Living and Working in Minneapolis or South Florida
 

Hi All,

I am from Sydney, Australia and I have been given an opportunity to work in either the US or Canada for 6 months next year.

The cities/states in the US I can choose from are Minneapolis and (south) Florida.

I have never been to either of these cities and I don't really know much about them. I thought you all might be able to offer me some pro's and con's of each city and where you would work, given the same choice.

I'm thinking more towards Minneapolis, simply because it is something that I will never experience in Australia (snow while going to work, really cold winters etc), whereas, Florida, I can experience the weather in the Far North here. My boyfriend and I are planning to travel to Florida anyway after I finish work.

Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated. Maybe my Sydney mind is a little naive (with the above reasoning), so some suggestions would be great!!

Aurora XX

Minneapolis pro's: Diversified economy , very vibrant arts scene, reasonable cost of living and change of seasons which is a treat to the senses. Of course, the winters can be very character-building :-)

Cons - winter , depending on how you take it.People say it might be tough to break into local circles (though people are very friendly). but there is a group you can get into which organises fun social events :
www.imnotfromhere.com. I subscribe to that group (but no time to really participate) and there are invitations for plays, dinner, festivals - all kinds of fun things.

6 months? Minneapolis.

I've lived in South Florida and spent the better part of one winter working in Minneapolis. If you are not used to the cold, it is brutal. I live in Chicago now and this is nothing compared to Minneapolis. It was so cold we barely went out. I also find that it is much harder to meet people in the Midwest during the winter compared to the summer when it seems like you meet people everywhere. Whereas in a warmer climate you will me much more inclined to get outside and enjoy your new environment. Not to mention, South Florida is fantastic in the winter - hence all the snowbirds.

Another reason I would pick South Florida is that you will get to experience so many cultures - American, Cuban, Brazilian, Haitian, Jamaican, Colombian and on and on. It's also a lot easier to travel around the US from South Florida - multiple airports and tons of flights everywhere - whereas Minnepolis is a Northwest hub, which makes it harder to get around (not to mention weather delays and cancellations).

What months?

Yes, my first question was, "What months?"

Also, where in South Florida? Big difference between Miami vs. Naples.

I'm curious about some of the things hills27 said.

What exactly is "American" culture? And if there is such a thing, wouldn't it be found everywhere in the U.S. - so the presence of such a culture isn't really a selling point of one area over another, is it?

I'd be interested in seeing the statistics for flights delays in S. Florida vs. Minneapolis. I'd wager the summer thunderstorms in S. Florida delay far more flights than in Minneapolis, and delays in winter for storms are pretty rare.

"What exactly is "American" culture?"

I think that means UnitedStatesian culture.

Which months you will be here will be very important. I wouldn't want South Florida in the summer or Minneapolis in the winter.

My DS3's girlfriend is from Orange, NSW and she's going to be living in Wisconsin this summer (with us) and going to DS's when he returns to school in Minneapolis this fall. She had a really hard time with the heat, plus humidity in Japan. FL is humid! It's a whole different heat.

My sister moved to Jacksonville about 5 years ago. She's lived through 5 bad hurricanes, a wildfire that made going outside impossible and you can't live without air conditioning. Maybe it's because she grew up here, but she complains about the weather more than the 6 of us who stayed behind ever complain about winter.

Hi All,

Thankyou so much for your feedback so far, I really appreciate it. Some more info:

I'm 24 years old and an accountant, so I will be working for an accounting firm.
I will be arriving in the US in late December and working through till mid-May.
I'm not too sure which Florida city I will be working in (I have to check that one out - it might be Orlando)

Thanks heaps

Aurora

Orlando is kind of "eh" for me but I would choose it over Minneapolis in a heartbeat during Dec-May. Winters are long and cold in MN, but Dec-May are the nicest months weather wise in Florida.

Wow, Minneapolis during that time would be REALLY cold. How do you feel about driving in the snow? I personally would not want to do it. The city is pretty cultured and they've got tons of outdoor recreation as well. I could probably put up with the cold, but I just would not be sure about driving.

Definitely find out the Florida city. Orlando is worlds different from Miami or Naples.

I'd choose Florida over Minneapolis during that time frame, unless you really really want to experience winter.

I live in Minneapolis (it's not the frigid icebox some people make it out to be) but those months aren't the greatest. December and January have the least amount of daylight, and what daylight we do have tends to be cloudy and gray far too often. We'll have some snow in winter, but lately it seems we haven't had as much as usual. A fresh snowfall does a great job of making everything beatiful, but as it starts to melt it reveals the dirt and dead grass beneath, and then it's pretty ugly until things green up in spring (some time in April).

If it were me doing this, I'd choose to live in Florida and visit Minneapolis after work in mid-May. Minneapolis and the rest of the state will be much cooler and pleasant than Florida at that time.

My point was that in South Florida (which is defined as Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, Naples is in Southwest Florida) the OP would get to experience what it's like to live in the United States of America AND experience a lot of other cultures, especially Latin American and Caribbean.

<the OP would get to experience what it's like to live in the United States of America AND experience a lot of other cultures>

That's true of both areas. You might be surprised at the diversity in Minneapolis. There are sizeable Hmong, Mexican, Russian, Native American, Ethiopian and Somalian populations here. Add to that the Irish, Norwegian and Swedish backgrounds of many Minnesota natives (who insist on holding onto their traditions) and there's a pretty wide range of cultures.

I agree with The Weasel and would love to see statistics between So. FL and MN for airline weather delays and cancellations. I have flown out of both many times and fine it is far more usual to not be delayed or cancelled by weather in Mpls.
I could not stand the humidity in S. FL for more than a few days. Give me cold weather anytime. Mpls. has a lot to offer just like S. FL does - depends on what you are looking for. But, my choice would be Mpls. in a minute.

South FL in the winter is as beautiful as it gets! Humidity is not a factor in the winter, temperatures are wonderful and it rains infrequently. The thunderstorms mentioned are a summer event, not winter. To top it all off, there is plenty to see and do all around the state during your down time. Orlando would be my least favored destination, but I'd still pick that over Minneapolis in the winter! Snow is fun for about 5 days, then it's time to get away from it! (IMHO) :)

I live 5 miles north of downtown Orlando. It is a beautiful area and we call it "New England with palm trees". It is historic and upscale with lots of wonderful restaurants, shops, and museums. Just within 30 minutes there are 3 state parks, one that has the manatees come in for the winter. It is a fabulous area and so unlike what tourists who just go to Disney see!!!

Humidity.
I live in mid-Broward county. South Florida just SW of Ft Lauderdale. Dec-May is just beautiful. Warm - not hot. Not humid.

Orlando could even be quite cold (relatively) at that time. Beautiful weather and no snow to drive in.

I work with people in Min (head office). In mid-may i ask them if the snow has melted.