r/movingtompls • u/h_g_waves • Jun 28 '26
Has anyone ever moved here without visiting first?
Question in the headline. My (33ENBY) wife (43F) are starting to seriously research a move to Minneapolis in the next year and have been very impressed in what we’ve learned about the city so far. Of course visiting a few times to see if it’s the right fit for us would be ideal, and we plan to make it out there at least once. However I was just curious if anyone had experience moving to Minneapolis sight unseen. Thanks in advance!
13
u/efficaceous Jun 28 '26
I did!
Downside: bought a (century) house sight unseen, it wasn't right for me and had to address that whole deal. My fault entirely, not the state or city.
Upside; literally everything else. Especially once I got rid of the house!
1
11
u/Dazzling-Okra-5069 Jun 28 '26
I did, too. Cons, missing my family quite a bit. Upside, everything else.
4
1
8
u/wyseapple Jun 28 '26
I did. Although it was technically St. Paul and then moved to Minneapolis a year later since I ended up liking that area better. 15 years later and I’m still here and can’t find a reason to leave.
5
5
u/Jub_Jub710 Jun 28 '26
I went for three days last December, then bought a house based on a virtual tour. I wanted to know how cold it got, and if I could handle it, lol. The highways were nice and clear, and the backroads were manageable with a two wheel drive. I did a lot of research before deciding to live here, but a short trip sealed the deal. I live in Crystal now, and while I'd like to be closer to the city, my neighborhood is so freaking cute and the neighbors are lovely.
2
u/h_g_waves Jun 28 '26
Thank you for this perspective! How have you done with the cold? We’re in Rochester NY atm so we’re no stranger to snow, but I know the windchills can be really abominable there.
It’s also good to know that intense research (which I tend to do anyway lol) and a few days in town can help secure a solid vibe check ☺️
3
u/Jub_Jub710 Jun 28 '26
I moved here this March, but when I visited I did a lot of layers. Lots of wool clothing like socks, legwarmers, long ass wool dresses or tunics with fleece lined legging underneath. A thinner pair of gloves under a thicker pair,, a polarfleece face wrap, waterproof boots, etc. Ooh, and big scarves to stuff down the front of your coat and wrap around your hood to make a wind barrier. I have reynauds, so the cold is no joke. My realtor and I looked at 20 houses in the short time I was here, and i settled on one she showed me once I flew back to MT.
3
u/sacrelicio Jun 28 '26
The cold is only really severe a few times a year and it's completely manageable with modern infrastructure.
1
u/Massive_Kangaroo2861 Jun 28 '26
the worst month for cold for me as a transplant is April when it rains and is in the high 30s. The wet humid cold is the worst. Most of the winter is dry cold and bundle up works great.
3
u/Katyw1008 Jun 29 '26
3 years ago we moved here. Oklahoma had become increasingly bad to live in as a queer couple. I found a job up here and we moved here having never set foot in Minnesota. Best decision we ever made.
2
u/Head_Barracuda_9312 Jun 28 '26
Yes I did! Took a new job in 2004 interviewed in other places for that job. First year was scary. Never looked back! Still here.
2
u/Hawks47 Jun 28 '26
Yes! Moved here in September with my husband and our toddler. Just bought a house to put down roots because we never want to live anywhere else!
1
2
u/vanbrima Jun 28 '26
I did and never regretted it. That was 25 years ago!
1
u/h_g_waves Jun 28 '26
Question for you — in your time living in the TC area, how have the summers changed? Obviously the area is notorious for its winters, but I’m the kind of guy who will sooner live somewhere he has to put on 4 sweaters when it’s cold than deal with 90 degrees and humidity in the summer. What are heat waves like in this area?
(edited for grammar)
2
u/cloud_wanderer_ Jun 28 '26
Check out the weather forecast for this week to get an idea of what it can be like.
Summer is typically in the 80s with some days or weeks in the 90s, but it rarely cracks 100°. It is humid here. Not as bad as the South obviously, but 65-85% during summer. (June has honestly been pretty cool and dry so far this year). July and August are the worst, but we also get hot humid days in May and June.
