Duluth (Proctor, Morgan, Hills: cul-de-sac, middle-class, rental)

[mjnyc]

I visited that city in 2005, spending a couple of days there. I expected to like it (why else might I visit?) and liked it more than I expected. It occupies its excellent location well, has few eyesores and is sufficiently chic without precious trendiness. There are things to do, places to see. Those two days were perhaps the coldest July days I've ever experienced, yet my affection for that town is keen.

[dannl]

Don't be fooled. It is not at all like people make sound. Aparently you did not look around very well.
The town of Duluth is looking pretty run down if you really look around at all the homes and Businesses (The Buildings) as they need alot of fixing up.
Homes and buildings do not last for ever and most of them are very old and falling apart.
Lived there for 44 years and got out while the getting out was still avaliable.
Good luck if you have any plans moving there and hope you know someone that has a business there or a good freind that knows someone that does so you can get a decent paying job there.

[flynncj]

Does Duluth have any crime?? Which area of Duluth has the most crime and the least crime?? Which hotels would you recommend staying at? Which area is better to stay at? I hear Canal Park is a nice area.
Thanks!!
Chris

[danarchy]

there is crime everywhere. stay away from the west side of town and you will be alright

[MidniteBreeze]

I was born and raised in Duluth but left about 8 years ago. Like anywhere, it has its good and bad points:

Beautiful location but crappy weather (and I'm talking crappy even in relation to the rest of northern MN!)

Generally nice people but the politcs suck. (It's not called "the People's Republic of Duluth" for nothing!)

Good tourist infrastructure in the canal park/bayfront areas, but some of the worst residential roads and streets I've EVER seen (and I've lived in Alaska!) Though I should say they do a very good job of keeping the streets clear of snow and ice in the winter...much better than anywhere else I've ever lived.

Duluth does offer a lot of cultural opportunites for a city of under 100,000: Duluth-Superior Symphony, Minnesota Ballet, Tweed Museum of Art at UMD, etc. and its proximity to outdoor attractions (i.e., the north shore, BWCA) can't be beat.

On the downside, housing is overpriced in relation to the wages. Lots of $7 or $8/hour tourist industry jobs, but who can live on that. Very hard to find a decent paying job in Duluth. The high Minnesota taxes don't help matters any either.

Overall, I'd say Duluth is a great place to visit and perhaps to attend college, but not necessarily the easiest place to actually live in.

[katie8471]

I wish people would stop giving west duluth such a bad rap. Lincoln Park area can be a little rough but West Duluth is not that bad. I lived there, grew up there, my family is still there. All right in west duluth. We go there regularly. I would certainly not put my children in danger visiting a "dangerous area." I could think of a lot worse places than west duluth.

[MidniteBreeze]

Ok, here's my honest as possible scoop on Duluth neighborhoods for those from out of town:

It's probably easiest to break it down in terms of the 3 high schools. We'll start in the west (or because we ARE talking about Duluth, really it's actually more south...Duluth doesn't need no stinkin' compass!)

Denfeld High School serves what is traditionally considered the "blue collar" part of town. Neighborhoods include (from "east" to "west"--i.e. closest to downtown and then further out) Lincoln Park (aka, the west end), West Duluth, Morgan park and Gary/New Duluth.

The west end is definitely the least desierable of the western neighborhoods...lots of rental units in older houses/buildings that aren't always that well taken care of. Population has become more ethnically diverse over the years, which isn't, in and of itself, a bad thing, but becaue of the cheap rent it attracts lower income people. There has been a recent move to clean up the area's image (thus the "Lincoln Park" name change) but I'm not sure how successful those efforts have been.

West Duluth is the "heart" of the west side of Duluth. This is the area you see when you come down Thomson Hill into Duluth on 1-35. Also has older homes but more homeownership and people tend to take more pride in their neighborhoods. Attracts a lot of young families because it's cheaper to buy there than in most other parts of town. Also home to a lot of older folks who have been there their whole lives.

Morgan Park used to be an old steel town along the St. Louis river that was annexed by Duluth. Many of the houses and complexes look the same becaue they were company housing at one time. The area is kind of isolated by itself off of Grand Avenue.

Gary/New Duluth is a far-flung neighborhood at the extreme west (south) of Duluth. A rather quiet, working-to-middle class neighborhood surrounded by a lot of natural beauty! A local secret is the Oliver bridge...the "3rd" bridge in Duluth that connects MN to WI. (lots of drunk drivers used to take this roundabout way back home from Superior before they deemed the police checkpoints on the Bong and High bridges unconstitutional.)

Central high school serves (starting at the lake and moving up the hill) downtown/park point, the central hillside and Duluth heights (by the mall). The central part of town is the most "urban" and has the most diverse population.

Park point is on a 6-mile (or therabouts) island which used to be a peninsula until the Ariel lift bridge came along. Due to its location on lake superior and the Duluth-Superior harbor, home prices have skyrocketed in recent years. The lake side is on a sandy beach. Downtown is mostly a business/tourist district, but there are some "urban renewal" projects where people can buy/rent pricely lofts.

