MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Claim to fame: Down-to-earth residents and a plethora of lakes.
Little-known fact: It’s been rated the fittest city in America three years in a row.
Where you’ll work: There’s a healthy finance sector and a growing biomedical industry, plus the HQs of Target and Aveda.
Where you’ll eat: The Twin Cities are a foodie paradise, from the James Beard- nominated Butcher & the Boar to the much-hyped Heyday.
Where you’ll hang: Young singles congregate in the Whittier neighborhood, at chill bars like Eat Street Social and quality thrift stores like The Lost & Found.
Oddball date: Head to Wabasha Street Caves, a Prohibition-era club built into the sandstone, for live music and dancing.
Insider tip: Compared with the Coasts, it’s a “friendly dating culture,” says Laura, 30. And it may be their Scandinavian roots, but men here seem “noticeably taller.”
Guy you’ll meet: He’s “beardy, charming, and active,” says Mandy, 25.
By The Numbers
Ratio: 1.074 men per 1 woman
Well-being: 16th out of 189 metro areas
Unemployment: 4.1 percent
Wage gap: -20¢
Violent crime: 8.77 per 1,000 people