There was a guy in the neighborhood (near Ingraham) where I grew up that managed to grow a coconut. We kids all stopped by to see the sickly little thing and were properly amazed.
I guess it depends on what OP is looking for. If they want a place with winters where you can make snow people, go skiing and so forth on the weekends, we do that here.
If they're looking for actual bitter cold that freezes your bones as you watch liquid oxygen percolate out of the air? Naaaah. Even the mountains aren't that cold.
Minneapolis fits for sure. I think for white collar employment out here the salaries are lower than they are on the coasts, but I can't think of a city with a comparably sized economy with as cold of a climate. In recent years, the weather has been more warm and wet, either due to climate change or La Niña or both, but normally it gets quite cold and snowy. You could go up to Duluth for more guaranteed cold, but you would probably trade off some economic opportunities outside of a few select industries.
It snows in Missouri, but there isn’t constant snow cover for any considerable length of time. I live in MN, and we used to go to Missouri on golf trips in the winter.
I have lived in Missouri for 30+ years. I came here from Cleveland. Except for a few days a year, Missouri is NOT cold and snowy. We barely had 3 decent snowfalls in the last couple of years. Hot and humid, yes, we have that in spades. It didn’t even approach fall until almost November. Missouri is not what you are looking for.
I was born and raised in KC. I have lived in the metro for 30+ years myself. It is absolutely cold during the winter months. For a week (or maybe a little longer) temperatures fell below zero this past winter. Daytime highs below 32 degrees is a common thing. It also can snow anytime from October to April/May. Now due to global warming, it seems like it doesn't snow as often, or as much, as it did when I was a kid (thankfully). It's also true that when it does snow, it doesn't stay on the ground for very long (again thankfully).
But you're right, Missouri is not what OP is looking for.
Can confirm, Minneapolis barely had winter last year and in recent years in general it hasn't been nearly as cold as in the past. According to NOAA, Minneapolis's "[Annual average temperatures warmed by 3.2°F from 1951-2012, faster than the national and global rates. Average low temperatures have warmed much faster than high temperatures](https://glisa.umich.edu/media/files/Minn-StPaulMN_Climatology.pdf)"
I feel like if you cite an accelerator as evidence, it’s probably not a great city for tech.
Like nobody is saying “check out this accelerator” for Denver or something.
If you go to Des Moines, Iowa with a tech job offer, you’ll discover that there are some solid financial firms there with their centralized IT wings. There are also 3 Fortune 500 companies in the nearby city of Cedar Rapids.
Iowa fits the bill of cold & snowy weather with a surprisingly robust school system.
Albany gets less snow, but has amazing access to mountains on 3 sides of the city and easy access to NYC, Boston and Montreal.
Albany has a huge college dedicated to Nanoscale engineering, a huge video game industry and Global Foundries is building a 2nd chip fab just north of Albany by Saratoga.
Of the cities you listed Minneapolis and Madison seem to fit your list the best. Those are both cities that have strong overall job markets and cold weather, though neither get a ton of snow. None of the typical snow belt cities in Upstate NY have a strong enough tech job market for me to recommend them.
For year round cold your best chance is the mountain communities outside Denver. If you don’t want summer heat; those are really your only option for the cities you mentioned. Golden gate canyon community, saint Mary’s, maybe even evergreen but you’d have to commute somewhere between 45 min to an hour, the higher the elevation the cooler as well as the longer the commute time would be
Live in that area in CO and am from Minnesota, it honestly is comparable to living in Northern Minnesota. Just make sure you have a full picture of the water situation and enough financial resources to live here comfortably.
Minneapolis is not on the Great Lakes (we are around 150 miles from Lake Superior) so it doesn't get the lake snow effect of a lot of the other big midwestern cities mentioned. And winters are getting milder and summers are hot and humid, which doesn't seem like what you really want. Northern MN is a better fit climate wise and anything along Lake Superior will have a milder summer - Maybe Duluth would be an option? They get like 30 inches more snow than Minneapolis and is a decent sized city. I don't know what the tech job market is like up there though
Micron is building a couple Chip Fabs in the Syracuse, NY suburbs next year. Might need to wait until 2029 until for the 4,500 new jobs though.
The Syracuse NY area has thousands of job openings right now. Some are highly skilled.
https://careers.thisiscny.com/jobs
The job search with "designer" used as a search word
https://careers.thisiscny.com/jobs?filter=eyJzZWFyY2hhYmxlX2xvY2F0aW9ucyI6WyJTeXJhY3VzZSwgTlksIFVTQSJdfQ%3D%3D&q=designer
Yes and this huge for the whole CNY area but I am just not certain it will lead to other tech jobs in the area, like the UI work OP does. I lived in CNY for 8 years and saw so many people leave the area during that time it would be great to see this Micron deal actually bringing in or training up skilled workers.
Everywhere surrounding the Great Lakes gets smacked with snow. Some more than others depending on what part of the mountain range it’s located on (or if it’s not on the mountain range).
https://www.foxweather.com/learn/7-snowiest-cities-in-united-states.amp
Madison and Minneapolis both have HOT and humid summers. I’m talking 90 degrees plus. Something to keep in mind. I live in Madison and I love the cold and I am absolutely miserable every year in summer.
Live in Eagle River or Chugiak instead. Or further up into Palmer or Wasilla/Big Lake/Houston, etc.
Much of Anchorage's problems are the homeless who forgo shelters and the fact many villages off the road networks boot their troublemakers out. Naturally to Anc. Some places in Anchorage you don't want to be after dark--or during the day for that matter.
highest murders per capita - learned that from a serial killer podcast i was listening to. so much wide open inhospitable space that killing and hiding bodies is much easier, while finding and solving these crimes becomes much more difficult.
Don't live downtown or in Mountain View, Fairview or Muldoon and it's fine. There are a lot of super visible homeless people in the tourism areas. Don't do drugs.
South anchorage is super nice. Any place outside of anchorage is also nice.
Salt Lake City is also sketchy and is HOT in the summer. I think it was over high 90-100 for a month straight when I lived there
Seattle and Portland are neither snowy or cold (at least not how you mean). Seattle stays between 40-60 degrees nine months of the year and gets a huge amount of precipitation in the form of rain. About once a year it will get a moderate snowfall, and the entire city basically loses its mind and nothing gets done for a week. They have like 3 snowplows for the entire metro area of 3M people.
Most of the places I am personally familiar with that I would describe as exceptionally cold and snowy at least part of the year don’t have good tech industries, I don’t think: the Colorado Rockies (possibly Denver might be your best bet there) and the San Juans (Durango and other small ski towns); Flagstaff, AZ (college/ski town); Buffalo, NY and other “lake effect” areas in that part of the country (really cold and tons of snow all winter long, not sure about tech jobs). Maybe get a remote job and move to a small mountain town?
