What's So Great About Your State?

[Blackcat31]

I have been seriously looking at real estate in Minnesota last night and today!! ::

Hubby loves what he is seeing and I think he would actually let us go if he could find a job that pays as well or better than what he is getting now. He is a produce manager at a grocery store and has been there for 11 years.

The only other thing he is scared of is the cold, of course! We would probably cry our first winter while we were getting used to it. ::

Here is a job search link. It covers the state

https://www.minnesotaworks.net/

Here are grocery store chains in MN

http://www.manta.com/mb_45_B619B7N4_24/grocery_stores_chain/minnesota

This is a grocery store chain who has their HQ in MN.

http://www.supervalu.com/sv-webapp/

Winters really aren't that bad.

I have a daycare family that moved here recently from Florida. The first winter here the DCM said she thought she was going to die. ::
She was wearing a down jacket in September while the rest of us were still in T-shirts and shorts.

The second winter, she said she was amazed at how quickly she acclimated to the climate and didn't dig out the down jacket until January when the rest of us do.

Make sure you do your research. The southern part of MN and the northern part of MN are as different as can be. Climate, atmosphere, amenities, job market, real estate, culture..... etc....

Where I live, I am more northern than most the U.S. .....unless you live in northern Maine. I am also farther north than Canadian providers living in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto

[CedarCreek]

Thanks, BC!

I would be the one wearing a down jacket in September! ::

How is the Minneapolis area? I'm going to check out your links, but the jobs I have found for Dh seem to be around there so far.

[Willow]

What exactly are your preferences CC?

If you like big cities Minneapolis wouldn't be terrible........(I say that through gritted teeth because I could never hack it there ). There are loads of suburbs all around the Cities though. It's definitely better than St. Paul imho.

Are you into really urban neighborhoods? A fan of the suburbs? Rural with access to urban?

Are you big into having lots around you to do?

Is there something you like about that part of the state?

[Willow]

Make sure you do your research. The southern part of MN and the northern part of MN are as different as can be. Climate, atmosphere, amenities, job market, real estate, culture..... etc....

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Ya all are making me miss MN!!!

[CedarCreek]

What exactly are your preferences CC?

If you like big cities Minneapolis wouldn't be terrible........(I say that through gritted teeth because I could never hack it there ). There are loads of suburbs all around the Cities though. It's definitely better than St. Paul imho.

Are you into really urban neighborhoods? A fan of the suburbs? Rural with access to urban?

Are you big into having lots around you to do?

Is there something you like about that part of the state?

A lot would depend on where dh could find a job.

I would like to be probably in the suburbs outside of a larger city. I would prefer to have some things around for us to do since we won't know anyone for a while. That way we can entertain ourselves.

[mema]

I'm in MN too-opposite side of Willow and BC tho. We have lakes and wildlife, but not an abundance of it. At night tho I can sit on my patio and hear the cows at the nearby farm, the coyotes, and every once in a while, usually right as hunting season starts, we get a few deer that decide our yard is safer than the trees! Racoons, rabbits, skunks and possums roam our neighborhood. (We have a few rows of houses before the farmland)

We don't get as much snow or as cold as they do, but it's still here. Not sure I would say 4 seasons tho-more 2-snow and construction::. Just kidding-sort of. I love the fall and spring time (normally) no need for heat or air, just a nice cool breeze and in the fall beautiful colors on the trees. I don't know that I could live where they do as I have always been fairly close, if not in a bigger city. I would go crazy if I wasn't close to stores, not because I like shopping, but because I'm forgetful and usually have to go back after my weekly shopping.

Jobs around here depend on what you are looking for. Medical-no problem. Forestry-probably not!

As for the cold, it is something you get use to. The first time it's in the teen's your "cold" and the first time it hits teen's after being below zero for long periods of time, it's like a heat wave! We do a lot of camping, hiking, ice skating, sledding, and swimming. Pumpkin patches, apple orchards and corn mazes everywhere in Sept-Oct. I think each area of the state offers something different, but it's not a long drive to get to just about anything you want to do.

There are times I wished that we lived somewhere with no snow-like when shoveling in May-but then there are years we don't hardly get any, and we miss getting to sled.

Downsides-ticks and mosquitos-blech. Oh, and the govorner::

[AllDeezBabies]

In my good old state of Illinois, our politicians are very well off. They drive the nicest cars and make sure they take care of each other. Some are in the big house where they get three square meals a day.

Illinois is the place to be

[Michelle]

all the talk about seasons made me laugh because my dd asked me one time "how do we know when the seasons change".

I told her when it gets cold like 50-60 it's winter and when it 101-103 it's Summer (these are very rare days ,though) it's usually just 60-85 year round...

Then I told her "when the leaves change"

::::::::

Your states all sound wonderful
The best thing about California is you can go skiing in the mountains in Feb then drive 2-3 hours to the beach and go surfing the same day if you wanted to,

happyface

[Clara]

Tennessee, eastern part

Hey Yaw!

I was born and raised in east Texas . Love it! and could not wait to move north.
I Love even more, east Tennessee -Knoxville- due to the average weather to tell you the truth. East TN has more days in the 70's then most states. California and Florida have the most.

