Although I made it well past the five years I agreed to live in Minneapolis, it is not because I fell completely head over heels about my new “home” location. Every area of the world has its own little issues that give residents reason to complain and keep the population under control. Imagine if Seattle had beautiful weather; the whole world would live there. Minnesota has many positive things going for it; however, the following list outlines the reasons why I will not retire Minnesota:Winter
It is quite tiring to hear people talk about how easy winters are these days and how much worse they were in the early 90s, the 80s, the 70s, etc. Maybe this is how everyone deals with the miserable winters; make them out to be better then they really are. Three things make the winters in Minnesota horrible. First is the unbearable cold; there is just no way to describe the bone-chilling feeling of death that is -20F. I can still vividly recall like it was yesterday walking 6 blocks from the car to the Metrodome on an evening with a -35 wind chill reading and wishing the lord would just end the misery and take me someplace warm, and this was nearly 10 years ago. Then there is the snow which does not come until February or March, when winter is all but done in most of the world, because it is too cold to snow in January. Snow is beautiful around the Christmas holiday, not Easter. Adding insult to injury, the beauty that is fall in Minnesota, my favorite season, is cut far too short with winter coming well before the solstice and lasting beyond the Spring Equinox. The bonus issue with long harsh winters is how they destroy roads, leading to everyone's least favorite season, construction season, when roads are closed for months on end to repair winter's damage.
Mosquitoes
Jokingly known as the state bird, the lakes and humid summer conditions create the perfect breeding ground for the mosquito. Mosquitoes could easily band together and pick up small children and animals; carrying them clear cross-state. These little blood suckers grow to the size of dinner plates and their bites leave larger welts on your skin then if you were hit by a Johan Santana fastball. A good run of West Nile or worse would create a health epidemic of monumental proportions.
Hunting
Minneapolis is ranked as the 13th most “Humane City” in the United States by the American Humane Society. It is well above average in most animal-friendly indicators; few pet stores sell puppies (stores “stock” dogs through puppy mills), low number of fur shops and heavy regulations on “show-animals” like those for circuses. The one thing that drops Minneapolis to 13th in the rankings is the hunting culture that is prevalent across the state. I will never understand how people could kill animals for pleasure and live with themselves. I am from NY, we don’t shoot animals, we shoot each other; chances are the animal did not deserve it.
Minnesota Nice
Minnesotans are very nice on the outside, however, beneath the surface lies the real truth to all the smiles and niceties; Passive-Aggressiveness. Passive Aggressive is loosely defined as behavior in which damaging emotions, especially anger, are expressed indirectly through negative conduct and disguised resistance to the demands or expectations of others. No matter how upset, angered, frustrated or pissed-off a native Minnesotan gets at a person they remain stoically silent, avoid showing their unhappiness and even go so far as appearing agreeable to the person or actions that get their panties in a bunch. Locals will sit and watch a light change green a dozen times and never use their horn to wake the person in front of them up. A co-worker will make a bad decision and no one will say anything to correct them, instead complaining to others in the meeting after the meeting without fixing the situation. Any sign of directly expressing your opinion or speaking your mind is considered rude. As you can imagine, being from a passionate Italian-American New York family, where survival is based on your ability to stand your ground, makes me much (Minnesota) different then everyone around me and the transition to living amongst the passive-aggressiveness very (Minnesota) interesting.
I'll be home for ChristmasI grew up in a close-knit family with my parents and two sisters, only about 2 miles away from my Grandmother, aunts and most of my cousins. Those in the family who were not within the 2 mile radius could be reached in less than 30 minutes. While most of my family still lives within an easy drive of each other, I live over 1000 miles away. I am fortunate to make it home for most major holidays and a few other visits during the year, but what I miss is Sunday dinners, popping in unannounced for coffee, meeting close friends and family for a beer at the local watering hole, random family events and casual BBQs. It is very hard to see the life you once had disappear and everyone going on without you; people all but forgetting to include you in events because they assume you will not be in town. I really cannot say I hate Minnesota, I just hate that it is so far away from those I love.
Scandinavian Beauties
Growing up in a community dominated by those of Southern European descent made being a 5’ 9’’ blonde with blue eyes incredibly fun. It is easy to stand out in a crowd when most of those around you are a half a foot shorter. Mostly everyone comes from a Scandinavian, Baltic or German background; they are tall, blonde, fair and beautiful. Frankly suddenly being average is quite annoying.
Cliques
93% of the people who are born in Minnesota die in Minnesota, with most spending all the time between their birth and death solidly planted within the state boundaries. This situation allows natives to develop incredible longtime friendships but makes it quite difficult to be a transplant. Luckily I am married to a Minnesotan and his friends have let me in their inner circle, but most are not so fortunate to have this avenue to break in and make friends.
Family Friendliness
To say the taxes in Minnesota are high is like saying Brittany Spears is going through a little rough patch. We pay state and local governments through the nose but in return get America’s best schools, plenty of parkland filled with playgrounds, locally subsidized after school programs and enrichment activities. All wonderful things if you have children, which I do not. So my taxes rarely support things that I could actually use like better roads (you should just see the disgrace of the street I live on), a local dog park (Minnetonka is surrounded by cities with dog parks but does not have their own!), and adequate public transportation. Just to go off a little more on the tax situation I still cannot believe that taxes do not include trash pickup (have to hire that yourself), sewers or streetlights (which we pay for additionally as well even though we have neither on our block).
Land LockedLakes are pretty, but nothing beats the feeling of water as far as the eye can see, the smell of salt and miles and miles of sandy beaches. When my life becomes overwhelming with mounting responsibilities and issues I am overcome by a feeling of claustrophobia; like the walls of the world closing in on me. My cure when living by the ocean was simple; take a walk on the beach or sit on a rock overlooking the open water and enjoy the beauty of the sea. Calmness displaces insanity the instant you breathe in the ocean air, listen to waves crashing against the shoreline and feel sand tickle your toes. Without that release, I am unable to break a feeling of entrapment.
Where’s the Deli
Oh, how I miss a good NY deli; a place where you can order a mile high made-to-order pepperoni sandwich on crusty bread with all the fixings, a good potato salad, a fresh kosher dill pickle, a pound of deli meat, piping hot knishes, homemade rice pudding, a full chicken dinner, the newspaper, a 6-pack of beer and a lottery ticket. A few places outside the northeast have attempted to call themselves a deli, but they always fall short. As a self-proclaimed “foodie” I miss both the convenience and quality of deli food the most, followed closely by Italian bakeries, pizza joints that sell amazing pizza by the slice, good Chinese food that delivers and Wise potato chips. Lucky for me alot of this is easily solved with frequent trips home and very big luggage.
154 comments:
What's a knish? Oh, and I adore rice pudding... my granny used to make it in her special glass baking dish - it had this custard top that would miraculously rise to the top during baking. Phenominal. But really, what's a knish?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knish
They are yummy, but not as great as Chelle would lead you to believe... nothing like meat bread!
Nothing is as good as meat bread... but don't discount the yumminess of the Knish.
Yo 'Chelle, as a Minnesotan who has lived in other parts of the country, I can add another thing: Minnesotans cannot laugh at themselves if they are being spoofed by somebody other than Garrison Keillor. I have been to Fargo and Drop Dead Gorgeous in Minnesota theaters-and you could hear a pin drop. Drop Dead Gorgeous was a HYSERICAL dark comedy with Kirstie Allie and Kirsten Dunst that poked fun at beauty pagents and things midwestern.
I do have to comment on the hunting part. I know people have strong feelings on the subject, and we might have to agree to disagree, but untill we get more predators in this state to keep the deer population down, you have some SERIOUS problems with overpopulation of deer-is hunting more cruel than hitting the deer with your car or allowing it to starve to death when there is lack of vegetation to support the massive deer herds during the winter. That said, it seems to be a dying sport. Most younger Minnesotans don't have the stomach for hunting...to say nothing of being around a bunch of smelly guys in cold, wet conditions. I'll be happy to cook venison-I just don't have the desire to go through all of the crap involved with hunting.
Michelle, great article! I'm originally from Venezuela, but my wife is Minnesotan, she is not the typical Minnesotan, like your husband, with a well and solid group of friends. There is not point that couldn’t be described any better than the way you did it. I don't think I will be able to survive another winter in Minnesota, I feel I could die. Just the little differences a foreigner could bring into a new group of friends in Minnesota, will catalog you as a weirdo, a psycho, or a shame to be with; they get scared with diversity, it is impossible for them to accept there are others with cool accents, even at work! And that is very sad… Please understand that this is a generalization, and as a generalization I’m not saying 100% of the Minnesotans are like that, I’m sure you are with me on that.
I remember like in 2004 the State of Minnesota try to worked hard on getting more tourism here in Minnesota, guess what happened? After spending more that $29,000,000 in two years, out of our taxes, nobody wanted to come to Minnesota, until the project got completely destroyed with the 35W bridge collapsed. Only Minnesotans really like Minnesota, and they do not want that you or me like it…
Eduardo A.
Thank you for your comment Eduardo. I could not fathom being not only a new-comer to the state but also to the United States! There are many other cities that are much easier to assimilate into when moving to the US from abroad; New York, DC, LA, Miami, heck... even Chicago. Although you are lucky, the only thing I could think of harder then moving here from another country is moving here and not having a built in network of friends who are forced to (kinda) accept you because one of their own is deeply in love with you.
And there are some positive things as I wrote in the Ten Things I Love About Minnesota
I'm a Minnesotan who has lived 13 years in Florida and 3 years in Brazil. I'm moving back to Minnesota in spite of the things you hate, which I don't deny. I want my kids to grow up someplace where they live among people who believe in community, not the "rugged individualism, every man for himself" that we find in the south. After 13 years here, my wife (who is from Brazil) and I still have more dear friends "up north" than here.
Ed- I certainly hope your children are well accepted into the community despite their absence during their formative years. My biggest complaint about Minnesota is actually how unwelcoming most are in letting new people into the inner circle they created during their childhood. While people have formed very close circle of friends I do not find a strong sense of closeness in neighborhood and I know many other natives who share those sentiments. Maybe this issue is contained to the Twin Cities and is not found in smaller communities throughout the state.
I was with a group who were FINALLY recruited to relocate for McGraw-Hill at it's new division in Minneapolis. Within weeks wives were sobbing themselves to be, outnumbered only by husbands.
There was nothing that could be offered to employees who had lived all over the country, after all, every background, ethnicity, married, unmarried, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, it didn't matter. They were so concerned about the number of staff quiting without a job rather than endure another summer in this wretched of all wretched states, that one day they once (oh, sorry this was a winter treat which didn't do one bit of good) hired a plane to fly staffers and a quest of choice ABOVE the clouds and into the light as people were going snow blind. That has GOT to be the WORST place to live on earth. People do not realize that it is the twin "climatically" of Northern Siberia. The people are SO repressed. Liberal? Sometimes but uptight, petty, facist..no kidding, hunt down and kill anyone who breaks the most petty rule and be legalistic about it, think that are DIVERSE....if they see a minority on the road they get out and take a photo because everybody is white..and I taught a senior high school class two years in a row before I had a student who had BEEN in a class with an African_American. I don't mean, there were never any in my classes. I mean, none of my students had been in a class with an African_American, two years in a row.
I have been here for 2 years now. I try really hard to like it but I cant meet anyone here. If you dont know someone from their "group" you are screwed. its really sad. I dont know what I am going to do. I have a great job here but my social life is non existent. Sucks.
Living here sucks badly.
A peek at the Minnesota dating scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6C4qsQcXvY
Awesome!
Every city has its list of pros and cons that need to be weighed against each other to pick a place to live. There are many things I like about Minnesota as well. I have also written about my love and hate relationship with New York. I should try and do the same with DC and Delaware, the other two places I've called home in my lifetime. There are many other cities I considered living but had cons that were deal-breakers; couldn't take the rain in Seattle, the cost in San Francisco or the Red Sox fans in Boston.
As for the Minnesota dating scene, it really is unbelievable and I'm so glad I didn't have to endure it. I don't know if men/women are too shy or "too nice" to strike up conversation, but I have been out with friends in establishments filled with men and no one approaches anyone! Of course this made it very easy as a New Yorker to snare a good boy from Minnesota; he didn't stand a chance!
a- if you are the gentleman in the video I highly recommend heading to The Loop for dancing and don't be shy...
As your Minnesotan bro-in-law living in Toronto, "me concur" (Homerism).
While as of late we've had even more snow and ice storms here than the Twin Cities, I'm spoiled with having few if any below 0(F) winter days. The MN Nice Pass/Agg. is found here as well but there is so much more cultural diversity, even in the burbs (and fewer tall Nordic types). Fewer mosquito and bugs in general is also a plus. I'm not enjoying being back in the Twin Cities with the blood suckers right now but the puppies and your backyard are a slice of heaven.
I love the balance between the 10 Love/Hate Twin Cities/MN postings. I miss Target (the drive to Buffalo and wait times at the border can be tedious at best) and MN/U.S. store personnel asking if they can help you and apologizing - a rarity in Toronto. As a reformed pheasant hunter I also concur about the hunting issue as the deer over-population is the result of our hunting predators to the brink. MN has plenty of food sources, even with native species (Buffalo ranches for one).
We may be convinced yet to move back to MN (provided you and my brother aren't leaving for at least a few more years). Maybe we can find you a yearly Jan - April consulting job south of the equator. It's a thought!
I couldn't agree more, especially about the MN nice. I grew up and lived in Boston for 30 years, then moved to San Francisco, then lived in L.A. for 10 years, and just moved to MN. I've never had such a culture shock! And I feel so alone. My wife and I are having a hard time adjusting, and it's very frustrating. We speak our mind, express our opinions and emotions, and feel all alone, like we're bad for doing so.
Having lived in several different metro areas, I've never been somewhere where not only the people, but the companies are SO cheap! A temp agency wouldn't even mail me some forms for me to sign ! The pay scale is lower than most other metro areas, yet the cost of living is not.
Also, almost no one knows good food here like in other metro areas. Everyone likes going to Applebee's, and then still complains about the prices!
I came to this discussion thread a year too late but couldn't resist saying something. Bombchelle -- just let go of it, jut say it -- I HATE MINNESOTA!!! We, too, moved here from out of state. From where? From San Francisco -- I know, it doesn't make sense but we did. In any case, 90% of our friends here are people who have moved here from somewhere else. And it's not just that Minnesotans are hard to "get to know." Most are like the state itself -- flatlined, no personality or spice. You can't have a good argument or discussion with them on anything. They either get petulant or put on the brakes because they sense the conversation is headed in a "controversial" direction. Sure, other cities are more dangerous and the cost of living may be more. But you know what? Who cares -- that's the price of living somewhere interesting. In this regard, I love it when Minnesotans claim that their schools are soooo good and how Minnesota is a great place to raise their kids. Really? Raising your kid in a provincial backwater with the diversity of a loaf of Wonder Bread is good for them? A place where they aren't forced to develop street smarts or endure a few hard knocks to take on the bigger world? A place where the high school smart kid doesn't go to Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, or Yale but to Carleton or Gustavus to play soccer? (Oh, but hey, Carleton is one of the nation's bestesist-best schools! Why, it's just as prestigious as all those high-fallutin schools on the coasts!) Maybe that's why Minnesotans almost always return to this fruit-bar state: they can't survive anywhere else. The food is pathetic, the driving maddening, the city layouts idiotic. Of course, that's the other thing that is annoying about this place. The smug idea that Minnesota is the greatest place and that it's such an enlightened area. They make fun of the South, the East Coast, and California. Why? Minnesota is a hick state, full of boorish, poorly dressed people who are too uninformed to be aware of their own ignorance.