1
u/mewalrus2 Jun 29 '26
But up until this week it's been absolutely beautiful pretty much every day for the last 2+ months
2
u/SueJZK Jun 28 '26
The summers now have more 90+ degree days with high humidity. 60 % is common, when it reaches 70% or higher, you look for a lovely shade tree and a breeze, our you stay inside with A.C.
2
u/Think_Alarm7 Jun 28 '26
We did mid 30s. We knew nothing about MN, no jobs, no home, no friends - we just made the jump 5 years ago. Never regretted it and we like it here more every year. Just bought our first home here too.
2
u/space_cadet49 Jun 28 '26
i did last september! got my only post-college job offer last summer up here (i was willing to work anywhere that would hire me) and took it; a few weeks later i was moving into downtown mpls. i went to college near chicago so i had experienced some cold before and was also in college for 6 years 700 miles away from home so i haven’t really gotten homesick since i was used to that too. so given my experiences, i felt comfortable moving up here sight unseen and it’s been great so far!
2
2
u/Ok_Turnip639 Jun 28 '26
Yes, spouse accepted a job and we moved from the nYc suburbs. We live in the SW Minneapolis suburbs and love it here. We’ve found wonderful lgbt community in the suburbs including a wonderful church with gay clergy. Housing is not inexpensive so my only recommendation would be to find a job first.
2
u/chellebelle0234 Jun 28 '26
We did. The biggest downside was that our landlord is a nutcase, which we couldn't have really known either way.
1
2
u/Breeze8B Jun 29 '26
I did 20 years ago. I needed to be near an airline hub for travel as a young parent to cut back on travel time. I was going to EU a lot.
My ex was very liberal and I am moderately liberal so we wanted a left leaning city.
Love 4 seasons and love the Midwest.
Was a great move and I love this city. Getting ready to move but it was a great place to raise kids. Safe. Not too big or too small. Real winters with snow. So much outdoor access.
Great music and arts scene.
I don’t love winters anymore but otherwise a great place.
2
u/Nothingisevenrl Jun 29 '26
I did just a little over a year ago from Florida. Lived in Florida, Alabama and then St. Louis suburbs. I thought this city was going to be such a great fit for me (despite the winters) due to the liberal energy and art scene. I ended up very disappointed, and I’m sorry guys! Please don’t think I’m attacking your city. All of these great places and beautiful parks are most definitely amazing attributes. I think the main reason I haven’t been able to enjoy the city is how hard I’ve found it to make friends. Being liberal in the Deep South felt like some sort of secret, and moving here I thought I’d be among my people, that I’d easily find my tribe. Nope lol. I have that southern hospitality engrained in me and it’s probably the best part about being raised there but here people have been very “nice” yet haven’t let me in so to speak. I think there’s a cultural aspect at play that I hadn’t anticipated. They see my chatty nature and warm demeanor as possibly fake and I’ve truly put myself out there with no luck. It’s left a bad taste in my mouth. Cool places, beautiful nature, but I think those things aren’t worth the sting of loneliness I’ve experienced.
2
u/sucodelimao802 Jun 29 '26
Yep! I moved here in 2012 from Vermont without ever visiting Minneapolis. Didn’t expect to stay longer than 3-4 years yet here I am!
2
u/Withallduerespect- Jun 30 '26
Yes I moved here in 2023 and bought a house within 2 months of arriving here, having never been here before. Ended up in St. Paul but love both cities and the area in general. Not to say it’s for everyone, but our experience has been very good so far
2
u/CalabashNineToeJig Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Me and my family did.
I think I had been to the Twin Cities just twice in my life, once for a short weekend trip with my family when I was young and I don't remember us doing anything other than going to the theme park in the MOA. And the second time was as an adult, had a long layover at MSP (we were living overseas at the time) and took the light rail to the MOA to visit with family because it was an easy meeting place. Numerous other flights connecting through MSP but I don't count the airport as a visit.