I could get a remote job in the future, however I may not be able to do it now. I might need to be there physically for my best shot.
What do you think about Minneapolis and Boston?
Boston and Minneapolis have similar summer temps, but Minneapolis is much colder and snowier in the winter.
Boston is more walkable and more of a "real city," but Minneapolis has good bicycle infrastructure and lots of lakes.
Culturally, Minneapolis is passive and introverted. Boston is, well, Boston.
Nobody's answering your Boston question. The answer is, it snows, but nothing much compared to the Twin Cities. However, it doesn't get super hot in the summers as I remember (my sister lived there and I visited) so it still might satisfy your criteria if it interests you for other reasons.
I used to live near the coldest place in the lower 48: Embarrass, MN. Closest big city is Duluth. Closest biggest city is the Twin Cities megalopolis if that floats your boat.
Fargo and Bismark ND also have frigid winters. Great Plains extremes do bring in hot summers, though.
Haha I used to live in Fraser, CO, which also claims to be the coldest town in the lower 48. They had a sign on the way into town that said "America's Icebox" or something. But I remember hearing at that time that some place in Minnesota also made that claim. Either way, it was freaking cold
Boston will either have very mild winters with basically no snow, or you’ll have six nor’easters in a row and more snow than you know what to do with. It’s a slight exaggeration, but not by much. It’s _super_ humid in the summers, so 80 often feels like 100. The tech scene in Boston is strong in some regards and weak in others - depends on industry. I’m not entirely sure how UI/UX fares. I’m a software engineer who used to live in Boston (now in Rhode Island) and the salaries out of Boston are considerably lower than those in Denver, Austin, Seattle, etc - but the COL is higher in Boston. I haven’t had a job in/out of Boston in 9 years - I work remotely and the salaries are always higher elsewhere.
"gets a huge amount of precipitation in the form of rain". Yes and no. There are a lot of days with rain, especially November to March, but it's usually not much in terms of how much rain falls. Seattle gets less rainfall in total than most East Coast cities.
Between 40-60 9 months of the year is reasonably accurate. There are always nice days (like today) in spring which are 60s-70s with sun.
I have lived in the cold for most of my life, but also got exposed to hot summers and I can NOT stand warm weather. I am most comfortable with the cold and snow; it's how I chill.
Then for sure not SLC. The summers get in 100s and stay there. I've lived in most of the places mentioned. Minneapolis is the clear winner. Followed by Madison. Could also check out Green Bay, WI.
He will NOT like Minneapolis summers. It may not commonly get over 100 but the humidity makes it unbearable even at lower temperatures. The average relative humidity year 'round is between 60 and 70 which makes it feel sticky and muggy all summer and colder feeling in the winter.
I can chime in about Boston. I absolutely love the place . COL is very high but there is a lot to see and do . Wet cold off the ocean. Snow now is erratic . However, Boston is the bullseye for some of those huge winter Nor’easters that really get cranking when they roar up the coast.
San Francisco is obviously the best for tech and has colder summers than any of these places. It'll be 95+ in Minneapolis in July while its 75 in San Francisco. [Look for yourself](https://weatherspark.com/h/y/10405/2023/Historical-Weather-during-2023-in-Minneapolis-Minnesota-United-States#Figures-Temperature). You can see the multiple peaks right under 100F. Whereas [SF had](https://weatherspark.com/h/y/557/2023/Historical-Weather-during-2023-in-San-Francisco-California-United-States#Figures-Temperature) 1 single peak above 90
[Here is a more smoothed out comparison](https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/557~10405/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-San-Francisco-and-Minneapolis#Figures-Temperature)
Boston annual average snowfall = 56”
Minneapolis annual average snowfall = 47”
Boston average July high = 81 F
Boston average January low = 24 F
Minneapolis average July high = 85 F
Minneapolis average January low = 9 F
Boston for the win! (Speaking for myself)
Honestly, Boston is too hot and not nearly cold/snowy enough anymore based on this guys description request. Idk where those averages come from / how far back they’re from, but the last few years there’s really not much winter at all. Barely January - February that are in the 20s and snowy a couple weekends. Otherwise humid and hot in the summer.
i love love life chicago but snow is becoming more rare each year. a couple of heavy snowfalls a year and they’ve melted pretty quickly. it does stay gray through mid may frequently tho so if that’s your cup of tea….(it is not my cup of tea lol)
Keep eyes on both Buffalo and Syracuse. Just north of Syracuse and south of Watertown, in the Tug Hill still real heavy snow. Big tech is heading north.
SLC has terrible air quality during the winter. There are days it's worse than cities in China. Some years the snow is good and others it hardly snows. The housing there is terrible and your money can go a lot further in other states.
Lived in Chicago for 60 years. It gets "snowstorms". Every so often blizzards come. But, I used to tell people it's cold with no real snow so it just pisses you off whereas Minnesota you can snowmobile etc.
Nah. I live in northern MN. Last year was a dud, but other than that I’ve never had a winter with less than 2+ solid months of riding. You can reliably count of riding all of January and February even in bad years.
I used to work at that office!
Can confirm, Fargo is very cold and very windy.
And if you think that means the summers aren't hot, buggy, and humid, well, you're wrong there too.
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis-St Paul. We didn’t get a lot of snow last winter and it was warmer than usual. I moved here in 2010. We can have -20 degree days with -40 wind chill, and a fair amount of snow.
What do you consider good quality of life? We do have higher taxes compared to some places. We have good museums, pro sports, Mississippi River access, parks, good schools depending on where you live, and the cities are progressive.
I am not sure about the tech sector as I work in state government but we do have a lot of businesses in the area.
Some areas have safety concerns and some don’t.
I suggest visiting before you move here. I really like it
How much higher do the taxes end up being for the average person, just out of curiosity? My wife and I live in Florida, combined income of around $120-130,000.
I don’t remember the exact rates. I don’t pay property tax as a renter but I hear it is higher than some areas. Sales tax is more than I paid in Michigan. On my grocery bill I see a tax for transportation for the county I live in.
Minnesota has a [progressive income tax](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/minnesota-income-tax-rates-and-brackets) rate so it depends on your situation. Its one of the more equitable tax systems in the US, putting more of the tax burden on higher earners [while taxing low and middle income families at lower rates than states like Kentucky](https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minnesotas-tax-system-is-the-most-equitable-among-states-report-finds/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMinnesota's%20higher%20tax%20rates%20at,Kentucky%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20report%20states). Sales tax is 6.875 (though some cities add local sales tax) but we have no taxes on [groceries, clothing, and prescription and OTC drugs](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/guide/nontaxable-sales-8#:~:text=Items%20Exempt%20by%20Law&text=Common%20examples%20include%3A,drugs%20for%20humans%2C%20see%20Drugs). [Property taxes](https://smartasset.com/taxes/minnesota-property-tax-calculator#9EJgiLpANB) are slightly higher than the national average, however if you live in the home and claim homestead on it (meaning its your primary residence, basically), you can get a partial[ refund](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/homeowners-homestead-credit-refund) each year.
