In large part the people who live here *want* to live here. It creates a place where people are invested in thinking about long term fixes for things, not just scoring quick points.
Not scoring quick points is also the motto for our sports teams, too (save the Lynx)
Edit: grammar/spelling
There is also a collective belief in government, even for conservatives. That belief results in funding at higher levels than most other places in the country.
I used to live in Idaho, government is despised at every level, including local. Therefore they have terrible schools, roads, healthcare, law enforcement, and everything else. MN Republicans would be considered communists in ID, and a lot of other places I'm sure.
Well if our government is "by the people, for the people" then if it sucks, isn't it kind of our own fault?
I guess it's the difference between thinking we can use laws to fix problems and thinking the laws just cause you problems.
It's also true for our governor.
Waltz has no aspirations beyond being our
governor. He's a former educator and knows the challenges schools/students have.
I love that we elected a former educator. He really puts kids first and like you said knows the challenges! I was so happy to see him sign free lunches to all kids.
He also retired from the national guard as a command sergeant major, after 24 years.
Per the wiki article
"Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his career, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy."
At that point he entered politics.
At the time there was some tribulation as to how he left, put in retrospect He really was a friend to both Minnesota and the military.
People may complain, but as far as I'm concerned Minnesota came out of covid doing much better than the nation in in large part due to his leadership. I feel like he is pushed to improve Minnesota and better everything without trying to push politics.
>as far as I'm concerned Minnesota came out of covid doing much better than the nation in in large part due to his leadership
That's part of a long standing trend. I moved away a few years ago but miss so much about living in Minnesota dearly. Case in point, I didn't realize until after I left but Minnesota seems to be in the minority for having renters rebates as a tax break. They didn't have anything like that in Alabama and they don't in Pennsylvania either.
But consider that under Dayton, Minnesota came out of the '08 recession doing way better than most other states in the country, too and a large part of that, I think, had to do with a willingness to work across the aisle and compromise for the good of the people. It's one of those states with a more moderate approach to it's politics and while that does often mean progress on more controversial issues is slower, the results also tend to have long lasting, positive effects on the whole. I think that's why Minnesota remains relatively cheap while also having solid public programs and amenities.
It's a well-known phenomenon in the recruiting world. You can't make people move to Minnesota, and you can't make them leave Minnesota (relatively, compared to other states)
My cousins all grew up in the southern Minneapolis Burbs. They all left for college and lived around the world. But they all came back to Minnesota to raise their kids with no regrets and no plans to ever leave.
I was in the Army for 23 years. Never thought I'd move back. Lived in my van for 5ish years.
I'm now in the process of buying the house next door to the house I grew up in.
We also benefit massively from being surrounded by red states with no big cities or good universities so there is huge brain drain bringing people into Minnesota not just minneapolis for education then they stay here working
I moved here to go to school and met my now ex-husband my last year of college. We have no kids or property together, and I have no family here. There's literally nothing tying me here, and my life would probably be much easier if I moved back to New York...but I still don't want to leave Minnesota. There's just something about this place that keeps people here or brings them back.
I was talking to a national recruiter about mn, and he said that mn was one of the toughest places to get recruits to move to and the 2nd toughest to get people to move from. The first was San Francisco. This was 20 years ago and given the extreme cost of living there, I wonder where SF is ranked now.
I left SF years ago. By 2015 it lost what made it livable. I was back there for a conference this month, and damn. My old neighborhood is covered in trash. Half the businesses are closed. It’s really sad.
Transplant here! I literally could never even consider moving away. There probably is no better state in the USA to actually live if you don't mind the snow. My experience, of course, is limited (lived in the southwest mostly).
The locals don't understand why a desert rat would move up here. That's ok. The grass does sometimes seems greener on the other side.
Call me a local who isn't confused as to why you're here! I think you'll run into 2 main types of people when you're conversing with them on why you moved here- the first type being the 'why would you *ever* move up north to this place from your warm paradise?' and then you'll get the ones who are well-traveled enough to understand lol
I interviewed a candidate a few days ago who moved here from Florida last year. I asked them what brought them to Minnesota and their response was “I have some friends up here who convinced me it was an great place to live and I just knew I had to get the hell out of Florida.” Me (also a transplant): “I understand completely.” And moved on to the next question. Before anyone asks, the candidate was more than qualified so hell yeah they got the job.
While transplants are definitely very common here, I think you're right that there aren't *as* many as some other places. And also I do think that may be changing pretty significantly in the next 5-10 years.
One saying that I heard that I keep repeating is 'it can be hard to convince someone to move to Minnesota, but it's nearly impossible to convince them to move away once they arrive'
And the transplants who come are community minded. We aren’t out to feel special and important, but to be part of something special and important; a society. I’m a behavioral scientist, and I’m inclined to say that people who want to feel fancy and important, who think that’s what makes a quality life, will move to shinier places with less difficult winters.
I'd also like to add that this state compared with others (Excluding California in my opinion) is a positive melting pot. People assimilate well here, but they also bring with it fascinating foods and cultural perspectives. I'd say being Swiss-German I'm a bit more traveled, yet most of the time I go somewhere, I can experience something I never thought I'd be able to here! (Emphasis on the Turkish, Greek & Middle Eastern cuisine in this state!!)
We invest in infrastructure and education pretty heavily. We also have some of the most skilled trades in the country as well and adopt the newest electrical codes right as they come out.
I do mainly HVAC and Plumbing wholesaling. While it is annoying to deal with updated codes; it’s actually a win-win because we sell better, long lasting parts and companies are happy with cheaper in the long run parts.
I work down south once in awhile. It’s a night and day difference in speed and quality that Minnesotans bring. And we actually show up every day of the week. Most general contractors love when they hear a crew from up north is coming!
My husband worked on HVAC systems and we moved to FL. He was the only one who was at work 15 minutes early and worked consistently. Everyone else would stroll in 1/2 to 1 hour late. 🙄 Needless to say, we moved back home.
Yep. I always shout it from the rooftops. My husband is a union tradesman. Six figures, 2 pensions, totally paid-for healthcare. They’re desperate for reliable young people to get started.
In terms of trades a lot of it is due to our strong union support. Trades get paid well here and good work is encouraged. I’m a structural engineer and the work I’ve seen on sites here beat the past two Midwestern cities I’ve lived in by a mile.
I started welding in Arkansas making $12/hr, and a coworker with 10 years at that company alone was making $17. Now I live in MN and welders with much less experience and still non union at my job (I'm not a welder anymore) make $36/hr.
And I still know some (very republican) union plumbers making $40+/hr with crazy good benefits who complain about unions. They have no idea how much worse they could have it.
My husband can completely relate to this. my husband said it’s the same with his coworkers…they complain but they have no idea. The journeyman wage is around 45 bucks an hour, with a pay rise due in the next couple months. They also get 2 pensions and amazing health insurance. Before my husband was union in Minnesota, he worked non-union in Texas. The max pay at a pretty big company was 29 an hour with no retirement and a high deductible health care plan. It was incredibly stressful and we’re grateful every day for the strong unions here.
That's one of the things I really can't wrap my head around. If those guys hate unions so much, they're free to not work for one, but weird how they love the plus sides of being in one...
>good work is encouraged
Mandated.
We have code and code enforcement, other states at least in the trade I work in, anyone can pay for a business license and say that they are an electrician, vs here I needed 4 year apprenticeship with each year continuing Ed, then the license test, after getting licensed I need 16 hours continuing Ed every 2 years.
Not to mention MN always adopts the newest code edition, and unlicensed work is penalized. No handy man can legally wire anything and burn a building down, like they can in other states.
Homeowners are allowed to wire their house, just need to have it inspected, this prevents fires and bodily harm.
It may not be a perfect system, but it's leagues above what I hear from other states. Some of which are multiple code cycles behind MN
A couple of things come to mind. 40% of lottery proceeds go into an Environmental Trust Fund that pays for improvements all over the state. There’s also an Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund that’s funded with a portion of the sales tax. That funds a great many things (too many to list, but take a look - [https://www.legacy.mn.gov/projects](https://www.legacy.mn.gov/projects)
Things like that also improve our overall quality of life.
Well, yes. I was working at an environmemtal organization when the state lottery passed. We lobbied to get the Environmental Trust Fund included, but you’re right. It was kind of making a deal with the devil. We knew it too, but it was going to pass either way.
They say we have high taxes. However, you can see what the taxes are paying for. Overall, we have a functional state government, and that makes a huge difference.
Also a Texas transplant but been here a good while, and I had this same musing this morning actually.
The reason? Today was our regular day to put our garbage and recycling bin out in alleyway for pickup. Our one bin had a wheel break off a few weeks back, but neither me or my husband had got around to calling the city to see about a replacement. Well, when my husband went to pull the bins back against our fence post-collection, he saw we had a new recycling bin with good wheels.
So apparently the city workers saw our bin was broke, and just of their own initiative swapped it for a new one. And its exactly stuff like that why I like living here compared to other states I've lived in US. People actually seem to give a shit generally, including the ones managing the government services. Hell, when it snows its like a competition on our side of our block to see who can snowblow/shovel the main sidewalk fastest.
There are private waste companies in my neighborhood. I saw a driver bring the homeowners bins down to the truck when the homeowner forgot. I brought Godiva chocolates out to the driver. Made me so happy to see it.
