Does the skyway connect the whole downtown area? The whole skyway thing makes me think the temperatures must get kind of ridiculous because I have never heard of any other U.S. city having a large tunnel system connecting downtown buildings.

Are the parks open during the winter?

What do most people do for fun during the cold season(s)?

Everyone talks about the quality of life being so great in Minneapolis. What makes it so great?

Is the weather significantly colder than Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire? Or about the same?

Do most people pretty much just move to Minneapolis for jobs and affordable housing? Or do they really want to live there? In other words, it is actually a desirable place to live? Or is it just like moving to the North Pole?

What makes Minneapolis any better than Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, or Des Moines?

I am not trying to be sarcastic, these are serious questions.

Any responses will be appreciated. Thanks.

Re: the skyways
Given some of your questions on various topics, I think it's safe to say there are lots of things you've never heard of. And I say that without any spite, because honestly, alot of your questions are easily answered with some common sense and a little effort.

Yes, parks are open in winter (city has a park website).

People do many things for fun in cold weather, indoors and outdoors. Watch the winter Olympics and you'll get an idea of what kind of winter activities are possible outdoors.

Yes, it is cold in Minneapolis in winter, almost like the North Pole. We're surrounded by sea ice and polar bears, and the sun doesn't come up for months. We also have 24 hours of daylight in summer. People don't move here because they want to, they move here because the government forces them to, sort of like the Russians shipping people off to Siberia. Except Minneapolis is much much worse.

Seriously, if you want to move there, or anywhere, you have to do some basic research first. The National Weather Service has good charts that list the average temps for various cities so you can compare and contrast.

My family and I were detained from a nice life in Northern Virginia. We handcuffed, gagged, and transported to Minnesota. We are not allowed to leave.

So now we have to just put up with it. To make the most of it, we are living in a quaint village on a lake, surrounded by caring neighbors who have civic pride and a strong community orientation, and giving our kids a "private school education in the public school system". It ain't so bad.

And contrary to popular belief, we stopped living in igloos several years ago. Those darn April - December temps kept melting them.

I was sent to Minneapolis for work one winter but unlike Hazelmn, I managed to escape.

I think the "dark Lutherans" find Minnesota a desirable place because don't feel they deserve to live someplace warm and fun. So if you're Lutheran, you'll feel at home.

I was also told that most natives don't readily admit this but, the primary reason for the skywalks isn't the the cold. It's protection from polar bear attacks. They were begun at the urging of the Young Quinlan store in 1962 when they realized their customer base was being eaten.

Let me tell you a few facts about Minneapolis. I know that Red Dog is asking some crazy questions that don't deserve serious answers, but somewhere along the way someone will read this who truly is trying to get to know Minneapolis.

In terms of cold weather, yes, we have it. It can get really cold. But it is not the absolute deep freeze for 3 months that some people believe. Yesterday afternoon, my two toddlers were playing outside in my backyard and having a great time. There is no snow this winter, so they were just running around like they would in October.

As far as sunny days, Minneapolis is closer to Denver than it is to Seattle on the scale of sun vs. clouds. As you move east, toward Chicago, Detroit, etc, the number of cloudy days increases significantly.

Minneapolis is close to 3 major outdoor recreational regions. The North Shore of Lake Superior provides rugged terrain and significant elevation changes for the midwest. The Lake Country in central MN provides lots of forested lakes where people have summer homes. And the underrated Southeast Minnesota area, near the Mississippi river bluffs, is a favorite of mine for day hikes.

We are consistently among the top metro regions in terms of home ownership %, healthiness, education (% of students who graduate and go to college, in addition to SAT scores), and unemployment.

Our main industries are the "knowledge" industries. We employ lots of engineers, doctors, and scientists. Companies like 3M and Medtronic have set the tone, and we don't rely as much on blue collar wage jobs. That is a big plus for our future.

I'm always proud of us being #1(or sometimes #2 behind Maine) in terms of voter turnout. I know this will sound corny to many of you would don't care about your Government, but it tells me that Minnesotans are engaged. After all, it is government of the people and for the people.

I've lived in several places. So Cal, Dc, NYC, Chicago, Denver.... and I now am staying in Minneapolis by choice. It is perfect? No, but neither were any of those other places. But it fits me better than the other places I've lived.

I'm not going to tell anyone it doesn't get cold.... It can. But that is merely one negative aspect among the many, many positives of Minneapolis.

Go here for more info: http://www.minneapolischamber.org/relocation/index.htm

Fill out the questionaire and you'll get more info...

Go Cargillman!!
I am also very proud of our voter turnout and our fair minded politics. (which sadly seem a little in jeopardy as of late)
As a teacher, I need to mention our students had the highest SAT scores in the nation this year.
Minneapolis ranks second in theater seats only to New York.
We have 2 world class art museums.
I would say we typically have about 15-20 miserable days a year. About 10 of those are bitter cold and the others are blistering hot. The rest of the year it is lovely. The change of seasons is a joy.
In Winter we ice skate, cross country and downhill ski, snowshoe, go ice fishing...In Summer we canoe, swim, bicycle, camp.....there is an endless array of possibilities.
My husband used to work for IBM and it was sometimes hard to recruit engineers to the Midwest. Once they were here, it was even harder to get them to transfer to another plant. It is the kind of place that makes you want to put down roots.

