Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s all about spending time with family, relaxing, eating as much as possible, and watching football. It’s not like Christmas where people obsess over all of the things that they want. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Thanksgiving is a time for people to appreciate and give thanks for the things that they already have.

As the temperatures drop and we transition into winter, it’s easy to question why you decided to live in Minnesota in the first place. Since it’s all too easy to hate on Minnesota winters, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves of why the Twin Cities are a great place to live no matter what time of year it is.

• Things we love about living in the Twin Cities:
• Affordable Natural Gas As an MN heating and cooling provider, we are happy to live and work in the state with the 9th cheapest natural gas prices in the country. This means that natural gas furnaces, our favorite type of furnace, are a great option for people who live in this state. We’re also really lucky to have affordable natural gas because our artic winters require that we use a lot of it.
• Programs for Those Who Can’t Afford Heat Heat is a necessity, not a luxury for Minnesotans in the winter. Even with relatively low natural gas prices, high utility costs can cause financial hardships for some. Luckily Minnesota has an energy assistance program that helps to pay for home heating costs and furnace repairs for low-income households.
• Good Public Transportation Options The Twin Cities have really stepped up their public transportation game in recent years, making it easier than ever to get around the metro area without a car. In fact, CNN just wrote a glowing article the Twin Cities’ new Green Line light rail train system.
• Minneapolis is a Bike Friendly City Minnesotans have adopted the bicycle as a popular way to get around the cities. In fact, Minneapolis was named the most bike-friendly city in the United States in 2013.
• Minneapolis is One of the Fittest Cities Having a bike friendly city can contribute to the general health and fitness of the population. In fact, Minneapolis was voted the 7^th fittest city in the United States by Men’s Health this year.
• Best Public Parks If you live in the Twin Cities, you can probably walk to a park or green space in less than 10 minutes. The Twin Cities have so many parks that this past year the Trust for Public Land named Minneapolis as the city with the best park system in the United States.
• Highest number of theater seats per capita Hennepin Avenue is no Broadway, but the popularity of theater and live performance in the Twin Cities is well-known. In fact, the Twin Cities have more theater seats per capita than any other metro area in the United States other than New York City.
• Minnesota is a LGBT-Friendly State Minnesota has a reputation of being politically progressive. In the recent movement for LGBT rights, Minnesota received a lot of news coverage for legalizing gay marriage in 2013 and being voted the “gayest city” by Advocate Magazine in 2011.
• Low Unemployment Rate Minnesota is blessed with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The fact that Minnesota’s population is highly-educated (31% of the population has a Bachelor’s degree or higher) may have something to do with that.
• Minneapolis is one of the most Literate Cities in the Country While we’re on the subject of higher education, it’s worth mentioning that Minnesotans are highly literate. In fact, Central Connecticut State University ranked Minneapolis as one of the 5 most literate cities in the U.S. based on number of bookstores, educational attainment levels, and the use of libraries, newspapers and online reading resources.
• Foodie Paradise Although Minnesota isn’t home to any Michelin-Starred restaurants, our local chefs have been racking up a lot of James Beard Awards in recent years. Our creative chefs, restaurants and food commentators have gained attention in the national spotlight which eschewing the pretentiousness of the New York and LA dining scenes.

There’s so much to love about living in Minnesota. Even when the temperatures drop below zero, you can still take enjoy a delicious meal from a world-class chef or a cultured theater outing.

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