Millennials of Minneapolis

For the past few years my wife and I have made a trip to the Minneapolis area. The main purpose is to see our son and his girlfriend, and we often pick from suggestions they offer.  I am often bemused by what I see and discover in the world that is Minneapolis. A 2014 post was about the diversity of uses in one Minneapolis neighborhood.  Each locale presents a unique opportunity, but large metro areas often present variety of activities. My wife and I being baby boomers will see things differently than our children. But, that is what helps make life and experiences amusing and memorable. Minneapolis, according to "Forbes" is tied with San Diego for number 8 on the list of best cities for millennials and generation Z (now often referred to as the I generation). If one looks at the population pyramid for Hennepin County, which contains Minneapolis, it has a large number of persons in the millennial age cohorts. Of course, that can be expected because Millennials are the largest population group in the nation mostly due to the mortality of us Baby Boomers. This post will examine what I see occurring with the Millennials from my visit to Minneapolis.

Minnehaha Falls

Research opinions seem to differ, but there is much information to say that millennials prefer city life. That is certainly visible in Minneapolis, and in Madison, WI as gentrification is occurring in neighborhoods. It is a situation not unique to those two cities.  However, others say that this generation is at the point in their life where they will live in a city (given their age), but will be like other demographic groups and move to the suburbs as children start to arrive.  The cohort is likely so large that they will be able to influence housing in both suburbs and cities.  However, Millennials are, as a whole, delaying marriage, more likely to engage in cohabitation, and delay in having children. This means they may stay in the city longer than generations earlier who had children at an earlier age. In any event a number of the generation also seem to be sucking up the single family housing supply in such cities.  Not everyone desires a large suburban house.  The large apartment construction boom of the past several years has been to meet the demand of housing for the young millennials, just like a large apartment boom occurred over in the 1970's to meet the baby boomers.

Fireworks over St Anthony Falls

 The renewed interest in urban America is a good thing. After all there is substantial public investment already in place with streets, utilities, and mass transportation. Taking advantage of such infrastructure only makes sense.  And for those interested in a low carbon footprint, city living produces a more reduced carbon footprint than country living.  With the back-to-the-city move, corporations have taken notice. In August 2016 "The New York Times" had an article on how for decades corporate America created sprawling campuses in the sprawling suburbs. Cities are once again more attractive to corporations, since they are not the cesspool they were often viewed to be in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But, this new move also has to do with the corporate structure where there is often more decentralization, and/or smaller work forces. The corporate office may be downtown, but the communication advances now present allow more specialized functions to be handled in different locations. Although not all are in this vein.  Epic Corporation built its massive sprawling campus at the west edge of Verona, WI, about a generation ago. Yet, as of February of this year its main bulk of workers lived in downtown Madison. Epic funds a bus service from downtown Madison to its vast suburban sprawled campus. My Millennial son does a reverse commute to the corporate campus of his employer in Richfield, MN.  That employer is located along that most suburban enhancing of highways, Interstate 494. As corporations moved to the suburbs reverse commutes have become common, providing more challenges to traffic planners.  The odd thing about the Twin Cities is that while it is 16th largest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) in the nation, Minneapolis is the 46th largest city.  Combine St Paul with Minneapolis and the population would be slightly larger than Milwaukee.  By comparison, Milwaukee ranks 31st as a city, and 39th in population of the SMSA.  (Of course, with Lake Michigan, the population surrounding Milwaukee has half and available land are to develop.)

McNeely Conservatory, St. Paul

But, the Millennials are in Minneapolis in part because Minneapolis is currently the economic engine for the Midwest. If we define the Midwest as the seven states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and Indiana, then in terms of population growth from 2012 to 2016, Minnesota was middling, ranked 25th in the nation, but it ranked the highest of all of these seven states. Its growth was just over four percent, with the next state, Iowa ranked 29th coming in at 2.9%.  (WI ranked 38th.)  What makes Minneapolis attractive to Millennials? If you look at one news take on the "Forbes" article it is two main things: snacks and salaries. According to that news account in the "Minneapolis Star Tribune": “Millennials want to be paid well for their work and they want to be fed snacks while doing it. Turns out that Minneapolis companies score high in both of those categories and then some.” Millennials who were said to be coddled by helicopter parents and where all got a gold sticker and trophy, apparently need snack food.   If the locations we have visited with my son are any indication, it is not just snack food that attracts Millennials.

US Bank Stadium

A few examples can suffice. Two years ago we went on an excursion on a warm sunny summer day to Fulton Brewery across the street from where the Minnesota Twins play. They were also, at the time, building a new brewery. We then headed north to Dangerous Man brewery, in northeast Minneapolis, which a co-worker claims is the hip of hip areas in Minneapolis, because that is the area in which a former co-worker new resides  Both places were packed, and I mean packed, but with mainly young people—that is Millennials. Last year in late March we visited Surly Brewery, and again that place was packed.  Its beer hall tables left no place to sit.  This past weekend, we visited Tattersall Distillery, which was crowded but not packed, and I commented to my spouse on our entrance that we increased the average age in the room by fifteen years. Do you see a trend? (I wonder why so many were indoors on such a nice hot day in Minneapolis.)  At work this past Tuesday, I was surprised to hear that another co-worker had also been in Minneapolis last weekend, just as were we, but attended Whiskey On Ice (and yes, the web sites have the O in “On” as uppercase) at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis. The co-worker is a Millennial himself, although at the upper end of that cohort. Do you see a trend?  Alcohol. And it is not the common brand stuff of which I grew up drinking years ago—Pabst, Miller, and of course, Old Style. Back in my day if we wanted a good beer, it was Special Export, or perhaps a Point Special. Millennials are helping to drive the craft breweries and distilleries. However, some argue that Baby Boomers started the movement since they have cut down on how much they drink (which creates the ever present beer belly) in the past, they want higher quality beverages—and craft beverage makers responded to that demographic and taste shift. In this scenario, the younger generations benefits from the changes brought on by the Boomer crowd. The drinking aspect of this age group is not lost on my wife.

