Uptown is great- parking can be a pain at times, but it’s packed with great restaurants, bars, and unique shops. St. Paul is a great place to visit ;-)

I’ve never been to Portland, but I can assure you Minneapolis has plenty of arts, culture, and charm to last a lifetime- I’m still finding new places and interesting spots after 7 years of living here.

We don’t have a coast (but lots of lakes). It gets bitter cold sometimes (but the skyways help). Our downtown is small (but beautiful).

Nothign is too far away- the highways are well designed and traffic is never too bad (although 35W can be hairy at times).

I’ve quite enjoyed life post college- I’ve lived in 4 different cities and moved 7 times, everywhere I go I find I like it!

Recently I’ve lived in South Minneapolis and have found to to be the ideal mix of urban living without the crowding. My grocery store is full of diversity, and the ethnic restaurants are great (and diverse as well).

Alright, I’ll stop babbling on. I love Minneapolis, and I think you will too ;-)

I don’t really have much business answering this question, because I haven’t been to Minneapolis either. But I too am from the Portland area (although I’ve lived other places, I keep coming back here!), and I think Minneapolis is probably not nearly as much of an adjustment as many other US cities might be – it’s slightly smaller than Portland, but more diverse in population.

My experience has always been that the Midwest is a generally friendly place, and Minneapolis always ranks fairly high on various “liveability” indices. I’m guessing that housing is more affordable there.

We are a remarkably mobile society, and it’s unlikely that you’ll be stuck in Minneapolis if you really decide it’s not for you. I say go for it – see what it’s like to live someplace new! From my experience, I would recommend that you try to enjoy Minneapolis for what it is, and not try to compare it to Portland too much.

Biggest downside I can see to trying it out: you’ll be a long ways from an ocean!

I have only ever been to Minneapolis twice. I can safely say it is in my top 5 favorite cities. I’ve been to New York City, Boston, Providence, Madison, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, and I can safely say that Minneapolis comes close to topping them all.
I can’t really put my finger on it, but the city had a certain charm about it. My favorite places were the Walker Art Center (and it’s wonderful field of sculptures) and all of the random small parks that are scattered about the city. I ended up in one park right at the same time that the bells went off at a church nearby. It was magical.
Besides that, lots of good food, good music venues, good architecture, bicycle friendly, progressive (as far as I can tell), but unfortunately REALLY cold in the winter.

Hope that helps and I hope if you decide to move to Minneapolis, that it all works out.

Minneapolis is the City of Lakes . . . you’ll have no problem getting your water fix. It’s a happenin’ place to be. I’m a St. Paulite but do make it over once in a while ;)

I lived in twin cities for 3 years after I graduated college. There is lots to do for the young adult crowd. If you are into going out and listening to good music there are a lot of good venues and like Portland a lot of local artists.

The main thing you should probably consider is the climate change. The winters can be very long, cold and white in Minneapolis. Being from the midwest, they don’t seem that bad to me, but for someone from Portland they will probably seem long and the summers short. The spring, summer and fall are very distinct and beautiful. There are literally lakes everywhere you go so you can fish, swim, windsurf or just sit and enjoy the sun and water.

I think what i like most about the Twin Cities is the variety. Minneapolis is a pretty busy place (in my opinion, but i grew up in small town suburbs my whole life). The downtown area has the Target Center where the Timberwolves play basketball, which is right next to a big block of entertainment, night clubs, bars, restaurants like the Hard Rock, First Avenue and a few other music clubs. So, if nightlife is your thing that’s kinda the hot spot. Crime is a slight problem in that area, but it’s nothing to be afraid of…just not the best place to hang out at 3 a.m. every morning. There’s also an uptown area that’s sort of swanky with some unique cafes, shops, and a few indie movie theaters. Lake Calhoun is also a pretty popular place in Minneapolis. A lot of people walk, run, bike, rollerblade and stuff around the path on the lake. It gets pretty crowded, but its a beautiful lake in a city setting.

I’m pretty partial to St. Paul…even though they’re the “Twin Cities” I think they have pretty different atmospheres. St. Paul seems a little less busy, more laid back, a bit more family friendly. It has a simliar area to uptown called Grand Avenue which has 3 or 4 colleges really near it, so it’s kind of a young, hip crowd with the same sort of unique independently owned cafe’s, shops, bars, ect. The downtown area in St Paul is pretty nice as well, although i’m pretty biased because i’m a huge hockey fan (as many Minnesotans are) and the arena, the Xcel Energy Center is only a few years old and is an incredible venue. There’ll be a new baseball stadium in MPLS in a few years too…

I’m pretty sure that the twin cities have more theaters per capita than anywhere else in the country, ranging from the new Guthrie in MPLS to the historical Fitzgerald in St Paul. So if you’re into performing arts, MPLS/ST PAUL is a really great area for that. If the city stuff doesn’t float your boat, you can head out of town to some more outdoorsy cabin areas and do the whole fishing/boating thing…that’s obviously huge here with all our lakes and what-not. So yeah, a lot of variety…same goes for the weather. I’m not sure what Portland is like, but we have the whole gammet of weather, from 100 degree summers to winter days with 10-20 inches of snow.

I love the fact that you can go downtowna and see the city streets with, not necessarily the tallest buildings, but still big but 10 minutes later you can be in the peaceful confines of Minnehaha park or Lillydale along the mississippi river. There is an aura of small town in many of the suburbs, but the definate impact of big city upon others. It is an eclectic mix of people and places that makes me feel at home no matter where I go.

You will find the Twin Cities to be a friendly area and there is lots to do. People who do best here are the ones who embrace winter (and what it has to offer) rather than hole up in a cave. The go to dinner, concerts, ski, sled, attend feastivals, etc regardless of a little cold and snow outside.

You will find Mpls has more sunny days than the PacNW, but it does lack the mountains and ocean. Suggest you live near Mpls or St.Paul if you are used to Portland. The suburbs here are more “suburban” than Hillsboro or Tigard.

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who’s answered so far! This has all gone a long way towards making me feel much more comfortable about the prospect of moving. If you’re just reading this, and haven’t added your thoughts, please feel free to continue to respond.

Thanks again,

-P.F.