Wow I am so happy to see that other people feel the same way I do! It is hard to meet people that live here. I actually grew up here and left for the Air Force and moved to Tucson Arizona. When I was a kid I did like living here because I am close to my parents. But I made the choice to leave because I wanted to see the rest of the country. I am so glad I did. The only bad thing about Arizona was that every year for 10 years I would have 1000 worth of stuff stolen from me. Finally what made me move back to MN was someone stole my beat up POS 88 Nissan truck right out of my driveway. So now here I am
I am happy to be reunited with my parents and sisters but I just can't stand this god awful state. If you want to live in an apartment you live in a building with a hallway down the middle that you door opens too and not outside such as the apartments in AZ.. They look like Communist housing with a fascist appeal for the suckers here.
The people are extremely unfriendly and like the author of the article stated that you have to be part of a group that has been establish eons ago. When I lived here I didn't have a group of friends because I just wanted to be cool with everyone, which kind of cast me as an outsider. The people here seem to love to kill animals all the time. Funny thing is that Pheasants Forever was established to to bring back pheasants from being over hunted. Funny thing is that it is handled by hunters and now since the pheasants are back they can start killing them again.
Minnesota Nice is total BS in every way. I just loved reading this blog and felt YES someone else has noticed how closed minded and clicky the people are here. The white people are just awful. They hate and hate and hate to just hate. I had good friends from every race when I lived in AZ. I even had gay friends too. I seriously believe Beverly Hills has nicer people that Minneapolis!
I wish I could make better friends here and yes it does suck to be single because people judge or hate just way too quickly. I am 33 and actually attractive but I figure if I stay here I will just be single..
One last thing.... The taxes are just to high and the real estate is too! I just don't know why!! I understand paying through the butt in California and Florida but not MN. This place is not quality, it's hateful, humid, cold, judgmental, and the cops are just fascists along with the rest of the state. I have never seen fascism get along with communism so well. Very rare.
Thanks for letting me vent. Maybe we should start a group of non-Minnesotans. That has a get together on certain weekends ;) Maybe we will make the news and the rest of the people here will wake up and come out of their narcissist shells.
Wow, from out of my brain and onto your page.
My family and I have just marked ten years in Minnesota. Speaking as an Air Force brat and Air Force vet -- also of Italian American decent -- I can honestly say that it's been an astonishingly difficult place to live.
I actually wrote a "survival guide" about dealing with native Minnesotans in this piece: "A Thin Crust of Disdain". The piece is over two years old, but I still stand by every word.
Just for the record, we only stayed in the state as long as we have because we wanted to give our kids some stability. Now that our oldest son is graduating high school soon, we're looking to relocate ASAP. Ten years of this bizarre winter wonderland is enough for any soul.
Once again, thanks for posting this peace.
Best regards.
Wow, this must be an especially difficult winter for all of us because my hits on this page soared over the past few months. Thank you to all who keep coming and have somehow made this the number one place google sends people when they type "I hate Minnesota."
P.S. I am going to use this sometime, but I'll have to quote it to anonymous: "Raising your kid in a provincial backwater with the diversity of a loaf of Wonder Bread is good for them?"
How come Minnesotans wont welcome new people? I am tired of being an outsider.. still, after 3 years here. I think God is punishing me by making it impossible for me to pack up and leave. I give up.
Anonymous, you need to find the right group of Minnesotans who have actually lived in other places and came back here-we are a bit more social and not quite as parochial. Drop me an email at rugbyrn60@aol.com. My wife is a native Chicagoan and I have lived all over the US(Boston, DC, Chicago, Iowa, San Antonia) and studied overseas. Hang in there-but yeah, after having lived away and came back, I know where you are coming from.
quit your fucking crying and leave if you don't like it...plain and simple. from a minnesotan who's not afraid to speak his mind, why don't you silver spooned motherfuckers go out and make an attempt to meet people and enjoy a place where you don't have to worry about crime and other big city bullshit. the winters are COLD...WE KNOW THAT! do you think that we like the cold...no...it's just better than living in the shitholes you all grew up in. just like any other place in this world, if you don't like it, GET THE FUCK OUT!!!
You better like it here because if you dont you should just leave.
LOL
Do people know how dumb they sound?
Wow anonymous, a little defensive, aren't we? Although I do have to commend you for not being passive aggressive about leaving a comment; it’s all aggressive. Perhaps you should take this post as a little constructive criticism and turn the mirror on yourself and see if you fit the observation. I am very lucky to report I have made several good friends in my 8 years here; interestingly most of those friends have lived or worked outside the state for a period of time.
And for any future posts please refrain from using the f-bomb. I might be from NY but I will not tolerate that type of language on my blog. Any future use of that language will be deleted and reported. Thank you.
Yeah well, it was an anonymous posting. Even if it is a profanity-laced comment, it is still anonymous, which means that it did not take a lot of guts to make that post.
It's a cyber form of graffiti. No better than the punk who spray paints a bridge.
Yes, yes, yes on all counts! I am a transplant from Santa Monica, (hardly NY, but filled with delis, nonetheless), and was lucky enough to marry a "native", which gave me access to a circle of friends I would never have had on my own. Growing up in LA where everyone is a transplant has its downside, but damn it, people are friendly and eager to forge social relationships. Not the case here. Anyway, you hit this stuff right on the head, (especially the lack of horn use... my husband cringes when I use mine... I tell him that the good people at Honda went to a lot of trouble installing that feature and I'm going to use it the way god intended)...any Minnesotan blacklash is from someone who has never looked honestly at the realities of MN culture. Every place has its downside, (I'll be the first to trash LA), and, for all its perks, MN is a challenging place to be a transplant.
Right!! Ok, This state does have its' share of dull, vapid, self serving, judgmental, ethnocentric, people who copy national cultural trends because they either don't have an original idea or want to follow some business trend to seem as up-to date as the next trendy snob.
Winter?? did any of you think that this place had palm tree lined streets before you moved here??. This is a regional hardship you must endure, a long time ago this place was covered by a mile thick sheet of ice. I think it's a better place now. Every place has weather concerns or lack there of, and the last time I checked most tropical nations had political unrest and poor living standards for its' citizens.
Hunting?? is it possible that some of us can engage in certain outdoor activities without your unfair criticizms??. Is it possible that there people who care and do more for wildlife and the environment than turning everything into concrete and lining it with railings and fences??.
Population? some of you whiners seem to forget you have moved to a region that doesn't begin to have the overcrowded and overpolluted mess you come from.
If you have difficulty meeting people get off YOUR ego and make an effort. If Minnesotans are so dumb then entertain us with your big city wit. If you have to work harder at it remember that there aren't as many people here.
Food?? spices?? yes they are here and you have to go out and get them. It's all here and I eat my lutefisk with habanero peppers. Ever had a goose taco?, How about the million ways you can prepare venison or even roadkill fo that matter.
By the way ,there is no such thing as American food, every dish comes from somewhere else, think about it for a second.
The drivers? yes, some people out there should not be driving, here is a hint: Go around them!!!
Crime?? There seems to be less of it here and my biggest concern is the spreading suburbanization that is ruining the beautiful countryside.
I hate mosquitoes too, and ticks, and scorpions, and rattlers, and cockroaches, and other potentially harmful animal types. In NY city there are way more 2 legged harmful animals, just to name one urban center.
Keillor is an idiot and you don't have to listen to him unless you want to poke fun of him like I do.
The Cops?? I thought they are considered jerks everywhere we go, anywhere in the world.
Think about this as well. There is a declining well known climate of politeness, courtesy, and civility. That is changing with the incoming demographics and one day this place will have the same filthy streets and traffic mess and high crime and disrespect for eachother just like in all those wonderful big cities. I pray it does not happen.
So, today I typed "I hate Minnesota" and came here (still the first google hit) and read through the comments. My wife and I moved here almost 4 years ago and have hated living here more and more every year. We are both from Oklahoma, not anyone's favorite state, but I would rather move back to Oklahoma than endure the people and the winter in Minnesota anymore. We are moving after I get my PhD in two years and have decided we can't stand living in the Midwest. I don't know where we will end up, but we have always felt very at home on east coast and in the south.
I think explosive bombchelle, that you were very nice in your critique. I disagree with your assessment that people here are beautiful. I find the tall, blond here thing here not so attractive. I think it is that the blond is usually too blonde, and the general facial structure of most people looks like someone in pain - people here are definitely thinner than average, but it is the really bony thin kind of thinness, which grosses me out. I like people with a little bit of muscular structure on their bones please.
We have had a hard time making friends here too. We try really hard. We have both tried with people at work, we have both tried with neighbors, and we have tried by volunteering at Como zoo and a few other places. Natives here are just so closed to new people. They don't know how to ask questions and get to know someone. They will talk about the weather till your ears fall off, but they won't ask anything about me personally. When I ask about their family, career, or anything that get close to 'controversial', I get very succinct answers with no opportunity to follow up. It is maddening. I have never had such a hard time conversing with people in my life. I could make a friend out of anybody in Oklahoma or Texas, and some of the best casual conversations with strangers I have ever had was in New York City and San Francisco. I can't think of a single time I really felt like I moved closer to becoming anything more than an unwelcomed stranger to anyone here.
I also think it is way too expensive to live here, though natives will brag about affordability. I don't think a 2,000 square foot house for 450,000 dollars constitutes as affordable. It may be better than some coastal areas, but look on a freakin map, we are in the middle of the country, housing costs should be half what they are.
The blandness of diversity is also annoying. I think there is an underlying built-in racism in the average native of this state. There is just this sort of tendency for white people to avoid black people. This is perhaps the most segregated city I know of. Also, I see this on the bus everyday, white people won't sit next to a black person, unless, and then only sometimes, it is the last seat. I don't think they are always conscience of it, but there has to be a reason this state can educate every white child in spades, but has one of the lowest graduation rates among blacks. It is truly frightening.
I really don't understand the fascination with lakes here. I find the lakes to be gross in many ways. For one thing, they are usually quite polluted from either agriculture or development, unless you drive at least two and half hours north (with no traffic). I really don't like always seeing dead fish floating in the water. The second thing, I hate how every lake from here to past Brainerd is ringed with housing. There is no serenity for me to be out on the lake, or on the shore, where there are over 100 backyards that face me in all directions. I found the lakes in Oklahoma (I guess they are reservoirs) to be much nicer because the land around all but something like two lakes, is owned by the corps of engineers and is thus forested and quiet. The ocean though, sure is much better still!
I could post my own 20 or so things I hate about living here, but this isn't my blog. The things that I hate most of all, is that people here can't respect the fact that outsiders hate living here. They say "oh, you will find a way to love it here", or, if they are online, as we already know here, they say "then leave, we don't want you here anyways". It is great that some people love it here, but for god's sake, realize that many of us outsiders, really hate living here, they are our true feelings. We have tried to like living here, we have tried really hard, but we still just hate it. Everywhere else and people will aknowledge that there are reasons that are worth hating, but in this state, they can't mentally take it.
Well, of course there are a few natives that are better socially than the normal minnesotan, but even those natives that are better socially, you still harbor many of the negative sociable traits that still make me not completely like you. It is awesome that you invited me for a beer, but I don't want to go to a local bar, be forced to eat a 'jucy lucy' and make stupid small chat. I don't want to have to be reminded that I live in such a crappy place that the best the natives could offer to be social with a four-year long stranger is a few half-hearted requests to make me do a 'minnesota-centric' outing. (believe me, I don't like to cross-country ski when it is 0 degrees.) Why don't you finally make the time to come to my house this weekend, like I offer about every other month, grill a couple steaks (no, no, for the last time, I really don't want you to bring brats) and actually have decent conversation and be normal.
As a native Minnesotan, and the reason the Blondebombchelle is here in this apparently god-forsaken state, I though it would be appropriate for me to weigh in on the "discussion".
I put discussion in quotes because as typical in posts that express strong opinions, it brings out strong (and sadly, irrational and hateful) responses.
I must be honest, I do have some of those "if you don't like it here, then leave" feelings when I read these comments. I can't help it; I want to defend the place because I actually do like it here. However, I know it isn't for everyone and there are some issues with Minnesota (as there is with every place in the world).
Surprisingly, there were few mentions of the weather, except that ridiculous story about the McGraw-Hill employees which is an urban legend that is usually attributed to Seattle.
The bulk of the complaints can be summed up by one poster: "This place is not quality, it's hateful, humid, cold, judgmental, and the cops are just fascists along with the rest of the state."
I don’t know about cops, they seem to suck wherever you go, but yes it is cold here. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. That’s like going to Hawaii and complaining that you can’t drive anywhere because you’re on an island. No sh*t Sherlock!!!
Also, I can’t believe someone would think that it’s humid in MN. Try Georgia or Florida in June-August, then you'll know what humid is.
What it really comes down to are the people. That seems to be the number one complaint. I would argue that Minnesotans are actually less "hateful and judgmental and fascist" than most of the country. We are progressive and relatively liberal with a “what you do behind closed doors is your business” type of attitude (small town gossip notwithstanding). However, that attitude is a double edged sword as it leads to closed-mindedness and the isolation in one’s own clique.
With all of that being said, there are tens of thousands of us Minnesotans who are open-minded and welcoming to others. For those of you struggling I ask you to keep looking and trying, we are out there. And if you are still struggling, be sure to re-read Blondebombchelle’s reasons why she loves Minnesota: http://blondebombchelle.blogspot.com/2007/07/top-10-things-i-love-about-twin-cities.html
I happened upon this blog after I typed in "Why I hate Minnesota". Imagine how it felt when I saw my exact feelings expressed here. I, too, am from NY and Italian. I find it horrible here! Been here since July, 2007. I had no idea that Minnesotans were so cold, aloof, and judgemental. Imagine my surprise thinking that everyone here was so nice and polite. NOT!!! As soon as they find out that I am from NY it's like some kind of wall goes up. I feel like a leper here. It's sad but true. I could have written this blog verbatim. My feelings exactly. I have nothing good to say about it. I certainly didn't come here feeling this way. I was happy to see what a beautiful, large, and new home I could get for my money. Ready to volunteer at school, in the church, etc. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. They don't welcome out of towners and they don't want your help. Even in the church. Too bad! They are really a closed-minded narrow bunch of people who can have this horrendous state (including your severe storms, cold, and yes, VERY humid summers).
I also found this by googling "I hate Minnesota". SO many of the comments hit straight home. If I have a connection with somebody and we are really starting to "talk about stuff", I instantly ask, "Where are you from?" knowing that they are NOT from MN. IF they were from MN, they would have shut down quickly after finding out I am from Los Angeles... it's like they could completely care less and are almost scared to open a conversation with the risk of having to have another friend. One thing that is funny that I've found here... if I ask "Are you from here? (let's say I'm in Maple Grove that day), they'll say, "OH, no, I'm from Hopkins" or some other city within the twin cities.
What I have found is that the people are nice but they are ALL SET and do not need or have time for anybody new.
ALL of my friends are transplants. It's unbelievable. When I go home to LA, I get in conversations with people, real conversations... here - no, it's all surface... the weather, what else?
