What Life Looks Like In Minnesota

Have you ever seen the movie “New In Town”? If so, I would say there is a lot of truth about Minnesota in that movie, with maybe just a tad bit of exaggeration. Nevertheless, it is a glimpse into what life in Minnesota looks like!

As many of you know (or may not know), Minnesota is not our home state. We moved here about 2 1/2 years ago (wow does time fly!) for my husband’s job as a youth pastor. We never imagined living in Minnesota, yet we know that this is exactly where we are meant to be. Minnesota is an incredibly beautiful state and we are so thankful that the story God has written for us, includes life in Minnesota.

In order for you to get a glimpse into what our life is like here, let me give you a bit of a description of our area. We live in a town that has 497 people (at least that is what the town sign says!) To say that we live in a Dutch community would be an understatement. To say that everyone is related, is also an understatement. I once jokingly said that I would love to see a family tree of this area, but realized that it would include almost everyone, but us and a few others. Not having any relatives is not easy, when living in an area where everyone is related. Yes, everyone is welcoming, but there is something to be said about having family around! Thankfully we have had families “adopt” us, which has been an incredible gift and blessing. And you know who you are!

Our little town is actually quite unique in my mind! You can walk around the perimeter of it very easily. As you walk “uptown” (to where the post office and the other few businesses are), you are bound to see someone you know, which will always require a wave. But I have learned, that it doesn’t matter if you know the person or not – you wave. When we go back to Michigan, I find myself waving at passing cars, with people staring at me, wondering what in the world I am doing. Yup, I easily forget that we are not in Minnesota. The saying of “Minnesota nice” is really true.

Walking around town means passing by your average house. The idea of bigger is better isn’t really part of life out here, which is refreshing. Granted some have second homes on nearby lakes, but houses here are what I would call “average”. On a walk you would pass by a grain elevator, the farmer’s co-op, a cafe that is only open til 1, a repair shop, gas station, 2 churches, a Christian school, and a war memorial. Of course we have a few other things like a bank, firehouse, community center, funeral home, retirement center, and a park too. All packed into one little community. And let me remind you again, you can walk around the perimeter of it.

Now if you really wanted to go into town, that means you would have to drive about 20-25 minutes to the nearest “big” town, to get groceries. In Willmar, there is a Wal-Mart, Target, Aldi (yeah!), and a few other grocery stores. Willmar is where you would run your errands for the week, go to the doctor, library, mall, etc. My goal is to only have to go there once a week, just to save on gas. And the drive there, is a pure country view. Houses are very sparse and fields blanket the area. Fields that allow you to see for miles! I suppose we take the “highway” into town, but a highway to me before, meant an interstate. I am now learning a highway can have different meanings. I am learning too, that going 10 mph over the speed limit is normal, but I will never be comfortable with that. So, I just resort to getting passed. A lot. I set my cruise (because there are very few stop signs around here), and off we go.

Now if you REALLY wanted to get out, like go to a mall that has decent options, you would have to go up to St. Cloud, which is about 1 hour 20 minutes away or drive to Minneapolis, which about 2 hours away. I have come to realize though, that driving to Minneapolis is nothing now. I used to think that driving 2 hours, was SO FAR AWAY! Now, we drive that easily in a day. I have my heart appointments out there, so it truly has become nothing to drive to what we call “the cities”. I have to admit that when we first moved to Minnesota, we laughed at everyone who called St. Paul and Minneapolis “the cities”. We found it odd that they would name those cities as “the cities” to go to. But now we are in the same boat and we definitely have fallen into that lingo!

As for scenery, did I mention that you can see for MILES? Before moving to Minnesota, I always pictured it as a woodsy state. Yes, upstate it is definitely wooded, but where we live, it is all prairie. The only trees you will see, are ones planted for a grove, to protect the homestead. If you head south to the river bottom, you will see completely different terrain, but go up the hill and it will be all prairie and farmland once again.

Sugar beets are what I would call a “main” crop here. This is just the start of the massive pile of BEETS!

As for the people, again, if you have ever seen the movie New In Town, it is true that Minnesotans have an accent. Some more than others, but I have to admit that I find myself saying things the Minnesotan way. Like prolonging the “o” sound in MinnesOOOOta. I chuckle when I hear someone who sounds so “Minnesotan” yet I then catch myself saying the same thing! Gotta love how an area changes your way of talking!

Have you ever been to Minnesota? If so, where? What did you do? What was your impression of Minnesota?

All I have to say is that everything just requires a good drive. When I was coaching basketball, we would have games that would be close to 1 1/2 – 2 hours away. That’s normal. Driving to go anywhere, for awhile, is just required. But that requirement soon becomes the way of life. So needless to say, we have put a few miles on our vehicles since moving to Minnesota!

And just for the record, THE U of M is still #1 to us – that is the University of MICHIGAN, not the University of Minnesota. THOUGH, we can cheer for Minnesota, as long as they are not playing the Wolverines! So go U of M!

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