Central Hillside is another neighborhood that gets a bad rap. The area around the 4th st. Spur gas station is notorious for being the most "ghetto" area in Duluth (we used to call it the Gaza Strip). While much of its reputation is deserved, there's now a rich/poor dichotomy starting to happen there....because of the excellent lake/harbor views, you're starting to see McMansions pop up on the hill.

The Duluth Heights is a popular neighborhood due to its "suburban" feel and proximity to the major shopping area in Duluth. Mixture of older and newer homes, generally middle to upper middle class.

East High School serves (starting closest to downtown and moving farther east/north) the east hillside, the east end and Lakeside. This is the traditional "rich" part of town. East high school students are known as "cake eaters", "cakeheads" or simply "cakes" by other Duluth students. (think, "let them eat cake!") I'm not sure who started calling them that, but it sure stuck!

As you move away from the Central Hillside, the neighborhoods get progressively nicer as you approach the east end. The houses get bigger, more stately. East Hillside is basically a transition area between the Duluth's poorest and richest neighborhoods.

When you think east end, think "old money". Beautiful, large, tasteful older homes. Real (as opposed to "mc") mansions can be found in the eastern London Road area (by the Glensheen Mansion, for you tourists.)

Lakeside is sort of the "bookend" opposite Gary/New Duluth, waaay on the other side of town (20 some miles, actually!) Quiet neighborhood, more affordable than the east end but new houses are starting to go up there too.

There are, of course, several neigborhoods/sub-neighborhoods I haven't mentioned, (piedmont, observation hill, woodland, kenwood, hunter's park, among others) but hopefully this "overview" of the basic geography of Duluth can help prospective visitors and newcomers navigate a sometimes confusing and poorly laid out town.

[Kaspari]

I disagree Dan. West end isnt bad with crime. Watch out for central hillside.
West was a cheaper end of town compared to east end, however, it is cleaning up and not many criminals can afford to pay 124,000 anymore for houses. Its really looking nice.

also, "Gary/New Duluth is a far-flung neighborhood at the extreme west (south) of Duluth. A rather quiet, working-to-middle class neighborhood surrounded by a lot of natural beauty! A local secret is the Oliver bridge...the "3rd" bridge in Duluth that connects MN to WI. (lots of drunk drivers used to take this roundabout way back home from Superior before they deemed the police checkpoints on the Bong and High bridges unconstitutional.)"

This is where i had lived. It really is a special end of town. It has a small town touch to it.

[tvdxer]

From west to east, from a local's point of view:

Fond du Lac - More or less rural area within city limits, not much to say.

Gary / New Duluth - A small town within a city. More or less isolated from the rest of the town, connected only by Commonwealth / Grand Ave. Has a cute little downtown.

Morgan Park - Cool looking neighborhood, built as part of a now long-defunct steel plant operation. Don't know about the quality of life / crime situation.

West Duluth - Actually a collection of working-class but friendly neighborhoods. Mostly nice.

Bayview - More or less a part of Proctor.

West End / Lincoln Park - Poor and sleazy in parts, nice in others (especially farther up the hill). Has quite the reputation.

Piedmont - Suburban, in the 1960's / 1970's rather than modern cul-de-sac sense, although those are beginning to appear there. Probably not many crime issues.

Duluth Heights - Ugly mall area, decent neighborhoods.

Central Hillside - Duluth's most poorly reputed neighborhood, and probably for a good reason. Mostly grimey, poor, sometimes ill-maintained rental units. Seems quite dangerous in parts - I definitely wouldn't want to be out walking alone late at night in most parts. Great view though. Right above downtown too.

Downtown - Architecturally nice, funky older buildings, interesting shops, good restaurants. Traditionally very little housing, although a large condominium high-rise (12 stories I believe) is under construction as of writing. Canal Park is more or less part of downtown; I don't know if there's any housing there.

Park Point - On a very long and skinny sandbar across the famous Aerial Lift Bridge from Canal Park. Almost completely residential / parkland (the last two miles are undeveloped and have a wonderful nature trail running through them to the end). Expensive due to most homes having beachfront (albeit public) right out their back door.

East Duluth neighborhoods (Woodland, Kenwood, Hunter's Park, Endion, etc.) - I don't know too much about these. Generally East Duluth has a much more ritzy, upper/upper-middle-class repuation than West Duluth, hence their epithet of "cake-eaters". Lots of true, authentic mansions in parts, mostly from the days when Duluth had the country's highest per-capita population of millionaires (around the turn of the 19th/20th century).

Lakeside - The far end of East Duluth, said to have been built to house the servants of the rich East Duluthians. Seems like a decent middle-class neighboorhood, not too much out there though. Very close to the North Shore, compared to other parts of Duluth.

And there you go...my own little analysis of Duluth neighborhoods.

[Kurt]

I went to UMD--University of Minnesota, Duluth and spent about 4 years in Duluth. What a beautiful setting. Waterfalls in the city. Moose and bear coming in to visit. Kind of the San Francisco of the Northwoods. But I got out cause it was just too cold and the job opportunities are limited. But if you can find a job it is a fantastic place for family and you can still afford a lake place back in the woods apiece. Also lot's of interesting ethnic stuff. Scandinavian Finns/Norwegians and Croatian/Italians/Serbs have intermarried and from an anthropological point of view made some great looking people.
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