The weather is horrible and we are desperately trying to move out of here and back home. We've been here 8 years. The first 3 years were fine... then I started to hate March, then Feb/March, now I hate Jan/Feb/March. I just don't want to keep wishing time away... okay there's only 28 days in Feb, then I just have to make it through March... I want to LIVE life and I just can't here. But the people who grew up here, they seem fine... they know how to DO cold MN or humid MN or mosquito MN. I just can't do it with kids - we're always trapped inside.
I do love the fall Sept-Nov. And Christmas IS fun with snow, but I've learned that I would rather visit the snow/cold weather than live in it for almost 1/2 year. Sorry for the long post, but I am just LOSING it here.
I, too, found the website from gooogling "I hate Minnesota." I cannot agree more with your list on why to "Love Minnesota" and "Hate Minnesota." I want to compliment you on maintaining a respectful tone, too. I am not a native and my husband is not although his parents are and retired to their lake property back here. We moved here from IN 2.5 years ago. My husband has a lot of relatives here but you would never know it.
My biggest complaint is the lack of openness of Minnesotans to meeting new people. I have tried everything from volunteering at different church events to joining groups. Nothing works. I was really pissed. I have kind of come to the conclusion that that is o.k. It is just the way people here seem to be for the most part. I have lived oversees and in Chicago and never had trouble making friends. (The reality of my life is that if I had not hooked up with German speakers in the Twin Cities, I would have absolutely no one. I am not German but speak the language fluently).
I have given my husband "the edict". We are out of here in the next 3 years. He agrees although he probably has more job opportunity here in the medical device field. We are looking at relocating back to IN or Austin, TX. I want to go to a place where I feel INCLUDED and not excluded. I want to feel a part of a community again.
People on either side of the argument do not need to be snide(although I find the irony a bit much when the MN Nice types get angry with anyone criticizing their state. I am used to the behavior as my father-in-law is the poster child for MN passive aggressive.) Just develop a long term plan for yourself. I think you will find yourself enjoying life in MN in the meantime than if you ruminate about how bad it is. I realize the economy makes it tricky but having a goal, provides the light at the end of the tunnel.
While I am not terribly happy here, there have been good things: my husband's career stepped up a couple of notches; my son has gotten to spend time with his paternal grandparents; and I speak better German than I did when I lived in Austria. Good luck to all!
MINNESOTA is not only the worst state in america it is the worst place in the world i have ever lived. I was a army brat and have lived abroad and I would prefer that to minnesota. There is not one single positive thin i can say about minnesota. You did not even scratch the surface on why minnesota sucks.
For what its worth I have always been friendly to the people that come to live here and not "passive agressive" as you say. I think there is alot of stereotype going on. You can find hicks here sure but minnesota home to the most literate city, the healthiest state and I just plain like it. I do like othere states as well but again its home where most people find comfort. Not trying to offend anyone just thought people should be more open.
Ok I have lived in Minnesota my whole life, and no one says Minnesota Nice, and hardly anyone has a weird accent here! The winters aren't that bad once you've lived here, same with the misquitoes. And the hunting thing, the deer population in Minnesota needs to go down and stay there because there are a ton of deer so hunting is a good thing. Oh and by the way, most Minnesotans will eat the meat, and maybe put it on the wall, so it's not like we ALL waste it! And the thing about Minneostans not leaving the boundry is stupid and hardly true! I'm a preteen and I've been out of state, and the country many times!
But so it doesn't sound like I completely love MN I will say one thing, where I live there serisouly is nothing to do!
This is the most connected I've felt with people yet-- when i googled "i hate minnesota." Thanks for most people's respectful comments. I do find it ironic too when Minnesotans defend their state with such derision. There are many ways to live. I will just choose to not do it here.
Some people are stuck here for a season though, so the "if you hate it so much, just effing move" defense doesn't really work. We'll move as soon as we're done with school/residency/ whatever brought us here. Then we'll happily go home. Or somewhere that will feel more like home than this ever has.
I'd add two things: 1- I actually find the honking is much more prevalent than where I'm from. Probably less than both of the coasts, of course, but I find the MN passive aggression and impatience comes out in driving/honking quite often.
Secondly, the customer service here is surprisingly terrible. I've never been made to feel so small by waiters. I guess courtesy was just a given in other places, and I never knew how much I appreciated that.
Well, if every place was like home, I wouldn't miss it so much-- so MN has at least made me appreciate home like I never had. Good luck all, and here's to finding 'home' wherever you are.
A lot of hate towards mn from the comments...I guess it's mainly due to this being the #1 "I hate MN" link on google(usually ever year around this time I want to move cause the winter, so i googled the magic phrase to see what pops up)...people that are in a pissed off mood towards mn, being weather, mn people, or wtf ever reason google the phrase and they can vent here and find common perspectives on the state..
Most native mn's have Scandinavian ancestry, being stoic and reserved are common personality traits that are either genetic or passed down trough family...Being stoic and reserved isn't a good formula for being open and friendly. This may be a reason why you are not finding friends as easily..keep trying though, if ya go drinking at the local bars you will find friends. Keep trying and good luck.
According to some comments ppl seem to absolutely hate this state to them I'd just say leave, it's that easy.
Summers are nice, especially visiting the cabin it's great weather, and lakes and trees are pretty, a lot of open land outside of the cities. The north woods are great for camping and hiking, fresh air and great wilderness...
Winters are a good change, but after about 2 months it gets seriously annoying, all there is to do is work, sit inside and watch movies, and get drunk at the bars on the weekends...Hockey and snowboarding are fun, but it's pretty flat here..I wouldn't recommend living outside of the TC area though, especially if you don't have friends or family, It's cold, dark and boring.
Hunting is very popular especially outside of the cities. If processing was cheap I would hunt deer all the time. Over populating and imo more humanely killed than the meat I would buy at the store..Since I'm a poor college student I can't pick the expensive "organic meats." I do agree though killing a cute animal for fun is kind of evil. I think its more tradition and a bonding thing though.
You will hate mn if u dont' have a group of friends and if you dont have a winter hobby...it seems many non native mn's winter hobby is to complain about mn, id recommend hockey instead.
If mn had longer summers and falls temps instead of the long relentless winters I would love it here..but its the f+ckin winters that get to me
btw nice blog :)
What a relief to find this place! I've felt like a complete outcast/weirdo for so long because I hate living in MN for all the reasons posted here and more.
As soon as my son gradutes this spring, I am so outta here. I've been counting down the days.
I am from Colorado where there are beautiful mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, fresh pine-scented air, interesting historical places to visit, wonderful friendly people, and not to mention, real skiing.
Here in Mankato, we have polluted lakes and rivers, endless miles of crop fields for scenery, the mall for entertainment, plus all the other attributes people have posted here.
Its great to know I'm not alone.
LOL, I also typed I hate Minnesota and found this blog, it made me feel so much better. I am a native, but since I have moved around the state a lot and moved away to the east coast for six years and in that time I think my native card was revoked.
The people here are horrible! I was just downtown Minneapolis on a Saturday Night and it seemed like the city was being invaded by an army of suburban d-bags.
People here are , uninterested/ing and it seems like they are intimdated by opinions.
When I went back to NY for a trip last year I forgot how genuinely NICE New Yorkers are.
Thank you so much for letting me vent and hear the stories of others.
I could take the coldness of the winters if I did not have to deal with the coldness of the people.
I was welcomed into Minnesota by the people, and from a pure recreational standpoint it wasn't bad, but for any serious endeavors, this place is a hell hole of abject incompetence and amateur professionalism. To make it more homogeneous they've invited the refuse populations of the 3rd world to take up residence here.
That doesn't make anything better, though.
Face it. Minnesota sucks.
Then, there's the weather, but that's a minor annoyance compared to the states general populace.
I could not have said it better! Minnesota Nice is just about the most intolerable thing (although maybe that means there is something wrong with me that I want people to know they've peeved me off). And the clique thing is SO true. I have family here and I'm constantly being excluded because I'm not from their 'group' of friends that, as you said, was created long ago. People here border on unfriendly and seem to have an air of elitism. I can't wait to get out of here. Were it not for my husband's amazing job - we'd be gone. We most certainly will be gone before my children are old enough to start school.
hardly any of this is true unless you live outside the metropolian area and i live in MN and kinda take this as an insult, we are not all passive aggresive that is called a stereotype, there is a very wide range of people living here. you seem to focus on the things you dont like and over-exaggerate a lot, be more possitive because this article is bullcrap and you dont know what your talking about.
I couldn't make too much sense of the grammer in that last reply. But I've said it before and I'll say it again. Minnesota sucks. Now I'll say something new, but still obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes. It operates on a bell curve consensus mentality. It's highly influenced by leftist ideology politically.
I have lived in MN for 3 years and that is 2 years longer than I agreed to! I hate the schools (in Hopkins they discriminate based on gender), I hate the weather (I'm from sunny San Diego-enough said), I hate the MN un-nice (the only people who have been nice to me are other "transplants"), I hate the lack of respect on the roads (do we not know that yield means wait your turn?), I hate the snobbish attitude of most of the parents of my kids classmates (they don't like me because I'm "too young to have a 10 year old")-I'm 30, and I hate a lot of the laws, or lack of them. No helmet law-really, what is wrong with lawmakers here? They just passed a booster seat law for older kids this past January and a MN native told me that he didn't appreciate the intrusive law passed on families. Seriously?? My mother in-law is a psychotic, conservative, MN native who gets under my skin everytime she opens her mouth. I am open with my kids on every subject and am tired of people telling me what I should talk about in front of my kids and what I shouldn't. I believe I am their parent, so back off! All in all, I can't wait until my husband and I have saved enough money to go back to CA-where everyone knows me and I get to be the "native snob"!
Its kinda exciting, relieving, & sad at the same time that I find many links on the internet about the shittiness of Minnesota!
I moved from Fayetteville, Arkansas to the Twin Cities in August to start a new life & go to school!
Well, I packed my bags and came back to Arkansas about a week ago after dealing with one of the most existentially challening periods of my life!
I'm 23 years old, single & like to hang out, meet people, have good conversations and work hard!
As soon as I moved to Minneapolis, I realized how better & visually stimulating Arkansas was by a long shot!!
It was incredibly hard to make friends or even trust people in Minnesota. after awhile I actually stopped looking for friends because I realized that even if I tried investing any more time in 'making friends' it would be a waste of time because half the people I met were whiney, self-centered, & cowardly!
And I don't roll like that baby!
I kept a positive attitude, and kept truckin' on and DID meet some good people but at the end of the day I'm the kind of guy who will not hesitate to drop a bad idea like a bad habit.
Moving to Minnesota was one of the best & one of the worst decisions I made in the sense that there's a overwhelming sense of inadequacy or unhappiness or insecurity in the populace and it nearly sucked me in to the vortex of blandness!!!
My social life became pretty much non-existant the moment I was got out of my car after a 10 hour drive to Minnesota.
But not having friends was not an excuse to not explore the cities a little & get acclimated..
Craptown USA -
I wanted to give Minnesota more time - but the people & happenings 'up north' are just out of touch in general.
I got a big ovation when I returned to Arkansas.
the feeling of leaving cold, smug Minnesota and returning into the open arms of the Razorback Nation down in Fayetteville, Arkansas was akin to getting out of prison after a 20-year bid and being greeted by your wife & kids.
-Other than that, the only positive thing I can say about Minnesota is that I was able to meet & romance a few beautiful and SEXUALLY STARVED women, that I was able to make A LOT OF MONEY in 2 months, and that Summit Beer is damn good!!!
Also the people at Alary's Bar in downtown Saint Paul treated me real good!
- Amen
I have lived in this state for a dozen or so years because of my job. It is just terrible. The people are nasty and mean as hell. But that is ignorable if you have no need for meaningful or positive human companionship.
As you can guess, I too hate Minnesota. But lately, what was once a bad situation has turned into something only slightly darker.
Have you heard of Gangstalking? The hidden evil? This involves the police and fusion centers and is an unregulated part of the Department of Homeland Security. I guess all it takes to get onto these "lists" they work off of is to have a nasty neighbor report suspicious behavior or disturbing the peace. Then you are fair game to be hunted by groups of, I guess cults is what they are.
I talked to one today and he was a straight up racist/ White Nationalist. Came right out and said that Black people should just not marry Whites and referenced the O.J. verdict. How many years ago was that?! Don't ask me how I know, but now I can tell who they are now. It's the vibe and the smug expression and they are almost always holding out cell phones in an unnatural way while walking.
But looking up this behavior on the internet, I am struck by how close these behaviors that Gangstalker's exhibit are to the average Minnesotan's behavior. There isn't really that much!
The people here are really descended from peasants mostly. And I think they brought some of this system over with them. And now with the internet and cell phones it has gone viral and all the psychologically murderous people in the world are naturally drawn to it.
I'm telling you that there is a lot of it here. Beware. Maybe that rudeness is not just rudeness after all. For a lot of these people it is a primary skill, and it is like they want to provoke a reaction like the Gangstalking info outlines. It is also psychic attacks and subliminal NLP techniques.
The banality of evil they call it. And I bet we are ground zero for this. The new KKK.
I have only been in Minnesota for a short time and have found that the taxes are extremely high, the weather is very brutal and the people are either racist or naturally rude. Don't move to northern Minnesota, it is run by white people that are 100% hill jacks! They also fear higher education in the northern region, if you have a degree higher than a GED you will not do well here.
What a bunch of losers, boo hoo no one likes me and I have no friends, the winters are cold. too many lakes, they hunt animals. Sounds like most of you need psychological therapy. Do us all a favor and get the hell out of our state, you bunch a mamby-pambys!
I live in Northern Minnesota and we are not "Hill Jacks" I must admit that I find this blog a little insulting. You can move to any state and have issues meeting people or fitting in. As for the weather, well yes I agree it can be quite brutal. But I hardly think it is fair to judge an entire population based on your stereotypical point of view. Have you only lived in the "Twin Cities" area? Have you bothered to explore the rest of the state? Let’s try to have an open mind here. ? Well, sweet heart I’ll be flat out aggressive --- it's a big state and I think your view is a bit skewed and highly irrational! You can't possibly speak for an entire population--Very prejudicial.
*I live in Northern Minnesota and we are not "Hill Jacks" I must admit that I find this blog a little insulting. You can move to any state and have issues meeting people or fitting in. As for the weather, well yes I agree it can be quite brutal. But I hardly think it is fair to judge an entire population based on your stereotypical point of view. Have you only lived in the "Twin Cities" area? Have you bothered to explore the rest of the state? Let’s try to have an open mind here. So you think that all people from Minnesota are passive aggressive? Well, sweet heart I’ll be flat out aggressive --- it's a big state and I think your view is a bit skewed and highly irrational! You can't possibly speak for an entire population--Very prejudicial.
Oh, and by the way... I hate hunting also, but i'm a vegetarian... and if you are not you are just as bad as those "hunters" if not worse...
First off, thanks for the blog. It's like a breath of fresh air to know there are other people who share my opinion about MN. Been all around the country, and there is no place as cold and unfriendly as MN. My advice to MN transplants is to treat the isolation you feel as an opportunity to get to more know, love, and accept who you are, and make some $ (which I admit is easier to do in MN than some some other places). Give up (at least temporarily) all searches for external validation, cuz you ain't gonna find it. Don't give MN natives the satisfaction of going to bars, parties, and social gatherings in the hopes of meeting people, just to come away feeling rejected and ostracized. Go to the gym, lose 40 lbs. like I did, let your hard work and class speak for itself, get around to reading all those books you always wanted to, save money, and, in short, better yourself for that place far from there where you'll be accepted and appreciated and to which you'll inevitably move and happily call home. Believe me, it's out there.