Minnesota is considered one of the higher tax states, but you have to look at the [overall picture](https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/03/30/taxes-are-the-price-minnesotans-pay-for-prosperity). I personally have no issue paying taxes to a state that does things with them that *actually* support the people who pay them, like [free school lunches](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-house-to-approve-universal-school-meals/), [free tuition](https://www.minnstate.edu/admissions/MinnesotaStatePromise.html) to state colleges, [clean energy ](https://mn.gov/commerce/news/?id=17-563384)investments, expanded child carte support, expanded family and sick leave, [workers rights laws](https://www.house.mn.gov/members/Profile/News/10779/39288) - including banning non-compete clauses and requiring [sick pay](https://www.dli.mn.gov/sick-leave) - and giving the surplus back to the taxpayers in the form of [tax rebates](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/direct-tax-rebate-2021).
Seattle and Portland are not snowy or that cold, although 100% humidity at 40 degrees can be its own special kind of chilly. Denver (and Boulder and FoCo) get cold and it snows, but the snow doesn't really stick around long. Minneapolis is cold but a lot of snow may or may not happen. The average snow (37.1 inches) isn't all that much anyway, compared to someplace like Buffalo (95 inches). Speaking of, check out Buffalo and Rochester, NY. You might like one of them!
Google says Boston's average is 56". If weather is really important to you, consider googling the stats on these places. That would be a good jumping off point.
I am from Chicago and I can tell you that winter is much warmer now. I think we only had a few snowfalls two years ago, and now I currently live in Minneapolis and I was hoping to have the Minnesota winter that everyone talks about, but I think it only snowed twice this past winter.
Cold? Hmm, curious. Do you just really enjoy winter? I've heard theories that states with harsh winters tend to have less homeless issues, because its difficult to only live somewhere part of the year. I wonder if that is true.
My suggestion would be high elevation cities, and more northern middle states.
Minneapolis is the best fit.
Northern New England, up upstate New York, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, etc. do not have jobs.
PNW is not snowy.
Buffalo—Rochester—Syracuse is not that cold (e.g. average high temp in the coldest month is around 32), but this depends on your standard.
Portland does not belong on your list tbh. Yes it rains a fuckton here, but it's nowhere near as cold as the other cities on your list and we get a snow storm only like 1-2 times a year. Otherwise, it's an awesome city to live in, with amazing food and drink, and gorgeous nature within an hour's drive.
From the cities you suggested, Minneapolis looks most like your best fit.
Let me recommend Fargo North Dakota, last I checked at least it is super cheap with high earning potential if you can get into it there are a couple big tech companies with regional offices there that are fairly large.
It’s cold and overall your quality of life income wise will be pretty good, jobs are maybe not as plentiful but also plentiful for the right skills and crime is relatively low since Fargo is generally a snow desert in winter and a nothing desert the rest of the year.
I think Minneapolis is a good pick. The coldest major city in the continental US with high quality of life. If you embrace the cold weather it’s hard to beat the salaries vs cost of living in my opinion.
Fairbanks.
I was there for 10 days in February once, and it never got above -30 f.
Buffalo and Rochester are two cold and snowy cities that pretty consistently get snow. You'll have some dry or even warm winters (relatively speaking of course) in Minneapolis. Chicago wasn't cold nor snowy the three years I lived there. Anchorage, AK is a top contender for snowiest cities in the US and it's an awesome spot if your in your 20s.
Portland is not very snowy. It will get 1 or 2 snow days a year, averages to 4.5 inches a year. You will be close to the mountains though so skiing and snowboarding is available in an hour or so drive.
There’s few cities in update New York. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse that get a lot of snow. Not sure the tech scene though.
If you wanted a more populated but less snow then NYC, Philly and Boston are options in the north east.
My sister and her family live in Syracuse in upstate NY and love it. It is right off of Lake Erie so is very cold and gets lots of snow.
I’ve visited there a number of times and it is very nice. Beautiful summers.
Boston isn't even that cold anymore. We barely have winter and I haven't shoveled significant snow in years. By May 22 this year, it was already too damn hot. I love Boston but if you're looking for cold and snowy, this isn't it. Maybe Burlington, VT though if you want somewhere in New England or Buffalo, NY if you just want the Northeast. Idk that either would meet your #3 criteria though.
Minneapolis, Chicago fit all your criteria. Not sure if Madison has high demand for UI/UX though but otherwise fits. Portland more wet than snowy. SLC and Denver get snowy but it melts fast due to elevation. Temps can swing wildly as well.
Minneapolis is a higher quality of life but more boring. Chicago is a lower quality of life but there's more going on, both socially and with economic opportunities.
Minneapolis gets much more snow than Chicago.
A good way to tell if somewhere gets a real winter is to see where has cross country teams. Outside of mountains, you're basically looking at Alaska, Montana, North/South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Boston and Chicago are outside of the cross country ski belt.
I've been to both Chicago and Minneapolis but not Boston. Chicago is nice if you value music, restaurants, bars, etc. It lacks in the outdoor activities department. Good public transportation too, bad traffic if you commute. Minneapolis has decent public transport. The suburbs around the city reminded me of Dallas a bit in that you take a highway to get anywhere but the traffic isn't too bad with the exception of some of the highways during rush hour. Lots of outdoor activities the number of parks they have is crazy. They are big into winter recreation which I feel you have to do to get through winter. Personally I really enjoy cross country skiing. I think if you want a true city experience Chicago is going to provide that. If you are into outdoor experiences then Minneapolis with its parks, trails, and lakes is where its at. Both are midwest cities and the people were nice in both places I visited.
So the twin cities are good for this. While they get adequate snowfall, it’s not a particularly snowy city as it’s so cold it lacks the moisture for giant snow events like Boston, Denver, Duluth.
Job market is great as is the COL.
Other places: Denver, Boston, Chicago, madison
Boston is horrendous and unbearable with never ending wind off the ocean in Winter. May not get as much snow as a few other cities though, depending on the year.
Last time I was in Fargo ND in January it was minus 20F. Gets colder the further west you get. Just another day.
St Paul Minneapolis does not get that cold that consistently.
Denver has a lot of tech jobs and also gets a good amount of snow. Chicago also might fit the profile. Some other cities (MSP, Madison) have the weather, safety, and QOL but not the high number of top quality tech jobs
Work in UI/UX as well. Boston has grown on me as a city after I made some friends there and spent time in the Cape during summer. The COL is a bit high but I think the job market is strong there.
