Hi, Emily -- and welcome in advance to the Twin Cities.
I'm embarrassed to say that I'm clueless about answers to most of your questions, despite having lived here 29 of my 39 years of life.
: But I'll try. And maybe my ignorant responses will prompt others to jump in and correct me.
Food co-op There are tons of them around here, from big to little. The one you frequent will totally depend on where you live. But here's a list, FWIW: http://twincitiesfood.coop/locations/.
Raw milk, grassfed beef, pastured poultry, & pork I'm vegetarian, so don't pay much attention to this. But I'd guess most of these items are available at the local coops. Other ideas, anyone?
Seriously, what do we need for winter, I have regular cotton long johns, do I need a few wool pieces or capilene or what? Winters are not that different here from southern MI. (I lived in South Bend, IN for 4 years, so I know the area.) You all probably get more snow thanks to Lake Michigan than we do here. It may be a bit colder here, for more days, but it's not Arctic or anything. I bet the winter clothes you have are just fine.
Ped We don't have a ped, but we see a family doc that we just love: Sarah Maier at Fairview Hiawatha Clinic in S. Mpls. (http://www.fairview.org/Clinics/primary/c_099250.asp) I'm sure others will jump in with lots of additional recommendations.
Ped dentist I just asked local MDCers about this myself. I heard good things about Ron King (in St. Louis Park), JoAnn Boraas (in Richfield), Carol Mason (in Edina), and Barry Gerst (in Minneapolis).
Applying for state/medicaid healthcare for dd Clueless about this...sorry.
Which areas will we be able to find a rental for well under $1000 or around $1000 w/utilities (that we can have a dog, specifically a pitbull) Hmm...I know S. Mpls. best, b/c that's where I live. Here are some Mpls. neighborhoods that seem like good prospects: Powderhorn, Longfellow, Kingfield, Standish. There are undoubtedly many others.
Do I need to like winterize our cars or anything Nah. See above.
Good newspaper we can subscribe to now to check classifieds http://www.startribune.com
Hope this helps you get started, anyway! Good luck with your move.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm clueless about answers to most of your questions, despite having lived here 29 of my 39 years of life.


Food co-op There are tons of them around here, from big to little. The one you frequent will totally depend on where you live. But here's a list, FWIW: http://twincitiesfood.coop/locations/.
Raw milk, grassfed beef, pastured poultry, & pork I'm vegetarian, so don't pay much attention to this. But I'd guess most of these items are available at the local coops. Other ideas, anyone?
Seriously, what do we need for winter, I have regular cotton long johns, do I need a few wool pieces or capilene or what? Winters are not that different here from southern MI. (I lived in South Bend, IN for 4 years, so I know the area.) You all probably get more snow thanks to Lake Michigan than we do here. It may be a bit colder here, for more days, but it's not Arctic or anything. I bet the winter clothes you have are just fine.
Ped We don't have a ped, but we see a family doc that we just love: Sarah Maier at Fairview Hiawatha Clinic in S. Mpls. (http://www.fairview.org/Clinics/primary/c_099250.asp) I'm sure others will jump in with lots of additional recommendations.
Ped dentist I just asked local MDCers about this myself. I heard good things about Ron King (in St. Louis Park), JoAnn Boraas (in Richfield), Carol Mason (in Edina), and Barry Gerst (in Minneapolis).
Applying for state/medicaid healthcare for dd Clueless about this...sorry.
Which areas will we be able to find a rental for well under $1000 or around $1000 w/utilities (that we can have a dog, specifically a pitbull) Hmm...I know S. Mpls. best, b/c that's where I live. Here are some Mpls. neighborhoods that seem like good prospects: Powderhorn, Longfellow, Kingfield, Standish. There are undoubtedly many others.
Do I need to like winterize our cars or anything Nah. See above.
Good newspaper we can subscribe to now to check classifieds http://www.startribune.com
Hope this helps you get started, anyway! Good luck with your move.