I came from Mexico City as a graduate student. I was expecting an improvement in my quality of life (you know, "living in the first world"). Instead, I found myself living in an apartment a lot smaller than the ones of my friends back in Mexico (and also more expensive). My neighborhood is filled with stupid people who do not know what a leash or a poop bag is (I have a dog, by the way). Mexico City is by no means bicycle friendly, but I had never been the target of a blood-thirsty bus driver until I came here.
The food sucks! I went to Chipotle and I threw away almost everything. Only "fancy" restaurants seem to be good. I say "fancy" because the food is not too expensive when you compare it to "cheap" places.
I moved here in July and I loved the summer. However, it ended suddenly and the 7 month long winter is still not over. I do not have to say how much I hate it. I used to live in the middle of the Sonora desert...
There is no such thing as "Minnesota nice". I broke my ankle while running with my dog (because the people is too lazy to clean the leaves in the fall, and they were covering a hole which was in the middle of the sidewalk). Nobody was willing to help me without a payback. I am still covering some of my "friend's" job hours as a return for their "help" while I was at the hospital. In Mexico, when something similar happened to a friend, we would even carry him up the stairs or pay him a taxi just because.
Also, this is the most boring place where I have lived. There is nothing to do and nothing to see, except the freaking ice everywhere!
I came here because of my thesis advisor. He comes from Siberia and he loves this place. I should have known that before coming...
I live in northern MN and I hate it. The people are not friendly and are very passive aggressive. I like the winters for the snow sports, but I hate being so isolated from a proper city. No Duluth is not a proper city, it is just another hick town.
You are so right! The only people who know "Minnesota nice" is a myth are people who come here from somewhere else. Actually, most Minnesotans are clannish and at least somewhat xenophobic. My husband grew up here and he often comments on behaviors that he thinks of as unique and special to MN, such as giving another driver a nod or wave if he lets you turn first. Really. I'm pretty sure those are universal behaviors.
As for the winters, what can I say that hasn't been said. I've lived here for 30 years and really tried to get to like it at first. But I hate it and can't wait for the day when I can leave!
I am a native Minnesotan, and like you who all grew up somewhere else in the world, I hate Minnesota, no hate is too small of a word – I DISPISE MINNESOTA! Yeah growing up was quiet, that is why our parent’s liked it (oooh…and our wonder bread LOL I got a huge laugh out of that one! – it’s just the cheapest bread in MN) but it isn’t quiet anymore, the kids can’t just run out and run loose anywhere anytime as they could when I was growing up because the media has tarnished that, plus with the additions of cell phones it is just chaos now; but there are some realistic things that people have to take into consideration before moving to Minnesota – winters are cold (-50 wind chill is cold for native Minnesotans too) but the extreme weather does things to roads – hence construction (a Minnesotan will tell you we have 4 seasons = still winter, construction, almost winter, winter – but it doesn’t make us like living here - I mean in reality we bitch and moan about it too).
Minnesota-nice – hell I didn’t know such thing existed! I know I’m not nice and I have never met a true nice person in the state that doesn’t expect something back from you, and again I am 24 years old and have lived in Minnesota for 21 of the 24.
The filthy lakes with the dead floating fish hahaha, the rivers and the beaches – ahh that’s just a typical Minnesotan trying to escape the twin cities and going up north for a weekend for peace and a sense of sanity, if we had an ocean I’m sure we’d be there. And, yes Miss NY – it is a great feeling to walk up and down the beach and look out to a vast ocean. But a fact of life is when fish die they float, and if you don’t want your taxes going up more so we can hire more DNR to clean out the dead fish then we have to let nature take it’s course and let the ecosystem do it’s thing. And really what the F is the difference between the dead floating fish in the ocean and the dead floating fish in the lake? Different breed and that’s it – a fish is a fish, they die and that’s it. Get the f over it – crybabies!
Speaking of the DNR, the hunting, the big bad hunter and the bunny rabbit (or in most cases the deer), it is very typical for hunting in Minnesota – but fishing is worse. Hunting is sad, and I am a person with a big heart, but I married a hunter, so I guess we can’t all win now can we? I do know that the deer get too heavily populated and as a result they die because the grass in the winter months is hard for them to dig out so every fall the hunters do their thing, which is fine as it keeps my car in one piece and a deer free windshield. Do you want them dying quickly with a gunshot to the liver or kidney or a slow death from starvation? Have you seen what a deer can do to a car? And how many people die from deer hitting the car each year? But human’s will never stop driving will they? Event he people that bitch about Global warming turn the ignition on and drive away – maybe in a hybrid but really it’s still giving out fumes. Ride a bike!
The accent, dontcha know, is extremely tiring – if you tell, comment, or ask a Minnesotan to say something or laugh when we say boat - we will automatically dis-like you. We got tired of it from that Bobby’s World show, plus when we go on vacation and people laugh, or the movies Fargo, or Grumpy Old Men (which not every Minnesotan has seen). But no matter where you grow up you have an accent (to all Minnesotans, a Jersey accent is probably the most annoying, the grinding, low, deep and hystracial accent, then new York and then the south). See we all have accents, is it OreGONE or OreGEN? Cas-ele or Cas-TEL?
The party scene/people problems of Minnesota that you’re all having, yes, we are passive aggressive people but the aggressiveness is usually on the road (Wisconsin drivers make us mad LOL). If you act dumb, or are drunk or don’t like a sport, or comment on how you love the Packers – we have issues already with you. First Impression is big in Minnesota, we don’t have or want the time for small talk or catch up – that’s only at family events or chit chatting on the phone while you’re pasing your living room wondering when the hell you can get off the phone because the person you’re talking to is soo annoying! Even a native Minnesotan isn’t friends with everyone they have grown up with, some of my closest friends are those that I met just a few years ago and I can’t stand the ones I grew up with.
Oh and about us not being able to speak our minds, yes we avoid it only so we don’t swear and make ourselves look bad (impressions are everything and we don’t have/want the time – if you swear first in an argument you can really see us unleash (tempt only if you know what is coming). But maybe you all aren’t trying the right thing – try hunting or fishing, go to a stinky lake, the twins game, monster trucks, the bar scene (if you are a man looking for a woman – don’t do this one, we Minnesotan ladies do not like being hit/talked to/commented on by a man we don’t know – you’ll have better chances at a movie theater by yourself getting any action), ATVing, driving, boating, horseback riding, trails, running, sports locations, fitness center, golf, restaurants (Applebee’s hahaha – so true!) but do something a Minnesotan is doing by nature (remember nature vs. nurture only got us soo far as you’re all stating) because what a person from another state is doing obviously isn’t working. Get on our level because what is common practice where you’re from isn’t common in our Minnesota Backwater Hillbilly Facisist and Communist state. Either we’ve tried it and it doesn’t work here, or we really don’t care to learn it.
The big reason you’re all having problems is because either you’re bitching about Minnesota (which is what Minnesotan’s do already and don’t need the reminder) or you’re not doing something they do and we Minnesotan’s don’t like doing something we’re not accustomed too as we would like to be in our backwater dirty lake – feel free to jump in though the water is great and the fish stay away from you as long as you keep moving, otherwise enjoy a free massage.
The state bird (mosquito) are just things we put up with, we don’t like them but we’re not cry babies either, it is what it is a - damn bug – wear some repellent or put on a sweater so we don’t have to listen to you blabber and cry, but I don’t know a single Minnesotan who hasn’t left Minnesota at one point or another for vaca, I think that the 93% (is that a real statistic?) just want to stay with what they know.
The road construction, the city taxes, and yes the paying for one’s garbage sucks! The cops suck everywhere though – everywhere but that is a nature in itself.
I, a Minnesotan, now believe the problem is that you got this belief in your head about Minnesota Nice and friendly drivers (oh, and I have never seen a Minnesotan stop at a green light and by the next green light the car behind them didn’t honk – usually they wouldn’t let off the horn for another mile. I don’t know who came up with Minnesota Nice but they had to have been smoking the biggest reefer ever – Minnesotans are not nice drivers), and came here thinking you’d fit right in even though you don’t like hunting, fishing, ATVing, Applebee’s (have you gone downtown or to Woodbury?!), lake side beaches and it’d all be honky-dory and we’d ask all about you and where you came from? No – we don’t care where the heck you came from, we don’t want to hear about it at all – why cuz we don’t care. At work we want to work and get the hell out of there so we can go home and see the people that actually mean something to us, why would we care about you? That’s not why we get paid – we don’t get paid to listen to what happened to your mother’s best friend’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin – If you can trace your family and family friend’s that far you are the one with problems –We don’t care it is as simple as that – we don’t care! We don’t care about eachother, we don’t care about you, we don’t care about anything but the people we like and love and the hobbies that mean something to us, we don’t expect you to understand but we sure as hell didn’t ask you to come here only to get in our way and tell us what is the new trick you taught your dog!
I hate Minnesota too but it’s mostly because there really isn’t anything to do – beaches in the summer, ATV in the fall watch out for hunters, construction in the summer, snowmobiling in the winter but really other than that we’re boring people – the mall is one place we do avoid – it’s a tourist trap, all those stores are also somewhere else in Minnesota and we would rather drive another 25 mins away than deal with the France Ave bullshit and the high mark ups at the mall, the other stores are cheaper – a fact the MOA didn’t fill ya in on LOL.
If the food sucks here, then why are you eating it? Personally the food sucks down south we might like our fish but that doesn’t mean we enjoy crawfish – go to cub or rainbow and buy something and then cook with that stove that cost so much – ooh the housing was another thing that bothered all of you. Lake side housing is because all those people that live and grew up in Minnesota and can’t stand neighbors and tourist have those giant houses, they’re very expensive! VERY! Not because we want the backwater scenery, but because we don’t want to see each other, we saw people at work all day – home is our time (NEVER JUST SHOW UP AT SOMEONE’S HOUSE – YOU’LL LOOSE A FRIEND FAST!). Another reason, we have basements for those severe storms we get – we like shelter, there is a hole in the ground for that reason = shelter. And the apartment complexes, the same reason – the hallway is the tornado shelter. I didn’t like it either but seeing as there is no basement in a lot of the apartment complexes outside of downtown it serves as shelter. And in the winter months it serves as a walkway from the garage to the home so you don’t have to walk 6 blocks in the cold.
It’s a different culture, if you can’t accept it then I would say - that because of our frigid winters and our humid summers – thank God I was raised here so I have a backbone and when I leave I can take all of you on in your state because it doesn’t sound like you guys have a back bone, especially New York – really you’re from New York, the busiest place in the world and you’re complaining that Minnesota is boring – well didn’t they teach you anything in school? – Minnesota never made the busy list. Thank God for the taxes that paid for my education! We didn’t ask you to come here, just like when we move out of state we didn’t ask to go there, it’s work, work is money and money is survival. It is every man for themselves in Minnesota and if you don’t realize that now, it’ll be a hard and bumpy road. You ask us for something, you better have something in return makes no difference if your family or friend; that line we all say “ah your family (friend) forget about it, it’s what we’re suppose to do” really means “oh I know right now you need this, but one day when I fall down you better be ready to give me something”. If we say sorry, you say it’s ok (even if it’s not – let it go, we don’t care to argue it’s a waste of time! What does it prove? Get me a beer and I’ll argue! At least we can be humorous). But really, what did you expect? That is what you have to ask yourself?
I have lived in other states and I think the worst was Texas, and I’ve been to Oklahoma (I’ll never go back it’s fly central and then people move the flies off their food and keep eating – eww! And people have garbage bags for windows but take better care of their car – why?! Beats the F out of me!), but Texas – ahh good old oil state – what a nightmare and a half. Really Houston was terrible. So see we all hate somewhere. I know once I leave Minnesota (once God graces my checkbook lol) I’ll never come back, but it’s not for the reasons you guys have – those are just a different culture shocks and you have to become part of the culture to make friends, accept it – you’ll be better off. Or you can keep your pride and not have any friends. Hope you all find what you’re looking for but seriously, swallow the pride and jump in – the water is great!
Ok, I am a native Minnesotan, my early childhood has some fond (and not so fond) memories but as my childhood progressed I felt like I didn't belong and was eager to leave and explore new places. And that's exactly what I did. After spending time on both coasts, I came back to Minnesota because my husband got a great job offer and I thought it would be nice to be near family again. It is nice to be near family, but I am also unhappy living here. Oddly, the longer I stay, the longer I feel like that high schooler again, ostracized, different, alone, and eager to leave. My husband is also eager to leave (he is a non-native). Of course after living in San Diego, it is hard to deal with the weather here. I thought the heartiness of stomping to school through several feet of snow during my entire youth in my moon boots would return, but it didn't. But I knew it would be cold here, I remembered that part, and that's not what gets me. It's the people. I agree that there is this passive-aggressiveness here, that people are not very open to making new friends, but there's also this thing about 'conforming'. You don't want to stand out. You don't want to be 'different'. Different is bad. New ideas are bad. Quirkiness is bad. Senses of humor are bad. Speaking your mind is bad. Drawing attention to yourself is bad. And due to this, one becomes either very uncomfortable and/or very...self-conscious. Back in high school I felt like maybe I was a loser. Maybe I wasn't 'cool' enough to fit in, maybe I didn't have the 'right' clothes or 'say' the right things. I think the only thing correct was the bit about the clothes. I fit in with the folks at Harvard. I fit in with the Capitol Hill folks in DC. And I fit in with the surfers and free spirits in San Diego. But I cannot seem to fit in with the people here in Minnesota. It's depressing, honestly. I feel like I can't be myself. Like I'm supposed to be like everyone else and if I'm not no one will accept me. It sucks. Honestly, I've had a lot of hurt feelings over this. Facebook reconnected me with a lot of people I went to school with, and, wow, I understand now why I did not like high school. They are all 'frenemy' friends. Nice to your face, but secretly hate you. And you can feel it. The smallest of things make people angry with you. I am overly conscious about trying to be extra nice and polite to make friends and I still manage to piss people off. I wore my shoes in someone's house after they told me I could "leave my shoes on if I'd like" when I entered. I didn't know that was a test. Now they don't speak to me anymore over it. I'm not allowed over anymore. They posted angry comments and articles about how rude it is to wear your shoes in someone's house for a solid YEAR after that incident. It's awful. We are looking to leave ASAP. I just can't take the people here anymore. My family are wonderful people, but outside of my family I just feel downright uncomfortable here.
Why, thank you everyone, for bashing your fellow citizens so terribly. I myself am from Minnesota, and it's true that you do indeed have some valid points. However, I find it utterly ridiculous that you'd go so low as to call us pathetic. Please explain to me why it's necessary that the smart kids all go to a prestigious school just because they've been labeled as the braniac? If you go to Harvard or Yale, you're paying for the name of the school, not the education you receive. If you can't survive the winter, I could just as easily retaliate by saying that you're weak. Yes, many, MANY of our inhabitants are cold and not friendly. But outside of the Twin Cities, that's not true. I personally live extremely close to the cities, and near some of Minnesota's wealthiest counties, where there tends to be cliquey snobs on every block. But if you pinheads would take some time to travel outside of Minneapolis, you'd realize how much in Minnesota there is to admire than complain and whine about. I could just as easily say that Iowa is boring and dull, and that everyone in New Jersey could fit in on Jersey Shore. I could also say that everyone down South must marry their cousin. Is that true? You'd say no, correct? There's plenty of things to whine and complain about in Minnesota. Especially our government. But if you don't like it here, please get out before we release our wild deer on you and go hick-crazy. Because we're clearly evil, have severe xenophobia, and it's most definitely our fault that you get a mosquito bite or two when you visit.
