RateItAll: The Opinion Network

BORING. I just went out there for a wedding and I have never felt like such a city person in my life.... and I'm from friggin' Delaware! Everyone is soooo...... blah. It's just wide open spaces and seriously dull people. Our hosts took us to the "happenin" bar and everyone there was like 70 yrs old and they were yodeling on the karaoke machine. At the wedding, everyone was watching the Delaware crew get pissy drunk and dance and have a great time. All the Minnesota people just sat there in awe. The Twin Cities airport was really nice, but the Mall of America was super expensive. Maybe the Twin Cities have something close to a culture but outside of it is SUPER LAME. I never thought I would be so excited to get back to the crowded Mid-Atlantic corridor (between DC and NYC). Definetely not going back.

Great cities, lots of culture downtown. I dont know a lot about outside of the metro area other than that everyone here has cabins on lakehouses and during the summer, those "hick towns" become over ruled by rich, yuppy families going "away" for the weekend. Great place.

Problably the second best state in the midwest after Illinois. Minneapolis-St. Paul is is sort of a last cradle of civilization all the way to Seattle. The north shore has the best scenery, but is more conservative.

I have lived here 15 years at this writing. Parts of the state are somewhat flat and boring, but the north woods and Lake Superior are very scenic. The people here are "nice" - this means they don't stab you. They are somewhat arrogant and regard themselves as cosmopolitan, when really, they are just hicks from the biggest town in hicksville (I know a hick when I see one because I am one). The Twin Cities are much dirtier than they should be for a midwestern city, and this includes the air.

Minnesota is one of the best states in the midwest. Clean air, the Twin Cities are nice, there's scenic Northern Minnesota. Also Duluth on Lake Superior, and the boundary waters.

Definitely not a bad place. Kind of boring unless you're in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Definitely one of the better midwest states.

great girls!

This state has the positive of the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis- which is a vital metro region. The rest of the state is upper midwest- and carries a certain blandness and esoteric conservative culture, that I find boring. The winters are long and cold.

the only bad thing about MN that everyone seems to miss is the mosquitos. They over power you in the summer. the weather is nice and not too cold and not too hot. just right! YEA MINNESOTA!!!.HOCKEY RULES1 THANKS!

I've lived in Minneapolis, MN my entire life and have visited every state West of the Mississippi (as well as Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin) and I have to say that outside of a few things, Minnesota is crap. One good point is the arts. We have some of the best art museums (one of which has the largest collection of Asian art in the US of A) and one of the largest arts communities in the nation. We have more live theater per capita than New York, NY and four major art festivals per year. We have a high rate of educated people and, until recently, a liberal voting record. The metro area has an incredibly efficient, wide-spread, and affordable public transit system. We have incredibly beautiful Fall seasons and inspiring Springs. The Bad? Weather, for one. It's either incredibly cold or insufferably hot and humid most of the year. Spring and Fall, our two best seasons, are only about six weeks long, total. So all one ends up wanting is the relative safety of controlled environments. What fun is that? There are only two good places to visit in Minnesota: Minneapolis and Duluth. Otherwise, the state is dotted with boring or frightenningly provincial populations of white-bred clones. There's just as many, if not more, gun-toting, fundamentalist, rednecks who exhibit uninformed false-patriotism here as there are in the rest of the country. Socially and culturally, Minnesota would have much to offer if people actually talked to each other. Two surveys have Minneapolis ranking as second or third worst city for dating. And an AOL survey of 25 cities has Minneapolis ranked as 15th when it comes to a visitors likelihood of making new friends. Not to mention, in a Harvard study, North Minneapolis was the only region to beat Los Angeles at having an untrusting populace. People smile when they walk by you but it's pained and tight-lipped. Most Minnesotans seem to consider strangers as just another abstacle in their day -- and in their way. Minnesotans are "friendly & nice" on the outside but that only lasts long enough for them to pass you by. If one were to observe the majority; they'd see a desperately guarded lot of insular people who "stick to their own." The only way to make any sort of connections in Minnesota is by basically slumming it. You've got to go bar/ club hopping and hope that a drunken mis-adventure migt ensue. Otherwise, you're SOL on making even the casualest of friends. Further, Minnesota, having the largest concentration of big chain businesses in a single metro area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) in the country, you'll be hard-pressed to find many interesting and unique places to explore. It's all about homogeny and solitude in this state. And that guy who said we don't havea problem with transients was lying. Try walking down Nicolet or Hennepin Avenues without getting asked for spare-changed at least once every block and then say that. Housing is also overpriced, which is one of the things that keep class divisions in the state so drastic. There's a huge sub-culture of poverty in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area that gets overlooked because the ammount of wide-spread gentrification. There's a huge disparity between the cost of living and what sort of wages are paid. Sallery jobs are far less common than wage jobs. That dichotomy spreads to many rural areas, as well. It's appalling. And as far as education goes, Minnesotan students who attend institutions of higher education pay some of the most hyper-inflated tutition in the nation. In some instances, like the U of M, local students can pay as much as five times over the standard of livings index. Further, the education system has been cut so far back that teachers are fighting over what jobs are available (I should know, my GF is a teacher). Not to mention the ammount of public school programs that are cut (arts, sports, and afterschool). After Los Angeles, Minneapolis' 35W has been said to have some of the worst freeway congestion in the country. This is because there's such a high percentage of people that live in far-flung suburbs yet work in the city. This makes Dowtown Minneapolis after 6pm almost antirely empty save for a six block area of bars, restaurants, and shops. The Mall of America and the other large suburban shopping centers (like Walmart) have driven the colorful indipendant businesses that you could find everywhere in Downtown Minneapolis to utter extinction. Almost every bookstore is a Borders or a Barns & Noble. The majority restaurants are chain or fast food. Even corner cafes are mostly chain. The character of the city is virtually gone -- dwindling to a few scattered pockets of wonderment and grace. Otherwise, you're just going to get more of the Midwestern malaise that pleagues everywhere from Michigan to the Dekotas. Depending on what you're looking for Minnesota might be nice. But me, I cannot wait until I can afford to move out West to San Fransisco, Portland, or

