Minnesotans have the reputation of being from a state whose populace’s general behavior has been labeled “Minnesota Nice”, otherwise known as the stereotypical behavior of people born and raised in Minnesota to be courteous, reserved, and mild mannered. If everyone is so good-natured, life in Minnesota, along with its people, must be super friendly.

It’s no secret that Minnesota is a great place to live …for the locals. We have available jobs, many successful public schools, major Fortune 500 companies, plenty of athletic opportunities, and endless entertainment for the days when you can’t be outside for more than a minute without losing feeling in your face. And for locals, Minnesota Nice is a reality.

Have you ever noticed whole neighborhoods where the family is living in what had started as their grandmother’s house 50, 70 years ago? Your best friends are the children of your parent’s best friends. Everyone grew up together, went to the same school together, and are still connected. In some cases, you may find yourself with the same elementary school teacher that your parents had, or you may find yourself a student in a high school class being taught by a teacher who graduated the same school just a few short years earlier. The same can be said about the cabins. Family cabins tend to pass from generation to generation with families all going to the same lake and doing the same activities every summer. Who needs a saltwater ocean when you have Fish Lake?

Census figures indicate that about 7 out of every 10 people in Minnesota were born in state. For the Minnesotans who’ve grown up here, it’s an idyllic lifestyle, but for the transplants it can be as cold as the January weather. Imagine moving here in November and not meeting your neighbors until ice out in April. That being said, the meetings are known to be short and sweet because they’re running off to meet with their cousins for a hot dish dinner.

Along with the phrase Minnesota Nice, don’t discount the passive aggressive nature of the native with a side of non-confrontation. You would be surprised how many innocent faux pas can turn into a neighborhood scandal overnight, unbeknownst to the offender.

I’m not saying it’s easy to make friends. Minnesotans just hold themselves to a higher standard than everyone else in just about anything, including sense of cordiality.

Narrowing a little closer to home at Minnetonka High School, even the schedule reflects the familial geography of this close knit community. Why would you give the students Dec 22 or Dec 23 off of school to travel to their relatives? After all, it’s only twenty minutes across town. For the rare student that had family out of state, they probably didn’t board their plane until Christmas Eve. After all why would anyone live outside of the state?

In all seriousness though, who wouldn’t want to grow up here? The average temperature in December is 15.6 degrees Fahrenheit with an average snowfall of twelve inches. Every road is almost constantly under construction. Not to mention the mosquitoes that basically follow us around like pets from May to September.

Although we Minnesotans may pat ourselves on the back for our many accomplishments and ‘great’ personalities, sometimes we can be a little passive aggressive or reluctant to let transplants into our hearts, so we should try to make an effort to live up to the name: Minnesota Nice.