You might have guessed from all of the photo threads, but it is official: I'm now a resident of Minneapolis. I have to say, just over a month of moving over here I'm kinda kicking myself for not having made the move earlier, but suffice it to say despite urban planning blunders here they sure made the best of a less than ideal situation. I still have more I should explore before the weather really deters me: haven't been to North (really Northwest) Minneapolis at all, which is home to both of the city's worst neighborhoods, but also some up-and-coming ones on the northern end. I've still got to check out Nokomis which is like the Powderhorn neighborhood, but I felt it was healthier overall from the little section I saw. Still haven't done any of the neighborhoods along the light-rail right of way on the Southeast, like the popular Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods. Hell, I haven't even really been to St Paul, aside from a little bit of University Ave which is all torn up and a little urban corner of Falcon Heights which is a suburb of one of the two or both.

 

I've stumbled across a number of mainly residential streets, especially up here in Northeast, that have businesses that sort of pop up out of no where, like Marshall just so many blocks west of my apartment which I thought only had a tiki bar among a bunch of drab light industrial buildings, but there were also dive bars, a bowling alley restaurant-bar, and a cocktail lounge which I checked out at the right time since they were doing a 2nd happy hour from 10PM til closing: $3 glasses of wine and $3 plates of country pate. If Ohio cities embraced the 2nd happy hour thing whole-heartedly that would stem population loss alone: I'm not joking. Streets that would be a total bore elsewhere get converted into little destinations here where you could spend a whole evening or day out, depending on what's on offer.

 

I swear, up here in the northern half of the neighborhood you walk two blocks on just about any street and you'll find a neighborhood bar on the corner. I'm told many of these were scary biker bars where you'd be afraid to accidentally make the slightest bit of eye contact with anyone there. At a local bar I've been to a number of times I've chatted with artists, blue-collar workers, and a Somali guy that was hanging out at different times. It just doesn't seem as segregated as Columbus where I've been to bars where it's a novelty that someone outside of the neighborhood sets foot inside.

 

Aside from alcohol and live music, I'm happy with the variety of restaurants and there are coffee shops aplenty, just wish some stayed open later. An added bonus are the two bike boulevards I just happened to live next to. And yes, Downtown is ridiculous: Nicollet Mall, Hennepin Ave, North Loop, it's just decades ahead of many American downtowns. Minneapolis without a doubt serves as model for Great Lakes cities and yes, that includes Chicago. The sad thing about it is realizing just how long it will take others to get to this point even if they copycatted what Mpls did and were successful.

Congrats.  I hope that works out better for you.  Good luck.

Sorry to see you leave, Keith--for the last year or more I've enjoyed (and been educated) by your thoughtful commentary from Columbus.  But now Minneapolis/St. Paul can lay claim to you and your astute vision of things urban and urbane.  Keep up the good work there.  Bon voyage!

Minneapolis is not without it's warts and that includes some large ones, like The Quarry suburban shopping center where an urban business district could have been and the rear faces the urban residential street across from it and a big-box Kmart was plopped in the middle of an urban business district: I mean literally, the road dead ends both ways into the Kmart, but at least there's good stuff on either side. I'll still be coming back for visits as long as my parents live in Ohio, so I'm hoping that when I come back here and there I'll notice some very tangible progress picking up in places where it hasn't yet.

 

What can I say? The writing was on the wall: I just hope others who are staying in Ohio really get on their respective city council's asses and if nothing else help get a similar Neighborhood Revitalization Program in place to ensure neglected neighborhoods get funding for positives changes in their business districts. If Ohio neighborhoods continue to let city council decide where all funds go they'll likely never see enough to make real change that will attract residents. And I'm sure jbcmh81 is sad he no longer has a reason to post here.

I think you've relocated to Bicycle Heaven, with good bike shops and places to ride. I worked in Minneapolis for a couple of weeks fifteen years ago, and even then they were years ahead of where most of the Midwest is now. I had my bike with me and spent my off time exploring and had a great time.

Speaking of biking and bike shops: I picked up a postcard map of the new 2011-2012 bicycling infrastructure in a bike shop down just ten blocks away from home and it's very impressive to say the least: I live near two that just came in to use recently: the 5th St and 22nd Ave bike boulevards. 

 

 

http://www.bikewalktwincities.org/sites/default/files/u9/bwtcroutemapaug2411.jpg

 

Compare that to a total of 10 miles of sharrows in Columbus (High St and environs) along with 1.1 miles (off High St) of a combination of bike lanes, bike route signs, and sharrows for 2011. Just visit the website featured in this official city of  Columbus video featuring mayor Coleman and OSU's president Gee to get a taste of how serious Columbus is about cycling infrastructure.

