I am looking for a safe, family friendly, upscale neighborhood. I am also curious how the people in Minnesota are. We are currently in Las Vegas and the people here are horrible. They have no manners and cannot drive if their life depended on it, which it kind of does. I want a place where the people are friendly and if you forget to lock your doors it’ll be ok at least for a bit.
I would recommend looking into the suburbs more than Minneapolis itself. While there are nice, family friendly neighborhoods in Minneapolis, it sounds to me that you’re looking for a place more like Edina. This site (http://minnesota-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/st_paul_and_minneapolis_suburbs) gives a good idea of many of the suburbs.
Anywhere you go, there will be bad drivers, but in my experience Minneapolis drivers are more polite than those in many other cities. I’ve never lived anywhere else where so many people will go out of there way to let you on to the freeway when it’s basically at a stand still during rush hour.
I’ve lived in Minneapolis for the last three years and have just grown to love it more with time, even though I admittedly am not living in one of the nicer parts of the city. But even then, I’ve never had any problems. So I definitely recommend it, if you’re looking for a family friendly large city.
Yes, "Minnesota nice" is a cliche for a reason. The people are generally fairly nice, friendly, and willing to make small talk (which can be annoying on occasion but it’s usually nice). The drivers are still "city drivers" (for example, they expect you to know how to merge onto a freeway without stopping; some people in small towns apparently don’t understand this concept), but they are much less likely to honk unnecessarily or drive aggressively than many drivers in other cities.
Minneapolis is a great city because it has lots of culture but the cost of living is still much lower than on either of the coasts. However, for a family friendly, upscale neighborhood, I would recommend a suburb like Edina, Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Minnetonka, etc. All of these are within easy driving distance of the city itself but they are much safer and more family-oriented than Minneapolis itself. However, as cities go, Minneapolis is pretty safe. If you really want to live in the city, look into Uptown, near Lake Calhoun or Lake Harriet. There are a lot of family homes, parks, walking trails, and restaurants in that area.