Why Duluth is a great place to live. (Minneapolis, Jackson: job openings, college)

[brandy77]

Originally Posted by missterijo

Nowadays, you might as well be traveling through North Minneapolis.

Keep on scaring the folks. You are incredibly ignorant. I moved up here from Minneapolis two years ago. Duluth is like Sesame Street compared to north Minneapolis or south Minneapolis or The east side of St. Paul or any big city. You need to move to a gated community. Over the past few years Duluth's crime rate was slightly higher than the national average, but appears to to down significantly in the past two years. But scaring the folks is fine with me. I love riding my bike to work along the lakewalk as the sun rises completely alone, although there is an occasional vagrant on the path who would not last 1 day in north Minneapolis.

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by brandy77

Keep on scaring the folks. You are incredibly ignorant. I moved up here from Minneapolis two years ago. Duluth is like Sesame Street compared to north Minneapolis or south Minneapolis or The east side of St. Paul or any big city. You need to move to a gated community. Over the past few years Duluth's crime rate was slightly higher than the national average, but appears to to down significantly in the past two years. But scaring the folks is fine with me. I love riding my bike to work along the lakewalk as the sun rises completely alone, although there is an occasional vagrant on the path who would not last 1 day in north Minneapolis.

I agree. Duluth is Sesame Street compared to most major cities (which Duluth is not) and I do not feel afraid walking around town at night.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by newcastle

I agree. Duluth is Sesame Street compared to most major cities (which Duluth is not) and I do not feel afraid walking around town at night.

It isn't that horrible. If it is lower than the Twin Cities, which are safer than many of the Rust Belt or Sun Belt cities, then Duluth isn't that bad either.

This is what contributed to what was a sharp rise in crime. What happened was a product of the late 1970's. The industrial base of the USA was starting go overseas. Many people lost there jobs. Some people reeducated themselves and got better jobs. Other people moved on to other places that had blue collar jobs. MPLS-St.Paul area still had some of the industrial base left. Alot of people coming from Chicago and other areas in the Midwest was migrating to Minnesota to get back on their feet and do better. Many of them did. With every migration of the poor or jobless, you have some people who are either lazy or lowlifers who do other things wrong. Welfare in places like Ohio and Illinois was being reduced. Minnesota(and Wisconsin) had some of the most generous welfare benefits. Those benefits were meant for the people who do work in case they were laid off. That same safety meant for people who needed it attracted people who had no intentions of working. Many of them went to Minnesota looking for more welfare benefits. Another issue was the three strikes law. Commit three felonies and you spend the rest of your life in prison. Some of the criminals went to Minnesota for this reason. This is what happened to Duluth. Duluth had the demise of some of the steel mills and mines that were there. Jobs went away. While Duluth and the Twin Cities were getting some of the criminals, the Twin Cities were attracting professionals and nayone who wanted to work and live a safe life. Duluth couldn't do this. With a low amount of jobs combined with generous welfare benefits(though some of those benefits were reduced), not to mention the fact that it was cheaper to live in Duluth, some of the criminals from Minneapolis went to Duluth. Duluth had mainly criminals move in. The people that were most needed in the Duluth, the professionals, the workers, the movers and shakers, don't want anything to do with Duluth. That is what happened. With all of that said, Duluth is still safer than most cities.

What Duluth needs is to attract more businesses and more jobs to the area. This might attract more professionals. More jobs, lower crime rates.

[Cooliner]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

It isn't that horrible. If it is lower than the Another issue was the three strikes law. Commit three felonies and you spend the rest of your life in prison. Some of the criminals went to Minnesota for this reason.
With a low amount of jobs combined with generous welfare benefits(though some of those benefits were reduced), not to mention the fact that it was cheaper to live in Duluth, some of the criminals from Minneapolis went to Duluth. Duluth had mainly criminals move in.
Theorically analyzing it, your account makes perfect sense... However, I do not believe criminals would decide where to go based on local
economical or penalty advantages...

Except in cases of serial killers, I believe most criminals or, in the best of the cases, a person with some potential criminal disorder
would pick out a place to live based on
emotions and feelings...not in rethoric...
and they'd sometimes go to places, which apparently wouldn't make any sense...