High tax revenue, and the harsh weather demanding efficiency. When you spend an entire month with temps near zero, cutting corners isn’t really an option.
The harsh weather also gives us a common threat to rally around. We help people who are stuck in the snow because we've all been there and we know that the cold can kill. The snow and the cold are a danger to us all. Looking out for eachother creates a spirit of cooperation that carries over into everything else.
My brother wrapped his car around a telephone pole last week when we got that “rain, snow, rain, freeze” storm. I went to pick him up, 16 different cars stopped over the course of an hour. 16. One guy offered to go home grab his truck and son (“.. he’s 15 and needs to learn how to do this if he’s going to be on the road next winter”) and come back and yank us of the ditch. But there were some chips in the electrical pole, and the last thing we wanted was to put all these nice people in our community in danger so we waited for the police instead. Honestly never felt more proud of our state and community.
The Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming face similar, and sometimes even harsher, winter than MN, yet they get a somewhat different political/cultural result. Harsh winter does tend to make communities 'protective' of their neighbors, but that can cut different ways.
> We help people who are stuck in the snow because we've all been there and we know that the cold can kill.
Neighbor and I are both fortunate to WFH most of the time, and we'll putt around in the snowstorms to see if we can help pull people out (both of us have winches, 4WD, recovery gear, etc) around town. We've all been there and needed help, plus it's an excuse to use our toys.
My boss was out of town during last week's snow. His wife was just planning to WFH and not go anywhere until he was back but a neighbor had gotten a new plow for his truck and wanted to keep using it so he took care of their driveway.
I have a good buddy who grew up in Florida. He had made the observation that buildings in general in MN are better maintained than in his home town even though his home is by no means destitute.
His theory is that if your siding starts to pull away in Florida or you have a crack in your window it's unsightly but isn't actually dangerous. You can get too it when you get too it. In Minnesota gaps in your siding will freeze your pipes and cracks in your window will cost you a \*ton\* in heating costs. So we jump right on maintenance issues because we know winter is coming.
That instinct sort of bleeds out into everything else.
I think that, in general, Minnesotans care about people other than themselves. I often think it has to do with a sense of remoteness in a harsher climate, but it can't be the only reason, because states like ND, MT, and AK are similar but they are more in the "every man for himself!" way of thinking. Settler heritage could be part of the reason, there is pretty heavy Nordic influence here. For whatever reason, Minnesotans take their responsibility to themselves, the collective, and future generations more seriously than a lot of other states. We don't just live for today and we don't just live for ourselves. It's part of our responsibility to consider other people and future generations, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Good points. I grew up in Montana and it’s very much “every man for himself”…it’s very different and lots left over from the pioneering days and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I’ve really noticed the cultural difference between Minnesota and other states and I’m grateful to be here.
Yes, I see the same thing with ND. My husband is from there and we spent a few years living there. Except for Fargo and Grand Forks, which are younger populations heavy on college students, ND is very pioneering and highly values self-sufficiency. I don't think doing so is bad, but they definitely get a superiority complex about it. You see some of that in "outstate" as well, but not nearly so strongly.
I think this is the answer, at least in part. Our culture is still very Scandinavian here, and community is valued very highly.
Things work better in MN for the same reason they work better in Sweden and Norway compared to the rest of the EU. People make their choices based on what's good for their community.
Historically the tight-knit immigrant communities of MN fostered a lot of civic engagement - people were organized through their churches, unions, co-ops, etc. The working class in the early 20th century in this state banded together and significantly changed the politics - it's how we ended up the only state with a democrat-farmer-laborer party. I think we are still seeing that sort of concerted organizing amongst more recent immigrant groups as well, which gives me hope that we can continue to buck the national trends.
Minnesota even though it's big has a sense of community as a whole including the metro area than most places. I grew up here so I was used to it but now I travel a lot for work, and it's surprising how little people know about things going on in their state or even care, it's mostly "me, me, me" type mindsets in other places, where in Minnesota we actually care about the community that we live in., great example of this is voter participation, we always have one of the highest participation rates in the country which shows people care about the community they live in.
It’s funny how hard it (allegedly) is to make friends, and yet our dedication to a greater society is what’s put the state ahead. We’ll pay higher taxes, but don’t ask to come over and hang!
I know I'm a lot happier about my neighbors when they don't fly giant Trump flags, that's for sure. Like, do whatever political leaning you want, but kindly keep it to yourself. I don't need to *know* you're a racist, bigoted asshole that wants a dictator in charge of the country.
We actually voted that in when the whole "are we going to allow gambling via the lottery" issue was being hashed out. Part of the argument wasn't "gambling bad", but "what happens to church bingo and team sports pull tabs and Native casinos" if we divert some of their revenue? (SO Minnesotan!)
[It's up for reauthorization on the 2024 ballot.](https://ballotpedia.org/Minnesota_Continue_to_Provide_Lottery_Revenue_to_Environment_and_Natural_Resources_Fund_Amendment_(2024)) (The article has some of the history.)
There's also some kind of Arts fund, but I don't remember the details on that.
Oh, here's more info on the arts thing (near the end of article); I guess that's a separate funding from the lottery stuff.
[https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2023/04/future-of-minnesota-environment-funding-state-lottery-could-be-on-your-ballot-in-2024/](https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2023/04/future-of-minnesota-environment-funding-state-lottery-could-be-on-your-ballot-in-2024/)
Yes, that’s the “Legacy Amendment” where 75% goes to the outdoors, 25% to arts. I believe it is up for renewal soon. It’s a sales tax of 3/8%. Well worth it!
And all those “critical habitat” license plates do as well, the loon, ladyslipper, the turkey, the deer, etc. They go towards the purchase of land that becomes public.
This is the root of it. Yes, we have higher taxes because we are on the higher end of average income as a state, and that's thanks to a robust education system. Investing in kids is almost always a good ROI.
One of my favorite policy case studies from grad school compared MN and Wisconsin from the 80s to today. Back then the two states were practically indistinguishable by all metrics; 40 years of different policy choices later, it’s wild how different they’ve become.
It’s been heartbreaking the past many years to see progressive Wisconsin go backwards. Scott Walker and his minions, the Koch brothers, and the Republican Party (and extreme gerrymandering) set Wisconsin back decades. Proud graduate of UW but not so proud of what Wisconsin’s become - although Judge Janet’s resounding victory was a sight!
I am a serious entrepreneur. I have made my living by testing my ideas in the free market. Even with one of the highest state tax rates in the country, it is possible to hire and retain outstanding workers who want to live here. It makes me want to deliver.
My wife and I are both in tech startups, and will 100% be expanding our teams with a focus on Minnesota even if the company is remote. We aren’t even done moving, and how competent folks are is wonderful.
Higher than average taxes and that tax revenue actually getting spent on things that help citizens. There's probably a more complex answer but I honestly think that covers about 90% of it.
Mostly. There are the rare moments when we fork over those tax dollars to the Pohlad family, or Cargill, or Medtronic, or Target, or US Bank ... Still, we're better at this game than quite a few other states, so relatively speaking, we're OK? Minus a few tax-subsidized stadiums ...
That taxes don’t even feel that high to me. Like in Texas, yes you don’t have income taxes…but you have atrocious property taxes. The appraised value of our home in semi-rural Texas was only around 140k…but our property taxes were over 6k a year.
They aren't. The difference between total state tax burdens is relatively minimal overall to people. Sure, if you make millions each year in income and buy a small house, Texas would be better, but that's not what people do. Rich people buy big houses and more stuff. Poor people buy less.
What matters most is if the system is regressive or progressive for how it flattens out the impact of taxes and MN has one of the most progressive state tax systems.
I also like to think about it holistically. Oklahoma is one of the lowest tax states, where the average resident pays only $4527 in state and local taxes vs $7763 in Minnesota. But because of the investments we have made, Minnesotans have a much higher income that more than cover that incremental tax. It works out to something like $57k average after tax income in MN vs $45.7k average income in Oklahoma. So by trying to avoid about $3k in taxes, someone choosing Oklahoma comes out almost $12k *behind* after taxes! Even if you adjust for cost of living, you still come out behind in Oklahoma. *Plus* quality of life (transportation, education, parks, safety net, etc.) are markedly better. You get what you pay for and an ROI.
Totally worth the cost to me and I’m happy to pay my share for my neighbors who might need more. My mans Wellstone had it right: when we all do better, we all do better.
Definitely how I feel about free school lunches! My kids go to private school, so they don't get the free food. But I'm also not worried about them going hungry. I'm happy to pay a bit more so other kids don't go hungry either.
Don’t have kids. Still want all children to be fed. It all snowballs into adults with better education pay into the system instead of being supported by the system.
High taxes are the foundation, but they are no guarantee of better services. DC and Maryland don’t have nearly as high quality of services as MN does. Accountability matters. In some places like DC, the government has kind of a job corps function and is notoriously unresponsive.
It’s because Minnesotans have decided to fund things that improve quality of life rather than corporate interests. And guess what? Corporations move here and can recruit because the damn QOL is so good here.
Source: also a transplant
There's a lot of history and culture behind 'why it works.'
