Twin Cities is a great place to live (yes, I'm biased). Great cost of living, housing isn't too expensive, especially not compared to the job market and pay of jobs. We have all seasons, lots of good looking people, good education, good government.
Visited DC and NYC, I wouldn't consider DC a great place to live (too ghetto for my tastes). If it wasn't for the outrageous cost of living, I'd love to live in NYC.