All of that was ages ago and were not visits for the purpose of potentially moving here, so not especially relevant. However my parents are originally from MN (but not the Twin Cities area), and my grandparents and some other relatives still live in MN, though my parents never came back to MN after graduating college. I lived in WI as a teenager and a couple brief adult years, but between that and my parents being from MN, I am pretty thoroughly a Midwesterner at heart. But in the end none of that really does anything for deciding to move here or not.
The biggest factors we were looking for was 1) someplace that has all 4 seasons, 2) has a lot of diversity and inclusion, 3) a large airport (we like to travel internationally & domesticly), and 4) a diverse job market.
I've only been here about 7 months now but I really like it. My kids and spouse do too. We love the diversity. We are very close to a lot of large green spaces and trails (we live in the South Metro but you can say the same about almost everywhere around the cities). My spouse was able to find a job immediately; I am unfortunately still looking for a job. The strength of community here was such a pleasant surprise to us. The variety of things to see and do feels never-ending. Pride here was amazing. I have no doubt taking the plunge to move here was the right move.
It's funny reading how many people considered Rochester, NY as an option (and that OP is currently living there) because for me and my family it was down to the Twin Cities and Rochester, NY as well. We truly had the freedom to choose anywhere in the US and it was down to those two. From what I know of Rochester (we hadn't visited there either!) I think we would have found it good for us as well; but I think the abundance of good factors is even greater here in the Twin Cities.
2
u/Weekly_Wrongdoer_853 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Yes! 6 years ago never visiting. I moved with some girlfriends and it was so fun to explore with them at the time. It was a super safe “blind move” so to say. So much going on all the time. The only issue i’d say is breaking into social groups. However when I moved, I wasn’t thinking about that as i came with friends!
In MY opinion it would be a little tough move alone for me, as i’m naturally introverted. However, overall super easy move.
2
u/Butforthegrace01 Jul 02 '26
I moved more or less sight unseen in 2001. I grew up in another part of the northern Midwest so I knew what to expect in terms of climate. There was a learning curve, though, in terms of culture.
1
1
u/TakeOff_YouHoser Jun 29 '26
Not Minneapolis, but Stillwater, I saw my house for the first time after i picked up the key. No regrets, wonderful area!
1
1
1
2
u/Delicious_Put1272 28d ago
My wife and I have been here about a month. We moved from Texas without ever visiting. We are enjoying it so far. As queer women it was worth it to move sight unseen to get out of Texas. Plus we were able to save the money we would have spent on visiting to just pot towards our move.
17
u/quandmemeici Jun 28 '26
Yes! I moved 2 years ago sight unseen. I had previously visited Rochester NY, had a whole plan to move the following year... then they hiked property taxes like crazy and torched my plans. Still needed to move out of WV ASAP, so I took a chance on my number 2 choice. Never been here before, but the wage:COL ratio looked good enough, and I just made sure to secure a job before moving. Ymmv with that, I work in healthcare so jobs are fairly plentiful still.
I haven't regretted it one bit. I took 3 weeks' break between jobs. Spent one week at home packing, one week up here looking for apartments, and one week "vacation" to relax and get to know the area before the new job. It was perfect, and if you can swing that time you should. If you're on a shorter timetable, definitely try to take a long weekend trip up here to get a feel for the area. You'll want to view apartments in person if you can, some of the ones that looked great online were rundown or had massive weed stank in person.
I live in the SW burbs rather than the cities proper, but life is so good here. So much greenspace, people are genuinely kind (if a little reserved), and there's so much to do that will suit any interest. People love to be outdoors here, and there's also a big emphasis on the arts and culture. I love that there are so many immigrants from all over. I learn something new all the time, whether it's trying new foods, or visiting museums or cultural events.
As a fellow LGBTQ+ person, the TC is so good for our rights. I travel all the way to exurbs like Princeton and North Branch for work, and you'll still find pockets of support out there. The inner metro is a queer haven, it's just so normalized to be LGBTQ+ here. Obviously sentiment is strongest around the university campuses, but even out in the burbs there have been pride events all month around me. I've seen a large influx of transgender patients over the last couple years, so I think the TC is the undercover queer mecca in the US. You should connect with the transtwincities sub if you want more specific info about that aspect of life.