And considering I'm 14, you all appear very insolent as well as uneducated and unscrupulous. And no, I did not use a thesaurus.
Coming from a Minnesotan, born and raised..Minnesota is amazing. Hunting? The animals are overpopulated. We EAT them. We don't just leave them for prizes. Would you rather them starve in the Winter? Freeze? Get hit by a car? Didn't think so. Our winters are cold. If we didn't like it, We'd move. They are plenty of people who aren't blonde. Minnesotans are nice. Would you rather us be mean? I know a lot of people who speak their minds. Its a stereotype. Our food,is amazing. Wild rice soup-THE BEST. We have deli's, tons of pizza. Pasta. Cliques? EVERYWHERE has cliques. Its not just Minnesota. People from anywhere tend to stick with their friends, people they're comfortable with. People that move here from Colorado, instantly made tons of friends. Shut up, and get your facts straight until you come and live here. Don't listen to all the freakin stereotypes. Crazies.
I wish I had discovered this post before I moved here. It took me 8 months to figure out it wasn't just me. The people here just suck.
http://mostminnesotansnotnice.blogspot.com/
You don't understand how people could kill animals, yet you long for 4 pounds of pepperoni on a deli sandwich?
I'm from Minnesota. I love our beautiful women, and that they outnumber men almost 2-1. I love my group of friends (clique) and all the out-of-staters that have infiltrated it. I love that we take care of our children and have great schools. Our Highways are still better to drive on than the 101. I love having conversations with people from out of state. I love making new friends. I love living here, but also loved living in other states, and canada. I love the cold, but its because I'm not of southern european decent. Go figure that people with lineage from northern Europe would like the cold weather.
The one thing I noticed was that most people who commented already had their minds made up about their hatred for our descent state. And go figure, most people miss where they're from, and think things were much better for them there. New Yorkers made me feel like a nobody, Californians made me feel like a bumpkin, and Most of the mountain time zone is very closed off to outsiders. If you hate Minnesota, Email me at Mr.jchips@gmail.com, Come here, and I'll show you a good time. You can stay at my place, and we'll go out tubing, or fishing, or to a concert, or sporting event, or snowmobiling, or a bonfire with a bunch of us sh#tty Minnesotans. Yes I like living here, but most of you all seem to love where you were born and raised too.
~John Roland, proud Minnesotan
P.S. I'm dead serious about vacationing here... It is a good time.
I have lived in MN for a year and I would say that Minnesotans are close minded. They do not know how to talk to new people. I was in high school and the kids there made me felt like a stranger. Living there is the lowest point of my life.
Minnesota fuckin sucks. It is the worst place in the world. At first I thought was there something wrong with myself. But no it was just that Minnesotans fuckin sucks.
Minnesota is a beautiful state that is wasted on Minnesotans. Minnesotans complain about the taxes, but the only time I ever heard of protests (at least pre-tea party) in MN was when the govt. was considering raising the cost of a fishing license, for Heaven's sake!
Passive-aggressive is just a fancy way to say asshole.
Luckily, you can meet a nice person here, it just won't be a native MInnesotan. My wife has lived in MN since college, but she never "became" a Minnesotan, thank God. If you are considering dating someone, and wish to find out if they are Minnesotan (and the brain-damaged elocution doesn't tip you off, just ask the person if fishing is more important than God and Mom, and the answer will tell you for sure what you have.
I've lived in over 10 places in my life as an Air Force dependent and Minnesota is by far the worst place I've lived. People here are two faced, moody and rude. Minnesota nice is being too nice. I went to college in Florida, but if you dare to say one thing about Florida here, people tear you apart. Minnesota is the worst place I've lived or visited. I've been here a year and a half. Came here for a job since there are a lot of openings, but no wonder, no one wants to live here. The end. Great article.
Psh, you people who aren't hardcore enough to take Minnesota should just leave. We don't need you.
PS: There are a ton of lists that put MN on top for standard of living. And we DO have some of the best schools. Test scores don't lie. I LOVE Minnesota and will always defend my beloved home state against idiots such as yourself.
people are who they are, being from minnesota does not make them "minnesotan" i live here and sure some off my friends have the minnesotan qualities but most do not. Its just a stereotype you all have. if i were to take people randomly from all over america and put them on a island and nobody said where they were from i bet almost all of you coudn't point out who the minnesotans were or any other part of the country for that matter
I agree MN nice is over-rated. I'd rather be blunt. Go back to wherever you came from(rat infested NYC or allegedly "pollution free" Colorado) With a pompous attitude and irritating personality, there is no way to will fit in anywhere else.
My favorite comment about Minnesotans was from an Indian guy from CA I met in a pub: "Minnesotans will give you directions to everywhere but their home." I lived in the state for almost 16 years and agree that it is extremely difficult to forge long-lasting deep friendships with anyone if you are not originally from the state. I think most of it stems from the largely Scandanavian culture, but it's a bit more than that, too. The Minnesotan "vortex of xenophobia" cuts across almost all ethnicities who hail from the lake state. It's like there's a baptism they go through that tells them not to talk very long to anyone they didn't go to grade school with. I've made a handful of good friends along the way, but I went out a lot, so don't give me the "why don't you get over your ego and try to meet people" speech. It's the first thing they'll do - make it seem like something's wrong with *you*, not all of them. It's very effective because most rational people will encounter the situation and think "maybe I'm doing something wrong." Take it from a veteran, you're not. It's them. Part of it can also be attributed to the insular "we are all awesome" delusional mentality that afflicts almost everyone, too. For example, there are a ton of blonde women in the state, but almost all are plain Jane vanilla, not Nordic supermodels. That would be fine, but they virtually all think they're the latter, even while in the standard MN Monday-through-Saturday flip-flops, ugly black boots & frumpy dumper outfits. The guys aren't any different - they also think they're God's gift to women. Everyone thinks they're too good for everyone else (unless they went to grade school together), so it's no wonder they hardly meet anyone else in a dating sense - especially people from out of town. My God, the audacity! It's also why the idiot waiter or valet who made poor educational choices acts like he's better than you. "I'm not supposed to be here" or "it's just temporary" even though I've seen you there for the last ten years. Having said all that, the native Minnesotans (who you'll see are the *only* ones who get defensive about the subject) are correct when they say, "If you don't like it, leave." There's no way in hell you're ever going to change a whole group of people, so you either have to suck it up, or get out. It took a long time due to job choices, family, and kids, but we're finally doing the latter. The winter might get to some people, but I'm from North Dakota, so I can handle the weather if necessary. The people? Liberal, but not diverse. Stand in homogenous lockstep or be shunned. No thanks. I'll meet more people in San Francisco in 16 weeks than I met in 16 years in Minnesota. Good riddens. And to think I never got around to talking about how freaking FAT everyone is, too. To quote Anna Wintour during a visit to the Land O' Lakes: "everyone looks like little houses here."
I too hate MN. Hate the endless winter, the endless ugliness. And I am leaving as soon as I can. Came back for a job, but it simply isn't worth it to stay. MN is very expensive and I simply cannot see why. I've lived in CA, in the Bay Area, which is not cheap. There I understood why it was expensive. But here? What is so great about living here? Absolutely nothing.
Minnesota is not an ideal place to raise your kids if you are an outsider or the wrong kind of minority. The locals don't even realize that they are being borderline racist with their body language and passive aggresive remarks. If you are used to an honest and feedback-based social/professional relationship, you are screwed. Your boss never tells you how you are doing until the day he/she politely fires you. The teacher never tells you how your child is doing until the last day of school. Then you are politely told that he failed. I have lived in a neighbourhood for 10 years and yet when I ring the bell of one of the neighbours to give her misplaced mail, her BFF from another house pokes her head from the kitchen window and enquires what i was doing there like some kind of hostile cop. I told her to mind her own business. The bridge had been burned irrevocably. Once I had to call 911 because my mother had fainted from low BP. Another nice and polite lady tells me "We don't like cops coming to our street" I literally felt like throwing something at her. As another poster said, if you speak your mind in minnesota, you may as well say goodbye to whatever little social life you had. Its as if, Minnesota suffers from a form of social communication disorder when it comes to dealing with the rest of the world.
My brother in law is a native Minnesotan and my wife and I moved to Northern MN where they were located. He didn't want my wife and I to babysit their 2 boys because he didn't "know me" and wasn't sure that I was trustworthy. This sums up the provincial attitude in this miserable state. Now, I offered to go out for a beer or a hike (y'know, so he could get to know me better) but he was full of excuses. When the family would get together, he would eventually excuse himself so he could hang out in his office. Fast forward 5 years later and I found out through my sister in law, that he thinks I'm ok. Gee, thanks for your endorsement that I received second hand.
I know this sounds like a story told before: I was born in NYC, grew up in NJ and Florida and have been in 46 of the 50 states. I have friends and acquaintances from states that I've spent time in...except the Gopher state.
Before I left, I was asked by 2 local women what I thought about MN. I told them that it was provincial and small minded. You should've seen the look on their faces. Sorry, if you ask me a question, be prepared to receive an honest answer. The only thing I thought was decent was the North Shore and Lake Superior.
Oh, I agree with the inability to laugh at themselves as Nursedale said. My wife also saw 'Fargo' in MN and dissatisfaction was palpable. That's the difference between a New Yorker and a Minnesotan; we know we have an accent and making a joke about is fine. If you dish it out, be prepared to take it also. It's not an accident that the MTM show revealed the dating scene in Minneapolis to suck not to mention Sinclair Lewis' 'Main Street' showing the small mindedness of MN.
I lived in Mn for 45 years and grew to hate it! Why? Because WINTER! Life is just too short to spend possibly 7 months of every year stuck for the most part inside. I live in florida now and kick myself for not moving sooner. Now i can ride my bikes, motorcycles and corvettes all year long, take my dog outside for a walk and just generally go outside without having to be all bundled up and running to my car. It feels like cheating lol. this year especially, as i type this its 70 degrees and will be 80 later today. In Mn its -2 degrees with a wind chill of -11 with temps falling in the teens below zero and wind chills hitting 25 below! And dont get me started about the roads and salt and potholes. Life is just so much easier and enjoyable when its warm outside. Sure FL gets pretty hot and there is a chance for a hurricane or two , but I`ll deal with those problems all day long, so i can just go outside in shorts and a t-shirt almost all year long , instead of a couple months at best. You guys do the math!!
People in Minnesota are rude and small minded. They is mental illness running wild and these people think they are normal. I have lived here to long and I am just looking forward to moving. Many people that are not from here say people are not nice and don't want to socialize outside of their click.
People in Minnesota are rude, cannot drive, think diversity is segregation, and are introverts that are afraid of their shadow. Seriously people are just plain crabby. They grew up here and live here, and yet they complain about the snow. I hate the snow there is nothing to do. Here's an idea move. I can't move my family who is my entire network in life lives here. Minnesota people are Scandinavian and German. Crabby people that are stubborn. The metropolitan area has no real mass transit that is effective in moving people. The roads are outdated. They are suppose to be educated right! Watering the lawn daily and mowing the lawn down to the dirt is not smart.
I know this is an old post but just had to chime in. We lived in a vey nice suburb about 20 minutes from Minneapolis. My husband had a great job, and we had a beautiful brand new house. It wasn't enough to keep us there. I thought being a stay at home mom would give me the chance to meet other moms and make friends. Not a chance. At the mall play area, at the park, anywhere you might meet other moms, they dont come alone. Moms in MN travel in groups, so it's very hard to meet people when they are already with friends. Other moms in my daughters preschool? Nope. I introduced myself to one mom on the first day of school and she looked at me like I was an alien. I would make small holiday treat bags for my daughters classmates and not one thank you. Basically I felt like I was invisible most of the time. My husband had work friends, but none who would come over on the weekends. Our neighbors were nice, of course many were transplants as well.
It's too bad really because the area we were in is beautiful. We loved going into the city on the weekends and riding our bikes by the lakes. But after a while you get tired of hanging out by yourself. So the first chance we had we moved back to Chicago. The house we bought wasn't even ready and my daughter and I made friends at the local pool. I have two new good friends, other moms at my daughters preschool. I can't explain why it was so hard. People from Mn always say "oh people here are just busy with their family, no time for new friends. Really? The friends I have also have families but we still manage to get together. Our children play together. With all the advantages my daughter would have had in MN, I didn't want her growing up in such an isolated bubble. I could take the winters in MN no problem. Heck it's not much different from Chicago, but the iciness of the people is hard to deal with.
PBR on tap and drinkin past last call the whiskey bottles empty so pour me another round Northern Minnesota the best godamm state around (The Ironrange Outlaw Brigade)
I have lived in Minnesota for 35 years and I hate it here. I grew up in Illinois and lived in Colorado for 7 years but moved here to be closer to family and met my husband who will never leave so I am stuck here unless I want to leave him here. We now live in the far north and it is even worse than the cities where I worked for large corporations. I can handle the weather and have made peace with the hunting culture. The people make me crazy. They do not form any kind of deep relationships. Everything is surface. I have a fair number of "friends", but it is all shallow - their "homies" and fam are always more important. If you don't have kids, that's another reason to be considered different. I have thought it was me, but we spent time in Arizona last winter and being with people from other states made me realize I'm not crazy. I'm just so tired of feeling alone here. Fortunately we are going back to Arizona again.
I think you are right!
Oh no hunting wa wa wa. More humane than the fat fucks stuffing their faces with burgers at McDonalds, that's for damn sure. Minnesota sucks for sure, but you're a dumb cunt, so you fit right in.
Wow, is the C-Word necessary? And to post such a vile thing about someone you've never met and to be anoymous about it. How very brave of you.
I agree with you 100% Vaga...and the poster Annonymous. I have lived in Minensota for 22 years. Me being from out of state as well I can certainly agree that people here lock onto the same friends they have had since kindergarten. Any newcomers are not welcome. The passive-aggressiveness kills me. The fake Minnesota Nice kills me. Also, in addition to all of the things listed in this article, I am also a minority and whether people admit it or not this state is cold to anyone not born/raised here. The state is even colder when it comes to accepting minortities from outside of their state. The whole "let them live in their area, but dont have them come to my cul-de-sac" is the overwhelming sentiment. I hate this place and when my child graduates from high school (5 more years), I am gone!
Also, me being from New York originally, I would take a knish over a corn dog or a Pronto Pup (or whatever you people call it) any day, any time!!
Thank you! I feel like I can make it through another day in snobville MN. Seriously, most of my neighbors are just plain mean. Unfriendly would be fine, but my son was threatened by an adult, my other son was bullied at school. My neighbor SHOT my cat when he got out. I gave his DOG water when he wandered into my yard and they weren't home:/ People I have never met gossip about me. A few have stopped their car in front of my house to see what I am doing. Some nosy people even stalk and insult my social media and website. They are all rich, self obsessed, and not even close to nice. They are FAKE. I am thankful for what I have, but I'm not sure its worth it. Yes, I Hate Minnesota..... A little more all the time.