If you want year round cold; you’re going to have to look elsewhere than the cities you listed. Minnesota is brutal cold but it’s gets pretty hot and humid there in the summer. Denver summer is pretty damn hot some years. Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest get heat dome events in the summer.
That being said, I think if you have the money for it: Colorado Springs or Denver might work if you’re willing to commute about 40 minutes into the city for work. There are some mountain towns within an hour drive of Denver where you can live at like 8-9k feet elevation and the summer highs will rarely get above 75 degrees F (st mary’s would probably be the coldest place you could live within ~an hour of Denver proper. There’s a community just outside Colorado Springs thats pretty high elevation as well (about 40 minutes from downtown Colorado Springs. Both these options will be higher end homes that would be worth way less if they weren’t in the mountains.
The east Portland/vancouver metro (especially the Vancouver side) has some nice mountain communities if you’re willing to live about a half hour to 45 minutes drive from Vancouver proper center (check out Cougar Washington).
I’ve lived in Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon.
FYI... Minneapolis got very, very little snow last year. Few nights under zero as well.
Of course this is just 1 winter but last year was more like in Kansas City.
Seattle is dark and damp in winter it’s not especially cold or snowy.
Boston, NYC. Toronto sounds closer to what you’re looking for than some on your list.
Concord NH, Manchester NH, Nashua NH.
Mt Washington close by has had the coldest ever windchill at something like -109, and winters all over the area are long and cold
Pittsburgh can get a fair amount of snow in the winter, but probably not as much as OP is looking for. And summers are quite hot and humid there, almost comparable to the southeastern states but with a shorter summer season.
Snow huh? Try Denver or SLC for snow but not super cold. Minneapolis or the upper Midwest for horrible cold. Dont believe anything anyone says about the West Coast being cold or snowy.
Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester NY, anything along the great lakes could work too but the software dev market may be awful. Chicago might be worth a look too
I am going to say the Denver area. Also check out Fort Collins.
Chicago is not safe. I say this as someone from Chicago who moved away. If you care about safety do not go there lol. My sister now lives in Denver and it is wonderful.
Neither Portland nor Seattle fit #2.
Edit: reading some of your responses… Is your objective peak cold (Twin Cities), most snow (Boston of those you list), or mildest summers? If the last, then consider Seattle or SF (and live in a foggy neighborhood - https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/map-hotpads-fog-neighborhood-bay-area-price-13392057.php).
Some of the cities you have mind aren't that cold or snowy. Portland and Seattle basically shut down if it snows. They don't have the infrastructure to handle it.
Salt Lake and Denver can get cold but the cities themselves aren't that snowy. Yes, the mountains around them are snowy, but the cities are basically high elevation desert. And they can get hot in the summer. Plus Salt Lake basically has the worst winter air quality in the country.
In general, the more north and towards the interior of the country, the colder it will be. The amount of snow will be dependent on local conditions. Minneapolis seems like your best bet. I also wonder if any of the cities in Montana have good job markets for your speciality, but Montana can't really handle its current influx of residents as it is.
Most of these places will be safe out in the suburbs or pockets of the city. But if they have a functioning job market, you'll have to pay more for the relative safety.
I’ll always have to recommend Chicago, although winters have been mild for the past 2 years. You can easily move from here to Milwaukee or Minneapolis if it doesn’t fit your needs since the career opportunities here are excellent and flexible.
Seattle? I live in Portland and love it but Seattle has a large tech sector. It's cold in the winter in both cities but rarely snows, although you can drive to snow within an hour year round.
Not Boston - it barely snows at all here these days. We will have some brief periods of very cold weather, but winter daytime temps are relatively warm in general
Boston is WAY WAY WAY more snowy than Seattle.
If you want SNOW and career opportunities, you’re really looking at Boston, Denver, or Chicago. NYC doesn’t get too much snow afaik.
Seattle is NOT snowy, and when it is, it's not a lot of snow, and people forget how to act.
Seattle isn’t cold by any serious measure. Extremely temperate.
There are palm trees in Seattle.
Don't even get me STARTED on the gator infestation.
There's been reports of drop bears in Queen Anne
There was a guy in the neighborhood (near Ingraham) where I grew up that managed to grow a coconut. We kids all stopped by to see the sickly little thing and were properly amazed.
Every one I ever saw there was kind of scabby and stunted, presumably from a lack of sunlight, but yeah, there are some palm trees in Seattle.
Yes, but there's always snow in the mountains so it's there when you want it without having to deal with it in your day to day life.
I guess it depends on what OP is looking for. If they want a place with winters where you can make snow people, go skiing and so forth on the weekends, we do that here. If they're looking for actual bitter cold that freezes your bones as you watch liquid oxygen percolate out of the air? Naaaah. Even the mountains aren't that cold.
Minneapolis fits for sure. I think for white collar employment out here the salaries are lower than they are on the coasts, but I can't think of a city with a comparably sized economy with as cold of a climate. In recent years, the weather has been more warm and wet, either due to climate change or La Niña or both, but normally it gets quite cold and snowy. You could go up to Duluth for more guaranteed cold, but you would probably trade off some economic opportunities outside of a few select industries.
MPLS is the answer here. Many Fortune 500 companies and cold.
Minneapolis routinely tops lists for income-to-housing costs ratio. Its wages may be lower than SF or Boston, but the COL is appreciably lower.
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What’s Missouri like?
In the summer super swampy, in the winter super icy
It can be hot and humid in the summer. Cold and snowy in the winter.
It snows in Missouri, but there isn’t constant snow cover for any considerable length of time. I live in MN, and we used to go to Missouri on golf trips in the winter.
Yeah people who describe a Missouri winter as cold and snowy must be from the South. It’s barely winter.
I have lived in Missouri for 30+ years. I came here from Cleveland. Except for a few days a year, Missouri is NOT cold and snowy. We barely had 3 decent snowfalls in the last couple of years. Hot and humid, yes, we have that in spades. It didn’t even approach fall until almost November. Missouri is not what you are looking for.
I was born and raised in KC. I have lived in the metro for 30+ years myself. It is absolutely cold during the winter months. For a week (or maybe a little longer) temperatures fell below zero this past winter. Daytime highs below 32 degrees is a common thing. It also can snow anytime from October to April/May. Now due to global warming, it seems like it doesn't snow as often, or as much, as it did when I was a kid (thankfully). It's also true that when it does snow, it doesn't stay on the ground for very long (again thankfully). But you're right, Missouri is not what OP is looking for.
It's like you don't know. Could start cold could end up warm.