An interesting movie that happened to be shot in Minneapolis, which
portraits very well how average young
people with no future perpectives become
criminals is (in my opinion) one of the best 80's movies

"That was then, this is now" with Emilio Estevez...

It's really worth watching...great soundtrack by the way...!!!!


The people that were most needed in the Duluth, the professionals, the workers, the movers and shakers, don't want anything to do with Duluth. That is what happened. With all of that said, Duluth is still safer than most cities.

What Duluth needs is to attract more businesses and more jobs to the area. This might attract more professionals. More jobs, lower crime rates.

I'd say that would be a tough mission... Most of the people I know in Minnesota can't even hear to talk about visiting Duluth, let alone move there...(of course, except students who go to college for a period of time there and then moves away).
Apparently, generaly speaking, I'd say most professionals prefer taking their chances in some other place souther or on the east or West Coast...

[newcastle]

Duluth is like many rust belt cities attempting to redifine itself after the loss of manufacturing jobs, steel mill closures, and the lack of a diversified economy. Couple that with isolation and extreme weather and you have stagnation.

Duluth and the iron range had 17%-20% unemplyment in the late 70's and early 80's. The population of Duluth nose dived from 106,000 to 85,000 today. Yet, the big diiference is that the current economy has some bright spots. The healthcare industry has nearly 850 openings for nurses and mnay more for other professionals. The economy is diversified with the continued expansion of Cirrus Design, proposed expansion of Murphy Oil refinery, NorthStar Aerospace, Genesis Equipment, Enbridge Energy, the new school of business and economics at UMD, and St. Scholastica's Athen's project to name a few areas of growth.

The region did not have these opportunties 30 years ago. Yes, the area had UMD and CSS but they were much smaller. UMD has more than doubbled in size.

The region is struggling with population growth as the population pyramid is upside down with the majority of the population elderly and the smaller portion in their teens and twenties. This is not a local dynamic, but a national trend for the Northeast and Midwest as the majority of the US population shifts to the South and West.

Duluth also has a negative reputation for doing business. That will take a long time to change.

[brandy77]

I believe the tide has already turned for Duluth attracting professionals. I am a young professional from Minneapolis who moved here for Duluth's assets (recreation and beauty) and a good job (health care). There are new businesses and there are growing businesses in the region. With the upcoming iron range boom Duluth will profit from that. Duluth is too awesome of an area not to start attracting more people like myself, it's just been a long time coming. The secret is out. It will be an interesting next ten years.

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by brandy77

I believe the tide has already turned for Duluth attracting professionals. I am a young professional from Minneapolis who moved here for Duluth's assets (recreation and beauty) and a good job (health care). There are new businesses and there are growing businesses in the region. With the upcoming iron range boom Duluth will profit from that. Duluth is too awesome of an area not to start attracting more people like myself, it's just been a long time coming. The secret is out. It will be an interesting next ten years.

I certainly hope so. I too am a young professional who moved to Duluth from Seattle. I grew up in this area and have always thought Duluth ahd potential and seems to just never able to turn the corner to sustained prosperity. Maybe now is its time.

[aluminumpork]

Originally Posted by brandy77

I am a young professional from Minneapolis who moved here for Duluth's assets

Wow, I can't believe my eyes. Now we just need to multiply you by, oh, 30,000. ;-)

[Cooliner]

If what Newcastle posted is really the case...and I believe it is...
then...
considering that in Minnesota it's very rare to meet woman during the day,
I think you'd be in a scrape... (unless, of course, you're already married)
But, honestly, I'd go nuts in a place you're already considered a senior by the age of 30.

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by Cooliner

If what Newcastle posted is really the case...and I believe it is...
then...
considering that in Minnesota it's very rare to meet woman during the day,
I think you'd be in a scrape... (unless, of course, you're already married)
But, honestly, I'd go nuts in a place you're already considered a senior by the age of 30.

Ha, ha, ha..Maybe that's why I feel so old! Wait, no, I feel old when I see some young employee in my workplace wearing his pants down past his ass and I have to tell him to pull them up. I also feel old when I see some 20 something girl buying clothes so she can show off her tatoo on the small of her back when it is -20 out and while at work!