For what it's worth, I'm Minnesotan, born and raised. Even us natives feel this way if we move to a new area in the state. Minnesotans in general are "nice" as long as you keep your distance from them. That is, of course, unless you have some juicy gossip to share but after that they are done with you.
Minnesota has to be the laughingstock of the United States.
Minnesota is full of obnoxious jerks who think that Minnesota is the
best place to live in the world. I beg to differ... I've lived here my
entire life, and I hate it!!! Nothing to do, expensive, etc. The
"natives" that are proud to boast that they're from Minnesota need a
reality check. I would love to know how many people can hardly wait to
move to Minnesota; there's some serious self delusion at work here!!!
I have lived in many places on this planet. Never have I been made to feel so unwelcome as I have here.
As soon as I can, I will be leaving this xenophobic, clique-haven with
ugly, horsefaced, man-hating women. Fuck Minnesota, fuck the nasty,
stupid people that live here.
I've got one question that will anwser this debate.If mn is
soooooooooooooooo great its not by the way . Why then when you type the
question why do minnesotans suck on google do 10 web pages people count
em 10 pages at least solid of sites devoted to hating this shit hole why
people why is it so good again?
Minnesota Nice is a crock of shit, worst drivers in the country. I was
born here, lived here all of my life, minnesotans make me sick. Why?
They are retards, that's why. Retards who have never been anywhere more
interesting than a tourist trap like Cancun. And the women here are fat
long faced dogs with nasal voices. Minnesotans are hicks, plain and
simple, educated or not, wealthy or not, who know nothing about food or
how to drive or what a real "ski area" is. It ain't Welch village or
Buck Hill! Go eat some more shit food at the bar while you piss away
money on pulltabs retards, that's all you're good for. Fishing also
sucks scrotum compared to Canada. Classless cheap fat stupid hicks ya
knoooow.
Minneasota does suck. I also have lived here all my life but have
traveled all over the USA. People in MN are so RUDE! I don't get the "MN
nice thing" it is all bull crap. The weather sucks, people suck.
Fuck MN. Its a crap hole full of NORTH NECKS. I dont care about what some poll said because there are dozens of other polls that disagree. Ranked by the game cranium?? thats supposed to actually mean something??? The food sucks, the women are ugly and over weight, the dating scene is horrible, the people are not friendly, the roads are the worst I have ever driven... the list goes on and on. Minnesota needs to wize the fuck up.
Minnesota Nice is a crock of shit, worst drivers in the country. I was born here, lived here all of my life, minnesotans make me sick. Why? They are retards, that's why. Retards who have never been anywhere more interesting than a tourist trap like Cancun. And the women here are fat long faced dogs with nasal voices. Minnesotans are hicks, plain and simple, educated or not, wealthy or not, who know nothing about food or how to drive or what a real "ski area" is. It ain't Welch village or Buck Hill! Go eat some more shit food at the bar while you piss away money on pulltabs retards, that's all you're good for. Fishing also sucks scrotum compared to Canada. Classless cheap fat stupid hicks ya knoooow.
I like the comments about Minnesota Nice. I'm from New York and I live in Chicago. My boyfriend grew - up in Minnesota, but he doesn't behave in anyway like these nut jobs. His mother on the other hand is the Princess of Passive Aggressive behavior. She's infuriatingly obnoxious in the Minnesota Nice way. He told me that confronting her about her behavior or saying anything to her would make me not nice thus hurtful to him so that direct approach is off the table. He refuses to say anything to her either because that wouldn't be nice. I found this great book on Kindle for transplants and some great wiki how pages on how to be passive aggressive and run guilt trips. I find passive aggressive behavior confounding it's like someone wants to send you on an overly complicated treasure hunt to make them happy. OK so what if you can't guess what it is that a person wants? How come I'm supposed to invest my time and energy into pleasing someone who's elusive about what they want? I'm considering learning about her behaviors then throwing them back at her, but with my dumb luck she'll cry at the next family gather which makes me a villain to Minnesotan viewers. New Yorkers tell each other off and occasionally make someone cry (New Yorker don't cry easily, Midwesterners tend to have thinner skins). Chicagoians tell it like it is with direct communication. The main difference is that Chicagoians put extra effort into the politeness of the way that they deliver information. Overall, I'm used to people who can communicate ideas in a straight forward, understandable, actionable way not the passive aggressive guessing game. I've made people cry before, most of the time they had it coming and in some cases I was a jerk so I had good reason to be sorry. I actually would not mind hurting her delicate feelings but the fall-out from such would be problematic. It seems that directly communicating with her is Not An option and out passive aggressiving her is a shaky proposition because she might burst into tears at not nice behavior directed towards her. I want a strategy for dealing with her.
I'm looking for ideas from people who've had to wrangle Passive Aggressive Minasotans.
I have created a website called Why Minnesota Sucks (http://minnesotasucks2.blogspot.com/)
I have created a website called Why Minnesota Sucks (http://minnesotasucks2.blogspot.com/)
I spent my first 19 years in Iowa before joining the military and have since lived in Chicago, Virginia, San Diego, and the Seattle area. I moved to Minneapolis in 2013 and it has been the worst place I've ever lived. The best was Seattle (the weather wasn't nearly as rainy as I was told; it was moderate all the time). San Diego was also nice.
THE WEATHER:
The winters are demoralizingly harsh and last from sometime in October to May. It is painful to be outside. Everything you own that is plastic will crack and shatter. Your car will not start because it is too cold for your battery. Your skin will also crack. The air is so dry because all the moisture is frozen. Then wait for the winds to kick up to 50 MPH and you will know what wind-chill is all about. The weather is is hell on your house, car, person, the roads, buildings, everything. Summer temps get to 110 degrees, and winter temps get to -40 degrees. That is a 150 degree temperature variation throughout the year. Do you have any idea how much expansion and contraction that causes the roads? The concrete simply explodes! The roads are THE WORST: potholes, ruts, and CONSTANT construction in the summer. You pray all winter for the terribleness to end, with the traffic jams caused by ice and blizzards and car accidents, only to be rewarded with at least 1 lane of every highway closed down for the summer resulting in even worse traffic jams! The summers are always 100% humidity and mosquito filled. Like, you don't even want to go outside because you will be immediately attacked by swarms of disease carrying blood suckers that leave itchy wounds in your flesh.
EXPENSES:
I have found this place to be just as expensive, or more so, than anywhere else. But there are costs you don't expect: shovels, snow blowers, heavy coats, gloves, snow boots, snow suits, warm hats, SNOW TIRES, running the heat all winter (high gas bills), worrying about insulation, car accidents and insurance deductibles (from the ice), time and life spent shoveling/snow blowing, time and life spent trapped in doors for 6 months of the year. You have to waste a few weekends every spring and fall preparing and undoing everything you did to endure winter at your home: moving plants indoors, covering them, draining hoses, insulating water spigots, turning off the water spigots at the valve, taking all lawn furniture indoors, etc. You cannot have a pond with fish... they will freeze into a solid ice cube. You will get to spend a hours getting winter tires put on and taken off. ROAD SALT!!! They pour salt all over the roads to help melt the ice, which forms a gross white film all over your car and the road. It is HIGHLY CORROSIVE and forms rust all over cars. You do not see cars older than about 1995 on the road because they have been completely eaten away by rust. All cars here have this car cancer. You cannot simply go to a car wash and wash it off, because as soon as you leave the car wash you will drive through a puddle of salt slush and it is once again coating the undercarriage of your car. So add the price of all the damage caused by car cancer to the expenses associated with living in Minnesota. When I first moved here I had to buy jugs of distilled water from the grocery store for my fish tank. In San Diego (a desert) it costs $.25/gallon. In Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 [freshwater] Lakes", it was double that. Why?! IF YOU ADD UP ALL THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH MINNESOTA, IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN LIVING IN SEATTLE OR SAN DIEGO!
ATTRACTIVENESS:
Well, for about 7 months of the year everything is dead, and covered by dirty slush and the white dusty film of road salt. It is depressing, like a nuclear winter. All the trees are leaf-less. They look like they are dead. The sky is dreary and grey and looks as horrible as it feels. All the grass is brown and dead if you can even see it; usually it is covered by feet of snow and ice. Your car will be horribly dirty most of the time. You can wash it every other day but it can get coated in filth within minutes. Summers are nice up north around the North Shore, but south Minnesota with the flat boring farmland is just about as bland as Nebraska. Plant some trees along the highways "why dontcha"?!
ENTERTAINMENT & DRIVING:
50% of everyone seems to go to "the lake" or "the cabin" on the weekend or holiday. Seems most people have a cabin somewhere distant, which means the roads out of the Twin Cities is jammed up for a hundred miles as people haul their boats and RVs. Once at the Lake, you will wait in a huge line to put your boat in/out of the water at what is likely the single boat launch. People will be pissed. The lake will be dangerously filled with boats. I don't care for sports but I heard the teams here suck too. The city itself offers nothing that any other city offers, minus the terrible weather. Traffic is just god awful all the time. Every business seems to work from 8-4 or 9-5, and all the jobs are in the city, but everyone lives in the suburbs, so the commute is stop and go horribleness. This is typical of most cities, but there is not a single straight road in this whole metro. They all curve, but for what I don't know. It seems the highway engineers dropped a plate of spaghetti and said "let's design the roads like that!". I have to assume the roads curve around small lakes and bodies of water, but you will never see them from the road. I never know what direction I am heading. And at every curve in the road, it seems to require these people to brake, which causes backups. The drivers are the worst I've ever experienced. I miss San Diego drivers, who drove very fast but were very courteous. Drivers in Minnesota do not know how to merge! I've never seen these "USE BOTH LANES DURING BACKUPS" signs in any other state, probably because it is common sense but they have to tell Minnesotans this although they still don't listen. If a 2-lane road is merging into 1, they will begin to merge miles away from the point of merging. This leaves 1 lane completely empty, and just backs up traffic for many exits. If someone uses common sense and drives down the empty lane to the actual point of merge, Minnesotans WILL NOT let them in. They won't even let you change lanes with 100' in front or behind them. They will literally speed up or slow down to prevent you from changing lanes, or act as if they are going to hit you, as if you have insulted them by invading their sacred safety bubble. Only 50% of people use turn signals and of course everyone is on their cell phones. They also don't understand that the left lane is the fast lane, and if someone is driving faster than you it is YOUR JOB to move over. Don't make them pass on the right. As far as eating, of course they don't have Mexican food that can compare to San Diego. Ketchup is spicy to Minnesotans.
THE PEOPLE:
Like many people have said, most people are born and raised here and have never really experienced living somewhere better, so they don't know any better (they are by definition "ignorant"). I honestly don't know why so many people would live here otherwise. I can't wait to transfer out of this place next year. It is like they are a bunch of sadomasochists. It is not cool to live somewhere inhospitable. It is dumb. Most of the people want to seem like your stereotypical white suburban, church-going, Honda driving (eventually upgrading to an Acura or maybe BMW if they are doing well), soccer coaching, 9-5 working, lake on the weekend types. College then married not earlier than age 25 but by 30, kids at 35. Nobody has an edge or individual personality. They have close groups of friends since childhood and do not want to invest in someone new, especially someone temporary. Not to say that everyone here is white: For some reason the Federal Government decided to ship nearly half the population of Somalia here. You will see their women driving very slowly and badly with scarves or veils around their heads. Somalis also seem to be the only ones allowed to work at the airport. My girlfriend teaches at a school in the city which is about 98% black and very dangerous.
Move to the West Coast! California, Oregon, or Washington! Or don't! Stay here and let me enjoy those VASTLY SUPERIOR places.
For those who are single transplants in or near Minneapolis or St. Paul ages 35 to 49 who are weary of dealing with Minnesotans I have started this new meetup group that is growing very quickly:
http://www.meetup.com/Transplant-Singles-In-The-Cities/
I lived in MN from 1st grade through college and I have to say I totally agree with about everything I've read here, but I didn't realize it until I moved away. Almost all of my family still live there, but I haven't lived there for about 25 years.
I have a theory on where the MN arrogance comes from and why so few ever leave. Part of every public school curriculum is a dedicated course (or maybe several courses, I don't recall) called 'Minnesota Studies' where the kids are brainwashed into thinking of MN as god's gift to the earth. Everything about MN is trumpeted as being the best, from the farm land of the Red River Valley to the schools, to the wilderness, and yes, even including the 'neutral' mid-western accent that TV news anchors everywhere strive to emulate (no kidding)!! LOL. Not until I moved away did I even know there was such a thing as a MN accent. I admit, I was brainwashed and loved MN while growing up there. Getting out and seeing it through another lens really opened my eyes.
Where we raised our kids, there was no such course dedicated to the brainwashing and indoctrination of the youth to love their state so dearly they will never leave.
I will say though that there is at least one place less friendly than MN, and that is Detroit, where I lived for 1 year. So, MN has that going for it!
There we were, surrounded by lakes. Again. The perpetual high pitched drone of mosquitoes told me I had forgotten to put up the netting, and had passed out from the loss of blood. Mosquitoes. Again. Fortunately, my hands were stuck to my mittens, and there was no way I could scratch myself into oblivion. Nancy had left bowls and bowls of knish. Oh, that temptress. . .always tempting me at every turn of the road or the hand turned meat grinder. "Another tongue sandwich?" she use to say in the good old days, yes, I remember them well. And me, lying on that filthy mattress eating a made-to-order pepperoni sandwich on crusty bread with all the fixings, a good potato salad, a fresh kosher dill pickle, a pound of deli meat, piping hot knishes strewn everywhere, and that homemade rice pudding, and the full chicken dinner with all the feathers. . .and, gosh, the walls covered with coveted torn pages from the New York Times. And now Nancy had left me to freeze in my mukluks, with only four mostly frozen 6-packs of cheap beer and a lottery ticket. But wait, Nancy had not fallen short, though she was only five feet even. No. . .the lottery ticket. . .of course. . .that sly vixen had slipped up. . .she'd smeared the corner of the ticket with olive oil by mistake. . .and yes, by it's odor I knew right away that it had come from Orange Country, or Tuscany, either one or neither. . .it didn't matter. It was Nancy's unintentional way to say, "Hey, you, I really like your twisted sense of humor to write on other peoples' blogs in the night!" Yes. . .that was how I survived the night, and the day, and the mid-morning, and that time at dusk when the mosquitoes drained me dry of Type O and every other type. Love would sustain me. I needed no blood or a dip in a steaming bath on a September afternoon, no. . .all I needed was Nancy, hovering around me with her knishes and her apron akimbo. Yes, and that was how I hailed a cab in the nick of time, in time for love.
