This past winter, Minneapolis saw temperatures as low as -21 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, it gets cold here, but despite moving from sunny California, I'm not sure I mind.
After spending five years in the Bay Area, home to a diverse population and great food, I moved to Minneapolis in 2024 for a job opportunity.
I had no prior roots in the city, and, at first, the thought of leaving behind my close friends and the tech salaries in Silicon Valley felt a little overwhelming.
However, I knew I was ready for something new, and I told myself that if Minneapolis wasn't for me, I'd just move again. But since then, I haven't looked back.
In fact, I think my new home is one of the most underrated parts of the country.
I've found a diverse and inclusive community that really seems to show up for one another
When I first moved to Minneapolis, I had no idea how I'd create a community of my own. I'd pored over hundreds of online posts that claimed it's hard to meet people, since most Minnesotans seem to make their friends in kindergarten.
Although it's somewhat true that Minnesotans tend to form lifelong friendships, in my opinion, it's only a testament to how deeply organized the city's community is.
People really seem to know each other here, which was nothing short of a revelation after moving from a place where it felt like almost everyone I met was a transplant.
In fact, I found it easy to build a community, since there are active groups for just about anything you can think of. For example, I quickly met some of my best friends and mentors at a weekly poetry workshop at a local youth center.
I also enjoy being a member of my local church, which has helped me make intergenerational friendships, and I've joined groups that help me stay connected to my Asian-American identity.
In addition to the welcoming community, there are also a lot of opportunities to engage with different cultures, from Somali to Ukrainian. As an Asian-American, I enjoy heading to nearby community pillars like Hmong Village — one of the nation's biggest Hmong marketplaces — to stock up on imported goods and to get my brows done for a great price.
I've also noticed that many people here are civically engaged and really take care of one another.
Like many cities in America, Minneapolis has a history of redlining and struggles with racial tensions that have gained national attention throughout the years. As a woman of color, I feel grateful to have landed in a city that continues to thoughtfully contend with its challenges, with neighbors who show up for people of color.
During Operation Metro Surge, where thousands of federal agents arrived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, my friends helped me run errands to areas of town with a greater ICE presence. Plus, some of the coffee shops I frequented also started food drives for those sheltering in place.
I've fallen in love with the city's rich arts scene
As someone who loves exploring and creating in the arts, Minneapolis has some of the most amazing and accessible cultural amenities I've seen.
A typical weekend will see me catching a screening with Mizna, an organization that highlights Arab and Southwest Asian/North African arts and literature, spending a few hours in a specialty library stocked with zines and hard-to-find reference materials, or checking out the city's free museums.
Minneapolis is also home to many community-centered traditions, including Mayday, an annual large-scale puppet parade, and the Wedge Cat Tour, a roving tour of the neighborhood's cutest cats on windowsills.
My neighborhood, in particular, is known for Art-A-Whirl, a weekend when over 60 art studios are open for the public to peek inside. In my opinion, unique cultural pockets like this are what make Minneapolis so special.
Plus, the city has a strong live music scene. I love heading to a brewery after work to see a local act just as much as waiting in an hourslong queue outside the Fillmore for a major artist.
Considering Minneapolis is a major city, life here feels pretty affordable, too
Overall, even though Minneapolis is a big city, it still feels like a place where dreams feel possible to accomplish.
Although most of my friends live in major coastal cities with roommates, I was able to move into my own two-bedroom apartment right across from downtown — for the same rent I was paying for a single room in the Bay Area.
When friends come to visit, they marvel at the abundance of adorable Craftsman-style homes that feel within reach. In fact, according to a study conducted by management company Evernest, Minnesota has the highest homeownership rate in the US for those under 35.
I'm hoping to save enough for a down payment on a house in the next few years. This, combined with the community-oriented atmosphere, has made Minneapolis feel like it could be a permanent home for me.
Now that I've lived here for a year and a half, it's hard to imagine finding a community this vibrant anywhere else. I didn't know what to expect when I first got here, but now, I have no plans to leave.
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Dana Chiueh is a contributing writer for Business Insider.
