What to Expect When Moving to Minneapolis

What to Expect When Moving to Minneapolis

Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota with over 400 thousand people living in it. However, you might be interested to learn that Minneapolis actually has its twin brother – the city of Saint Paul which is also the state capital. Together these Twin Cities form a metropolitan area which serves some 3.5 million people.  moving household

The central areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul are located at a distance of 14 km from each other, but they are in fact two completely different cities. The skyscrapers and wide streets of Minneapolis give the city an ultramodern look, while its twin, St. Paul, looks very conservative due to the well-preserved buildings of late Victorian architecture. This mix of old and new really highlights how much Minnesotans respect the history of their land and culture.

If you are going to move to Minneapolis you first of all need to know that there is a lot of water in this city. What do we mean by that? Well, firstly, the city stands on the banks of one of the world’s largest rivers – the Mississippi (americanrivers.org). The mighty Mississippi river is the fourth longest in the world and the ninth largest by water flow. There are also 24 lakes within the boundaries of Minneapolis. This was the reason that the city received a nickname “The City of Lakes” and it shows in every part of the city from the architecture to the mindset of the people.

Given all this, it is not surprising that the appearance of the name “Minneapolis” is attributed to the first teacher of the city who combined the word “mni”, which translated from Siouan language means “water” and the Greek word polis (city) making it the “Water City”.

The city even has its own island called Nicollet (nicolletislandinn.com). It may not be the biggest in the world at just 0.075 square miles but that did not stop them from building a hotel, which was built in 1893, a school which was founded in 1900, several multi-family residential buildings and twenty-two restored Victorian architecture houses on the northern tip of the island. Even today there are about 150 people who live on the island and who regularly travel to the “big city” using The Hennepin Avenue Bridge.

The reputation of the city in mass media in recent years has helped many people make a decision on whether or not a relocation to Minneapolis is a good idea. Forbes magazine even voted the city the best in the country for housing affordability, and at the same time for high quality of life. This rating was made from a comparison of the index of availability of residential real estate, calculated by the National Association of Realtors, the cost of living index, calculated by the Council for Economic Research, and its own assessment of the quality of life index, calculated by Forbes. So when they say it, it must be true.

And in fact Citizens here also are known for their excellent health which sounds like something strange to say but is actually a strong reflection of the quality of healthcare. Minneapolis ranked first in the list of the most “healthy” cities in the US (it is an estimate of the overall level of health and the availability of ways to improve it for the entire population). A good indicator of health is contributed to the fact that Minneapolis shows the highest percentage of bicycle use of anywhere. And this is not because the public transport system is bad, in fact it is quite amazing but people in Minneapolis find the city so clean and quiet and beautiful that they are inspired to dig their bicycles out of their garages and enjoy what the city has to offer.

Before you make your mind up about moving to Minneapolis yourself or with the help of professional and cheap movers, let’s assume eaglestatetostatemoving.com think about what kind of weather you like most and compare your ideal with the conditions of the city. It may sound silly to say but a lot of people often forget about the basic conditions which make life bearable meaning that if you don’t like the cold don’t move to Alaska. The climate of Minneapolis is pretty continental. It means that the winters can be cold and harsh with an average temperature in January of 16°F, but in truth it can be a lot lower. For example, in January 1888 a city record was registered where the temperature dropped below -41°F. And I don’t care where you are from, that is cold! But in the summer you will be able to warm up, because summers in Minneapolis are very warm so movers recommend to move here at this period of year. In the middle of summer, the temperature ranges from 64°F to the high 80’s. It was in 1936 that in the City of Lakes experienced its hottest summer day, with thermometers reading 107.6°F. The best part about the location of Minneapolis is that there are frequent thunderstorms and fog making the city glow with a magical quality. It is by no accident that the Minneapolis College of Art and Design often boasts shows containing skyline art during weather extremes.

So now that you have learned a thing or two about the Twin Cities, maybe it is time you thought about flexing your artistic muscles and head on down to Minneapolis. With such a blend of old and new you never know what might inspire you next.


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