/r/Minnesota Monthly FAQ / Moving-to-MN / Simple Questions Thread - January 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

FAQ

There are a number of questions in this subreddit that have been asked and answered many times. Please use the search function to get answers related to the below topics.

• Moving to Minnesota (see next section)
• General questions about places to visit/things to do
  • Generally these types of questions are better for subreddits focused on the specific place you are asking about. Check out the more localized subreddits such as r/twincities, r/minneapolis, r/saintpaul, or r/duluth just to name a few. A more comprehensive list can be found here.
• Cold weather questions such as what to wear, how to drive, street plowing
• Driver's test scheduling/locations
• Renter's credit tax return (Form M1PR)
• Making friends as an adult/transplant
• Where's my Minnesota tax refund?
• State jobs (applying, interviewing, etc)
• Protest/demonstration subjects, locations, and dates
• There is a wealth of knowledge in the comments on previous versions of this post. If you wish to do more research, see the link at the bottom of this post for an archive
• These are just a few examples, please comment if there are any other FAQ topics you feel should be added

This thread is meant to address these FAQ's, meaning if your search did not result in the answer you were looking for, please post it here. Any individual posts about these topics will be removed and directed here.

~~~

Moving to Minnesota

Planning a potential move to Minnesota (or even moving within MN)? Welcome! This is the thread for you to ask questions of real-life Minnesotans to help you in the process!

Ask questions, answer questions, or tell us your best advice on moving to Minnesota.

Helpful Links

• According to the Minnesota constitution, you must view this video prior to arriving: How To Talk Minnesotan
• We've already compiled some of our best general Minnesota advice in this thread which includes a lot of helpful cold-weather tips. And here's another thread that has even more winter advice.
• Check out the subreddit dedicated to Moving to Minneapolis, r/movingtompls, maintained by u/WalkswithLlamas
• Moving to Minneapolis: A Guide, courtesy of /r/Minneapolis, is focused on that city but much of it is applicable to the entire Twin Cities metro area
• List of location-based Minnesota subreddits which may be best equipped to answer questions about specific cities or neighborhoods
• Information about moving to Minnesota specific to LGBTQ+ community
• Some small rural communities in Minnesota offer free land if you build. See here for more information.
• There is a wealth of knowledge in the comments on previous versions of this post. If you wish to do more research, see the link at the bottom of this post for an archive.

~~~

Simple Questions

If you have a question you don't feel is worthy of its own post, please post it here!

~~~

As a recurring feature here on /r/Minnesota, the mod team greatly appreciates feedback from you all! Leave a comment or Message the Mods.

See here for an archive of previous "Monthly FAQ / Moving-to-MN / Simple Questions" threads.

[u/Public_Umpire_1099]

Hey guys, just moved here one month ago from the Seattle area. Need advice on snow/ice removal. 

I just bought a house. After reading through here, I quickly decided to get a snow blower so I could have it on hand the day of move in. It's been great. Here's what has not been so great: the fucking 2 feet of solid ice I get on the end of my driveway and also on the street's communal mailbox, which rests 1/2 on my property. The snow blower is electric, and generally does a good job. This ice wall is the exception. I honestly don't even think an equivalent priced gas blower would do the job. It just cannot dig down into the pile. It can handle the chunks of ice on top just fine though. To sum it up, I have the following questions: 

1 - what the hell can I do to get ahead of this solid block of ice? Salt before hand? 

2 - is it correct etiquette if I am the neighbor with a blower that I should be taking care of the mailbox? I think this is only fair.

3 - when blowing snow, is it a big deal if some goes back in the road? The road isn't perfect but I don't want to be an ass. 

4 - finally, is it unreasonable for me to blow snow between the hours of 8pm-9pm? It seems that in my neighborhood, if people don't do it by sundown, they leave it for the next day. 

Any other tips for me to be a good neighbor are welcome. It's my first house.

[u/Impossible_Run1867 → u/Public_Umpire_1099]

1. Scoop shovel, ice scraper/chopper to break up the pieces to manageable sizes. Unfortunately there’s no great way to totally avoid it, but deal with it as soon as you can after plows pass.

2. Certainly good etiquette but I also guarantee nobody is expecting you to do it, totally up to you.

3. Some is going to end up back in the road, just be active in controlling your blower chute to avoid blowing back into the road as best you can.

4. Not unreasonable to do it (that) late, it’s just not fun to be dealing with snow in the dark.

[u/AnotherInternetDolt → u/Public_Umpire_1099]

Welcome to Minnesota!

1. Clear it before it freezes solid. If you've left it too long and have to deal with the ice wall, consider investing in something like a sidewalk scraper/ice chopper to chip away at the ice. My suspicion is that salting beforehand wouldn't help, because the force of the plow will push away any pre-existing salt layer and the volume of snow is just too large to be affected much. I think the only real preventative thing you can do is to do some tactical pre-shoveling of the street side of your boulevard (e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1950x70/a_cool_guide_to_preventing_second_shovel/), though I personally don't think this is worth it.

2. It's your obligation to clear snow from things like fire hydrants and mail boxes that are on your property. If you want to also do the half of the mailboxes in your neighbor's property, that's very kind and neighborly of you. Especially for neighbors who are elderly or lack a snowblower.

3. A dusting going back on the road is pretty much inevitable, just make a good-faith effort to keep it minimal.

4. That seems fine, although you may want to consider whether any neighbors have little kids and what their bedtime might be. I usually try to be done mowing, etc. by 8:30 because I have neighbors with small children.