What They Don’t Tell You About Living in Minnesota
About this video
What is living in Minnesota really like? From long winters and the job market to affordability, outdoor life, local quirks, and choosing where to live, here are the things you should know before moving to Minnesota.
Key takeaways
- Winter's length surprises people more than the cold: it can run from November through March, with short, dark days. Minnesotans lean in with outdoor rinks, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and pond hockey, and trails are cleared quickly.
- The job base is broad: UnitedHealth Group, Target, Best Buy, U.S. Bank, 3M and General Mills are headquartered here, and Cargill, the largest privately held company, is based in the Minnetonka–Wayzata area.
- MSP Airport is Delta's second-largest hub, with nonstop flights to most of the country in about three hours or less.
- Quirks to know: Sunday liquor sales have been legal only since 2017; liquor stores are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas; and grocery stores sell only low-alcohol beer, so wine and liquor come from separate liquor stores.
- Outdoor warning sirens are tested at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, plus twice on the statewide tornado drill day each spring.
- "Minnesota nice" is real, but friendships can take time to form.
- In a Minnesota home, an attached (ideally heated) garage, a mudroom and a well-plowed street matter more than newcomers expect. Market as of the video: about 11,600 metro homes for sale, a metro median around $408,000, and homes selling in about 40 days at about 99% of list price.
Questions this video answers
Can you buy wine at grocery stores in Minnesota?
No. Minnesota grocery stores can sell only low-alcohol beer. Wine, liquor and full-strength beer come from liquor stores, which sometimes have a separate entrance next to a grocery store.
Why do sirens go off on the first Wednesday of the month in Minnesota?
Most counties test their outdoor warning sirens at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. There's also a statewide tornado drill each spring with two siren tests that day.
Read more: North Loop · Linden Hills
Notes written by Huerkamp Home Group from this video. Figures are as stated in the video on September 18, 2026; check the current numbers in our market reports.
