20 Surprises You'll Encounter When Moving To Minnesota

As a non-native Minnesotan, I will say I encountered A LOT of surprises upon my move to Minneapolis. Any new Minnesotan will quickly learn we have loads of lakes and accents that may occasionally seem funny to outsiders, but there are definitely some lesser know things about Minnesota.

As a Californian, I will admit, I thought Minnesota was a butter-filled arctic wasteland. But I did my research, and was pleasantly surprised enough to pack up my car and drive all the way to the land of 10,000 lakes. Here are the 20 things that may surprised you the most when moving to Minnesota”

1. I had no idea until I moved here that Minneapolis is America's 3rd most literate city.

2. It is actually not the snow or ice that makes winter hard, but the cold. It's the wind chill and below freezing temperature that will cause the most grief.

3. People actually leave their car running in parking lots.

4. The suburbs are full of fortune 500s. I knew there were a few but I never quite knew the extent of Minnesota's business prowess.

6. And Minnesota is actually an extremely healthy state!

7. Despite the fact that hotdish is a real thing. I didn't even know that was a word until I moved here.

8. Super Target is pretty much everywhere.

9. Caribou is the coffee of choice here. It's much easier to find than Starbucks.

10. Minnesotans are connoisseurs of a lot of things. Among them, apples.

11. Ice Cream. Minnesotans are also serious about craft ice cream.

12. And of course, beer. The sign is old but the shoe still fits.

13. Jucy Lucy... Juicy Lucy? Who cares how it's spelled or who made it, I thought cheese on the inside of a burger was a Pinterest invention until I moved here.

14. Meat Raffles are a regular occurrence. Another thing non-native Minnesotans have probably never heard of.

15. The Twin Cities have some of the best parks in the nation. And the outlying areas are just as good.

18. Jokes aside, it really is hipster heaven.

19. There are so many festivals! You will never have a free weekend.

So, for all the native Minnesotans, remember you have a lot to be proud of. This is a beautiful and wonderful state and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit!

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20 Surprising Things You May Not Expect When Moving To Minnesota

Jo Magliocco

Author

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