surdyks if you look on Google Maps.

For winter - invest in a quality pair of insulated water proof boots. $100+ at least. Get good ones that are comfortable to wear all winter and you will be so happy for it. Similarly with good medium weight parka. Get good ones and they will last you years.

I moved here after living in LA for 3yrs and DC for 7 and can confirm cost of living is better. Now don’t think it is going to be like some massive difference where your bills are 50% less. Like all American cities always have a certain standard. But rent is generally better. You can find more affordable food options. Beer at bars is cheaper by a couple bucks. But honestly I see rent as the biggest area where you can save if you are coming from a more expensive city. I would say my monthly credit card bill went down 10-15% from moving from LA.

The job market is hard everywhere. I don’t think Minneapolis is immune to that. Yes target is one of the largest employers and they did lots of layoffs. But I work in a marketing agency and we are hiring. so just be smart about your job search. That applies literally every where in the us right now.

I’ve lived in IL DC and CA and genuinely love living here. I love that people here lean into winter. Like literally everyone has some sort of outdoor winter hobby and doesn’t let the cold stop them. It can be -10 outside and the streets are just as bustling as they normally would. The city doesn’t stop. And honestly that motivates me not to hole up during the cold days. Get out snow shoeing at Wirth Park or something like that!

I’m a transplant who has lived in different cities around the world many of which had real public transport and walkability.

IMHO, the closest thing to walkability (unsure where you work home vs office) is parts of Uptown (which can divide opinion), the North Loop/Mill District, and just across the river in Northeast.

North Loop/Ne/Mill District depending on area one can walk to downtown (I do regularly) to work and there are grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, bars and other things that are accessible on foot. The variety isn’t great since Minneapolis isn’t a New York or London but it’s the best you’ll do. You are also close to the river which is great for walking and running and close to highways when you need to leave the city do whatever reason.

With regards to niceness of people/community for me the North Loop does not have it. Other neighborhoods do. People feel more down to earth.

I moved here when single and in my 30s and found dating just fine. People were nice and some could be provincial but that’s nothing different from most places. Housing compared to large cities or even similar ones is reasonable partially I think because it’s so cold and that scares away a lot of out of towners.

Quality of life based on cost in general for me is very good. Things are not too expensive compared to other places I have lived. The tips I would give you re handling the cold are this:

1) invest in a good coat/gloves/boots/socks 2) get an apartment with lots of natural light even if it costs more or you have to take a smaller spot. You’ll thank me. 3) find indoor hobbies (I play pickleball and swim and cook/read).

Pm if any questions. Happy to help.

r/movingtompls

If I could afford any of those places, my top would be linden hills. With that being said, of all the suburbs, SLP is the only one I’d consider. If I were you I’d pick the house over the neighborhood since they both have the same amount of drawbacks and pros (IMO). As far as winter, best mental approach is to stay tuned in with your body and not feel guilty when you feel that SAD kick in. May need to force yourself to join a club or gym, especially since you may not have a community yet.

I moved to Minneapolis from ND back in 2019, right as COVID lockdown hit and the loss of George Floyd. Even during those years, I felt like MN was an immense upgrade from where I was living (Fargo). I think your perspective of Minneapolis may have some dependency on where you’re coming from (sorry if you’ve mentioned where you’re currently at).

I’ve lived near Dinkytown, Plymouth, St Louis Park, West St Paul, and now am currently in NE Minneapolis. I would say there are pros and cons to every area, but for me, NE has been my absolute favorite. I’m 28, found a duplex with my partner, and we have a dog. Rent is expensive but I was honestly not paying that much less to live in Fargo and there’s nothing to do in the state of ND; at least when I’m paying a lot of rent in a place where I can actively go to concerts, museums, art fairs, state parks, etc. it feels worth it.

As people have mentioned, Minneapolis isn’t the most walkable city, but where I’m at in NE (Bottineau) there’s everything you need pretty close, in the summer I walk to a little grocery store and there’s a bunch of breweries and restaurants nearby. Again, this is a huge upgrade from Fargo lol.