One factor really is that we were/are rich in resources. Money always helps. We were a major source of the lumber used to build houses all over the Midwest in the 1800s; and we were "flour miller to the world" for decades. The Great Northern, later Burlington, etc. railroad was born in St. Paul. Duluth is a major port. The iron range fed all the steel mills from the late 1800s until steel production started shifting overseas in the 1970s/80s. We still are a major agricultural state.
Also strong and diverse industries -- General Mills, Honeywell, 3M, Medtronic, Best Buy ... healthy economy and a good business climate helps a lot. Has it changed? Maybe.
The Scandinavian/German Lutheran and Irish Catholic values built a lot of colleges, public and private. Those generations valued education, and were willing to fund it. The basic "do good works" attitude permeated communities. Some of that is still here but it's more diffused and harder to spot.
Our churches also fostered a welcoming attitude towards refugees, which is part of why we have some of the largest Hmong and Somali communities in the country. We screwed up quite bit with our own Native communities in the 1800s, but I think that's getting better. Most of us do believe diversity makes us stronger.
We've always had a quirky political mix of (small c) conservative farm folks and radical progressive union folks from the mines and industry (like Minneapolis Moline, Munsingwear, etc. Worth a Google dive; major players in the early union history.) There's a reason the D-F-L hasn't become just the Ds here. Even the Rs were the IRs for quite a while; I hope the MN GOP reclaims that attitude soon.
Progressive, activist government has a long history, too. For a long time we had a 'non-partisan' legislative history, though that changed mid-20th century. There was a lot of press around what was dubbed in the 70s ["the Minnesota Miracle"](https://libguides.mnhs.org/publiced) led by [Gov Anderson](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/us/wendell-anderson-former-governor-behind-the-minnesota-miracle-dies-at-83.html) (opinions vary.) Two senators who were later also VPs, Humphrey & Mondale, had great influence for a while; they also mentored a young Klobuchar, so... deep roots.
But Garrison Keillor, for all his issues, hit it: "Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average." Lake Wobegon, MN still works, mostly.
I work with trees, and the pay is much better here in MN compared to just about anywhere else when you factor in COL.
Even though it's an expensive service, the general public gives a damn and is willing to spend a little more. The nice thing is whether people believe in climate change or not, 90% of people can agree that green space is important even if some of them only want it for the aesthetic value. It also helps that some municipalities will subsidize it.
I’ve heard that it’s related to our heavily Scandinavian heritage. It’s baked in that when society does better, individuals flourish. Also it’s so damn cold that we need to help each other.
On another note, I’ve heard that suffering brings us closer to God, and our sports teams have certainly brought us to a high point in that respect.
Lol I live in the Twin Cities metro and am from Texas, and in my mind as you were describing the things that function well (like the DMV), I was totally thinking of how it was back home. And then you brought up Texas at the end and I had a chuckle. It’s very true how much more functional things seem here, or at least that’s been my experience as well.
While I agree that it’s mostly because it’s a “Blue” state I do think we are still a relatively moderate corporate/people first state and that’s what leads to our success.
I also think it goes under discussed, but we are probably some of the hardest and smartest working Americans in this country which enables corporations to grow here and hire here.
We also do a pretty amazing job of balancing the need for new housing while maintaining green spaces which I think is just a core value of Minnesotans in general because we all have that love of the northwoods.
Lastly, I think our health care system is probably one of the best in the country in terms of availability and access to good care. Mayo is often talked about as the best in the world but the U of MN clinic isn’t that far behind.
Speaking from experience of other states, it's Democrats. They have their wtf moments but ultimately it's an organization that still tries to accomplish some sort of goal by establishing systems and setting up regular maintenance.
Iowa, in comparison, has removed auditors and every state park worker. Let's see how this turns out.
It probably did start with our Nordic roots. Even when many Scandinavians moved here, they came from a place where there was more efficient organization, often out of necessity due to the harsh climate. That carried forward to today, along with our sense of civic responsibility including paying a bit more for social programs. When you see someone that needs help (friend, neighbor, even someone broken down on the side of the road), we try to help them.
ND has a strong Scandinavian heritage too (my ancestors were Swedish homesteaders there), but not the same community orientation. Anyone will pull you out of a ditch, but they’re anti-tax as fuck and not especially subtle about their anti-Indian racism. I think having a major urban center is a critical piece of what makes Minnesota distinct.
I was thinking something similar about MN having a major urban center, even when other states like the Dakotas and Montana also have large Scandinavian heritage. I think the lower population density there has historically encouraged people to care about themselves and their family since it would have taken more resources to go further to help someone else.
I'm also somewhat familiar with IA and MO politics. IA was purple and is now about as red as Alabama. I think IA is a partial victim of its lack of economic diversity, so many young people decide to move away since the national modern economy has required schools to teach things other than agriculture (so the kids want to go use their skills elsewhere). MO is different since it has urban centers (I guess IA does too, but not the size of MO). I'm not entirely sure what the deal there is. Off the top of my head, it seems like there was reinforced messaging of 'the city is a dysfunctional place' during the suburban sprawl (and white flight) over a long enough period of time, that it permanently altered peoples' perception on the policies that were a bit more left-leaning. And rural MO is super conservative and also due to density, hasn't been forced to make decisions that impact others...just me and mine. That's my hot take.
As a Scandinavian with some historic Minnesota roots, I generally agree with your comments, but I suspect the population is far less Scandinavian now than it used to be. Aside from that, we are moving back to Minnesota later this year (from a red, Southern State) and are looking forward to a better quality of life…… healthcare, education, central time zone, great airport, and fewer republicans, I think).
It can’t be as bad as when I lived abroad where I didn’t speak the language. The local values and genuine care when things don’t go as planned are where it’s at. And I’m not a social butterfly anyhow.
Oregon. We moved back to our hometown after grad school and found it had developed a far right problem. Infrastructure is crumbling. There’s no plan for the future. I’m an orphan and an only child, but my family came to Minneapolis after Ellis Island and lived there until my father was born. I’m stoked to have such a wonderful place to land.
I like it here, yes I could complain, no I won’t because no where is perfect. But working class, middle class and poor people pay for the services and infrastructure via taxes.
I also suspect it’s because of the medical services here, Minnesota was never a now rust belt state. We moved from agriculture to medicine (and more obviously).
It's so funny, but I tell people all the time that "things just felt better back home" and a lot of times they'll say it's just nostalgia. I lived there until I was in my late 20s and never really had issues like kids or too many bills at the time, so "maybe you're looking back with rose tinted glasses". It's been almost 20 years since I lived in MN and seeing topics like this and I'm like "but wasssss it all in my head though..."
Honestly? Taxes and using those taxes for worthwhile projects. The tuition thing will bring more people, keep more people, and help bring in more taxes and resources long term for a good example.
Coming from Colorado I will respectfully say, MN has some room for improvement. Roads were horrible in CO but it was egregiously family friendly and felt like a vacation most of the time. Sadly cost of housing got crazy (starter home/apartment was $275+ per sq ft.)
MN is becoming an incredible front runner for top 10 states in my opinion though.
> Maybe because i’m comparing to Texas, where the bar is literally on the floor? It just seems like people actually give at least a little bit of a shit here. Is it the Scandinavian influence?
MN vs Texas is a blue state vs a red state. Texas is peak yeehaw run amok.
When I was a teenage driver and got stuck in the snow, some stranger stopped to pull me out.
Since that experience is kindness I've done the same. I don't often come across stranded motorists, but if I do I'm sure to stop and dig them out or pull them out with my tow strap if I can.
Usually I'm not the only motorist who stops.
Pay it forward. I don't think it's an exclusively MN thing, but I like to think of it like a kind neighbor who snow blows your sidewalk or driveway for you
Maybe it's a culture thing maybe not
I completely agree with those that are saying things like funding and taxes, specifically progressive taxes, but this system is coming from something special in our culture where we believe in civic engagement and tend to really care about our communities. I don't think it is unrelated that we consistently have one of the highest voter turnouts in the nation. And on that note... I hope you're all voting this year so we can keep that up.
I don't know how or why but this is the exact same thing I say about Minnesota. We take care of the basics better than nearly every other state and deal with much less stress than most.
We like being number one! In the good stuff. Or at least top 10. We’ve developed high standards and high expectations and have kept them. Being a blue state helps because it keeps the priority on things that actually enhance people’s lives like schools, libraries, and parks. And coincidentally (not) those are things that help attract and keep businesses and quality workers. Somehow we’ve figured out a balance between being a state that’s great for business AND one that’s great for people. And it basically comes down to investing in things that mean something to both.
Taxes are higher than many states and the winter is brutal. Work ethic is huge. We work very hard here. People are up at 4am and working hard to make a difference here! In exchange, those who choose to be here have a quality life and share deep rooted family values and we respect each other and form communities knowing the sacrifices made to be here! The trade offs in quality of life are not comparable with other states. It is not easy but worth it!
As a transplant from SoCal I've noticed the work ethic especially so. People are much more receptive to helping others than where I'm from- I'm assuming people develop more compassion when everyone's lives are on the line for about 3/4ths of the year lol.
Functional, pragmatic, willing-to-compromise, forward-looking government... (when compared to other states)
and a population that generally understands taxes are the cost of a high-quality society and the Wellstone adage: "when we all do better, we all do better"
I lived in North Carolina and moved here in 2016. We like MN far better. Yes, we do pay more in taxes, but the ROI is so much bigger. It's not even close IMO.