 

Share the Road Columbus

 

Cincinnati is also off to a slow stop according to UrbanCincy and from the city's website only three roads from  06/2010 through 12/2011 are slated to be completed (see page 43). And Cleveland, well, they have a bike lane on Euclid and sharrows on Franklin according to the offcial city website. Even visiting for the first time, Mpls made for a very sobering realization about where other Great Lakes cities are today and how long it will take for them to match a 2011 Minneapolis equivalent, let alone one from 2005. Over here, it seems there are more organizations full of vocal residents when it comes to city funding for cycling infrastructure along with other important quality of urban life issues.

 

It's really quite surprising that everyone is looking to Portland for answers to urban shortcomings, when a next-door neighbor already has most of it down pat and is all somehow a huge secret still unknown to most. It really is a great national model for what a city can look like when you make the necessary, large financial commitments to cycling infrastructure and urban revitalization; I'm happy to call it home. Which reminds me, I'm going to be short on sunny days to share more of this city on this forum, so I better get busy these next few days and stop slacking off.

Having spent several winters in southern minnesota and northern Iowa, I think you should wait until spring before you make up your mind on the wonders of Minneapolis. It took everything I had to make it from mid-december to early March. 

Keith M., if you want to live in an urbanist/cyclist's paradise, I don't understand why you're in North America at all. The difference between Mpls and Cbus is minuscule, in the grand scheme.

I believe the term for a resident of Minneapolis is a "Minneapolitan."

^ Or "Eskimo"

"Minneapolisite" is just a play on my former name and the blog "Minneapolitan" was already taken. I'm gonna be layered the hell up late December-March and I know the heating bills are going to be pretty brutal. The difference between Minneapolis and Columbus is quite large; Columbus would be like Minneapolis if South Linden were the only bad neighborhood and the rest was all filled in with various businesses and several urban neighborhoods saw an increase in residents, along with a slew of cycling infrastructure and a 2nd light rail line underway with a commuter rail line also already in action. I'd be 50 before that happens in Columbus, so for me personally it's not such a miniscule difference.

Then "Minneapolisite" it is! Keep up the neighborhood tours -- I've enjoyed them. I lived in Rochester for five years in the early '90s. It was amazing even then how many winter bicycle commuters there were.

 

I already roughed it during throughout in Columbus for a couple of years and proved to myself I could do it: but I don't want to, so I'll probably be investing in a monthly bus pass and would only ride when it's 20 and up w/ cleared roads. Riding in the teens and below anywhere over a mile was pretty tough in Columbus: multiple pairs of socks and gloves and head coverings (balaclava and winter hat on top was . Don't worry, more is on the way. I'll probably take some shots tonight since I just found the night setting on my camera. Oh, and there's this http://minneapolisite.wordpress.com/ which is basically just a fancy blog form of my photo threads here. One thing that bugs me is how billboards are everywhere here, even in urban business districts and they're quite the eyesore. Not sure how Columbus prevented this on High.

Thanks for the blog link. Incidentally, I know of another Columbusite in Minneapolis. Tony Hull, a pedestrian and bicycle advocate who used to be a transportation planner at MORPC, now works for Transit for Livable Communities in Minneapolis.

Keith, congrats on escaping Ohio. I'm liking the Minneapolis threads (I liked your Columbus threads too). It looks like a great city with very healthy urbanism. I just don't know if I could handle those winters. Ohio is bad enough as it is.

 

I have to say, just over a month of moving over here I'm kinda kicking myself for not having made the move earlier

 

You know, that's all I have ever heard from my family and friends who moved out of Ohio. Of my circle, not one person has regretted leaving Ohio, especially Toledo.

 

It's really quite surprising that everyone is looking to Portland for answers to urban shortcomings, when a next-door neighbor already has most of it down pat and is all somehow a huge secret still unknown to most.

 

Agree big time. I've been reading about Minneapolis for a while now, and can't believe it doesn't get more media attention. Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior kick ass too. Minnesota really flies under the radar.

 

Minneapolis is probably the best model for major cities in the Midwest. I think Grand Rapids is the best model for mid-sized cities. Duluth is probably the best model for small cities. Portland gets a lot of attention because of the explosive population growth, but I don't think it has an economy to back it up (though I'll admit it's a gorgeous area and the mild weather is very nice- people are going to move to places like that no matter what). Portland seems to be struggling more than other Pacific urban magnets like San Francisco and Seattle.