I love MN, I’m a social worker and the resources this state has is amazing. We’re not the top, but we have the drive and the community that makes it feel like people actually give a shit about others. I’m also in recovery, and the recovery community here is huge. There’s meetings all the time in every area and the people are amazing.

The winters suck. Theres no sugar coating it. I wake up some days and wonder why I live here. But then I go to work and get to see the progress in others lives, know my taxes are feeding the kids at the schools I work in, and it somehow makes it all worth it.

If you find a sense of belonging and purpose in the state of MN, I don’t think you’ll ever want to leave. I was planing on using MN as a launching pad to go somewhere “better” (e.g. Colorado, Washington) but now that I’ve been here for almost 7 years, I can’t see myself ever leaving.

I wish the best to you and reach out to people with any questions or things you may need, MN is real (at least in my humble opinion and experience)

I would tell you to move to Chicago

Do you drink and what do you like to do outside of work. That shit matters

I have lived here since January this year. Winters are fine imo. We have a heated parking garage attached to our building so the only time we are outside is from car door to the entrance to whatever building we are going into.

The snow this winter has been fine to drive on. I went to Microcenter from the football stadium in the middle of “heavy snow” and it was an easy drive.

I walk to Trader Joe’s and Starbucks from my apartment, and while it’s cold, if the wind isn’t blowing, it’s shorts and a light sweatshirt.

Check out Hopkins too. Super cute downtown area with restaurants and some shops, grocery store, etc. There is a light rail stop too, which hopefully will open next year.

I, 34f, spent a year in St Louis Park and loved it. I liked everywhere, it's not far from the city, plenty of street festivals allll over town when its not winter. People enjoy every season here...a beautiful site to see. I work remote, so I enjoyed the winters because I got into reading and my apartment had an indoor heated pool/hot tub and sauna in the basement....do it!!!!

Can we ban these types of posts?

Neighborhoods: I’m late 20s and turn 30 next year

I have no idea what you gotdamned whippersnappers like anymore, so I can’t really help here.

being able to maintain discipline year-round

I’m not sure what the neighborhood has to do with this. Could you be a bit more specific?

Any advice on how transplants successfully adapt (housing choices, routines, mental approach) would be helpful.

Find a winter activity you like, e.g. fatbiking (wanna buy a fatbike?), XC skiing, ice carving, skijoring, etc..

Cost of living vs quality of life: How do people feel Minneapolis stacks up long-term compared to other major metros?

About the same as Albuquerque, about 17 metric fucktons better than Dallas. Not sure if that helps as I’m not sure if you’ve lived in either of those places.

I think the Twin Cities has the best cost of living to quality of life ratio of any metro area in the US.

IMO the best way to pick a neighborhood to live in is to find out where your job is going to be first, and then pick one that has a short (ideally even walkable) commute to it. There are plenty of good neighborhood options all over the metro area, so there's really no reason to even consider one that would have you commuting a long way to and from work, which means if you don't know where you're working yet, it's a bit premature to look at neighborhood options.

For winter: I'm a big fan of wool/synthetic blend socks. Wool will keep you super warm but shrinks too easily in the wash. The synthetic blend helps stop them from shrinking.

I love Saint Louis Park!

Following

You’d probably love NE mpls by river but others to consider: Hopkins or downtown skyway. I currently fantasize about being in a building connected to skyway so I could just go walking, get lunch, go to target, etc. Hopkins has a lively downtown area, bike trails, breweries, antiques, good restaurants and also Dairy Queen

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Cold is easy.

Invest in quality winter layers, wool socks of various thickness, and good boots.

Mental state: time your day so you don’t miss the daylight. Try to get some little walk in on days the sun is shining.

Try to get into some winter sport/activity that you can look forward to.

Keep an eye out for winter activities/celebrations and attend them to be around people a bit.

Winter is beautiful if you let it. Minnesota living is about change. Enjoy every season.

Avoid buying property in Hennepin county.