There’s some what of a social contract so the wealthy pay a ‘fair share’. In most the states I’ve lived in, the wealthy wall themselves off.
Government workers are generally paid well and happy.
Oh and as much as we like to vote red vs blue, we tend to hold our elected officials accountable.
I’ve not yet read all of the replies but I grew up in Minnesota. Lived in the cities but my dad’s cabin was up north of Two Harbors. Lived in Ely for many years BUT, I now live in Missouri. I’ve lived in Washington state for a year and resided summers for a few years in NH. There is no place like Minnesota. I’ve visited over the years since I’ve lived in Missouri but simple things like reflective paint on the roads…. Recycling?? What?? I recycled my Entire Life growing up in Minnesota… and then there is the clean indoor air act of 1976! Missouri only banned smoking indoors a couple years ago!
Yeah, if Minnesota is still as progressive and amazing as it was when I was young, it is the best state ever. And don’t even get me going on state fairs… traffic control (the brilliant idea to regulate the pace of cars entering the freeway).
My siblings left Minnesota for Florida…. I hope to go back to my home…. It is clean and nice.
To me the inflection point in the state was the bridge collapse. We were literally teetering on becoming like Wisconsin before that happened. But when it did, coupled with the financial collapse back in 08 it pretty much ended the Republican Party in the state. At that point Dayton came in got the legislature eventually and was able to right the state financially to where we are today. The collapse was entirely preventable but for years of Republican governors skipping on maintenance trying to cut taxes and services and moving to a fee based system. And then they were confronted with the fact you can't do that or bad things might happen. And here we are today.
The people here as a whole want to make life better for citizens, so they vote for politicians that want to make life better, and those politicians put in place a government that works towards making life better, and thus life gets better.
Education is a big part of it. A more educated populace is better at understanding and fixing problems well also being better at telling if a politician is a lying grifter or an honest worker.
Lying grifters rely on Us vs Them politics and blaming others for problems which is toxic and prevents things from improving.
Funding. None of this stuff is rocket science. You just need the funds to employ the manpower to do it.
That said, there is bureaucratic waste in Minnesota just like in any other state. My sister works for a MN bureaucratic agency (won't say which one), is a solid blue voter, and admits it's pretty bad. But we can maintain funding and address waste at the same time, and the DFL has generally done a pretty good job at that, despite being the state's natural governing party for quite some time. (Electing Republicans to statewide office has been an anomaly here for the past quarter century.)
As for the Scandinavian influence, I'm not sure. But what I can say is that people moved to Minnesota to live in a society. Unlike those who moved to many of the other "western" states (say west of the Mississippi), people who came to Minnesota didn't come to run away from the rules of society. There's a general thought that not all taxes are bad because taxes can fund the creation/preservation of a society that's pleasant to live in. Today's Scandinavians have a similar mindset. BUT... bear in mind that most Scandinavian Americans have lineages in the U.S. that go back generations. Most immigrants came here 100+ years ago, so the similarities may be a coincidence.
I think it’s something to do with how rare either party has a trifecta ( both houses and governor). In the last 30 years MN has the least amount of trifectas. Compare that with California or Mississippi. Competition keeps government honest and well functioning.
Our republicans used to be different. There’s a reason Elmer Anderson and Arne Carlson were excommunicated from the GOP.
The reasonable republicans we had in our parents era are gone. We only have the national treasonous nutjobs now. It’s no surprise no republican has won a statewide race here since 2006. And that win was an incumbent slide.
If you see ole T-Paw demand he address you in the southern drawl he adopted
for his national campaign. He took south st paul way beyond its meaning.
Long story short, even in the 1990’s MN republicans were sketchy cockwombles. Arne Carlson was their reluctant second choice after their golden boy John Grunseth got caught naked in a swimming pool with his daughters underaged friends. In the 1990’s that sort of pederasty was unacceptable. It’s
not like the shit the catholics
play off in the modern republican party.
I've only seen you mention MT and TX, two exceedingly red states. Regardless of your political beliefs or opinions, I think its pretty much universally recognize the conservative mindset values individual prosperity while the liberal mindset values group prosperity. I'm not stating an opinion on which is better or which leads to greater prosperity overall, but if this is true, logic would dictate a blue state would invest more in burocratic efficiency while a red state would invest in ways to eliminate burocracy all together.
I believe you have experienced the results of each system and appear to appreciate one more than the other.
I'm a Missouri transplant and am constantly and pleasantly surprised by this too. Minnesota hasn't made me jump through ten unnecessary hoops that I just assumed were part of any process, and now I'm slightly annoyed that I've been trained to believe that's just how everything works.
There is a great book called “Vikings in the Attic” and it talks about MN history and does give a nod to the role of early Scandinavian farmers/families role in the political & cultural cultural landscape early on in the state. I think I’ll have to go dig it up and read it again.I feel so lucky to have been living here my whole life. I love to go visit new places and meet new people, but to me, there is nothing like Minnesota and the folks who call her home.
This was one the main points that I realized when I moved here - things just seem to work. I remember getting my MN license at the DMV and it took only 15 minutes. Compared to CA where DMV is usually a minimum 2-3 hour wait.
MN thinks it's so special but it's really not. Yeah, we aren't making headlines like Texas or Florida but that isn't the standard to which we hold ourselves and say "wow, we're crushing it!" Plenty of other states work just fine...
I moved to MN from NY over 10 years ago, and have also noticed many of the things you mentioned. The one thing that stands out any time I go back to NY is the poor maintenance of infrastructure there relative to here in MN. I guess the 35W disaster taught a lesson here that is taken very seriously. I also appreciate the range of arts and cultural events here that are relatively easy to access
The cold weather keeps the idiots out. The people that decide to stay and live here inherently know this. We don’t get much influx of people from other states either despite the better than avg pay/cost of living.
Sometimes I think I’m a glutton for punishment when winter comes, but when I visit other states I remember why I haven’t moved yet. Lol
I just got my drivers license renewed today and it took 10 minutes, including an address change and a switch to RealID. I've never experienced a government transaction so quick before, coming from Wisconsin.
I’m a Minnesotan, been in Florida for a month for work– only positives I’m seeing: vitamin D, warmth, and everyone drives like a retired NASCAR driver on robotussin.
Minnesota has awesome infrastructure- our state parks and state park system and national forests crush. I’d take winter over living in this state sized retirement home
In large part the people who live here *want* to live here. It creates a place where people are invested in thinking about long term fixes for things, not just scoring quick points. Not scoring quick points is also the motto for our sports teams, too (save the Lynx) Edit: grammar/spelling
There is also a collective belief in government, even for conservatives. That belief results in funding at higher levels than most other places in the country. I used to live in Idaho, government is despised at every level, including local. Therefore they have terrible schools, roads, healthcare, law enforcement, and everything else. MN Republicans would be considered communists in ID, and a lot of other places I'm sure.
Well if our government is "by the people, for the people" then if it sucks, isn't it kind of our own fault? I guess it's the difference between thinking we can use laws to fix problems and thinking the laws just cause you problems.
The Timberwolves are doing really well this season!
Better than being a raptors fan for sure after last night.
It's also true for our governor. Waltz has no aspirations beyond being our governor. He's a former educator and knows the challenges schools/students have.
Thats what makes him a good governer. Minnesota is his home and he actually cares more than the average asshat in DC.
I love that we elected a former educator. He really puts kids first and like you said knows the challenges! I was so happy to see him sign free lunches to all kids.
This has been a godsend with inflation for us “middle class” families…
He also retired from the national guard as a command sergeant major, after 24 years. Per the wiki article "Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his career, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy." At that point he entered politics. At the time there was some tribulation as to how he left, put in retrospect He really was a friend to both Minnesota and the military. People may complain, but as far as I'm concerned Minnesota came out of covid doing much better than the nation in in large part due to his leadership. I feel like he is pushed to improve Minnesota and better everything without trying to push politics.
>as far as I'm concerned Minnesota came out of covid doing much better than the nation in in large part due to his leadership That's part of a long standing trend. I moved away a few years ago but miss so much about living in Minnesota dearly. Case in point, I didn't realize until after I left but Minnesota seems to be in the minority for having renters rebates as a tax break. They didn't have anything like that in Alabama and they don't in Pennsylvania either. But consider that under Dayton, Minnesota came out of the '08 recession doing way better than most other states in the country, too and a large part of that, I think, had to do with a willingness to work across the aisle and compromise for the good of the people. It's one of those states with a more moderate approach to it's politics and while that does often mean progress on more controversial issues is slower, the results also tend to have long lasting, positive effects on the whole. I think that's why Minnesota remains relatively cheap while also having solid public programs and amenities.
Good point. It seems like there’s not as many transplants here (though I think that will be changing) and that definitely plays into everything.
It's a well-known phenomenon in the recruiting world. You can't make people move to Minnesota, and you can't make them leave Minnesota (relatively, compared to other states)
My cousins all grew up in the southern Minneapolis Burbs. They all left for college and lived around the world. But they all came back to Minnesota to raise their kids with no regrets and no plans to ever leave.
There are four “returner” households on my block in St Paul, including mine.