"Oh sure," said the cab driver, "I heard it all before." And there was me, riding in the back with a look on my half-frozen face as if I'd just parachuted into Minnesota for the first time in the time of year when the mosquitoes were the worst. Yeah, I was a sucker but there were bigger suckers, of that I was sure. But the cab driver continued his hyperbole, and it took me back to that time when Nancy, in one of her stilted conversations about her days as a trapeze artist with a bad case of jitters had put one of her long, svelte yams on the table and said in her usual way, "So, sweetie, how's the knish?" And what is a man supposed to say to s stilted blonde who was only five feet tall on a good day, who spoke with malice and aforethought about every other blonde blue-eyed vixen in the Land of a Thousand Lakes and Ten Zillion Mosquitoes, as if they were her four-eyed cousins. Yes, and so I rode in silence as the cabby laid into me about what a dumb schmuck I was and how he'd had a bad night with some short blonde who smelled like she wore perfume found in some New York deli. And when he said that I snapped out of my hypothermia and loss of blood and said, "What about the blonde?" And he said he didn't have time to tell me the whole story so he handed me a card and I ended up here, not he corner of third and furniture, by the statue of the square round poet, speaking poetry to a frozen fountain as the yellow cab vanished into he night. "Oh yeah," I remarked to no one in particular, "you call this a blog? Why, I've seen better blogs on the side of old maple trees." Not that it made any sense, because the fountain had no reply, nor anyone in this deli deprived part of Minnesota. "She went to France," said a voice behind me. I turned and there he was, the dwarf, Jack Nimble, who had dogged me for years, chewing a licorice stick from a second hand bookstore in Portland, Oregon. "What about France?" I asked. "You think she didn't love you because she left you on that frozen lake without netting. Hah, you don't know nothin' about women." I was numb from the neck down and my mukluks were beginning to adhere to the street, and my mind thought of my ancestry in Denmark and all the girls I let get away in their funny wooden shoes. "You mean it was her way of saying 'chase me?'" Jack smiled. "Yeah, you dumb ape, she's head over heels for you. If your eyelids weren't half closed over from mosquito bites you'd be able to see how she feels."
And so I took the next plane to Denmark by way of Sceaux in the suburbs of Paris. Because somewhere, somehow, Nancy knew I'd follow her and despite my typos and miscued dialogue she knew me better than any woman I''d ever known or would know on this or any other plane of existence. The ride from the airport was uneventful and I settled into my shabby rented room above what appeared to be an escargot factory. And just as I was about to nod off to sleep at 11:29pm there came a knock on the door and then before I could do anything, like play a game of backgammon or cribbage, the door swung open and there was Nancy, silhouetted like a slab of deli sausage on the fresh deli roll as some underpaid waitress rolled down the dusty shutters. "Nancy," I said, my voice scratchy due to the mosquito that had bite me a half dozen times as I snored. Nancy didn't move for a moment and then she said, "I get the feeling you're following me, mister." And then I sat up and the bed creaked from the weight of my heartbreak and the fifty pounds of ice that still surrounded my one good leg. "Yeah, that's right, sister, I followed you and I'd follow you all the way with every mixed metaphor because I realized I was in love with you, and I don't care if you don't want to let me stretch you into the height you should be on some archaic rack, and I don't care if you left me for dead on an icy lake in Minnesota, with one leg stuck in an ice fishing hole, smelling of fish and cheap beer." Nancy laughed. "You don't care? Well, okay, then. How about we go out for a deli sandwich like in the good old days in New York?" And before I could say Jim Dandy, Nancy pulled out an eight inch ice pick and freed my leg from that round block of ice, and took hold of my arms and dragged downstair on her back. "Did you grow?" I asked, my mind flummoxed by the beginnings of pneumonia. She giggled, "I've been taking growth hormone for the last two weeks. I'm five feet nine in my stocking feet." And so it began, Nancy and me, me and Nancy. In Sceaux, and so much in love.
Hours later, in the courtyard of a smokey café festooned with umbrellas emblazoned with the quaint French phrase: “Vous n'êtes pas dans le Minnesota, sœur!” we sipped our absinthe and recalled our frigid Minnesota days. “Now what?” I said earnestly, with my usual candor, which cut Nancy to the quick. Her sky blue eyes seemed almost as cold as a Minnesota winter, but here tee shirt, emblazoned with the friendly Scandinavian slogan, “I Love Minnesota, don’t ya know?” told me she was falling headlong for me, knowing Nordics like I do and their stoic ways.
She downed her absinthe in one gulp, and without blinking an eye said, “Nice.” I wasn’t sure about her meaning, so I gave it my best shot and said,
“What’s nice?” “Not nice. . .Nice. The city. We should go to Nice.” I was warming up to the idea already. Moribund, rainy Paris had begun to get me down. Maybe it was the Louvre, the Picasso Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe, and the smell of cigarettes, and red wine on everything all stewed together. Maybe it was Nancy’s sultry behavior, dressed mostly in silk under her mauve trench coat, that had told me it was time to head south. “Okay,” I said, and I clinked my glass of absinthe to hers and smiled. “Nice it is, but I get to ride in front.” “But the doctor said you need to elevate your leg or you’ll get gangrene, again. Remember your ice fishing experience?” How could I forget it. How could I forget dragging that block of ice halfway around the world to find my girl? And how could I forget the four-inch-long mosquito trapped in that ice, or plugging my car in at night to stay warm? If not for the warm ebelskivers in my pantaloons I would have lost my leg, and my resolve. “I guess I’ll never forget Minnesota, Nancy. And, what’s with the pistol in your hand, aiming right at my heart?” “Just something I picked up in town, darling, to show how much I love you."I laughed. "You Nordic women, alway kidding around." "I'm part Russian," she said. "Now give me your wallet.""I think I saw this in a Hitchcock film, Nancy." Nancy smiled and all four of her dimples showed. "I'll need money for the trip," she said, "for a few odds and ends, dontcha know?" Yes, I knew all too well. It was uff-da all the way with Nancy. "You betcha, baby. Here's the dough," and I put three hundred smackers on the table. "That'll buy you all the lutefisk you need. I tapped my empty glass to hers. "Skol."
I'm from Nj and moved to Minnesota 4 years ago due to my husband's job transfer. I was excited to venture out of Nj. We bought a huge house, great schools and I had a job lined up(worked for the same company in Nj) I found a beautiful church and I found a really good friend within weeks of living here... Life seemed perfect. Now..not so much. My good friend was a transplant from down south and couldn't take the winters, missed her family and disliked the passive aggressive attitude Minnesota women dish out. My friend moved back south . I was left alone...not really alone, I had my husband and my three kids. My husband works like crazy and my kids are teenagers, so guess I kinda am alone..skyping friends and family in Nj just isn't the same. I work full time and I work hard. I always go in early and stay late if the company needs me to. I really like my job and have been with the company for over 17 years. I have lots of coworkers who I also consider friends and got together for parties, after work drinks...even our kids would get together ( in Nj). I have always had a lot of friends...good friends I should mention. Anyway, we move to Minnesota.. Buy a house meet my neighbors. All seemed decent. I start work...and holy crap!! This place is crazy...(now remember, I have worked for the same company on the east coast with zero issues). People talk about everybody... It's bizarre... No one can handle their own problems, everyone has the supervisor hold their hands and walk them through any and ALL situations. People will take a very innocent conversation and embellish it...and that passive aggressive behavior is terrible and being from Nj... I don't do passive aggressive attitude well..I will ask what's your problem...and people here FREAK out if you confront them...it's almost comical... Pathetic yet funny. OK, so long story short, I now work in a horrible place, a company I onced loved...people here I find , do not take the bulls by the horns...just freaking do it and yes, you can do it without involving upper management.. Which makes you look incompetent... Figure it out already, My God!!!!...my patience are almost gone from living and working here...Minnesota people are fake..nice to your face and talk s**t behind your back...and being from Nj...I absolutely hate sneaky and two faced people...say what you mean and mean what you say, c'mon I can take it...I'm a grown woman who can and will fight her own battles... I came here thinking life would be more simple. We could enjoy life and the good people of Minnesota... But what I have dealt with is everything but....cold, ( and I mean the women, not the weather) passive aggressive, sneaky, mean, lazy, detached....oh and why does almost every single person in this state drink like there is no tomorrow... Or they are in recovery...I'll tell you why..to numb yourself from this rotten place..you need to be f'd up to live here without a reasonable cause...so don't worry haters..you don't need to tell this girl if you don't like it leave...believe me I plan my exit every single day...the sooner I get out of here the better!!! The state is beautiful.... But the people suck..and believe me, it breaks my heart...I have never encountered so many flat, bland and close minded people in my life...good ridence mn...new jersey might not be everything..but I sure do miss the direct nature of the people and the assertiveness..you never have to guess what one is thinking...because they'll tell you...lol..
The worst thing about Minnesota is all the boring blonde chicks.
From an anonymous Minnesotan not afraid to speak their mind. You are the epitome of what this post is about.
I'm from MN and this place blows donkey wangs! We have extremely high taxes that don't pay for squat. Our infrastructure is crumbling and way out of date. Nor did MNDOT ever take into consideration that a huge chunk of Wisconsin commutes here for work.
People here are small minded, ignorant, petty, and have the average mental age of about 12. Like you for example. You're only a tough guy on the Internet. Probably afraid of your own shadow in real life.
And PS, the only people who think MN is a great state are all in MN. The rest of the country sees us as a bunch of flyover unsophisticated knuckle dragging hicks. No matter how good w think our schools are, which are average at best.
Learn to take some constructive criticism you big whiny baby!
PS the Vikings will always suck and anyone who cheers for them is a loser getting their hopes up for nothing!!
I wouldn't have come back here for anything less that a six figure salary.
Call he cops on them on their next party!
No it's not. Great places/things speak for themselves. That's why you don't ever see commercials for Lamborghinis or Rolls Royces.
The fact you felt the need to say "it's the best god damn state around" means you're trying to convince yourself it is.
And learn how to spell you provincial moron!
That's the average Minnesotan in a nutshell. Complete chickensh*ts unless in groups.
Like that one Viking fan who got his a$$ pummeled talking smack after the SF game they lost. At SF!
Whatever kid. Pick up your toys and go home!
Minnesota is by FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFAR the most racist place i ever been , its no place what so ever for a blk man to be , its gray , cold boring , and the whiteman get Sooooooooooooooooooo much glory i wonder how god feels. BLK MAN DONT AND I REPEAT DONT NEVER, EVER EVER EVER , EVER EVER MOVE TO , NOR EVEN VISIT MINNESOTA .ALSO ALL THE WHITE BOYS GET MORE CREDIT FOR ACTING BLK THAN A BLK MAN CAN , FOR BEING BLK.
The west coast is the best coast go seattle , the weather is far worse in minnesota
That is so sad. Why do people act so weird when you bring them misplaced mail that belongs to them. I see crap like this up here,it does suck.
That is so sad. Why do people act so weird when you bring them misplaced mail that belongs to them. I see crap like this up here,it does suck.
I went into counseling right out of high school and told the man that I was so depressed and scared because my family gave me the impression that my growing up was some betrayal of them, and it seemed like they just wanted me to kill myself. I told him I was so scared.
You know what his response was? He shifted in his chair and said, "I hear it all the time."
I started childhood in Minnesota and thought my grandparents were salt of the earth, good people. Then my Mother and I moved out to Southern California and she married a self-described wetback illegal alien from Mexico. He was the best thing that happened to me in my whole life. He was warm and fun and really cared about me. My Mother was a crazy angry mean cold bitch, and I am sure her upbringing in my cold crazy Minnesota family had a lot to do with it. When my grandparents came out to visit one time he expressed his concern for my welfare to them and must have been given the blowoff because he later told me, and obviously hated to break it to me that they really didn't care about me and "are the worst type of people there are." It took a long time for me to see what he meant by that.
But looking back on everything that happened I can clearly see that he was right. My whole family is nothing but liars and creeps.
One time we had a shirttail cousin who was elderly, she tried befriending us and it was quite unusual that they would go to socialize alone with her. Well they had some adventure that day. They came home all out of breath and red cheeked. It seems that she had asked if they could come over to drive her to deposit some savings bonds in her bank because she thought someone was getting into her apartment. They went over there and, wouldn't you know it, while they were getting ready to go the bonds "disappeared."
How they expected to get away with that is beyond me! But I looked back at all the behavior I have witnessed over the years and put it together. I think that a lot of this personality disorder is just frustrated aspirations of a people who think they could have made great grifters, if only they had been given the right mentoring.
I see lots of low level petty cheating. They are getting away with very small crimes, like the guy who redid my bathroom, they get a kick out of tricking you into taking things they have in stock and pretending they got what you asked for. It's a real thrill for them.
When we moved back from California my grandmother took me up to visit the relatives after saying how ashamed she had been to have a daughter living with a Mexican, just as bad as living with a black. She took me up there like I was the first mulatto in the family, even though I was blonde and both my parents were white. They just love scandal and need to make things up for some drama.
Not soon after moving back, and my step-dad offering to get me away from this, I realized I made the wrong decision in turning him down!
Your reference to a more sinister explanation for native MN's(and I am a native who left at 18, returned at 36 and left again at 54) behavior is on the money. Most are narcissistic bullies. I was stalked for 13 years by a kickboxing instructor from Lifetime Fitness. This fool was so outlandishly brazen as to slander me and accuse me of stalking him to his posse at the club. I moved from St Paul to Lakeville to escape his taunting, sick abuse and he followed me there which is why I ended up leaving the state a second time. I know there are crazy people everywhere, but even when I told family members what was happening they just couldn't give a damn. I don't know if it' the lack of vitamin D or what but most seem to be borderline personalities. Also, extremely materialistic, crass and lacking class or grace.
Your reference to a more sinister explanation for native MN's(and I am a native who left at 18, returned at 36 and left again at 54) behavior is on the money. Most are narcissistic bullies. I was stalked for 13 years by a kickboxing instructor from Lifetime Fitness. This fool was so outlandishly brazen as to slander me and accuse me of stalking him to his posse at the club. I moved from St Paul to Lakeville to escape his taunting, sick abuse and he followed me there which is why I ended up leaving the state a second time. I know there are crazy people everywhere, but even when I told family members what was happening they just couldn't give a damn. I don't know if it' the lack of vitamin D or what but most seem to be borderline personalities. Also, extremely materialistic, crass and lacking class or grace.
I have lived all over the country: born in TN, grew up in OK, high school in Fl, medical school in IL. Worked in WI. This is the worst state I have ever lived in. People here are so unfriendly, it's almost unbelievable. Avoid this frozen tax hell if you can. It's truly the worst state in the country. I don't care what idiot organization ranks it in the top 10..
I wish i could leave. But that would mean I have to divorce my Minnesotan husband who refuses to leave. I hate the people. The state is beautiful the people closed off narrow minded and secretly bigoted. News flash only Minnesotans say "Minnesota nice" They only act like progressives but micro-offenses happen daily. Ignorant bunch. I may divorce over MN because I hate it here.
Yeah we're the problem. We want to leave trust me. The cold weather here is a cake walk compared to the frigidity of Minnesotans. It is you who need psychological help I'm pretty sure you have a high rate of mental illness including Aspergers quick may account for your rigidity and social deficits.
My sentiments exactly
Minnesota sucks. A bunch of drunken scandinavian jantelovian pedophilic scum. Stay away from this place. Too many child sex trafickers and other assorted dirtbags. It's one of the worst places to live. It's run by very corrupt and sick people. Just about everyone is extremely stupid there. They can only solve 6% of the murders...
A bunch of sick incestual norwegians. There's practically a child sex ring in every town. Scandinavian scumville.
Ive lived in Minnesota my whole life and still dont belong to the "group". BTW the Vikings will never win a Superbowl!!