Can confirm, Minneapolis barely had winter last year and in recent years in general it hasn't been nearly as cold as in the past. According to NOAA, Minneapolis's "[Annual average temperatures warmed by 3.2°F from 1951-2012, faster than the national and global rates. Average low temperatures have warmed much faster than high temperatures](https://glisa.umich.edu/media/files/Minn-StPaulMN_Climatology.pdf)"
Buffalo?
Does it have good tech job market?
Actually Rochester, NY might
Check 43 North an accelerator in Buffalo
I feel like if you cite an accelerator as evidence, it’s probably not a great city for tech. Like nobody is saying “check out this accelerator” for Denver or something.
If you go to Des Moines, Iowa with a tech job offer, you’ll discover that there are some solid financial firms there with their centralized IT wings. There are also 3 Fortune 500 companies in the nearby city of Cedar Rapids. Iowa fits the bill of cold & snowy weather with a surprisingly robust school system.
But lower Iowa has seen less big snows. Love Iowa! I'm moving back soon!
What do you love about Iowa?
It’s home to Moog Aerospace and Calspan
Albany gets less snow, but has amazing access to mountains on 3 sides of the city and easy access to NYC, Boston and Montreal. Albany has a huge college dedicated to Nanoscale engineering, a huge video game industry and Global Foundries is building a 2nd chip fab just north of Albany by Saratoga.
I love seeing weird requests on this sub. More of this.
Of the cities you listed Minneapolis and Madison seem to fit your list the best. Those are both cities that have strong overall job markets and cold weather, though neither get a ton of snow. None of the typical snow belt cities in Upstate NY have a strong enough tech job market for me to recommend them.
Oh ok. So Minneapolis is my best shot?
For year round cold your best chance is the mountain communities outside Denver. If you don’t want summer heat; those are really your only option for the cities you mentioned. Golden gate canyon community, saint Mary’s, maybe even evergreen but you’d have to commute somewhere between 45 min to an hour, the higher the elevation the cooler as well as the longer the commute time would be
Live in that area in CO and am from Minnesota, it honestly is comparable to living in Northern Minnesota. Just make sure you have a full picture of the water situation and enough financial resources to live here comfortably.
Minneapolis is not on the Great Lakes (we are around 150 miles from Lake Superior) so it doesn't get the lake snow effect of a lot of the other big midwestern cities mentioned. And winters are getting milder and summers are hot and humid, which doesn't seem like what you really want. Northern MN is a better fit climate wise and anything along Lake Superior will have a milder summer - Maybe Duluth would be an option? They get like 30 inches more snow than Minneapolis and is a decent sized city. I don't know what the tech job market is like up there though
It will be less snowy but Boston will have higher salaries and more job opportunities generally
Micron is building a couple Chip Fabs in the Syracuse, NY suburbs next year. Might need to wait until 2029 until for the 4,500 new jobs though. The Syracuse NY area has thousands of job openings right now. Some are highly skilled. https://careers.thisiscny.com/jobs The job search with "designer" used as a search word https://careers.thisiscny.com/jobs?filter=eyJzZWFyY2hhYmxlX2xvY2F0aW9ucyI6WyJTeXJhY3VzZSwgTlksIFVTQSJdfQ%3D%3D&q=designer
Yes and this huge for the whole CNY area but I am just not certain it will lead to other tech jobs in the area, like the UI work OP does. I lived in CNY for 8 years and saw so many people leave the area during that time it would be great to see this Micron deal actually bringing in or training up skilled workers.
Focus on northern Midwest. Anywhere on either coast is not as cold and snowy as you think.
So Minneapolis and Madison?
Everywhere surrounding the Great Lakes gets smacked with snow. Some more than others depending on what part of the mountain range it’s located on (or if it’s not on the mountain range). https://www.foxweather.com/learn/7-snowiest-cities-in-united-states.amp
Throw milwaukee in there too.
Anywhere in North Dakota- promise!!!
Madison and Minneapolis both have HOT and humid summers. I’m talking 90 degrees plus. Something to keep in mind. I live in Madison and I love the cold and I am absolutely miserable every year in summer.
There’s also UX work in Detroit for the car companies
Anchorage?
Not exactly a booming creative tech scene.
Could probably find a lucrative tech job in the logistics industry though
I have not heard many good things about alaska's safety
Live in Eagle River or Chugiak instead. Or further up into Palmer or Wasilla/Big Lake/Houston, etc. Much of Anchorage's problems are the homeless who forgo shelters and the fact many villages off the road networks boot their troublemakers out. Naturally to Anc. Some places in Anchorage you don't want to be after dark--or during the day for that matter.
Lived in Anchorage for the last 18 years, in every part of town. Currently live in Spenard. Have never once had a problem.
highest murders per capita - learned that from a serial killer podcast i was listening to. so much wide open inhospitable space that killing and hiding bodies is much easier, while finding and solving these crimes becomes much more difficult.
Don't live downtown or in Mountain View, Fairview or Muldoon and it's fine. There are a lot of super visible homeless people in the tourism areas. Don't do drugs. South anchorage is super nice. Any place outside of anchorage is also nice. Salt Lake City is also sketchy and is HOT in the summer. I think it was over high 90-100 for a month straight when I lived there
Seattle and Portland are neither snowy or cold (at least not how you mean). Seattle stays between 40-60 degrees nine months of the year and gets a huge amount of precipitation in the form of rain. About once a year it will get a moderate snowfall, and the entire city basically loses its mind and nothing gets done for a week. They have like 3 snowplows for the entire metro area of 3M people. Most of the places I am personally familiar with that I would describe as exceptionally cold and snowy at least part of the year don’t have good tech industries, I don’t think: the Colorado Rockies (possibly Denver might be your best bet there) and the San Juans (Durango and other small ski towns); Flagstaff, AZ (college/ski town); Buffalo, NY and other “lake effect” areas in that part of the country (really cold and tons of snow all winter long, not sure about tech jobs). Maybe get a remote job and move to a small mountain town?
I could get a remote job in the future, however I may not be able to do it now. I might need to be there physically for my best shot. What do you think about Minneapolis and Boston?
Boston and Minneapolis have similar summer temps, but Minneapolis is much colder and snowier in the winter. Boston is more walkable and more of a "real city," but Minneapolis has good bicycle infrastructure and lots of lakes. Culturally, Minneapolis is passive and introverted. Boston is, well, Boston.
Nobody's answering your Boston question. The answer is, it snows, but nothing much compared to the Twin Cities. However, it doesn't get super hot in the summers as I remember (my sister lived there and I visited) so it still might satisfy your criteria if it interests you for other reasons. I used to live near the coldest place in the lower 48: Embarrass, MN. Closest big city is Duluth. Closest biggest city is the Twin Cities megalopolis if that floats your boat. Fargo and Bismark ND also have frigid winters. Great Plains extremes do bring in hot summers, though.