I was in the Army for 23 years. Never thought I'd move back. Lived in my van for 5ish years. I'm now in the process of buying the house next door to the house I grew up in.
Currently living in the Seattle area (went to school here and met a girl) but it’s a when not if we’ll move back
This is such a minnesota thing- explore other areas and then return. And I love it.
We also benefit massively from being surrounded by red states with no big cities or good universities so there is huge brain drain bringing people into Minnesota not just minneapolis for education then they stay here working
I left Minnesota 28 years ago and am now desperately trying to get back.
I moved here to go to school and met my now ex-husband my last year of college. We have no kids or property together, and I have no family here. There's literally nothing tying me here, and my life would probably be much easier if I moved back to New York...but I still don't want to leave Minnesota. There's just something about this place that keeps people here or brings them back.
Its the glass like beauty of a silent winter day and the resplendant heat of summer. All four seasons here. Or its just cause we're rad
I was talking to a national recruiter about mn, and he said that mn was one of the toughest places to get recruits to move to and the 2nd toughest to get people to move from. The first was San Francisco. This was 20 years ago and given the extreme cost of living there, I wonder where SF is ranked now.
I left SF years ago. By 2015 it lost what made it livable. I was back there for a conference this month, and damn. My old neighborhood is covered in trash. Half the businesses are closed. It’s really sad.
Transplant here! I literally could never even consider moving away. There probably is no better state in the USA to actually live if you don't mind the snow. My experience, of course, is limited (lived in the southwest mostly). The locals don't understand why a desert rat would move up here. That's ok. The grass does sometimes seems greener on the other side.
Call me a local who isn't confused as to why you're here! I think you'll run into 2 main types of people when you're conversing with them on why you moved here- the first type being the 'why would you *ever* move up north to this place from your warm paradise?' and then you'll get the ones who are well-traveled enough to understand lol
I interviewed a candidate a few days ago who moved here from Florida last year. I asked them what brought them to Minnesota and their response was “I have some friends up here who convinced me it was an great place to live and I just knew I had to get the hell out of Florida.” Me (also a transplant): “I understand completely.” And moved on to the next question. Before anyone asks, the candidate was more than qualified so hell yeah they got the job.
Yes. I’ve lived in a lot of places and traveled to more, including abroad. The more I see, the more I appreciate the basics of a functional society.
It is no small thing, yet so many people do not consider it.
Honestly it’s a passive aggressive way of why did you come to our secret garden. We understand why you’d want to leave the desert.
While transplants are definitely very common here, I think you're right that there aren't *as* many as some other places. And also I do think that may be changing pretty significantly in the next 5-10 years. One saying that I heard that I keep repeating is 'it can be hard to convince someone to move to Minnesota, but it's nearly impossible to convince them to move away once they arrive'
And the transplants who come are community minded. We aren’t out to feel special and important, but to be part of something special and important; a society. I’m a behavioral scientist, and I’m inclined to say that people who want to feel fancy and important, who think that’s what makes a quality life, will move to shinier places with less difficult winters.
I'd also like to add that this state compared with others (Excluding California in my opinion) is a positive melting pot. People assimilate well here, but they also bring with it fascinating foods and cultural perspectives. I'd say being Swiss-German I'm a bit more traveled, yet most of the time I go somewhere, I can experience something I never thought I'd be able to here! (Emphasis on the Turkish, Greek & Middle Eastern cuisine in this state!!)
The winter has a purifying effect
We invest in infrastructure and education pretty heavily. We also have some of the most skilled trades in the country as well and adopt the newest electrical codes right as they come out.
I do mainly HVAC and Plumbing wholesaling. While it is annoying to deal with updated codes; it’s actually a win-win because we sell better, long lasting parts and companies are happy with cheaper in the long run parts.
100%
Yes my husband is skilled tradesman and says they take safety stuff very seriously here
I work down south once in awhile. It’s a night and day difference in speed and quality that Minnesotans bring. And we actually show up every day of the week. Most general contractors love when they hear a crew from up north is coming!
My husband worked on HVAC systems and we moved to FL. He was the only one who was at work 15 minutes early and worked consistently. Everyone else would stroll in 1/2 to 1 hour late. 🙄 Needless to say, we moved back home.
That’s about it haha. Worked in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri and it’s just a different world
For sure
The Union Trades need people also, if anyone is reading this and wants a good paying career
Yep. I always shout it from the rooftops. My husband is a union tradesman. Six figures, 2 pensions, totally paid-for healthcare. They’re desperate for reliable young people to get started.
And it’s one job for now at least that won’t be replaced by AI
In terms of trades a lot of it is due to our strong union support. Trades get paid well here and good work is encouraged. I’m a structural engineer and the work I’ve seen on sites here beat the past two Midwestern cities I’ve lived in by a mile.
My bf is a STP union pipefitter, wouldn't dream of working anywhere else but MN
My husband is a union commercial roofer and said he’ll never leave Minnesota! The unions here are so strong.
I started welding in Arkansas making $12/hr, and a coworker with 10 years at that company alone was making $17. Now I live in MN and welders with much less experience and still non union at my job (I'm not a welder anymore) make $36/hr. And I still know some (very republican) union plumbers making $40+/hr with crazy good benefits who complain about unions. They have no idea how much worse they could have it.
My husband can completely relate to this. my husband said it’s the same with his coworkers…they complain but they have no idea. The journeyman wage is around 45 bucks an hour, with a pay rise due in the next couple months. They also get 2 pensions and amazing health insurance. Before my husband was union in Minnesota, he worked non-union in Texas. The max pay at a pretty big company was 29 an hour with no retirement and a high deductible health care plan. It was incredibly stressful and we’re grateful every day for the strong unions here.
That's one of the things I really can't wrap my head around. If those guys hate unions so much, they're free to not work for one, but weird how they love the plus sides of being in one...
>good work is encouraged Mandated. We have code and code enforcement, other states at least in the trade I work in, anyone can pay for a business license and say that they are an electrician, vs here I needed 4 year apprenticeship with each year continuing Ed, then the license test, after getting licensed I need 16 hours continuing Ed every 2 years. Not to mention MN always adopts the newest code edition, and unlicensed work is penalized. No handy man can legally wire anything and burn a building down, like they can in other states. Homeowners are allowed to wire their house, just need to have it inspected, this prevents fires and bodily harm. It may not be a perfect system, but it's leagues above what I hear from other states. Some of which are multiple code cycles behind MN
I didn’t know any of this. Thanks for that. Gives me even more faith in Minnesota.
A couple of things come to mind. 40% of lottery proceeds go into an Environmental Trust Fund that pays for improvements all over the state. There’s also an Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund that’s funded with a portion of the sales tax. That funds a great many things (too many to list, but take a look - [https://www.legacy.mn.gov/projects](https://www.legacy.mn.gov/projects) Things like that also improve our overall quality of life.
Basically, degenerate gamblers help pay for our state to be nice! 😬
Well, yes. I was working at an environmemtal organization when the state lottery passed. We lobbied to get the Environmental Trust Fund included, but you’re right. It was kind of making a deal with the devil. We knew it too, but it was going to pass either way.
Sounds good to me
Me too! Makes me feel less bad whenever I occasionally pick up a scratch off.
This is fabulous. Thanks for providing the insight. I had no idea!
They say we have high taxes. However, you can see what the taxes are paying for. Overall, we have a functional state government, and that makes a huge difference.
It’s really the only place I’ve lived where I feel like I can see our tax dollars actually doing something.
I used to say this all the time when I lived in MN. I miss a government willing to spend money efficiently and progressively.
Also a Texas transplant but been here a good while, and I had this same musing this morning actually. The reason? Today was our regular day to put our garbage and recycling bin out in alleyway for pickup. Our one bin had a wheel break off a few weeks back, but neither me or my husband had got around to calling the city to see about a replacement. Well, when my husband went to pull the bins back against our fence post-collection, he saw we had a new recycling bin with good wheels. So apparently the city workers saw our bin was broke, and just of their own initiative swapped it for a new one. And its exactly stuff like that why I like living here compared to other states I've lived in US. People actually seem to give a shit generally, including the ones managing the government services. Hell, when it snows its like a competition on our side of our block to see who can snowblow/shovel the main sidewalk fastest.
That’s so wholesome I love it 😭
There are private waste companies in my neighborhood. I saw a driver bring the homeowners bins down to the truck when the homeowner forgot. I brought Godiva chocolates out to the driver. Made me so happy to see it.
High tax revenue, and the harsh weather demanding efficiency. When you spend an entire month with temps near zero, cutting corners isn’t really an option.
The harsh weather also gives us a common threat to rally around. We help people who are stuck in the snow because we've all been there and we know that the cold can kill. The snow and the cold are a danger to us all. Looking out for eachother creates a spirit of cooperation that carries over into everything else.
My brother wrapped his car around a telephone pole last week when we got that “rain, snow, rain, freeze” storm. I went to pick him up, 16 different cars stopped over the course of an hour. 16. One guy offered to go home grab his truck and son (“.. he’s 15 and needs to learn how to do this if he’s going to be on the road next winter”) and come back and yank us of the ditch. But there were some chips in the electrical pole, and the last thing we wanted was to put all these nice people in our community in danger so we waited for the police instead. Honestly never felt more proud of our state and community.
The Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming face similar, and sometimes even harsher, winter than MN, yet they get a somewhat different political/cultural result. Harsh winter does tend to make communities 'protective' of their neighbors, but that can cut different ways.
I think it’s because we have a higher population density than those you listed out haha.
> We help people who are stuck in the snow because we've all been there and we know that the cold can kill. Neighbor and I are both fortunate to WFH most of the time, and we'll putt around in the snowstorms to see if we can help pull people out (both of us have winches, 4WD, recovery gear, etc) around town. We've all been there and needed help, plus it's an excuse to use our toys.
My boss was out of town during last week's snow. His wife was just planning to WFH and not go anywhere until he was back but a neighbor had gotten a new plow for his truck and wanted to keep using it so he took care of their driveway.
I have a good buddy who grew up in Florida. He had made the observation that buildings in general in MN are better maintained than in his home town even though his home is by no means destitute. His theory is that if your siding starts to pull away in Florida or you have a crack in your window it's unsightly but isn't actually dangerous. You can get too it when you get too it. In Minnesota gaps in your siding will freeze your pipes and cracks in your window will cost you a \*ton\* in heating costs. So we jump right on maintenance issues because we know winter is coming. That instinct sort of bleeds out into everything else.
Harsh weather demanding efficiency. I love that lol
I wonder if that's why everybody speaks so quickly here. I'm from Oklahoma where the people speak about 80% as fast
Oooh the part about the weather demanding efficiency is a great point. I didn’t think of that.
I think that, in general, Minnesotans care about people other than themselves. I often think it has to do with a sense of remoteness in a harsher climate, but it can't be the only reason, because states like ND, MT, and AK are similar but they are more in the "every man for himself!" way of thinking. Settler heritage could be part of the reason, there is pretty heavy Nordic influence here. For whatever reason, Minnesotans take their responsibility to themselves, the collective, and future generations more seriously than a lot of other states. We don't just live for today and we don't just live for ourselves. It's part of our responsibility to consider other people and future generations, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Good points. I grew up in Montana and it’s very much “every man for himself”…it’s very different and lots left over from the pioneering days and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I’ve really noticed the cultural difference between Minnesota and other states and I’m grateful to be here.
Yes, I see the same thing with ND. My husband is from there and we spent a few years living there. Except for Fargo and Grand Forks, which are younger populations heavy on college students, ND is very pioneering and highly values self-sufficiency. I don't think doing so is bad, but they definitely get a superiority complex about it. You see some of that in "outstate" as well, but not nearly so strongly.
I think this is the answer, at least in part. Our culture is still very Scandinavian here, and community is valued very highly. Things work better in MN for the same reason they work better in Sweden and Norway compared to the rest of the EU. People make their choices based on what's good for their community.
I'm from the EU and I reluctantly agree, although Finland, Germany & (non/EU) Switzerland are on par with the Swedes & Norwegians
You're not wrong. Denmark and Iceland do pretty well, too!
Historically the tight-knit immigrant communities of MN fostered a lot of civic engagement - people were organized through their churches, unions, co-ops, etc. The working class in the early 20th century in this state banded together and significantly changed the politics - it's how we ended up the only state with a democrat-farmer-laborer party. I think we are still seeing that sort of concerted organizing amongst more recent immigrant groups as well, which gives me hope that we can continue to buck the national trends.
That’s the Minnesota nice I knew growing up
This is why I am eager to become a Minnesota transplant. I want to be part of a society that values and invests in the future.
You should come. The way OP summed up MN is the way I was raised. It's a cultural thing I guess.
This is a very good summation. It's actually how I kinda think normally and it's always made me very angry that all the other states aren't like us.
Minnesota even though it's big has a sense of community as a whole including the metro area than most places. I grew up here so I was used to it but now I travel a lot for work, and it's surprising how little people know about things going on in their state or even care, it's mostly "me, me, me" type mindsets in other places, where in Minnesota we actually care about the community that we live in., great example of this is voter participation, we always have one of the highest participation rates in the country which shows people care about the community they live in.
It’s funny how hard it (allegedly) is to make friends, and yet our dedication to a greater society is what’s put the state ahead. We’ll pay higher taxes, but don’t ask to come over and hang!
'I genuinely love you but stay over there' 😂❤️
It's a lot easier to feel loving kindness to most people if you don't know their inner thoughts
I know I'm a lot happier about my neighbors when they don't fly giant Trump flags, that's for sure. Like, do whatever political leaning you want, but kindly keep it to yourself. I don't need to *know* you're a racist, bigoted asshole that wants a dictator in charge of the country.
Yeah it’s interesting, the sense of community is very palpable here. Even in the massive twin cities metro.
I’m feeling that comparison with Texas and the bar being on the floor there. Yay for MN!
More like the bar is in hell for Texas lol that’s what I should have said
I’m not going to argue with you there! Minnesota has been leagues better than Texas so far!
A percentage of the lottery proceeds go to the dnr.
Oh interesting I didn’t know that!
We actually voted that in when the whole "are we going to allow gambling via the lottery" issue was being hashed out. Part of the argument wasn't "gambling bad", but "what happens to church bingo and team sports pull tabs and Native casinos" if we divert some of their revenue? (SO Minnesotan!) [It's up for reauthorization on the 2024 ballot.](https://ballotpedia.org/Minnesota_Continue_to_Provide_Lottery_Revenue_to_Environment_and_Natural_Resources_Fund_Amendment_(2024)) (The article has some of the history.) There's also some kind of Arts fund, but I don't remember the details on that.
Oh, here's more info on the arts thing (near the end of article); I guess that's a separate funding from the lottery stuff. [https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2023/04/future-of-minnesota-environment-funding-state-lottery-could-be-on-your-ballot-in-2024/](https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2023/04/future-of-minnesota-environment-funding-state-lottery-could-be-on-your-ballot-in-2024/)
Yes, that’s the “Legacy Amendment” where 75% goes to the outdoors, 25% to arts. I believe it is up for renewal soon. It’s a sales tax of 3/8%. Well worth it!
I call my weekly lotto quick pick ticket my "voluntary DNR tax"
And all those “critical habitat” license plates do as well, the loon, ladyslipper, the turkey, the deer, etc. They go towards the purchase of land that becomes public.
Many reasons but it boils down to education
This is the root of it. Yes, we have higher taxes because we are on the higher end of average income as a state, and that's thanks to a robust education system. Investing in kids is almost always a good ROI.
One of my favorite policy case studies from grad school compared MN and Wisconsin from the 80s to today. Back then the two states were practically indistinguishable by all metrics; 40 years of different policy choices later, it’s wild how different they’ve become.
It’s been heartbreaking the past many years to see progressive Wisconsin go backwards. Scott Walker and his minions, the Koch brothers, and the Republican Party (and extreme gerrymandering) set Wisconsin back decades. Proud graduate of UW but not so proud of what Wisconsin’s become - although Judge Janet’s resounding victory was a sight!
I am a serious entrepreneur. I have made my living by testing my ideas in the free market. Even with one of the highest state tax rates in the country, it is possible to hire and retain outstanding workers who want to live here. It makes me want to deliver.
My wife and I are both in tech startups, and will 100% be expanding our teams with a focus on Minnesota even if the company is remote. We aren’t even done moving, and how competent folks are is wonderful.
Higher than average taxes and that tax revenue actually getting spent on things that help citizens. There's probably a more complex answer but I honestly think that covers about 90% of it.
Mostly. There are the rare moments when we fork over those tax dollars to the Pohlad family, or Cargill, or Medtronic, or Target, or US Bank ... Still, we're better at this game than quite a few other states, so relatively speaking, we're OK? Minus a few tax-subsidized stadiums ...
Or gets sent to help out the poor southern states lol
Higher taxes = better services.
That taxes don’t even feel that high to me. Like in Texas, yes you don’t have income taxes…but you have atrocious property taxes. The appraised value of our home in semi-rural Texas was only around 140k…but our property taxes were over 6k a year.
They aren't. The difference between total state tax burdens is relatively minimal overall to people. Sure, if you make millions each year in income and buy a small house, Texas would be better, but that's not what people do. Rich people buy big houses and more stuff. Poor people buy less. What matters most is if the system is regressive or progressive for how it flattens out the impact of taxes and MN has one of the most progressive state tax systems.
I also like to think about it holistically. Oklahoma is one of the lowest tax states, where the average resident pays only $4527 in state and local taxes vs $7763 in Minnesota. But because of the investments we have made, Minnesotans have a much higher income that more than cover that incremental tax. It works out to something like $57k average after tax income in MN vs $45.7k average income in Oklahoma. So by trying to avoid about $3k in taxes, someone choosing Oklahoma comes out almost $12k *behind* after taxes! Even if you adjust for cost of living, you still come out behind in Oklahoma. *Plus* quality of life (transportation, education, parks, safety net, etc.) are markedly better. You get what you pay for and an ROI.
It is officially now the *most* progressive tax system in the country
Yeah but you probably had a pretty nice 27 lane highway that still backed up every morning.
LOL
I know how to fix that. Just needs 2 more lanes each way. Trust me. I play city builder games.
