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 :)
I love to hear it. It seems like you're actively preparing yourself for the 'hard' part of the year and thats great!
Dogs: Up to your pups. My husky loves the cold weather (surprise right?). Just make sure on days where its 0 or below you're paying attention to their feet. They'll freeze and get frostbite, ouch. If you see them doing pained tippy taps, bring em in. Boots help if your pups go on long walks but have cold sensetivity, gonna have to just feel this one out. Dog coats, unless they're a specific breed, are mostly for cute pictures.
The other posters answered your other questions well, so I would like to chime in: Making friends can be tough here. Point blank. Especially in the cold winters, where its not uncommon to kind of socially isolate yourself. We can be kind of cliquey, mostly unintentionally if we're being honest. Going to a bar or any of the local town events though, give you the opportunity to open small talk with the locals. If you make an effort to reach out, get involved in a group activity, club, or sports, you'll make some of the most loyal friends you could ask for.
The fact that you're asking questions is so great, we look forward to having more critical thinkers here!
My dogs have been ok in MO in the winter, aside from pretending to pee so they can come back in quicker. I'll have to see how they handle it.
I'll probably need advice when things start to thaw on gardening in Zone 4. I've read that there's some events with master gardeners in warmer weather. Maybe I'll meet some nice folks who can explain rhubarb to me.
Thanks for the info!
Some dogs just REALLY don't like the cold, and thats okay! ID recommend shoveling out a good path and a nice open area during the winter to make going outside easier if they're cold babies. The snow drifts can get so tall it becomes really uncofmortable for them to shit - they'll sink into the snow a bit and the poop piles up a little too close to their asshoe for comfort.
TMI? Maybe, but as a dog owner im sure you understand.
Imagining my Great Dane having this problem is hilarious. He weighs enough that I anticipate this being a reality. I'm gonna have to take your advice on making an open area for them.
As for gardening, from what I can tell, is just a bit pickier. I've adopted to starting seedlings in my basement and get them ready for the outdoor spring season. Make a solid plan of what you want (like rhubarb) and find the strains that deal with cold weather or large fluxuations in temp better.
We aint getting year round banana trees up here 🤣