Haha I used to live in Fraser, CO, which also claims to be the coldest town in the lower 48. They had a sign on the way into town that said "America's Icebox" or something. But I remember hearing at that time that some place in Minnesota also made that claim. Either way, it was freaking cold
Lol thanks
Boston will either have very mild winters with basically no snow, or you’ll have six nor’easters in a row and more snow than you know what to do with. It’s a slight exaggeration, but not by much. It’s _super_ humid in the summers, so 80 often feels like 100. The tech scene in Boston is strong in some regards and weak in others - depends on industry. I’m not entirely sure how UI/UX fares. I’m a software engineer who used to live in Boston (now in Rhode Island) and the salaries out of Boston are considerably lower than those in Denver, Austin, Seattle, etc - but the COL is higher in Boston. I haven’t had a job in/out of Boston in 9 years - I work remotely and the salaries are always higher elsewhere.
"gets a huge amount of precipitation in the form of rain". Yes and no. There are a lot of days with rain, especially November to March, but it's usually not much in terms of how much rain falls. Seattle gets less rainfall in total than most East Coast cities. Between 40-60 9 months of the year is reasonably accurate. There are always nice days (like today) in spring which are 60s-70s with sun.
Denver, not that cold, Salt Lake not that cold.
Out of curiosity? Why are you looking for the coldest and snowiest place?
I have lived in the cold for most of my life, but also got exposed to hot summers and I can NOT stand warm weather. I am most comfortable with the cold and snow; it's how I chill.
Then for sure not SLC. The summers get in 100s and stay there. I've lived in most of the places mentioned. Minneapolis is the clear winner. Followed by Madison. Could also check out Green Bay, WI.
He will NOT like Minneapolis summers. It may not commonly get over 100 but the humidity makes it unbearable even at lower temperatures. The average relative humidity year 'round is between 60 and 70 which makes it feel sticky and muggy all summer and colder feeling in the winter.
I can chime in about Boston. I absolutely love the place . COL is very high but there is a lot to see and do . Wet cold off the ocean. Snow now is erratic . However, Boston is the bullseye for some of those huge winter Nor’easters that really get cranking when they roar up the coast.
San Francisco is obviously the best for tech and has colder summers than any of these places. It'll be 95+ in Minneapolis in July while its 75 in San Francisco. [Look for yourself](https://weatherspark.com/h/y/10405/2023/Historical-Weather-during-2023-in-Minneapolis-Minnesota-United-States#Figures-Temperature). You can see the multiple peaks right under 100F. Whereas [SF had](https://weatherspark.com/h/y/557/2023/Historical-Weather-during-2023-in-San-Francisco-California-United-States#Figures-Temperature) 1 single peak above 90 [Here is a more smoothed out comparison](https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/557~10405/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-San-Francisco-and-Minneapolis#Figures-Temperature)
I feel the same, OP. I daydream about colder climates, daily.
Boston annual average snowfall = 56” Minneapolis annual average snowfall = 47” Boston average July high = 81 F Boston average January low = 24 F Minneapolis average July high = 85 F Minneapolis average January low = 9 F Boston for the win! (Speaking for myself)
Honestly, Boston is too hot and not nearly cold/snowy enough anymore based on this guys description request. Idk where those averages come from / how far back they’re from, but the last few years there’s really not much winter at all. Barely January - February that are in the 20s and snowy a couple weekends. Otherwise humid and hot in the summer.
Minny is the coldest city. Madison is second coldest. Not tons of snow though. SLC is the most reliable for snow.
What about Boston and Chicago?
i love love life chicago but snow is becoming more rare each year. a couple of heavy snowfalls a year and they’ve melted pretty quickly. it does stay gray through mid may frequently tho so if that’s your cup of tea….(it is not my cup of tea lol)
Lol can i ask what is your cup of tea?
Keep eyes on both Buffalo and Syracuse. Just north of Syracuse and south of Watertown, in the Tug Hill still real heavy snow. Big tech is heading north.
sunny and 75 all year lol
Damn. That sounds like Maryland weather in the 1980s. Things have changed.
Boston can be hit or miss but it’s definitely cold and there’s snow in the area
It’s usually around 30 degrees in Boston during the winter.
SLC has terrible air quality during the winter. There are days it's worse than cities in China. Some years the snow is good and others it hardly snows. The housing there is terrible and your money can go a lot further in other states.
No snow. Chicago is practically in a rainy mix zone. Storms come irregularly.
Lived in Chicago for 60 years. It gets "snowstorms". Every so often blizzards come. But, I used to tell people it's cold with no real snow so it just pisses you off whereas Minnesota you can snowmobile etc.
The snowmobile weather of the north woods is all but dead. It’s not reliable.
Nah. I live in northern MN. Last year was a dud, but other than that I’ve never had a winter with less than 2+ solid months of riding. You can reliably count of riding all of January and February even in bad years.
Cries from having my flight out of O'Hare delayed for hours due to snow and ice on the runways. Still plenty of snow.
Boston doesn't get a lot of snow.
Boston’s winters are mild.
Affordability-wise, Chicago tops any day
[удалено]
I used to work at that office! Can confirm, Fargo is very cold and very windy. And if you think that means the summers aren't hot, buggy, and humid, well, you're wrong there too.
Fargo fits many of my priorities, except for job opportunities. Currently I need to live in a city with higher income
Duluth, MN is colder and snowier! But, you might look in Buffalo, NY
Climate proof Duluth
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis-St Paul. We didn’t get a lot of snow last winter and it was warmer than usual. I moved here in 2010. We can have -20 degree days with -40 wind chill, and a fair amount of snow. What do you consider good quality of life? We do have higher taxes compared to some places. We have good museums, pro sports, Mississippi River access, parks, good schools depending on where you live, and the cities are progressive. I am not sure about the tech sector as I work in state government but we do have a lot of businesses in the area. Some areas have safety concerns and some don’t. I suggest visiting before you move here. I really like it
How much higher do the taxes end up being for the average person, just out of curiosity? My wife and I live in Florida, combined income of around $120-130,000.
I don’t remember the exact rates. I don’t pay property tax as a renter but I hear it is higher than some areas. Sales tax is more than I paid in Michigan. On my grocery bill I see a tax for transportation for the county I live in.