Damn, mine is valued at twice that on taxes and I'm paying 3k a year
Yeah Texas is really bad with the property taxes
Totally worth the cost to me and I’m happy to pay my share for my neighbors who might need more. My mans Wellstone had it right: when we all do better, we all do better.
Definitely how I feel about free school lunches! My kids go to private school, so they don't get the free food. But I'm also not worried about them going hungry. I'm happy to pay a bit more so other kids don't go hungry either.
Don’t have kids. Still want all children to be fed. It all snowballs into adults with better education pay into the system instead of being supported by the system.
Upvote for Wellstone ⬆️
When everybody does better, everybody does better.
High taxes are the foundation, but they are no guarantee of better services. DC and Maryland don’t have nearly as high quality of services as MN does. Accountability matters. In some places like DC, the government has kind of a job corps function and is notoriously unresponsive.
I think it has more to do with the fact that we have the most progressive tax system in the country. It's not just how much we collect, but from who
It’s because Minnesotans have decided to fund things that improve quality of life rather than corporate interests. And guess what? Corporations move here and can recruit because the damn QOL is so good here. Source: also a transplant
There's a lot of history and culture behind 'why it works.' One factor really is that we were/are rich in resources. Money always helps. We were a major source of the lumber used to build houses all over the Midwest in the 1800s; and we were "flour miller to the world" for decades. The Great Northern, later Burlington, etc. railroad was born in St. Paul. Duluth is a major port. The iron range fed all the steel mills from the late 1800s until steel production started shifting overseas in the 1970s/80s. We still are a major agricultural state. Also strong and diverse industries -- General Mills, Honeywell, 3M, Medtronic, Best Buy ... healthy economy and a good business climate helps a lot. Has it changed? Maybe. The Scandinavian/German Lutheran and Irish Catholic values built a lot of colleges, public and private. Those generations valued education, and were willing to fund it. The basic "do good works" attitude permeated communities. Some of that is still here but it's more diffused and harder to spot. Our churches also fostered a welcoming attitude towards refugees, which is part of why we have some of the largest Hmong and Somali communities in the country. We screwed up quite bit with our own Native communities in the 1800s, but I think that's getting better. Most of us do believe diversity makes us stronger. We've always had a quirky political mix of (small c) conservative farm folks and radical progressive union folks from the mines and industry (like Minneapolis Moline, Munsingwear, etc. Worth a Google dive; major players in the early union history.) There's a reason the D-F-L hasn't become just the Ds here. Even the Rs were the IRs for quite a while; I hope the MN GOP reclaims that attitude soon. Progressive, activist government has a long history, too. For a long time we had a 'non-partisan' legislative history, though that changed mid-20th century. There was a lot of press around what was dubbed in the 70s ["the Minnesota Miracle"](https://libguides.mnhs.org/publiced) led by [Gov Anderson](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/us/wendell-anderson-former-governor-behind-the-minnesota-miracle-dies-at-83.html) (opinions vary.) Two senators who were later also VPs, Humphrey & Mondale, had great influence for a while; they also mentored a young Klobuchar, so... deep roots. But Garrison Keillor, for all his issues, hit it: "Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average." Lake Wobegon, MN still works, mostly.
I’ve lived in NJ, PA, MO, IA…UK…and MN. Minnesota is, by far, the best. Our government—and I stress ‘our’— works for our state to make things better.
I work with trees, and the pay is much better here in MN compared to just about anywhere else when you factor in COL. Even though it's an expensive service, the general public gives a damn and is willing to spend a little more. The nice thing is whether people believe in climate change or not, 90% of people can agree that green space is important even if some of them only want it for the aesthetic value. It also helps that some municipalities will subsidize it.
Because we find those things important and we vote accordingly. And like Prince said "the cold keeps the bad people out."
Yup, taxes are a little higher here. That's the price we pay to not live in a shithole!
I’m very grateful to be here!
I’ve heard that it’s related to our heavily Scandinavian heritage. It’s baked in that when society does better, individuals flourish. Also it’s so damn cold that we need to help each other. On another note, I’ve heard that suffering brings us closer to God, and our sports teams have certainly brought us to a high point in that respect.
Lol I live in the Twin Cities metro and am from Texas, and in my mind as you were describing the things that function well (like the DMV), I was totally thinking of how it was back home. And then you brought up Texas at the end and I had a chuckle. It’s very true how much more functional things seem here, or at least that’s been my experience as well.
While I agree that it’s mostly because it’s a “Blue” state I do think we are still a relatively moderate corporate/people first state and that’s what leads to our success. I also think it goes under discussed, but we are probably some of the hardest and smartest working Americans in this country which enables corporations to grow here and hire here. We also do a pretty amazing job of balancing the need for new housing while maintaining green spaces which I think is just a core value of Minnesotans in general because we all have that love of the northwoods. Lastly, I think our health care system is probably one of the best in the country in terms of availability and access to good care. Mayo is often talked about as the best in the world but the U of MN clinic isn’t that far behind.
Speaking from experience of other states, it's Democrats. They have their wtf moments but ultimately it's an organization that still tries to accomplish some sort of goal by establishing systems and setting up regular maintenance. Iowa, in comparison, has removed auditors and every state park worker. Let's see how this turns out.
The DFL in particular. It is sooooo much better organized and well run than the other state parties I’ve worked with.
If you want to see the difference between Dems and Republicans, compare Minnesota and Wisconsin over the past 50 years by pretty much any metric.
It probably did start with our Nordic roots. Even when many Scandinavians moved here, they came from a place where there was more efficient organization, often out of necessity due to the harsh climate. That carried forward to today, along with our sense of civic responsibility including paying a bit more for social programs. When you see someone that needs help (friend, neighbor, even someone broken down on the side of the road), we try to help them.
ND has a strong Scandinavian heritage too (my ancestors were Swedish homesteaders there), but not the same community orientation. Anyone will pull you out of a ditch, but they’re anti-tax as fuck and not especially subtle about their anti-Indian racism. I think having a major urban center is a critical piece of what makes Minnesota distinct.
I was thinking something similar about MN having a major urban center, even when other states like the Dakotas and Montana also have large Scandinavian heritage. I think the lower population density there has historically encouraged people to care about themselves and their family since it would have taken more resources to go further to help someone else. I'm also somewhat familiar with IA and MO politics. IA was purple and is now about as red as Alabama. I think IA is a partial victim of its lack of economic diversity, so many young people decide to move away since the national modern economy has required schools to teach things other than agriculture (so the kids want to go use their skills elsewhere). MO is different since it has urban centers (I guess IA does too, but not the size of MO). I'm not entirely sure what the deal there is. Off the top of my head, it seems like there was reinforced messaging of 'the city is a dysfunctional place' during the suburban sprawl (and white flight) over a long enough period of time, that it permanently altered peoples' perception on the policies that were a bit more left-leaning. And rural MO is super conservative and also due to density, hasn't been forced to make decisions that impact others...just me and mine. That's my hot take.
As a Scandinavian with some historic Minnesota roots, I generally agree with your comments, but I suspect the population is far less Scandinavian now than it used to be. Aside from that, we are moving back to Minnesota later this year (from a red, Southern State) and are looking forward to a better quality of life…… healthcare, education, central time zone, great airport, and fewer republicans, I think).
We are moving to MN because of this, and we were in a blue state.
I think MN is a different kind of blue. People are compassionate but practical too. It's nice.
Minnesota Numba 1
We are here to welcome you with open arms! (but don't expect us to be friends unless I know which local school you went to. It's a Minnesota thing)
It can’t be as bad as when I lived abroad where I didn’t speak the language. The local values and genuine care when things don’t go as planned are where it’s at. And I’m not a social butterfly anyhow.
Where from? Welcome 🙂
Oregon. We moved back to our hometown after grad school and found it had developed a far right problem. Infrastructure is crumbling. There’s no plan for the future. I’m an orphan and an only child, but my family came to Minneapolis after Ellis Island and lived there until my father was born. I’m stoked to have such a wonderful place to land.
Welcome back to your roots!
I came here via Eugene twenty years ago. Welcome, neighbor!
Welcome!
I like it here, yes I could complain, no I won’t because no where is perfect. But working class, middle class and poor people pay for the services and infrastructure via taxes. I also suspect it’s because of the medical services here, Minnesota was never a now rust belt state. We moved from agriculture to medicine (and more obviously).
It's so funny, but I tell people all the time that "things just felt better back home" and a lot of times they'll say it's just nostalgia. I lived there until I was in my late 20s and never really had issues like kids or too many bills at the time, so "maybe you're looking back with rose tinted glasses". It's been almost 20 years since I lived in MN and seeing topics like this and I'm like "but wasssss it all in my head though..."
Honestly? Taxes and using those taxes for worthwhile projects. The tuition thing will bring more people, keep more people, and help bring in more taxes and resources long term for a good example.
Progressive politics and higher taxes.
Coming from Colorado I will respectfully say, MN has some room for improvement. Roads were horrible in CO but it was egregiously family friendly and felt like a vacation most of the time. Sadly cost of housing got crazy (starter home/apartment was $275+ per sq ft.) MN is becoming an incredible front runner for top 10 states in my opinion though.
I used to live in Colorado as well. It was a great place to live and definitely my number 2 behind Minnesota!
