Hello Minnesotans,
In about a month I'll be joining your ranks. I'm buying a house just outside of St Cloud. It's not my first pick in terms of politics from what I've read, but the state laws are far better for my family than where we live now.
Aside from the fact that we're moving in November, which is one of my more brilliant strokes, to be sure, I'm very excited for this change.
I'm looking for any and all of your Minnesota advice.
I've got a pretty big family, gaggle of kids (from 2nd grade to sophomore in high school), a few dogs, and ambitions on some waterfowl next year maybe.
I'm not afraid of driving in snow, I grew up in MO, we got our share of snow, so I know that often judicious throttle control is better than frantic braking. However, I've never dealt with snow on that scale that sticks for that long. I think we're going from an average annual snowfall of 12ish inches to 40-something annual inches of snow.
Will a self-propelled two stage snowblower kill me on a couple hundred feet of driveway?
Do I really need to scrape the snow off my roof?
How do I help the dogs with the cold? (Do dog boots and coats actually work?)
Got any recommendations for cold weather clothes? (I know we need layers, I'm already a fan of wool, but I need some advice on sourcing stuff that my kids will want to wear)
I love gardening, how much more time will a greenhouse give me in terms of growing season?
How the heck do I make Minnesota friends? I'm not a church person, so I expect this to be difficult for me.
DMV advice?
Best restaurants to visit?
Our family has spent the last year grieving and trying to process what has often felt like some kind of absurd unreality. I want to make this transition as positive as I can.
You don't get to pick where you're born, but you do (to some extent at least) get to pick where you live. We picked Minnesota because of the people, the land, and even the weather.
Sorry for being a stereotype, but I really don't know how else to ask aside from the non-stop googling and YouTube I'm already doing.
TL;DR:
Yet another "I'm moving to Minnesota, help me!" Post.
Edit: You all have given me some great ideas and places to start! Thank you so much!
I'm really excited to start this new chapter and you all have helped relieve some of my worries about being buried alive in snow at least :)
The municipality should basically take care of the roads for you. I don't think you'll have any issue. If you can front the money I do recommend getting winter tires.
My DMV visits have been cordial and pretty efficient. Make sure to read any posted signs; they might require you to fill out a form before going up to the counter. I did once not do this and the person at the desk was very kind about telling me I had been a dingus (not a hint of frustration or exasperation).
I feel like this is mostly going to be based on your locality. I've never been to St Cloud, so I can't really speak to that. But the two chains that pop to mind are Culver's and Pizza Ranch. Oh, also keep your eyes out for an apple orchard. Not a restaurant, but you'll get some good food for sure.
If you figure this out let me know :P
I'll put winter tires on the list.
1 or 2 honey crisp trees are on my list for spring planting, I didn't realize that Minnesota was the source of so many apple varieties! We actually have Culver's and Pizza Ranch in MO already though :) I'm a little sad that I'm moving away from whataburger again, but I'm sure somebody makes a good patty melt up North though.
Thank you for the advice!