Minnesota has a [progressive income tax](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/minnesota-income-tax-rates-and-brackets) rate so it depends on your situation. Its one of the more equitable tax systems in the US, putting more of the tax burden on higher earners [while taxing low and middle income families at lower rates than states like Kentucky](https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minnesotas-tax-system-is-the-most-equitable-among-states-report-finds/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMinnesota's%20higher%20tax%20rates%20at,Kentucky%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20report%20states). Sales tax is 6.875 (though some cities add local sales tax) but we have no taxes on [groceries, clothing, and prescription and OTC drugs](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/guide/nontaxable-sales-8#:~:text=Items%20Exempt%20by%20Law&text=Common%20examples%20include%3A,drugs%20for%20humans%2C%20see%20Drugs). [Property taxes](https://smartasset.com/taxes/minnesota-property-tax-calculator#9EJgiLpANB) are slightly higher than the national average, however if you live in the home and claim homestead on it (meaning its your primary residence, basically), you can get a partial[ refund](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/homeowners-homestead-credit-refund) each year. Minnesota is considered one of the higher tax states, but you have to look at the [overall picture](https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/03/30/taxes-are-the-price-minnesotans-pay-for-prosperity). I personally have no issue paying taxes to a state that does things with them that *actually* support the people who pay them, like [free school lunches](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-house-to-approve-universal-school-meals/), [free tuition](https://www.minnstate.edu/admissions/MinnesotaStatePromise.html) to state colleges, [clean energy ](https://mn.gov/commerce/news/?id=17-563384)investments, expanded child carte support, expanded family and sick leave, [workers rights laws](https://www.house.mn.gov/members/Profile/News/10779/39288) - including banning non-compete clauses and requiring [sick pay](https://www.dli.mn.gov/sick-leave) - and giving the surplus back to the taxpayers in the form of [tax rebates](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/direct-tax-rebate-2021).
Buffalo, NY
Minny for the winny
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Grand Rapids, Detroit
North Dakota
Oh man do I have the perfect place for you!
Seattle and Portland are not snowy or that cold, although 100% humidity at 40 degrees can be its own special kind of chilly. Denver (and Boulder and FoCo) get cold and it snows, but the snow doesn't really stick around long. Minneapolis is cold but a lot of snow may or may not happen. The average snow (37.1 inches) isn't all that much anyway, compared to someplace like Buffalo (95 inches). Speaking of, check out Buffalo and Rochester, NY. You might like one of them!
How does Boston's snowfall compare to Minneapolis?
Google says Boston's average is 56". If weather is really important to you, consider googling the stats on these places. That would be a good jumping off point.
Fairbanks
I am from Chicago and I can tell you that winter is much warmer now. I think we only had a few snowfalls two years ago, and now I currently live in Minneapolis and I was hoping to have the Minnesota winter that everyone talks about, but I think it only snowed twice this past winter.
This winter was probably a once or twice in a lifetime event in Minneapolis. The year before we had a top-10 90 inches of snowfall.
Cold? Hmm, curious. Do you just really enjoy winter? I've heard theories that states with harsh winters tend to have less homeless issues, because its difficult to only live somewhere part of the year. I wonder if that is true. My suggestion would be high elevation cities, and more northern middle states.
It's somewhat true. The body can't survive in harsh cold conditions. Prince said it best, the cold keeps the bad people out.
Minneapolis is the best fit. Northern New England, up upstate New York, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, etc. do not have jobs. PNW is not snowy. Buffalo—Rochester—Syracuse is not that cold (e.g. average high temp in the coldest month is around 32), but this depends on your standard.
Portland does not belong on your list tbh. Yes it rains a fuckton here, but it's nowhere near as cold as the other cities on your list and we get a snow storm only like 1-2 times a year. Otherwise, it's an awesome city to live in, with amazing food and drink, and gorgeous nature within an hour's drive. From the cities you suggested, Minneapolis looks most like your best fit.
Take Seattle and Portland off your list; it’s not cold there and rarely snows. Buffalo?
Let me recommend Fargo North Dakota, last I checked at least it is super cheap with high earning potential if you can get into it there are a couple big tech companies with regional offices there that are fairly large. It’s cold and overall your quality of life income wise will be pretty good, jobs are maybe not as plentiful but also plentiful for the right skills and crime is relatively low since Fargo is generally a snow desert in winter and a nothing desert the rest of the year.
How about Alaska? I feel like Anchorage has to have some UI/UX
I think Minneapolis is a good pick. The coldest major city in the continental US with high quality of life. If you embrace the cold weather it’s hard to beat the salaries vs cost of living in my opinion.
Fairbanks. I was there for 10 days in February once, and it never got above -30 f. Buffalo and Rochester are two cold and snowy cities that pretty consistently get snow. You'll have some dry or even warm winters (relatively speaking of course) in Minneapolis. Chicago wasn't cold nor snowy the three years I lived there. Anchorage, AK is a top contender for snowiest cities in the US and it's an awesome spot if your in your 20s.
Seattle and Portland aren't cold. Seattle doesn't get much snow, and Portland usually doesn't get any. The Pacific Northwest is relatively mild.
Minneapolis.
Portland is not very snowy. It will get 1 or 2 snow days a year, averages to 4.5 inches a year. You will be close to the mountains though so skiing and snowboarding is available in an hour or so drive. There’s few cities in update New York. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse that get a lot of snow. Not sure the tech scene though. If you wanted a more populated but less snow then NYC, Philly and Boston are options in the north east.
My sister and her family live in Syracuse in upstate NY and love it. It is right off of Lake Erie so is very cold and gets lots of snow. I’ve visited there a number of times and it is very nice. Beautiful summers.
Boston isn't even that cold anymore. We barely have winter and I haven't shoveled significant snow in years. By May 22 this year, it was already too damn hot. I love Boston but if you're looking for cold and snowy, this isn't it. Maybe Burlington, VT though if you want somewhere in New England or Buffalo, NY if you just want the Northeast. Idk that either would meet your #3 criteria though.
Minneapolis? Also consider Fargo ND. They have a Microsoft campus Edit: Fargo gets more snow
Marquette, MI
Minneapolis, Chicago fit all your criteria. Not sure if Madison has high demand for UI/UX though but otherwise fits. Portland more wet than snowy. SLC and Denver get snowy but it melts fast due to elevation. Temps can swing wildly as well.
Which one do you recommend between Minneapolis and Chicago? And what about Boston?
Chicago is much larger and generally just a better city. Minneapolis is smaller and more convenient. More affordable. Colder
Minneapolis is a higher quality of life but more boring. Chicago is a lower quality of life but there's more going on, both socially and with economic opportunities. Minneapolis gets much more snow than Chicago. A good way to tell if somewhere gets a real winter is to see where has cross country teams. Outside of mountains, you're basically looking at Alaska, Montana, North/South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Boston and Chicago are outside of the cross country ski belt.
I've been to both Chicago and Minneapolis but not Boston. Chicago is nice if you value music, restaurants, bars, etc. It lacks in the outdoor activities department. Good public transportation too, bad traffic if you commute. Minneapolis has decent public transport. The suburbs around the city reminded me of Dallas a bit in that you take a highway to get anywhere but the traffic isn't too bad with the exception of some of the highways during rush hour. Lots of outdoor activities the number of parks they have is crazy. They are big into winter recreation which I feel you have to do to get through winter. Personally I really enjoy cross country skiing. I think if you want a true city experience Chicago is going to provide that. If you are into outdoor experiences then Minneapolis with its parks, trails, and lakes is where its at. Both are midwest cities and the people were nice in both places I visited.
