I can't speak for other cities, but Minneapolis is nothing like that. It's only a few hours drive from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (massive wilde

I can't speak for other cities, but Minneapolis is nothing like that. It's only a few hours drive from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (massive wilderness area), two hours from Lake Superior/the North Shore (skiing/mountain biking/hiking), and incredibly close to thousands of lakes/cabins (very few of which are manmade). MSP airport is also a major hub for Delta and has affordable/quick connections to nearly every major market (either directly or via ORD). Culturally it has renowned theatres (second only to NYC in per capita theatre seats) and has decent nightlife/culture. It's as car dependent as any American city but has a huge bike culture (possibly the #1 bike city in America?). Diversity is also growing - my local school district in a relatively affluent suburb has 160 languages being spoken. There are also 17 Fortune 500 companies in Minnesota and a healthy economy (with plenty of IT jobs). I'm lived here for 10 years after moving from New Zealand so am well aware of what coastal/mountain living is like. I've also spent time in London, Sydney, Chicago, DC, Boston, San Francisco, Madrid, Hong Kong, LA, Paris, and Copenhagen so have a sense of what living in a more well known city is like. Like I said, it's not NYC or SFO but it's definitely not what most people expect. The local joke is that it's impossible to get people to move here but then no one leaves because of how good the wages are compared to the cost of living and amenities. Then again, maybe Minneapolis is part of a Northern identity that some have kicked around!