Tattersall Distillery

My wife also noted the importance of food. The popular Italian deli, Cossettas in St Paul, had long lines winding through the building when we visited Saturday night. While completing our hike at Minnehaha Falls Saturday morning, the restaurant in the shelter was not open, and by the time we completed our hike the patio was full and lines were present. This at about 11:00 am in the morning. It only seems natural that if the Millennials of Minneapolis desire snacks at work they also want good food. Yet, I see more than a food connection.  This last September the bird killing US Bank Stadium with is massive glass and metal structure opened in downtown, on the site of the former Metrodome. Yes, they beat the Packers in the second week of the NFL season.  It is at the end of the conclusion of two decades of new stadium construction/remodeling in the NFL. Lambeau field has been remodeled and expanded several times in the past 15 years, but the major 2002 remodeling followed the then neo-traditional craze of stadium construction, as did Miller Park. The neo-traditional craze began with the construction of Camden Yards for the Orioles in Baltimore. The sharp angles and modern design of the stadium, however, would well seem to fit the image of a city attracting Millennials. Glass and metal are often referred to as “techie.” What better group to find tech attractive than Millennials and the following I-generation? You know Millennials have come of age when there are television shows that pick on them; I think of the show called The Great Indoors. Its stereotyping of Millennials is funny.  A recent episode of NCIS had the agent cell phones hacked, and two young special agents were flummoxed as to how to get to a location without use of their cellphones.  Boomer boss, Gibbs, suggested use of a map. Yes, one can depend too much on a device.

Fulton Brewery

Like most humans Millennials gravitate to their own group. They wish to be working in an area where other Millennials are working, according to the "Star Tribune."  This does not bode well for communities that have low population cohorts of that group—think rural areas. Communities need young persons to help them survive.  Like most humans, it seems this younger generation wants it both ways. They want high salaries, (measured by mean income) as noted in the "Star Tribune", but the same article also commented that they want a job without stress. To me it seems somewhat of a paradox.  Is the use of alcohol by Millennials a means to offset job stress?   If so, they are not the first generation to find that helpful. The saying when one gets home from work “I need a drink” has been around a long, long time. Heck, I have even heard my wife say it once, just once.  Of course, if the stress is low are they drinking because they find it enjoyable?  A novel reason why to drink.  They also wish to gravitate to jobs that produce high levels of job satisfaction. That can be a good thing, but someone has to do the dirty work.

Surly Brewery

However, I think when people stereotype Millennials they mainly reference those that are college educated. A November 2014 NPR report noted that about two-thirds of Millennials lack a bachelor’s degree. The article went on to note that Millennials with a college diploma, at that time, earned $17,500 more a year than those without a college degree. Additionally, at that time, the report noted, 88 percent of minimum wage workers were 20 years or older, and of those 4 in 10 (40%) were college graduates. So, even a college degree was not a guarantee of a well-paying job for that age group. Even worse, the unemployment rate for Millennials without a college degree (aged 25-32) was over 12%, with 22% of that cohort below the poverty line.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

In the end, when persons talk of the Millennials the traits may not hold true to all in the demographic group. I would find it hard to believe that a Millennial earning minimum wage is getting a drink of spirits from Tattersall Distillery at $9.00 a drink. More likely, they bought a quart or pint off the bottom shelf. As for beer, it is not is also more likely a Bud Light, over a can from Surly Brewery.  With drinks at that price, I can see why they delay having children.

James Hill House, St Paul

To be fair to our son he also had sightseeing at many locations that his age cohort would probably consider old person stuff.  We walked the Landscape Arboretum, the McNeely Conservatory, the James Hill House, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  The hike of Minnehaha falls area, fireworks on a summer evening at St. Antony Falls, and Como Zoo were something both age groups could enjoy.  And of course, just because we increased the average age by 15 years in a distillery, does not mean we did not enjoy our drinks.  I also have to say I enjoyed the tour of Surly, and Fulton, and well appreciated Fulton's Farmer's Ale--and at 11% alcohol who wouldn't.   As for the US Bank Stadium, I am sure many a boomer is attracted to the Vikings.  But, showing the draw of the Packers, I talked to a man at Tattersall (of course a Millennial) who has a dog named Lambeau.  He is a Packer fan, lives in Minneapolis, but was born in Albuquerque, NM.  His father hailed from Chippewa Falls, WI.  What makes for an enjoyable time is being able to observe and learn, marvel at the wonders of nature, but also be amused at people, the things we do and things we create. Travels to even a not so distant land, even if it is Minnesota, can be a learning experience.  Oh, and we had time to visit with our son, too.

Photos by author, varied dates between 2014 and 2017