Jonion

As others have said regarding the Minnesoooooooootan winters.

I've been there 3 times so far and am movign there next month.
The summer I had was record high temps.
The other two times were in March to May and Nov to Jan.
I managed to shovel/blow more snow in those two visits than I've seen during my 40+ years in the Midlands, UK.
I also saw temperatures lower than I thought it was possible to survive.
So yes an extra jumper would be good.

One time we were in the city and it was pretty easy to cope with.
Now we're out in the sticks and it's far harder but do-able.
But it's a much nicer cold, not the miserable grey crap we get in the UK.

Oh and where I'm moving to (80 miles west of the Twin Cities) they've just had a foot of snow today.
The in-laws live 150 miles north adn the winters there are as harsh and brutal as has been mentioned.

Apparently Minneapolis has one of the best 'quality of life' in the US.

scrubbedexpat099

Or you can just watch the new series of Fargo.

Jonion

Starts here this weekend.

Pulaski

And Canada is almost entirely north of Minnesota! This post should be repeated over in the Maple Leaf forum for anyone thinking about moving to non-littoral Canada.

Moses2013

But it's a much nicer cold, not the miserable grey crap we get in the UK.

I've heard that so many times and then people are surprised how grey it gets in other places too. You suddenly leave the UK when you have a few miserable years and then it's record highs in the UK.

Jonion

That doesn't apply in my case at all.

Uncle_Bob

Yep they come in big old town cars, drive 55mph in the fast lane and always seem to decide to re-tune the radio whenever the traffic lights turn green

malch

A comment on schools...

The quality of state-run high schools (Americans call them public schools) is very, very localized.

It depend where you live -- the city and even which part of the city. If you want a great school you will need to:

1. Pay for a private (for profit) school, or:

2. Do your homework and buy/rent a home with the catchment area of a really good state school.

Neither option is cheap because housing prices in areas with the best public schools typically carry a very substantial premium.

We went with the second option and have been very pleased with the manner in which it's all worked out.

Sally Redux

I disagree that private schools are automatically great.

malch

I didn't say they were and indeed they are most certainly not.

Some public schools (including our local HS) are a lot better than many private schools.

scrubbedexpat099

Heated Garage is a good idea.

Scouse Express

I'm saying nothing.......seeing as though I'm in Nova Scotia right now.

Pulaski

"Or", he said "or".

As a paying customer you do have the option to shop around any school you want to whereas you options are limited/ very limited in the public school system, and are perpetually at the whim of changes in school assignment district and changes to the laws surrounding charter and "magnet" schools.

Steve_

He'd be non-resident, takes three years to become resident again I think but check. I know someone in this situation. What is making it even more complicated is they don't understand the US immigration system so they don't understand what "residency" means in the US, as far as I can tell.

Dunno.

Look at: https://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/non-us-citizens answer is basically yes, but you're asking the wrong question, the question you need to ask is does he qualify for the resident tuition fees in the location where he is going to study - if he's an LPR then the answer is also yes, but he may also qualify on L-2, you would need to check, some States are awkward about this.

This is the HR checkbox, has applicant got a relevant degree? So if you've got a degree, get a letter from someone somewhere in officialdom that says it is the equivalent of xyz US degree. This will make job hunting a lot easier.

I have a friend in Minnesota, we have a competition each winter to see who is having the worst winter. Do not underestimate the weather. Make sure where you are planning to live has decent insulation. Bear in mind when it gets really cold it is also really dry.

Just looked it up and Minneapolis has an average 156 days a year with temperatures below freezing and 13 days with temperatures above 30 C, so basically the Costa Del Sol compared to Calgary... (190 days a year with temperatures below freezing and 4 days with temperatures above 30 C).

Jonion

Not sure if anyone here's seen some of the stuff I've been looking at. Such as the Minnesoootan thesaurus. Handy if you want ot have a clue what they're talking about.

Or how about this little poem.

It's winter in Minnesota
and the gentle breezes blow
at 70 miles per hour
and thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Minnesota
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter air
and your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Minnesota
cos I'm frozen to the ground.