Hey, I’m going to grad school at MNSU. I grew up in South Florida and Metro Atlanta. I first went to Knox College in Galesburg, IL and withdrew my sophomore year. I then transferred to Goucher College transferred second semester sophomore year. I studied abroad in Wollongong, Australia. I graduated Goucher May 2016. I then taught English in South Korea Summer 2016 and I’ve been back in GA since September. I have been unemployed since I’ve gotten back as I had a lot of trouble re-adjusting to Georgia “reverse culture shock”, honestly.
How progressive is Mankato? How LGBT friendly is the area? I’m currently in a long distance relationship with a girl, but I am openly bi.
I am flying to La Crosse, WI next week (my friend from Chicago attends UW La Crosse) and then we’re driving to Mankato. My dad is going to drive my car up the following weekend. How is public transport in Mankato? Will I need my car to get to the Twin Cities? The Amtrak is pretty expensive down here, but I know it is more affordable in the Midwest.
I’ve been trying to find more research about the area, but I’ve learned from my Knox experience that I need just to “live life” instead of planning 24/7. I have a cousin from NY (we’re Sicilian and my whole family is from NY) who is in Minneapolis and she had some culture shock when she moved there. Should I be expecting Mankato be to similar to Galesburg? It seems like a “college town” and seems to have this party rep.
I am a dairy-free Pescatarian and didn’t see any Trader Joe’s in the area. Will I have trouble finding the same stores I’m used to in the Atlanta and Baltimore area?
Thanks so much! I am very excited, I honestly don’t know what to expect. I never got a chance to visit, but my Goucher professor went to UMD with my advisor and they’re colleagues/friends. She went to USF in Florida where my parents went and we have a lot in common, so I’m super stoked about this new change. I’m ready to get out of the Bible Belt haha. It’s been a tough year. I’m getting my MA in Gender and Women’s Studies. I plan on getting my PhD after my MA, but hoping to get my PhD in Canada (UofT or UBC hopefully). I was a double major in Theatre & WGS at Goucher.
I have never been to Mankato, but have lived in both Atlanta and Minneapolis. Mankato will seem like a very small town to you coming from Atlanta. There is no Trader Joe’s there, although there are several in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. In the Twin Cities, there are lots of “food co-ops,” which are like small grocery stores that try to stock some local goods. You might find those in Mankato but if not, try them out when you are visiting Twin Cities. You will definitely want your car to drive around. You can get around to a lot of places in Twin Cities without a car, but it takes much longer than if you have a car. However, many people here just ride a bicycle everywhere, even in the middle of winter. I know nothing about public transportation in Mankato, but I would not expect it to be very extensive since it is a much smaller city. It is about an hour and a half drive from Twin Cities. Minnesota is beautiful, and has a lot of lakes. Good luck on your new adventure!
If you lived in Europe and moved a three day drive away, you would expect to be in a different culture. Go into the move with the mindset that you are not in the east coast anymore.
In generalities:
people drive on lakes in the winter when they are frozen
People remove their shoes when entering a house.
People love potatoes.
Read the book with the title that is along the lines of How To Speak Minnesotan. You may find a t.v Show made of it on youtube
Edited to add: fish is walleye and local cheese rocks. Too bad you are dairy free. There will be alternatives like soy milk in the grocery stores.
College town. It is home to MN Vikings training camp in summer. Yes, you’ll want a car to get to the Twin Cities. I recall it’s just over an hour drive from Minneapolis. The twin cities are very progressive. Lots of “All are Welcome Here” signs in neighborhoods. Mankato is not a suburb though.
I’ve been to the Twin Cities and I really like it.
