yes that would be a long drive and I don’t think my wife would be up for that but thanks for the info. I only went to Iowa State one year and finished up at Buena Vista. Dad was a alumni but he passed away a few years ago.Go State!
Moved to MN. Interesting observations
- Thread starter TrailCy
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There's definitely a lot of this and it's my least favorite part of the Twin Cities. I hear it from lots of people. I think lots of kids stay in state for college (there are tons of options in state) and then move back to the Cities after college so that's all they ever know.^ QFT. I've only been here 40 some years so my "experiment" is not complete but your really right on that IMHO. I didn't go to high school with the peeps in the neighborhood so can never really be their friends. I've only been in the neighborhood since 1986 so can't yet expect peeps to invite me over or anything.
Also, double ostracized since the x moved out. If you aren't a couple you might as well be a suspected terrorist or something. A dog helps a little bit, when I was walking nieces little monster mutt people seemed to engage more.
We moved to Minnesota this year and I've noticed a few Iowa State-related things.
*I see more Iowa State apparel now than I did up here 10 years ago.
*Hawkeye apperal outnumbers Iowa State apparel 10-1+.
*I see a lot of Gopher sweatshirts but maybe 3 cars with Gopher license plates. It's not "a thing" up here like it is in Iowa.
*When we lived in Iowa for a decade, I did not meet one single Minnesota alumni who lived in Ames/Des Moines. I know they exist, but that seems on purpose
*Half this town went to NDSU, or at least they're the proudest fan base
*College football exists, but it's a niche activity. It's weird to not be surronded by collegeite football fans.
It’s mostly the rural people that attend NDSU. Are you in western MN by any chance? Minnesota has reciprocity with ND/WI and Manitoba. I run into a lot of Wisconsin, North Dakota and Marquette grads, not so many NDSU grads in my circles. Lots of SCSU/UMD and D3 MN school grads, who attended grad school at the “U.”
Gopher hockey has a more devout (albeit smaller) following than the football team but as with any urban campus, sports isn’t always the #1 attraction, especially in a pro sports town.
Interesting that this thread kind of turned into a 'bash MN' thread. Which is fine, to each their own. I moved to MPLS 15 years ago and would never, ever move back to Iowa. Nor would I move to Wisconsin. I tried stints in Chicago and Silicon Valley over the past decade and would choose MPLS any day. Note that I say MPLS...not all of MN. 
It was a lot different in the McCartney/Neuheisel era. My ex-fiancé, sister, cousins and aunts all went to CU-Boulder. Great town but has changed over the years. The trustsfarians have pretty much made it inaccessible
I don’t know, I'm skeptical about CSU. I'm sure the new stadium is nice. Not sure what they are drawing this year, but their last game in 2019 with Boise State in town drew 12,000, and 20,000 was pretty normal. I don't know if it matters what the stadium is like if it is half full.
I used to stop into Macy's on the corner once in a while but never really went into the mall proper. Maybe pop upstairs to the Nordstrom Rack but no need for that anymore...retired guy don't need no new clothes.
Vacation Mode=I love most large cities
Retirement Mode=I could see myself living in a suburb of most large cities
Work Mode=I would have zero interest in living in a city and dealing with traffic to get to work. The traffic in places like Houston, Minneapolis, Austin, etc makes me want to kill someone. I guess it's not just work. I like driving into downtown Des Moines on a Friday or Saturday to eat or have a drink. There is no way I would do this in a large city with bad traffic.
As far a small towns, I loved the small town I was raised in. I like the people there. I can't imagine living in a small town unless it was within 15 miles of a town with at least 60k people.
Went to UST law, great school and lots of attractive women. It’s definitely a Lululemon campus.
It’s a weird atmosphere at Folsom Field on game day. It’s almost like a HS game or maybe a historically ****** pro team atmosphere outside the stadium. Show up when the game starts or more accurately show up late, leave when you get bored. There have also been a lot of incidents over the years that have whittled away at the program’s luster and they haven’t been good forever.
If I lived in Boulder there would always be that tingling in my head of “is this really what I’m doing on a Saturday in Boulder?”
I hit up the Nordstrom rack next to the Marquette Hotel frequently. Macy’s is ok, great online deals but I haven’t been in the MOA in years. It’s a PITA to get around, park etc. I lived just west of Jefferson HS back in the early 90’s and one could just park by the entrance to Bloomingdale’s, walk in and get what you need and out. Not anymore.
Very Pac 10 vibe and the students probably spend their weekends rock climbing or skiing. I miss McGuckin Hardware, that was an awesome place.
They still get their pick of all the top recruits in the state. Motzko has the team back on track but it was tough for Gopher fans to let go of the rivalries with North Dakota, St Cloud etc.
To an extent the last statement makes a lot of sense, but at some point everything loses its novelty. having lived in CO for a few years, it eventually gets to the point where spending a few hours at a college football game might once in while win out over hiking for the 100th time. I love the mountains and outdoors. And Boulder is a ton of fun. But there's not so much to do that I would never want to go to a Buffs game now and then if I lived there.
But I think with most people in Boulder, they just don't give a crap about football in general. Unlike most of Colorado, where it's hardcore Broncos fandom that just overwhelms everything, in Boulder it's more a general disinterest in sports from what I can tell.
My relatives in Eden Prairie and Rochester - and their close friends - are all Gopher football season ticket holders - and very passionate. Minnesota fans are getting a bad rap here.
For example, there are no better women's sports fans (except maybe Nebraska) than "U" fans. They have a huge volleyball following, and if their basketball program ever took off again they would be among the national attendance leaders in that too.
For example, there are no better women's sports fans (except maybe Nebraska) than "U" fans. They have a huge volleyball following, and if their basketball program ever took off again they would be among the national attendance leaders in that too.
Exactly. I like the Twin Cities a lot, actually. I just find that most people who live there long enough get up their own ass about it.
Minnesota is a nice place. Minnesotans are just really full of themselves and spend an odd amount of time talking about how great it is and how much it must suck where you’re from.
Like Texas with snow.
If you like college sports, a good game day atmosphere is on par with any experience offered in a place with “more to do”.
I agree 100%. There are a good number of Gopher alums that support their teams. Rochester has a large U of Iowa alumni base due to Mayo.
Both of you r a riot. I am from MN but moved down here 20+ yrs ago and would love to get back. Minnesotans (at least a majority) don’t care about saying the pledge of allegiance daily, don’t want everyone and their brother carrying handguns, respect gay marriage and LBGTQ community, care about the quality of their water and environment and r not beholden to Big Ag. As many on here have said before, Iowa is becoming the new Mississippi and that is not a good thing. MN will never become a new ‘Alabama’.
I remember being in downtown Minneapolis in 1989. I met my uncle for lunch, he was a lawyer from Des Moines up there on business. He made the comment to me, "I can't stand Minneapolis lawyers, they dress and act like they are from Manhattan". So yeah, people up there are full of themselves. I lived up there for 5 years, liked it, but the people were a little arrogant, especially towards those from Iowa.