That land of Lake Wobegon! Can't miss.

best learn to fish

Nice state but be prepared to be taxed to death!

I cannot believe some people! Minnesota is a great place to live! It has several beautiful lakes. It is uncrowded. Has places to see like the boundary waters. And it may be cold in the winter but it is actually pretty hot in the summer. It was in the 90s half of the summer. So anyone who thinks they can judge minnesota and say people are rude think again go visit northern minnesota in the summer or central to southern in spring through october. It is a great place to live, and almost the whole state is very safe. By the way minneapolis may be a big city but it is one of the cleanest in the U.S.

Fezzador, is it so hickish because it's one of the wealthiest and most prosperous states in the country?

Not a good place

I have lived in Fargo, which sits on the Minnesota since August and both Minnesota and North Dakota are crap!! Minnesota is butt ugly, the people are rude. Its very strange how these rural-low lifers who live in Minnesota could be so arrogant. I mean seriously folks, Minnesota is just a both of small towns sitting in the midst of the tundra where they brag it being -50 all winter long. Minneapolis is the most boring middle-sized city I have ever been too, the people of Minneapolis think they are superior to others because they have a high crime rate and tons of poverty (look at the depressed look on peoples faces as you travel up Lyndale Avenue in North Minneapolis). Only the fools in Minnesota believe that they have a quality of life with all the crime, decay and ugliness of this state!

No culture, cold summers, unimaginably bad winters, no minorities... the only good thing about the state is that it's educated. Like other educated state, every four years it shines blue. That's the only good thing about it.

MN is a beautiful state, if you can get past the cold. But winters haven't been as bad in the last two decades as they once were. Contrary to what some people have comments, the best parts of MN are the outlying areas, near the lakes. Serene and gorgeous, especially in summer. Minneapolis used to be a great city but is becoming overrun with crime and liberals. If you like city life, stick to St. Paul.

Save for the Twin cities, the rest of the state is boring and cold. Being over run by christian fundamentalists.

I've lived in MN all my life (23 years) and the MN Nice is mostly true, as people here are fairly considerate and honest. MN is a liberal (Democrat since 1972), hard-working, labor-friendly state that others should model themselves after. Best: Clean lakes, healthiest state in US, best weather in spring, summer and fall, Most educated people per capita (college graduates) and most golfers per capita. Great sports scene with Twins, Vikings, Wild (not this year), Gophers and Wolves. We use to have a great health system that is starting to fall apart, taxes are fairly low and are cheap to travel to. Crime is fairly low, unless you go into North Minneapolis or certain parts of Western St. Paul. Worst: -Cold/Winter (but you can still ski/snowboard) -Drivers...by far the worst drivers I've ever experienced, not enough state-mandated experience and training...I've been all around the country. Overall: MN is a good state, with mostly smart, well-educated and active people that enjoy life, privacy and the great outdoors.