I could not resist but with all the comments about voter turnout I just have to ask. Didn't Minnesota elect Jesse Ventura (professional wrestler) as governor a few years ago. How did that work out? (serious question).

It is so obvious that red dog is asking sarcastic questions. Yes red dog, Mpls. has tunnels (not skyways) connecting all of downtown so they can stay underground until spring. And yes red dog it is just like moving to the North Pole but only to get a job.

Well gmoney he did just as good of a job as the one we have in there now. I voted for Jesse and proud of it. At least he was honest and told it as it was.

Quote:
"I know that Red Dog is asking some crazy questions that don't deserve serious answers"


How are my questions ridiculous?

The skyway is not normal, you have to admit that. That fact that it even exists shows there must be some very extreme weather there.

And it doesn't seem to have desirable weather, because look at the places that are most desirable, they are usually not too extreme in weather (examples: San Francisco, San Diego). Weather is one of the main reasons people move to an area, unless they are forced there because of employment.

I have read that Minneapolis sometimes has a windchill factor of -70 degrees Farenheit. That is Siberia-type weather. How often this happens, I don't know.

I am sure it's a great city, but if you have to actually worry about getting frostbite all the time, then I am not so sure it's worth it.

well reddog, i heard minneapolis has a great mall,.mall of america. i heard it will leave an impression on you that will last a lifetime, and leave a hole in your finances larger than the grand canyon.

If Minneapolis doesn't have desirable weather, then why are you so interested in it? Seattle, where you presumably live, has awful weather cause it rains most of the time, so why are you so interested in going somewhere else with such undesirable weather?

ROFLMAO I am 69 years old my DH is 77 and we was born, raised and have lived in the GREAT STATE of Minnesota ALL our lives. We have never been FROSTBITE. Nor do neither of us ever remember when it got as cold as you mentioned. THis is so laughable. If you are sooooo concerned and asking all these stupid questions on here about our marvelous state, why do you not put some of that wasted energy and get on a plane and fly here. Check it out for yourselves. Every state has its bad side. Hurricanes, rain and clouds majority of the year, earthquakes, heat so high that you have to stay inside majority of the year if you cannot stand heat. I could go on and on and on. You are just trying to stir up trouble,why in the world you choose our state, when it is soooo obvious you know nothing about it, amazes me.

red dog, skyways exist in every major city in the world. Did you ever consider that skyways make it easier to go from one block to another without crossing streets? Mpls. leads the way and is the envy of every city in the world with a skyway system.

Get out your umbrella in Seattle and wait for the walk sign while drivers splash water on you.

marleneawe:Every state has its bad side. Hurricanes, rain and clouds majority of the year, earthquakes, heat so high that you have to stay inside majority of the year if you cannot stand heat. I could go on and on and on.

That is so true, and yet so overlooked by many. Most of us tend to think that sometimes where we live is bad and we desire to relocate. Amid our desires for relocation we tend to only focus on the ammenities of the new locality and never take into account what cons may exist there. Inclement or torrential weather, higher crime, high humidity, traffic congestion, high unemployment rates, higher taxes,etc. regardless of where anyone lives-we each have our share of pluses and minuses.

BTW, red dog, Your sarcastic post has given a fantastic forum for people to discuss the great things about Minneapolis. You suckered yourself.

Quote:
"ROFLMAO I am 69 years old my DH is 77 and we was born, raised and have lived in the GREAT STATE of Minnesota ALL our lives. We have never been FROSTBITE. Nor do neither of us ever remember when it got as cold as you mentioned. THis is so laughable. If you are sooooo concerned and asking all these stupid questions on here about our marvelous state, why do you not put some of that wasted energy and get on a plane and fly here. Check it out for yourselves. Every state has its bad side. Hurricanes, rain and clouds majority of the year, earthquakes, heat so high that you have to stay inside majority of the year if you cannot stand heat. I could go on and on and on. You are just trying to stir up trouble,why in the world you choose our state, when it is soooo obvious you know nothing about it, amazes me."


LOL!! Calm down Granny.

You know, lately there have been so many stupid posts by red_dog and mireaux7 asking pointless questions and then critizing posters with statements like telling granny to calm down. Why these two get to continue posting this drivel is beyond me. Neither ever provides real travel advice. Whatever happened to the banning on this site? Or is this the kind of junk Fodor's wants on this site now?

Red Dog, I'm going to try to answer your questions. Both out of respect to you, but also for others who end up reading this.

The coldest windchill ever recorded in Minneapolis is -68, one day back in 1934. I wasn't around, my father wasn't around, but my grandfather probably experienced that day. He is long gone so I cannot ask if he got frostbite.

This winter, we have had 4 nights where it dipped below zero. Each time, it only lasted for a few hours. Today it is in the mid 40's, about 10 degrees cooler than Seattle.

I was walking in a Skyway system in Dallas just last week. It is not as rare as you seem to think. And yes, in addition to convenience from the elements, the second purpose is to keep pedestrian traffic safe and off the busy streets. They initially were installed around intersections that had a high rate of auto/ped accidents. Urban planners hate that idea (foot traffic is key for good retail shopping) but that is a different topic.

Seattle's temperatures are much more moderate, but there is alot more to the weather than the temperature, IMHO.