You're half right: It's fruits and nuts. You won't believe me, but it is farther to the left than anything you'll find in California. That's partly because of the passive-aggressive nature of the people of the region. In politics, that translates to screwing the law-abiding taxpayer as much as possible. Tax them, make life harder, make it easier for criminals, etc. They do a great job of having high taxes, poor services, exceedingly poor use of resources and infrastructure, bad roads, and maximum inconvenience at all times. Overall, this translates to benefits for the surrounding metro area, which has a population of about three million in addition to the population of Minneapolis. If you're not rich, homeless, poor just getting by, or a metrosexual, you probably won't be attracted to Minneapolis, and will tend to choose any of the other 250+ municipalities within an hour's drive of downtown.
I've worked in downtown Minneapolis off and on for a total of about 15 years. I went to work. Almost never spent any money in Minneapolis, except for the occasional slice of pizza or sandwich or cup of coffee. I was out of there like a scalded dog at the end of each day.
If stepping over sleeping bums in the skyway during winter doesn't turn you off, then maybe you'll be repulsed by the nearby muslim ghetto which is known as the center of support in the US for muslim extremist terrorism. Or perhaps you prefer to use roads that are impassible every time it snows more than an inch (i.e., practically no snow at all by Minnesota standards.) Don't like that? Well, try widespread alcoholism and drug use. Need a good police force? There are none finer than the men and women in blue employed by the city of Minneapolis: They can ignore any crime or traffic problem except for harmless looking jaywalkers who they immediately pounce on and hassle. Need good roads? Say no more, fam! The roads are mostly bike-only lanes that are practically useless during rush hour because of limited access. Got a home near some businesses? Great! People will park right in your driveway so you can't leave home. Avoiding public nuisances? Well, too bad, bro. Sorry to break it to you, but rowdy and loud businesses like violent bars and pizzerias are strategically located to cause as many problems as possible for the maximum number of tax payers and property owners. Are you black? Well, I don't suppose you wanted a job anyway. But there are plenty of social services that will keep you on the dole!
One of the things that's really conspicuous in Minneapolis is the relatively small number of locally owned businesses when compared to other big cities. Companies like the big national chains will put up with the crap, but it's so unfriendly to business it's unattractive. Compare it to, say Portland Oregon (very liberal) and you find that Portland has a great diversity of local business. Not Minneapolis (or even the surrounding area.)
In general, people live in Minnesota because they don't know any better. Either that, or they're from somewhere else in the midwest (every place else is a real h**l hole), so Minneapolis looks like paradise.
Last edited by conan the librarian; 08-13-2019 at 03:52 PM.