Why cant I post my comment
Im from here and grew up here this blog is 100% true.I moved away in 1994 ,lived in Chicago for 7 years , then moved to L.A for 13. I had to move back to help my sister out with my mom. Im getting the hell out of here again in a couple years MAX Im reminded why I left here years ago, even when you move back and have known people all your life family /friends ect they STILL wont reconnect or let you in to groups ,its almost worse because you left and they see that as some kind of betrayal and what kind of crazy free spirit would leave Minnesota? I forgot people are like this here. I have been back since March 2016 and cant make any new friends in yoga or my Buddhist group,everyone is reluctant of everyone. The people I knew growing up dont want to let you into their circle of friends that have been their only friends for over 30 years, they dont like change up here,it is the squarest ,most small minded ,uneventful place and group of people to exist on earth. This is coming from a native so yes this is accurate and the thinsg all the transplants pick up on are not their imagination for the troll ice holes who keep syaing then just leave,its not that simple. I had to come up here to prevent some bad things from happening to my mom ,some people are up here with families that are making six figure incomes they cant just leave. When your have responsiblities there has to be a course of action and a plan first to get out of here, you can better believe when I save enough . I will be headed back out to the west coast to the Henderson/Las Vegas area ,close enough to my L.A friends and family and living in a beautiful moutain /deset climate thats afforadable to live in . I cant imagine growing old in this Tundra. The only thing that keeps me going while living here is looking at Condos /Townhomes in the Las Vgeas /Hendseron area.
and lets not even get started on the crappy weather, this winter is insane you could not do anything about side for two months and how embarrasing the super bowk was here and freezing,its April 3rd and its still cloudy and snowing with more to come this week . My beautiful new car has been covered in nasty salt all winter and you cant even wash it because it was too cold WTF??? Get me out of here now. The people suck and are just as Frigd as the weather, the MN nice is a myth,the "polite act" is a veneer when they first meet you thats as far and deep as it goes,its fake and passive aggressive. The thing I noticed when I drove here from Los Angeles was how bad the drivers were and that says allot coming from L.A they can actually merge and flow better out there in traffic. I noticed lots of tail gating here, there true nature comes out behind the wheel here in MN.
Thanks for this blog its 100% accurate. I see someone posted a link for transplants meet up group but it says the page doesnt exist,we should really get one going. Hang in there transplants youre not going crazy as a native this is in fact really the entire vive of this frozen crap hole
If ya want took make a friends with Minnesoootans go to kindergarten, we haven't known ya for 36 years ya risk takin outsiders. We wooing invite ya over for hot dish or jello fruit salad. Why talk to strangers that's just for the buuurds dooncha know? Be sensible for gosh darn sakes
OMG... That was beautiful! 4 years here after 20 in California and 24 in Kansas - yes Kansas! At least in Kansas people have emotions you can connect with in a conversation. The most ironic thing is that although Minneapolis is politically progressive it is the most conservative place I have ever been. As far as Minnesota nice: it's a way of politely avoiding contact and minimizing the duration of any contact that can't be avoided. I call it "nice but not friendly".Minnedota Ice!
Minnesota is what happens when global cooling meets the next Ice Age.
This waste land state sucks. It is no wonder depression levels here is so damn high. This is inevitably a depressing state to live in. Especially if you're living in the awful twin cities metro area. The nick name I like to call, the asshole-alien cities. The biggest asshole of this state. I kid you not. Rent here is so high, that you can't find a one bedroom apt for under $500 at the least. Taxes are so high, college tuition here is expensive, the people here are toxic, naive, immature, xenophobic, aggressive, cold-mannered, rude and stupid. There are so many creeps and weirdos in the TC areas. Minnesotans think outsiders are weird. Some Minnesotans are a bunch of weirdos that need psychiatric brain twisting. The racism/discrimination here is very bad. I can't emphasize that enough. They just do a better job at being covert haters towards outsiders and different stereotypes. Black/white people here are racist you have that reverse racism on all sides here. There's a lot of covert racists here that underhandedly act like they accept people of color, outsiders/any other race but then screw them over. Yes well all have people we loath but that doesn't mean you should be an asshole about it. Yet the cowards in this god forsaken state fail to know that. Oh and another thing i hate about this state is that it's so over populated especially in the twin cities area which evidently explains the traffic and clustered that idiotic area is.
The roads here are the scary. They don't properly maintain their roads often enough. You have potholes a significant amount of pot holes everywhere. A matter a fact, if you drive west on I 94 from the WI border after crossing the Saint Croix River and drive about 1-2 miles passing through the towns along the east metro staying on the right lane you'll know exactly what i mean. Yes of course all parts of that Interstate is in a terrible condition all over and every highway in the state.
I don't care for the malls they got. I hate the MOA for the passion. It's so overrated very weary of it. There's been idiotic protests there, news reports about people getting stabbed in booths and etc. I loath the shoppers there. They're all these pretentious upperclass mn white folks, scary weirdly dressed hipsters, gangsters from all races and the city people. Rude and aggressive people there. The atmosphere their sucks at that mall. So does the management and customer service at the MOA sucks worst place to shop ever unless your materialistic. The management and customer service is a big problem in this place to reiterate it sucks for a passion. They're actually promote unprofessional behavior when comes to management and customer service. If a customer had been mistreated they don't do anything about it. If a customer complains, they deliberately ignore the customer. They lack interpersonal and customer service skills combined. Sadly management here is racist towards other customers of different stereotypes, my i have heard stories about customers here being deliberately discriminated based on what they looked like. Yeah there's no doubt there isn't any prejudice workers here. It saddens me. Winter is a sole killer here. There's evidently no winters here that were short compared to 2012, 2015 and 2016. It's a cursed tundra. And what the hell is up with the fake coughing here. I swear i feel like the assholes here "fake cough" at you as part of them being a passive aggressive bully. Man this place really sucks. I can't wait to move out of here. I beg to differ. Smh.
The people here are pathological liars, assholes and play the phony kind game. What a bunch of losers. They got to be the biggest losers of the upper midwest. Smh. L
Hi. I commented on this post 13 years ago... it’s been a long time. I still live here in MN and I no longer hate it. I actually regret the time I spent hating MN for reasons I now deem as petty. I literally spent years full of negativity over everything MN and I have learned everywhere you go is what you make of it. I’m going to finally unsubscribe from this thread.
Good luck to all. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Choose to see things you want to see. You are in control of it.
I think the problem out-of-staters have regarding MN is the different ways norms have been formed in MN. Minnesotans negotiate public space differently than in many other places -- speaking generally, of course. So, for example, the parent of the toddler at the table behind you at Perkins (!!!) will let their toddler bang on the tabletop with their spoon for way too long. Why? Because the norm in MN, as far as I can tell, starts with the unspoken assumption that in public space, respect or "regard of other" requires that one defer to the other's situation. In other words, the parent of the toddler assumes that everyone knows toddlers can be unruly and that it is rude to question a parent's parenting in socializing them so -- you should just put up with the inconvenience of the toddler doing what toddlers do. Now, in many other parts of the country, public space is negotiated by limiting behaviors that might inconvenience or interfere with the ability of others to move about in public space without being disturbed. So, the parent would recognize the toddler is making noise that others will find annoying. And, since strangers didn't go to Perkins to have others import their own rules or living room behavior into public space, the parent stops the toddler from banging silverware on the table. The difference here, then, is a self-regarding (MN) versus other-regarding basis for respect for others and public space. Another example is the grocery store. If I need to park my grocery cart in front of the condiments because I can't decide which ketchup I should buy, you should see that I was there first and that I am trying to make a decision. So, even though I am inconveniencing you by making you wait or find a way to move around me when others are pushing their carts in the opposite direction, YOU show respect for me by not expecting me to move for you. And, when you are parked in front of the coffee doing the same thing, I will have to inconvenience myself to respect your claim to be parked there in front of the coffee. Of course, in other places, respect is other-regarding so any instance of inconveniencing requires that its cause be removed by one or both parties. This focus on self-regard as the foundation for various norms may explain what outsiders see as the slovenly, boorish nature of MN manners and behavior.
Are you fucking kidding me? That is so retarded. Are you mentally retarded? That’s what mentally retarded dumbass people like you do in instead of having the balls to even communicate effectively. No, you all fail to know that. Oh my fucking gosh, it is not that hard to show well mannered behavior when you’re by people. Its really that simple. It’s no wonder all of you dumbass “mn drivers” forget to signal when switching lanes, passing other drivers on the freeway and when turning left/right on to different road. You just deliberately assume people know what your intentions and not having the guts to communicate. Fuck you! That’s got to be the most immature, lame and stupidest norm ever. You all need a deep reality check and you need to reevaluate all your stupid mannerisms. Where did you all immigrate from? Dumbassmerica? You all dumbass-retardedsotans make the upper part of America look dumb. You’re a big threat to the whole country. I hope you all get punched in the face because you all deserve it. You know why you all are full of shit. Shit smeared and written all over your damn aggressive ugly weird concealed angrily faces. Smh. You all suck.
Ken -- take some Metamucil and buy a size larger for underwear -- I think there's a blood flow issue for your brain. The point here is how Minnesotans think about behaving in public. It's based on goofy assumptions that other places don't follow. So, Minnesotans think they're acting normal when in reality it comes off as rude, unconscious, or just dumb. Obviously, given your comments, you've fallen victim to this. The post above isn't justifying Minnesota behavior -- it's calling it out, genius.
I agree with much of what you say except for one thing..... The women are tall Nordic beauties???
I came here four years ago from the east coast and one thing I can say with certainty is that the women here are not tall Nordic beauties' …..they are often short and fat, maybe average height, but almost always fat. A coworker of mine who is a native and (predictably) hasn't travelled much, honestly considers women who are 40 pounds overweight as having an average build and will only think of a woman as fat if they are literally morbidly obese. I think that is a common perception here and would say almost 80% of women here are overweight by at least 20 pounds and probably half are a good 50 pounds overweight. I travel each week for work to places like Charlotte, Denver, DC and it stands out to me regularly. The men here tend to be taller with average builds. Literally close to zero Italians here.
Culturally, ignore the nonsense about the more theatres than NYC and largest Somalian population. ….I have heard that same exact BS theatre statement proclaimed by about 10 other midsized cities. They must have all used the same consulting firm for tourism....Minneapolis does not feel cosmopolitan which is what that is supposed to convey. The Somalian population thing is true but frankly it's a desperate attempt to imply diversity. There are chubby white locals, African Americans who came here from Chicago, and then a large population of Somalian refugees. I think it is a good thing that Minnesota has welcomed the Somalian population...but they are just as leery of outsiders as the locals and frankly, other than being a good humanitarian thing to support them..who cares. Minnesota extended the invite to help the declining population numbers. Who wants to live in a state where you have 6 months of winter, two of which are in the single digits to sub zero.
It's hard to understand the culture here without actually experiencing it for a good 3-4 years. It's odd, but not fun southern eccentric odd, it's lake Wobegon odd, meaning isolated and lacking a reference point and confusing mediocrity with excellence. And yes, the people are generally boring and shamelessly delight in children's food as cuisine. While on the coasts, regularly eating garbage food is a white trash thing, here it is the norm. Mountain Dew sales are strong here.
The closest thing I can compare the culture to that will give you a sense of it are Hobbits....yes, LOTR hobbits. They are passive, polite, appear pleasant, leery of the outside world, pleased with their village, unsophisticated and boring. Hardworking is very hit or miss, I've met many more lazy people here than I ever expected. I dunno, maybe its not lazy so much as don't like to be mentally challenged ...They will work 8 hours if you give them a written list of instructions but often lack self motivation or insight and often have excuses for failing to accomplish basic things. It's a freakin' village of 2M hobbits with 6 months of winter.
The twin cities metro area is by far the worst part of the state it's evidently why this god damn forsaken state sucks entirely. Name or list any town in the Twin Cities area, the native Minnesotans there are exactly alike. Phony, narcissistic, aggressive, low-mannered, methaholics, rude, judgmental, psychotic, sociopathic, clannish, belittling, ignorant, stuck up, uptite, naive, vicious, fake, interrogating, intimidating, berating, hypocritical, egotistical, self absorbed, manipulative, pathological liars, insular, dramatic, mentally retarded, superior acting, condescending and passively controlling people I have ever dealt with in my life. They're the type of people you'll even regret meeting the first couple minutes after meeting them. It's like falling into a trap you can't get out of or falling for a guru scam. You end up trusting them they manipulate you and fuck you over when they have a chance. They'll talk down at you like you're 5 years old and anytime you criticize them/correct them they give you an innocent look on their face. I have experienced that a lot with the natives.
The people in the rural areas of the state I prefer because the people I have met there aren't like the evil people in the Twin cities metro area. They're actually nice, genuinely honest, straight forward acting, sweet and laid back so i got to give those people some credit. That's why I prefer rural people over dumbs urban city people. Anyways moving on. I got nothing against European Americans or European heritage. However, I must say the nordic Americans that reside in the Twin Cities area I find those people weird, strange, quirky and awkwardish. They look like they have either lived in a cave their whole life or they are just suspiciously wild, strange, secretive acting people.
The management here sucks if you read social and google reviews of like any business in the area like Walmart, holiday or Speedway for example they have the poorest management here compared to other franchises in other states. I have a hunch that the business's or stores weren't based in MN has the poorest management because it's runned/managed by evil Minnesotans and the evil democrats who live there. To reiterate basically any business here that isn't MN based that has Minnesotans running it is has a tainted reputation thanks to evil Minnesotans It makes me sick that the management here gets away with anything it can. No wonder the customer service here sucks and that explains why customers here are treated horribly.
I hate how the twin cities area is too overly liberal. The democrats there are the stupidest most worst democratic people in the nation. Naive doesn't just only define this they know absolutely nothing about politics that they clearly need proper schooling on what politics really is. They unanimously make politics here seem weird and foolish. This explains why the colleges around here are so expensive because of the greedy democrats here, and everything that involves schooling is a complete vile joke. Proper knowledge here before graduation doesn't exists here which is no wonder why people here suck at their jobs. The Doctors and counselors here are not professional at their jobs and I have seen it. This makes me question why they are who they are because I hate politics more than anything and even talking about it but I have to say honestly being a dumb left wing person makes you a dumb person sorry but politics does define who you are and these scumbags don't know that.
Another thing that bothers me is that there's too many hipsters in the twin cities area they make me sick they creep me out completely have a lot of disdain towards hipster every time i see them I freakout. And there's too many urban city trashy people here. I just entirely hate and loath city people in general. Yuppies, hipsters urban people you name it, they're and sadly the twin cities area is a perfect example for that. The Moa and the other malls are trash to me it's an alien culture filled with evil people. It's not my goto sorry/not sorry-. Lastly this state and the Twin cities area needs to get it's shit together like really needs it's shit together. Thats why I call the Twin Cities the "demon cities" I feel this place is cursed overall. Demonsota and stupidsota are my two nick names for this. This place sucks.
Says the person who clearly supports MN bs behavior. You’re response is defending these people. I was only venting what hate about MN behavior. A. I so disagree with you and B. The fact you even merit to respond back is lame to me because basically everything you’re trying to convey in enabling MN bs behavior. What a dumbass you are. God what the fuck is wrong with people I swear to god I feel like everyday I am talking to shit headed idiots. Not only people suck they’re stupid and people like u are fail to realize that. I digress. Bye.
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There's no salt in the air in this God forsaken place, it's not an ocean...
And f*** their passive aggressive b.s. I call them all out, I don't give a sh** how butter hurt they get.
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I'm finally leaving after 4 years of hell. I can't stand these people.
Shut up you ignorant idiot
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