'The Atlantic' Magazine: American Dream Still Alive In Mpls.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Add "The Atlantic" magazine to the list of national publications that are in love with the Twin Cities.
We've heard the accolades before: We're smart! We're financially stable! There's a lot to do here!
An upcoming article in the March 2015 issue of "The Atlantic" explores how the hearty stew of all of those factors makes the Twin Cities a model for others.
The authors go so far as to call it "The Miracle of Minneapolis."
Gabriella Potter "loves" Minneapolis, even though she is about to move to San Francisco.
"I don't plan on long-term living there, kind of a couple-years thing," Potter said. "So I'm going more for the experience, and I know the cost is going to obviously be more."
Regardless of your personal feelings, the numbers don't lie. The metro area's median income is higher than New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. And more than half of our homes are priced within reach of young, middle class families.
I asked Professor Myles Shaver of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management his thoughts about the article, and how the Twin Cities compare to other major cities.
"I think it's a hidden gem," Shaver said. "And there are a lot of people, not just in this country, but around the world who don't know what's happening here."
Four years ago, Shaver was tired of friends from out of town not believing him when he told them this is a great place to live. For fun, and to win the argument, he started looking into it.
"When it comes to economic drivers, it's not that fancy skyscraper, you know. It's not the amenities in the building. It's the people there," Shaver said.
He found that our area is "rich" in people, and that more college-educated people are staying or moving here than are leaving here.
"In fact, some of them told me on the side that if they get transferred out of Minneapolis they're going to leave the company, look for a job in town to stay here because it was such a great place to live," he said.
That's important because it drives investment in the community, which we all benefit from.
Shaver says the next step is knowing the "why," which will allow communities and companies to make decisions that will keep the hits coming for the Twin Cities.
In the meantime, we should probably practice sharing, because I think we're all about to get some new neighbors.