Originally I wanted to get my MA in Canada, but I never applied. I am going into this situation very open minded. I’m just curious though: Should I expect MN and Western IL (Galesburg) to be very similar? I’ve lived in Coral Springs, Palm Beach, Lawrenceville outside of Atlanta, Galesburg, Towson, and abroad in AU/SK so I feel like I’m pretty adaptable. My NY cousin lives in Minneapolis and misses her Sicilian Pizza and NY bagels. I plan on studying abroad back to Australia, so I really see this as short term. Not sure if I should change my driver’s license as I want to vote in the Gwinnett election in 2018, but not sure if I have a choice?? Every time I’ve lived OOS, it was in a dorm room so I always kept my GA license. My car is under my dad’s name, but it’s a 96 Nissan SX so I’m kind of worried that it will make it through Mankato winter. It barely lasted in Baltimore. Should I get snow tires? My cousin said the Twin Cities gets colder than NY, but it snowed way more in NY.
I am def worried about the lack of diversity. It was something I know my advisor struggled with coming from Florida as a Latino Queer woman.
I have lived in Makato and was very happy there, The people are overwhelmingly nice, you betcha. Uff da! I really did love some of the locals. The first few times I shopped at the Hy-Vee I turned and looked behind myself when I was greeted by employees like they knew me. I was sure their best friend was behind me.
The downside is winter. It can be very cold, like -30, for a week at a time. People just go on about their business no matter what the weather. Yes to snow tires. I have lived in snowier places but you will need to get around since nothing is cancelled. Winter comes early and leaves late, and then it becomes flying insect season. The mosquito is the state bird, they used to tell me. Biting flies and gnats are constant but the hardy natives keep right on with every outdoor activity, occasionally slapping but mostly ignoring.
I really have no idea about the sexuality question, but being a college town this shouldn’t shock anyone.
The Vikings just finished their last camp in Mankato. They are moving to a different town for preseason training.
Join any organization on campus that will get you outdoors. There are many lakes in the area for fishing, canoeing, etc. Learn how to Nordic ski. Hockey games are a big deal on campus.
You are just going to take the area as it is and find the good in people. Are they easterners? No. Are they some of the hardest working people you will ever meet? Yes.
Ask them about Scandinavian and German immigration to the area and how it shaped their values. What local foods would they recommend? Yes to lefse and pass on the lutefisk.
Ask them about how farming has changed in the last 100 years. (In my opinion there will be a large number of people with grandparents that farmed.)
Ice breaker: Ask people how old they were when they learned to skate. Some will not remember not knowing. I learned to skate backwards from a child.
If you are up there the week before Labor Day, go to St Paul for the state fair. It is Minnesota’s family reunion.
Depending on your housing there may be a way to get an engine heater for plugging in your elderly car during the days of extreme cold. Definitely join AAA with the 100 mile plan. You don’t want your car towed 5 miles to Hooterville and then you are still without transportation.
I have a cousin with whom I am close who has lived in Mankato for 35+ years. He is married, and he raised a family there. He is a retired professor at MSU-Mankato.
He and his wife have loved living there, largely because the people are nice and genuine. On my visits, it seems very small-town/suburban, with no meaningful diversity. (A famous series of girls’ books from the 1930s-40s – Betsy, Tacy & Tib – was written by a Mankatan, and clearly took place there. In one of the books, the girls confront their religious differences: one is Lutheran, one is Baptist, and one – OMG! – is Catholic. As far as I can tell, that’s still the state of diversity in Mankato.) Their children, who grew up there, had absolutely no interest in spending more time there than a short visit once they left for college. (And you bet they left for college!)
There is no sophisticated food. My cousin treasures the chance to go to Dunkin Donuts when he visits elsewhere – they don’t have anything that good in Mankato. Figure out how to live without Trader Joe’s.
Yes, you need a car to get to the Twin Cities, as well as to do a lot of stuff around Mankato. Maybe there’s some public transportation, but I don’t remember noticing it. You can use a bike when the weather’s good. It’s not a walk-y place, though. It’s small, but sprawled out.
Rochester isn’t much closer than the Twin Cities, but it’s a faster drive. I think there are more amenities there.