I have been to 47 states and it is one of the nicest in people and interest. They are smart and the women are good looking. I even married a farm girl from there (I am from NYC and live on the water). There is plenty in the state to see and do but you just have to calm down, relax and understand the people. Could work on their variety of people and foods.

It sounds pretty good, although they did steal a city from New York (Rochester) and thats not cool, there shoud only be one Rochester, and new york had it first!

Minnesota is the coldest place in the country and I am not talking about the weather. The compulsive waving and smiling from your neighbors could not be more fake, especially if you are not from Minnesota. Minnesota is only a good place to live if you are a native Minnesotan.

It is not that cold. Canada is way colder.

Lets be serious. The cold is inhumane. Too bad because the state is above average. It does seem that a good portion of the state is a complete wastland. The western part of the state lacks character and points of interest. The extreme north is a very good trip in the middle of the summer if you enjoy fishing or canoeing. Nature is talked about a lot here but I don't think people realize that at least 1/2 of this county has it better in that regard. Minnesota nice is a fairy tale. Twin-Cities area is not similar to other midwestern cities in that it is more modern even if it gets sterile at times. Overall an above average place in the summer and below average in the winter.

I've lived in FL, GA, DC, VA, and MI, and have visited nearly every major metro area in the country, and I have to say that Minnesota is a wonderful place that hardly anyone knows much about. And that's probably why it's so nice. Not really any tourists or transients making it overcrowded and such. Yes, it's cold in the winter, but if you don't mind that--or can at least tough it out, you're wonderfully rewarded with near perfect weather several months of the year. You don't really need A/C in the summer, and spring and early fall are beautiful. The Twin Cities are indeed one of the cleanest metro areas you'll ever see. The University of Minnesota has a beautiful urban campus. There are lots of great clubs and restaurants in downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, Uptown, and other places in the Twin Cities. And there are indeed some really beautiful people here with the Scandinavian blood prevalent in the population. The population is active, healthy, educated, and friendly. Real estate isn't outrageous. You're never far from nature. Wildlife is all over the place, even right in the Cities. Lake Superior is one of the cleanest places in the country--and the biggest freshwater lake in the world. Nowhere in the Twin Cities is more than a half-hour from the beaches on Minnetonka. Minnehaha Falls are beautiful--just 10 minutes from downtown. Most people will never move here because it's one of the coldest cities in the country. But that's fine by me. Keeps out the riff-raff. :-)

No reason to visit unless you were born here like me.

Minnesota has some things going for it. It is fairly educated, clean,no crime, and in the Twin Cities you have a lot of culture and big city amenities. However, I didnt think people were that friendly really, and I spend a January extended weekend there once, 3 days, where the temp did not get above zero. That was enuff for me to get the hell out. Prince was the bomb, like in the 80's.

I lived here for a few years. It's trite but true--Minnesotans really are some of the nicest people around. I think their warmth almost makes up for the frigid weather 6-8 months of the year. Winter can be unbearable, but there's always something going on to make it more livable (car races on the frozen St. Croix River, for one). The Twin Cities is one of the cleanest metro areas on earth, and I like those blonde-haired, blue-eyed women of Scandinavian descent.

Minnesota has a lot more going for it than it gets credit for. The lakes are a given... beautiful, pristine, excellent fishing and camping, great lake resorts and little resort towns. Duluth is an interesting city on Lake Superior which has the feeling of an ocean port town. Lake Itasca is one of my favorite state parks, home to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and located in a beautiful forest. The Iron Range in the northeast part of the state is all beautiful forested land. The Twin Cities are gorgeous in the summertime (and if you're the kind of person who enjoys snow, the St. Paul winter carnival is great) and have an excellent theater and music scene. If that isn't reason enough to love this state, Austin MN is "Spamtown U.S.A.", the SPAM capital of the world. Definitely worth a visit.

An underrated state. Sure it's cold here during the winter; but it's not unbearable. There is plenty to do all round the state.

I went to college here and it was incredible...The Twin Cities rock!

The Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota is so incredibly beautiful. It is a place to do a little bit of nothing or a whole lot of outdoor playing, up north shopping, or just absorbing the peace.I should know I've lived here all my life.