All things considered, Minnesota is a great place to live. There are cultural attractions in the Twin Cities, beautiful lakes, stunning tourist towns like Duluth and Stillwater, and the Mall of America. Unfortunately there's one big drawback to living in Minnesota: it's cold! The climate in Minneapolis and St. Paul is comparable to Moscow, and winter and snow can come as early as October and stick around until April or May. Roads and sidewalks become caked with dangerous ice, and Minnesotans can go months without seeing the ground.
So how do people cope with all this cold? Different Minnesotans have different reactions, but there are basically four different ways that people react to the frigid temperatures and the constant barrage of snow and ice.
The Snowbunnies. Some Minnesotans just love the snow and the cold. They couldn't imagine living anywhere else, except maybe Alaska or Siberia. When summer comes around, they're uncomfortable when the weather hits 70 degrees, and they get miserable when there's the slightest bit of humidity. You'll see snowbunnies walking around when it's 5 degrees above zero with no coat or socks on, enjoying the "balmy" weather.
The Snow Haters. As you might imagine, six month long winters aren't for everyone, and some Minnesotans are pretty darned miserable. They figure that Minnesota would be a nice place if only someone would take a huge crane and transport the whole state to the South Pacific. Snow haters are either fondly anticipating a move to a warmer climate or praying that Al Gore is right about global warming.
The Snow Deniers. Some Minnesotans react to the cold with denial. They love their home state and don't want people to speak badly of it, so they've learned a set of mantras to chant when anyone speaks badly of the cold. These include:
- "Oh, the cold's not's so bad because it's a dry cold." This is a little bit true, but only a litle bit. When it's 20 degrees below zero, it doesn't make a gosh darned difference if the cold is dry or wet. It's just cold.
- "We just love having four seasons here." Guess what? Other places have four seasons too-- without the winter season lasting for half the year!
- "It's not as bad as it used to be." Also partly true, perhaps thanks to global warning. But when it's 20 degrees below zero, it doesn't matter that it used to be 25 degrees below zero. It's still cold!
- "It's so nice to spend the winter inside doing activities with the kids." Nothing wrong with family time. But you know what? People in warm climates spend time with their children too.
The Snow Buddhas. Minnesota culture is a curious mix of Scandinavian Lutheran attitudes with just a touch of Zen Buddhism. That is, people expect hard work and cold winters, but they stoically accept their fate and make the most of it. Instead of complaining, Snow Buddhas say to one another, "It's pretty cold out here, dontcha know?" They prepare themselves by dressing in layers and leaving extra stopping distance when they drive, and cheerfully offer help to anyone who gets stuck in the snow. Life is too short to get upset by a little snow, dontcha think?
See also:
Twin Cities Weather Month-By-Month
Minnesota Winter Fun & Festivals
Should You Move to the Twin Cities?
Things to Do in the Twin Cities
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