It rains an average of once a week most years; so its green year round.
TN does get cold [only about 3 days go below 32 degrees].
Here in east TN we get an average of 4 inches of snow a year.
That disappears within 2 days mostly, so I enjoy that. Winter here starts about 2 weeks before Texas' and ends about 2 weeks after Texas warms up but is mild mostly.
Spring here [70 - 74 degrees] last a good 6 to 7 weeks so our spring flowers have a long blooming life.
With the Smoky Mountains just 40 min. drive away... we have every type of land wanted from flat to rolling hills.

If you like tourist attractions we have more than our share Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains are the most visited. Almost all are family attractions. From my home it's a short drive to everything from the Zoo, Sports Centers, everything you can think of. There are a lot of concert halls around here which has top stars of all types of entertainment come for concerts.

Knoxville is considered a City due to its population size but if you drove through downtown you would not know it. Knoxville offers all the business, cultural, and advantages of a big city but is spread through out a large, acreage, area so it seems smaller than what it is. Knoxville has very few buildings over 3 stories tall.
Knoxville has free concerts and family events every weekend from spring to mid winter. We are a very family orentated city.

We are home to the Universaty of Tennessee so all sports are a big deal. Tennessee football and lady's basket ball fans are as crazed as Dallas Football fans in Texas. What can I say ... I love to hunt, fish, gardening, hike, all year. Winter sports are not my thing but there are equally as big here.

Education at every level is tops. Universaty of Tennessee and about 11 other colleges are home here. Plus, Oak Ridge, TN is a 15 min. drive away. Oak Ridge is where the first atomic bomb was created and still has a very large National Labortory there. That brings scientist of all fields to live here. As far as eduaction in the fields of Science and Math subjects our area of the country is one of the best in all levels of education.

Also, due to Oak Ridge National Labortory and the University of Tennessee plus a few more extra large employers here ... Knoxville area has not felt the effects of the recession as much as the rest of the country. The economy here mostly has stayed at a steady level. Please do not take that as we are not at all in a recession I am just saying the percentage of unemployed people has stayed low here. We do not have anywhere as many business going out of business as in West Tennessee and East Texas [which I'm from].

A big difference here is how friendly people are. You will find a big mixture of multi-nationals made here home. People talk to everyone wither they know them or not. I have traveled all over our country and found here people are the friendlist and most excepting of all. It is nothing for another person pumping gas that I do not know to speak to me while we pump gas, for example. If you are the type of person that does not want to know their neighbors this part of Tennessee will not be for you.

Come to visit and you'll fall in love love with East Tennessee.
:hug:

[Unregistered]

something to think about

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-states-most-at-risk-for-major-disasters-173801433.html

[apick]

Oregonian for life!

I was born and raised in Oregon, my husband is the same. We will never live anywhere else, we absolutely love it here! We live in Portland, which is the largest city. He grew up in the city, but I grew up on the beach where my parents still live. Everything is GORGEOUS here! The rivers, lakes, mountains and the BEACH!! I would never live at the beach again because small town life isn't for me, but I absolutely love going to visit. We were just there over the weekend and the sun was shinning! We also have 4 seasons, but our winter is mostly rain, very little snow falls in the valley. If you live in eastern or central Oregon though it's a different story ! Our summers aren't too extreme, usually 80's, sometimes cooler, but we usually have a week or 2 with hot days in the 100s. IMO schools have problems everywhere! Both my parents are retired teachers, my brother is a teacher and my sister in law is a school counselor. I don't think our schools are horrible, but with all things, there is definitely room for improvement! I'm a newer provider, only been licensed for 8 months, but there are so many resources available so that's been really helpful. Anyways...I couldn't imagine living anywhere but here, every time my husband and I go camping we always talk about how lucky we are to live in such a gorgeous state!

[Cradle2crayons]

I was born and raised in Oregon, my husband is the same. We will never live anywhere else, we absolutely love it here! We live in Portland, which is the largest city. He grew up in the city, but I grew up on the beach where my parents still live. Everything is GORGEOUS here! The rivers, lakes, mountains and the BEACH!! I would never live at the beach again because small town life isn't for me, but I absolutely love going to visit. We were just there over the weekend and the sun was shinning! We also have 4 seasons, but our winter is mostly rain, very little snow falls in the valley. If you live in eastern or central Oregon though it's a different story ! Our summers aren't too extreme, usually 80's, sometimes cooler, but we usually have a week or 2 with hot days in the 100s. IMO schools have problems everywhere! Both my parents are retired teachers, my brother is a teacher and my sister in law is a school counselor. I don't think our schools are horrible, but with all things, there is definitely room for improvement! I'm a newer provider, only been licensed for 8 months, but there are so many resources available so that's been really helpful. Anyways...I couldn't imagine living anywhere but here, every time my husband and I go camping we always talk about how lucky we are to live in such a gorgeous state!

My beastie lives not far from you!!! Two summers ago she flew in for two weeks to visit and she FRIED here. Literally she couldn't walk out the door for more than a few minutes at a time. Bless her though. Because of the weather she won't come back in the summer. So last winter she flew down. She said the winters are too bitter here

Lol gotta love my state

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

I don't live in a state, I live in Alberta.

The best Rocky Mountains, scenery and camping!!!

[CedarCreek]

something to think about

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-sta...173801433.html

Oh jeez, Texas is right at the top!

Mrs.Lilpeeps, those pictures are gorgeous!