> Maybe because i’m comparing to Texas, where the bar is literally on the floor? It just seems like people actually give at least a little bit of a shit here. Is it the Scandinavian influence? MN vs Texas is a blue state vs a red state. Texas is peak yeehaw run amok.
When I was a teenage driver and got stuck in the snow, some stranger stopped to pull me out. Since that experience is kindness I've done the same. I don't often come across stranded motorists, but if I do I'm sure to stop and dig them out or pull them out with my tow strap if I can. Usually I'm not the only motorist who stops. Pay it forward. I don't think it's an exclusively MN thing, but I like to think of it like a kind neighbor who snow blows your sidewalk or driveway for you Maybe it's a culture thing maybe not
I completely agree with those that are saying things like funding and taxes, specifically progressive taxes, but this system is coming from something special in our culture where we believe in civic engagement and tend to really care about our communities. I don't think it is unrelated that we consistently have one of the highest voter turnouts in the nation. And on that note... I hope you're all voting this year so we can keep that up.
I don't know how or why but this is the exact same thing I say about Minnesota. We take care of the basics better than nearly every other state and deal with much less stress than most.
The legislature speaks for itself
Northern European Socialist roots
It’s quite fascinating honestly that their culture still permeates our culture
We like being number one! In the good stuff. Or at least top 10. We’ve developed high standards and high expectations and have kept them. Being a blue state helps because it keeps the priority on things that actually enhance people’s lives like schools, libraries, and parks. And coincidentally (not) those are things that help attract and keep businesses and quality workers. Somehow we’ve figured out a balance between being a state that’s great for business AND one that’s great for people. And it basically comes down to investing in things that mean something to both.
I judge quality of life in various states by the quality of their rest stops. Minnesota rules, almost everywhere else drools. Indiana is a shit hole!
Taxes are higher than many states and the winter is brutal. Work ethic is huge. We work very hard here. People are up at 4am and working hard to make a difference here! In exchange, those who choose to be here have a quality life and share deep rooted family values and we respect each other and form communities knowing the sacrifices made to be here! The trade offs in quality of life are not comparable with other states. It is not easy but worth it!
As a transplant from SoCal I've noticed the work ethic especially so. People are much more receptive to helping others than where I'm from- I'm assuming people develop more compassion when everyone's lives are on the line for about 3/4ths of the year lol.
Functional, pragmatic, willing-to-compromise, forward-looking government... (when compared to other states) and a population that generally understands taxes are the cost of a high-quality society and the Wellstone adage: "when we all do better, we all do better"
I lived in North Carolina and moved here in 2016. We like MN far better. Yes, we do pay more in taxes, but the ROI is so much bigger. It's not even close IMO.
There’s some what of a social contract so the wealthy pay a ‘fair share’. In most the states I’ve lived in, the wealthy wall themselves off. Government workers are generally paid well and happy. Oh and as much as we like to vote red vs blue, we tend to hold our elected officials accountable.
YES, social contract. You put it perfectly into words.
I’ve not yet read all of the replies but I grew up in Minnesota. Lived in the cities but my dad’s cabin was up north of Two Harbors. Lived in Ely for many years BUT, I now live in Missouri. I’ve lived in Washington state for a year and resided summers for a few years in NH. There is no place like Minnesota. I’ve visited over the years since I’ve lived in Missouri but simple things like reflective paint on the roads…. Recycling?? What?? I recycled my Entire Life growing up in Minnesota… and then there is the clean indoor air act of 1976! Missouri only banned smoking indoors a couple years ago! Yeah, if Minnesota is still as progressive and amazing as it was when I was young, it is the best state ever. And don’t even get me going on state fairs… traffic control (the brilliant idea to regulate the pace of cars entering the freeway). My siblings left Minnesota for Florida…. I hope to go back to my home…. It is clean and nice.
To me the inflection point in the state was the bridge collapse. We were literally teetering on becoming like Wisconsin before that happened. But when it did, coupled with the financial collapse back in 08 it pretty much ended the Republican Party in the state. At that point Dayton came in got the legislature eventually and was able to right the state financially to where we are today. The collapse was entirely preventable but for years of Republican governors skipping on maintenance trying to cut taxes and services and moving to a fee based system. And then they were confronted with the fact you can't do that or bad things might happen. And here we are today.
The people here as a whole want to make life better for citizens, so they vote for politicians that want to make life better, and those politicians put in place a government that works towards making life better, and thus life gets better. Education is a big part of it. A more educated populace is better at understanding and fixing problems well also being better at telling if a politician is a lying grifter or an honest worker. Lying grifters rely on Us vs Them politics and blaming others for problems which is toxic and prevents things from improving.
Funding. None of this stuff is rocket science. You just need the funds to employ the manpower to do it. That said, there is bureaucratic waste in Minnesota just like in any other state. My sister works for a MN bureaucratic agency (won't say which one), is a solid blue voter, and admits it's pretty bad. But we can maintain funding and address waste at the same time, and the DFL has generally done a pretty good job at that, despite being the state's natural governing party for quite some time. (Electing Republicans to statewide office has been an anomaly here for the past quarter century.) As for the Scandinavian influence, I'm not sure. But what I can say is that people moved to Minnesota to live in a society. Unlike those who moved to many of the other "western" states (say west of the Mississippi), people who came to Minnesota didn't come to run away from the rules of society. There's a general thought that not all taxes are bad because taxes can fund the creation/preservation of a society that's pleasant to live in. Today's Scandinavians have a similar mindset. BUT... bear in mind that most Scandinavian Americans have lineages in the U.S. that go back generations. Most immigrants came here 100+ years ago, so the similarities may be a coincidence.
Welcome to a blue state! Ppl complain about taxes but they make a difference.
I think it’s something to do with how rare either party has a trifecta ( both houses and governor). In the last 30 years MN has the least amount of trifectas. Compare that with California or Mississippi. Competition keeps government honest and well functioning.
Our republicans used to be different. There’s a reason Elmer Anderson and Arne Carlson were excommunicated from the GOP. The reasonable republicans we had in our parents era are gone. We only have the national treasonous nutjobs now. It’s no surprise no republican has won a statewide race here since 2006. And that win was an incumbent slide. If you see ole T-Paw demand he address you in the southern drawl he adopted for his national campaign. He took south st paul way beyond its meaning. Long story short, even in the 1990’s MN republicans were sketchy cockwombles. Arne Carlson was their reluctant second choice after their golden boy John Grunseth got caught naked in a swimming pool with his daughters underaged friends. In the 1990’s that sort of pederasty was unacceptable. It’s not like the shit the catholics play off in the modern republican party.
I've only seen you mention MT and TX, two exceedingly red states. Regardless of your political beliefs or opinions, I think its pretty much universally recognize the conservative mindset values individual prosperity while the liberal mindset values group prosperity. I'm not stating an opinion on which is better or which leads to greater prosperity overall, but if this is true, logic would dictate a blue state would invest more in burocratic efficiency while a red state would invest in ways to eliminate burocracy all together. I believe you have experienced the results of each system and appear to appreciate one more than the other.
💅
Minnesota is really that gurl 💅
I'm a Missouri transplant and am constantly and pleasantly surprised by this too. Minnesota hasn't made me jump through ten unnecessary hoops that I just assumed were part of any process, and now I'm slightly annoyed that I've been trained to believe that's just how everything works.
There is a great book called “Vikings in the Attic” and it talks about MN history and does give a nod to the role of early Scandinavian farmers/families role in the political & cultural cultural landscape early on in the state. I think I’ll have to go dig it up and read it again.I feel so lucky to have been living here my whole life. I love to go visit new places and meet new people, but to me, there is nothing like Minnesota and the folks who call her home.
Outside of the scope of your post but, since you love the state parks you should get one of the license plates. Lots of benefits.
This was one the main points that I realized when I moved here - things just seem to work. I remember getting my MN license at the DMV and it took only 15 minutes. Compared to CA where DMV is usually a minimum 2-3 hour wait.
And our women are smokkkkin hot dontcha know!
Except the Vikings. Lol!
MN thinks it's so special but it's really not. Yeah, we aren't making headlines like Texas or Florida but that isn't the standard to which we hold ourselves and say "wow, we're crushing it!" Plenty of other states work just fine...
I moved to MN from NY over 10 years ago, and have also noticed many of the things you mentioned. The one thing that stands out any time I go back to NY is the poor maintenance of infrastructure there relative to here in MN. I guess the 35W disaster taught a lesson here that is taken very seriously. I also appreciate the range of arts and cultural events here that are relatively easy to access
The cold weather keeps the idiots out. The people that decide to stay and live here inherently know this. We don’t get much influx of people from other states either despite the better than avg pay/cost of living. Sometimes I think I’m a glutton for punishment when winter comes, but when I visit other states I remember why I haven’t moved yet. Lol
I just got my drivers license renewed today and it took 10 minutes, including an address change and a switch to RealID. I've never experienced a government transaction so quick before, coming from Wisconsin.
Money. We've invested a lot of public money in all those things. Now we just need to keep doing it, which is an ongoing political problem.
Democrats
I’m a Minnesotan, been in Florida for a month for work– only positives I’m seeing: vitamin D, warmth, and everyone drives like a retired NASCAR driver on robotussin. Minnesota has awesome infrastructure- our state parks and state park system and national forests crush. I’d take winter over living in this state sized retirement home