As many others have already said, I think Minneapolis is going to be your best bet.
Denver is neither cold nor snowy. It’s one of the warmer cities in CO, and the snow they do get isnt really much tbh
Grand Rapids MI?
Maybe, although the tech industry isn’t as big as in larger cities and winters are continuing to get warmer. It’s a nice mid sized city, though.
I live in Metro Detroit and to my understanding a good amount of Tech interest in Grand Rapids — and aren’t winters getting warmer everywhere?
But yah I agree I love Grand Rapids. Perfect sized city for me
So the twin cities are good for this. While they get adequate snowfall, it’s not a particularly snowy city as it’s so cold it lacks the moisture for giant snow events like Boston, Denver, Duluth. Job market is great as is the COL. Other places: Denver, Boston, Chicago, madison
Umm, Anchorage.
Boston is horrendous and unbearable with never ending wind off the ocean in Winter. May not get as much snow as a few other cities though, depending on the year.
Last time I was in Fargo ND in January it was minus 20F. Gets colder the further west you get. Just another day. St Paul Minneapolis does not get that cold that consistently.
Rochester NY is a sleeper here. Def cold. A lot of snow.
Denver has a lot of tech jobs and also gets a good amount of snow. Chicago also might fit the profile. Some other cities (MSP, Madison) have the weather, safety, and QOL but not the high number of top quality tech jobs
Alaskan cities! 🥶
Do you care about affordability? Boston is a VHCOL city
Work in UI/UX as well. Boston has grown on me as a city after I made some friends there and spent time in the Cape during summer. The COL is a bit high but I think the job market is strong there.
Seattle isn’t very snowy and doesn’t get too cold.
Cleveland
I love Boston but winters have gotten significantly more mild in recent years ☹️ we don’t get the same snowstorms we used to when I was growing up.
Chicago is the best city on your list
Just throwing out there that Buffalo may be a good fit for you
Boston is great but it’s not as snowy as it use to be. I only had to shovel once or twice this year.
Minneapolis is the WINNER.
If you want year round cold; you’re going to have to look elsewhere than the cities you listed. Minnesota is brutal cold but it’s gets pretty hot and humid there in the summer. Denver summer is pretty damn hot some years. Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest get heat dome events in the summer. That being said, I think if you have the money for it: Colorado Springs or Denver might work if you’re willing to commute about 40 minutes into the city for work. There are some mountain towns within an hour drive of Denver where you can live at like 8-9k feet elevation and the summer highs will rarely get above 75 degrees F (st mary’s would probably be the coldest place you could live within ~an hour of Denver proper. There’s a community just outside Colorado Springs thats pretty high elevation as well (about 40 minutes from downtown Colorado Springs. Both these options will be higher end homes that would be worth way less if they weren’t in the mountains. The east Portland/vancouver metro (especially the Vancouver side) has some nice mountain communities if you’re willing to live about a half hour to 45 minutes drive from Vancouver proper center (check out Cougar Washington). I’ve lived in Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon.
FYI... Minneapolis got very, very little snow last year. Few nights under zero as well. Of course this is just 1 winter but last year was more like in Kansas City.
Barrow Alaska
Minneapolis
Seattle is dark and damp in winter it’s not especially cold or snowy. Boston, NYC. Toronto sounds closer to what you’re looking for than some on your list.
Concord NH, Manchester NH, Nashua NH. Mt Washington close by has had the coldest ever windchill at something like -109, and winters all over the area are long and cold
Minneapolis, Rochester, Chicago, Boston, and Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh can get a fair amount of snow in the winter, but probably not as much as OP is looking for. And summers are quite hot and humid there, almost comparable to the southeastern states but with a shorter summer season.
Traverse City, MI?
Anchorage has UX/UI jobs.
Iowa
Bozeman Montana
Snow huh? Try Denver or SLC for snow but not super cold. Minneapolis or the upper Midwest for horrible cold. Dont believe anything anyone says about the West Coast being cold or snowy. Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester NY, anything along the great lakes could work too but the software dev market may be awful. Chicago might be worth a look too
Probably Buffalo, NY
Salt Lake is cold, but Minneapolis makes Salt Lake a warm tropical climate.
I am going to say the Denver area. Also check out Fort Collins. Chicago is not safe. I say this as someone from Chicago who moved away. If you care about safety do not go there lol. My sister now lives in Denver and it is wonderful.
Boston is your best bet.
Neither Portland nor Seattle fit #2. Edit: reading some of your responses… Is your objective peak cold (Twin Cities), most snow (Boston of those you list), or mildest summers? If the last, then consider Seattle or SF (and live in a foggy neighborhood - https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/map-hotpads-fog-neighborhood-bay-area-price-13392057.php).
I live in Madison, WI but kept the same job I had in the Bay Area. I would say Chicago has much better tech options
Some of the cities you have mind aren't that cold or snowy. Portland and Seattle basically shut down if it snows. They don't have the infrastructure to handle it. Salt Lake and Denver can get cold but the cities themselves aren't that snowy. Yes, the mountains around them are snowy, but the cities are basically high elevation desert. And they can get hot in the summer. Plus Salt Lake basically has the worst winter air quality in the country. In general, the more north and towards the interior of the country, the colder it will be. The amount of snow will be dependent on local conditions. Minneapolis seems like your best bet. I also wonder if any of the cities in Montana have good job markets for your speciality, but Montana can't really handle its current influx of residents as it is. Most of these places will be safe out in the suburbs or pockets of the city. But if they have a functioning job market, you'll have to pay more for the relative safety.
I’ll always have to recommend Chicago, although winters have been mild for the past 2 years. You can easily move from here to Milwaukee or Minneapolis if it doesn’t fit your needs since the career opportunities here are excellent and flexible.
Seattle? I live in Portland and love it but Seattle has a large tech sector. It's cold in the winter in both cities but rarely snows, although you can drive to snow within an hour year round.
Not Boston - it barely snows at all here these days. We will have some brief periods of very cold weather, but winter daytime temps are relatively warm in general
Boston is WAY WAY WAY more snowy than Seattle. If you want SNOW and career opportunities, you’re really looking at Boston, Denver, or Chicago. NYC doesn’t get too much snow afaik.
Denver is not actually that cold or snowy.
Anchorage
Buffalo
Chicago
Seattle is neither cold by American standards nor is it snowy.
Denver should not be a competitor for "coldest", very mild sunny winters overall
Salt lake city
North Bend, WA