WhoRWe/was:bradys,mobys,subfright,etc

[R.T.Rybak]

Wizard and I were chatting offline about this thread and came up with a
question I wanted to ask the class:

Do you think people in this region are less likely to really embrace city
life because so many people are from rural areas?

Here's where I'm going with this:

Look at a map.  You can go for hundreds  of miles in any directionesp.
north and west...and not find another big city.  Teenagers who want to leave
their small towns in northern Minnesota, or Iowa, or South Dakota or even
Montana end up coming to the Twin Cities. (It's not like, say, Milwaukee: A
kid growing up in smalltown Wisconsin picks between Chicago, Minneapolis,
Madison or Milwaukee...so they really don't get as many people from small
towns. We're the main draw for hundreds of miles.)

We're kind of like a lake with a massive watershed, draining people from a
huge range of rural areas.

When you talk to urban geographers about this they talk about this pattern
of rural kids moving to the Twin Cities, settling down in the suburbs and
creating this region with a city surrounded by burbs made up of a huge
percentage of people who have never lived in an urban area.  It's not like
New York, or Chicago or a lot of other cities where there are generations of
people.  We are really only now raising our first couple generations of city
people(My dad's from New Prague, I was raised in the city, my kids are
raised in the city and each generation you get more and more city and less
and less rural.)

I never really paid too much attention to this until I got on the rubber
chicken circuit for the Downtown Council.  I'd speak at all these Kiwanis
and Rotary lunches in the suburbs and in the end was really amazed how
little so many people really knew about the city.  There was a lot of crime
talk, and some veiled talk about race, but it was really mostly just
generally not being very comfortable with being in a city.

So I do think that when we get into our reverse urban snobbism...I'm an
offender...it's important to remember that part of this comes from who we
are.

R.T. Rybak

Re: WhoRWe/was:bradys,mobys,subfright,etc

[MnGus]

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In response to R.T.Rybaks thoughts about rural areas looking to Minneapolis, 
I just completed a construction job on the Minot Air Force base in North 
Dakota and can confirm what a draw we are to those areas. When you speak of 
the "cities" in Minot, they know you are not talking about Bismarck or Fargo. 
The obvious big draws mentioned for visiting are the Mall, Vikings games and 
visiting family. I talked to several carpenters as the job ended to see what 
they would be doing. When they said they had not lined up work yet I told 
them about the need for carpenters in the cities. The pay they were receiving 
up there is about $12 to $16 for the most experienced carpenters. Pay for 
those individuals would be approximately double in the cities, with plenty of 
work. None of the individuals I talked to wanted to come here. The reasons 
were many, from the area is too big and too busy, to they didn't feel it was 
a good area to raise kids. The ones who had family down here said they lived 
out in suburbs.
When our project manager came to visit his niece (and shop at the mall), 
they asked for some good ethnic restaurants to try.  We took them to El Meson 
on 34th and Lyndale which they loved, and the next night they took their 
niece to Christos on 26th and Nicollet. We heard later their niece and 
husband thought they were crazy to go into that neighborhood. Happy to report 
they convinced them to try it and the evening was enjoyed by all.
   From the people we worked with I agree that although race issues and crime 
were mentioned, there were more comments about the pace of life, the heavy 
traffic and the lack of open space. Unless you have ever driven to Minot, you 
will not understand what open space is.

Bob Gustafson, 13th

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HTMLBODY BGCOLOR="#ff"FONT  SIZE=2In response to R.T.Rybaks thoughts about 
rural areas looking to Minneapolis, BRI just completed a construction job on the 
Minot Air Force base in North BRDakota and can confirm what a draw we are to those 
areas. When you speak of BRthe "cities" in Minot, they know you are not talking 
about Bismarck or Fargo. BRThe obvious big draws mentioned for visiting are the 
Mall, Vikings games and BRvisiting family. I talked to several carpenters as the job 
ended to see what BRthey would be doing. When they said they had not lined up work 
yet I told BRthem about the need for carpenters in the cities. The pay they were 
receiving BRup there is about $12 to $16 for the most experienced carpenters. Pay 
for BRthose individuals would be approximately double in the cities, with plenty of 
BRwork. None of the individuals I talked to wanted to come here. The reasons 
BRwere many, from the area is too big and too busy, to they didn't f!
!
!
eel it was BRa good area to raise kids. The ones who had family down here said they 
lived BRout in suburbs.
BR nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;When our project manager came to visit his niece (and shop at 
the mall), BRthey asked for some good ethnic restaurants to try. nbsp;We took them 
to El Meson BRon 34th and Lyndale which they loved, and the next night they took 
their BRniece to Christos on 26th and Nicollet. We heard later their niece and 
BRhusband thought they were crazy to go into that neighborhood. Happy to report 
BRthey convinced them to try it and the evening was enjoyed by all.
BR nbsp;nbsp;From the people we worked with I agree that although race issues and 
crime BRwere mentioned, there were more comments about the pace of life, the heavy 
BRtraffic and the lack of open space. Unless you have ever driven to Minot, you 
BRwill not understand what open space is.
BR
BRBob Gustafson, 13th/FONT/HTML

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