Why I Love Minneapolis

It's winter and it's uncharacteristically cold all over the place, even here in Charlotte, but especially in Minneapolis where the temps have been as cold as -25 degrees, and even colder when you factor in the windchill.  Which means that I frequently get comments like "how could you possibly like living there?" But the fact of the matter is that I do love Minneapolis and I do miss living there, bitterly cold temperatures and all. 

If weather was a huge priority, I probably wouldn't love Minneapolis since we have long, cold winters, lots of gray days, and a short summer season.  For instance, today the high is -11...  But despite all of that, I still love Minneapolis.  So much so that I could probably be an ambassador for the city.  So if you are like my coworkers and wonder why on earth I love Minneapolis, here are some of the reasons!

- Minneapolis is a healthy city.  This was proven by the Today show last week as they did a feature on the healthiest, wealthiest and wisest cities in the U.S., and Minneapolis-St. Paul was chosen as the healthiest city in the U.S.  We have the most parks per square mile out of all the major U.S. cities and we have the 2nd highest number of bicyclists per capita. I love all of the rivers and lakes and the miles upon miles of running/biking paths.  I was so spoiled when I lived in Minneapolis as I could walk out my door and run on a paved running path along the Mississippi River, and that running path linked up to several other running paths that led to lakes and other parkways.  Minneapolis definitely makes it easy to be active (well, when the weather doesn't make that impossible!).

- Minneapolis has lots of bodies of water.  So it turns out that the cities I love most all have something in common - they all have a river running through them or are located on a large body of water.  My condo was located on the Mississippi, but besides this body of water, Minneapolis also has many lakes.  I prefer cities that are located on or near bodies of water because it makes it easier to be active since bodies of water tend to have running/biking paths by them. And they just make for a more picturesque place to live.  Need proof?  See the photos I took this fall...

- Minneapolis has a vibrant downtown.  Even though Minneapolis is small compared to other large cities in the U.S., it still has a vibrant downtown.  There are lots of dining and shopping options downtown, and it caters to people who both work and live downtown as we have groceries stores and a Target.  Large retail stores, such as Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, and Macy's all have a presence.  When I lived in Minneapolis, I rarely went to a mall because pretty much everything I needed was walking distance from where I worked and lived (including my doctor and dentist).  Lastly, there is a plethora of coffee shops - nearly one on every block in the central part of downtown, and even on the outskirts of downtown where I lived, I had access to 2 different coffee shops in a one block radius.

- Minneapolis has great happy hour specials.  I am a frugal person so I love a good happy hour deal.  Luckily Minneapolis has lots of affordable restaurants with great happy hour specials.  From $3 glasses of wine to $5 margaritas to $3 tacos to $5 sushi rolls, there were a lot inexpensive options at places with a fun vibe. Outside of happy hour, Minneapolis has some great dining options with high quality food that comes with a reasonable price tag.

- The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area has a lot of large, well-respected companies.  From a career standpoint, the MSP metro area is home to a lot of large corporations such as Target, Medtronic, Best Buy, General Mills, and 3M.  As a result, there are a lot of great career options.  Minneapolis has fewer financial companies so it's not the easiest place for me to find a job, per se, but there are some large financial companies with headquarters there such as Ameriprise, US Bank, and Piper Jaffray. 

- I have family and friends in the Minneapolis area.  I'm saving the best for last in this list.  All of the above-mentioned reasons are great reasons to love Minneapolis but this last one is what has my heart pining to live in Minneapolis.  I have a brother, sister-in-law and 2 nephews, an aunt & uncle, and cousins in the metro area, my parents' lake home is 3 hours away, and some of my very best friends live in the Minneapolis area.  I never have trouble filling my week nights or weekends with social plans since I have such a large network of family and friends in Minneapolis.  With the exception of Chicago, I don't think I can replicate what I have in terms of a network anywhere else in the U.S.

So there you have it.  5 reasons, among many other reasons, that I truly love Minneapolis and miss it so much.  What I love about Minneapolis reflects the core things I value - proximity to friends and family, career opportunities, and an urban lifestyle.  And it explains why Charlotte is such a poor fit as the only thing on this list that Charlotte has is career opportunities.  I recognize that what I value differs from what others value, which is why we all love living in different areas of the country and world. 

Why do YOU love where you live?