Living in Minnesota

Life in the Twin Cities is an exceptional balance of educational and cultural advantages coupled with easy access to rural and natural areas.

The Twin Cities combine the best of both small town and metropolitan living.  Within 30 minutes of the University one can live in the city, in suburbs, in surrounding small towns, or in rural areas.  Cost of living, relative to other metropolitan areas, is low.

Local outdoor recreational opportunities are plentiful because of our parks, lakes, and rivers, making boating, fishing and skiing as well as other activities possible.  In addition, Minnesota has an extensive state park system.  Duluth and the scenic north shore of Lake Superior are only 2½ hours away.  The Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness is a 4-hour drive.

Education has a high priority in Minnesota, where 3½ million people support the multi-campus University of Minnesota, a state college system, and many private colleges including Carleton, Hamline, Macalester, and St. Olaf.  Primary and secondary educational programs are of comparable excellence and offer innovative instruction and experiential learning.

Cultural opportunities are abound in the Twin Cities.  The well-known Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Ordway Music Theatre, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the renowned Guthrie Theatre and the Walker Art Center set the pace for many vigorous new theatres, galleries, and music groups.

Professional sports rate highly with the two million people living in the Twin Cities area.  Our indoor domed stadium, the Metrodome, is home to the Minnesota Twinsand the football Vikings.  The Timberwolves play basketball in the Target Center and the NHL hockey expansion team, he Minnesota Wild.

For the ultimate shopping experience, visit the largest indoor shopping and entertainment complex in the United States, the Mall of America located in Bloomington, Minnesota.  The Mall of America was opened in 1992 with department stores Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Sears, and more than 520 national and regional specialty shops.  Besides shopping, Mall of America holds dozens of fine restaurants, Knott’s Camp Snoopy, LEGO^® Imagination Center, Golf Mountain and Underwater World.

Other attractions include the Science Museum of Minnesota with its 3M Omnitheatre which draws visitors beyond observation into experience, and Minnesota Zoological Garden - an all-season zoo displaying animals in their naturalistic habitats.

Amidst these cultural, sporting and recreational activities, one can choose a lifestyle similar to that found in many Midwestern small towns.  It is no surprise to Minnesotans that quality of life studies consistently rank us among the top states in the nation.