Duluth Superior ??? Help (Cloquet, Hermantown, Houston: for sale, rental, violent crime)

[tamu83engr]

Im in Houston and talking to a company in Superior and these posts are scaring the crap out of me. It sounds like you either love it or hate it but everyone seem to agree its cold as h---. Im 45, divoriced man considering relocating there by myself and I don't even own a sweater. The local web sites don't show any rental properties or even available housing. The few houses that are for sale are small and very expensive compared to here not to metion going from a 2 million metro area to a small somewhat isolated area. I'm going up there in about a week to check it out but I getting nervous. I'm wondering if the salary sounded a little bit better than usual for a reason. It sounds beautiful and I love the outdoors but bugs and humidity of Houston plus sub-zero temps and gray skys all winter. Sounds like an invitation to cabin fever insanity to me.

Please tell me something good. Nice places to live in the area. Would it be better to live 30 miles out and commute. An hour drive is normal here. I'm sure the scenery will blow me away when I see it but right now I'm pulling my hair out and I don't have any to spare!

[warmweather!]

It is pretty beautiful. There are many forested "mountains" (about 2000 feet tall), and it is on Lake Superior. In Lake Superior the water is so clear you can see the bottom of it from several feet up. The weather up by Duluth is absolutely terrible. The average high in Duluth in July is about 70 degrees, and in January it is about 0! Here in the Twin Cities the winter is still at about 0, but at least we have summer (about 85 degrees). If you like the open forest, it would be good to live a little bit out. Lots of people like Duluth because you can be in the middle of the city, but just drive about 10 or 15 minutes and be in the wilderness. If you prefer urban areas and the city, then, you should get a place in the city of Duluth. Duluth isn't growing very fast, so don't expect to find a new house, because there aren't too many. Duluth isn't that isolated, because it is about a 2 and a half hour drive from the Twin Cities, and not too many hours from Milwaukee and Chicago. You won't have a very long commute unless you live pretty far from Duluth. Honestly, I absolutely can't stand Minnesota's weather! Just today, even in the Twin Cities I saw some snowflakes falling! July in Duluth would probably compare to November or March in Houston. About half of Duluths days are overcast. I can't take it. Whether you would like Duluth or not really depends on what you like though.

[wildfan]

you could live 30 miles out and weather @ duluth/superior is way better, but superior is @10-20% cheaper on houseing than duluth. websites duluth.com dulthnewstribune.com visitduluth.com a few...LAKE SUPERIOR ONLY GETS UP TO 36-40f IN THE SUMMER!!

[DaninEGF]

Hello

I work for the National Weather Service over in Grand Forks ND....while we dont forecast directly for DLH area I have been there a few times and am pretty familiar with overall climate. I have not been across the bridge to Superior Wisconsin....but generally that town is considered older and a bit more industrial than Duluth overall. That's my opinion.

As for general temperatures, snowfall, etc...you can use the link below to the Midwest Climate Center page. You can pick what state you want and which you will then pick a county. You can select from a list of cooperative observer stations with a long history of observations to view normals. There are sites from the Duluth Intl Airport, Cloquet, Duluth Harbor Airport, and in Wisconsin Superior. This will give some idea of what "normals" are....though normals are made up of extreme warmth and cold and weather changes frequently up here.

http://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/climate_midw..._summaries.htm


As far as general weather...yes it is a cloudy area and the cold waters of Lake Superior do influence the weather of Duluth and Superior. There is often a wind off the water and that can make summer temps pretty cool while 10 miles away from the lake it is much warmer. Vice versa....in the winter downtowns of both cities are a bit warmer whereas away from the lake it is a bit colder (esp at night). The water of Lake Superior do keep the city of Duluth and Superior cloudy a lot and often foggy...kind of like how the coast of California and Oregon area where it is cool and cloudy often right along the coast and then much better inland. Duluth itself has two different areas....toward the Lake and over the hill. Going away from downtown you go up a large hill and once you get to the main airport and the Hermantown area you are away from the lake influences and are often sunnier and warmer in the summer. Hermantown also has the area mall and newer housing/retail. Problem is going to Superior for work, you would have to go back down the hill to cross the bridge to Wisconsin. Another option would be to check the small towns just off of I-35 just west and southwest of Duluth..such as Carlton. They would be far enough away from the lake to be a bit warmer in the summer yet would be pretty convienient for crossing into Wisconsin as well. I have never been on I-35 southwest of Duluth so no nothing about these towns other than location.

But...definitely do visit. Its not like this area gets a few weeks of winter and thats it...it lasts for 4-5 months...so if you like the warmth of Houston this area may not be your best choice.

[MidniteBreeze]

Hi,

I grew up in Duluth so I can probably give you a pretty good rundown on the good, the bad and the ugly!

The Good: it is a beautiful area. Duluth is sort of perched on a hill overlooking Lake Superior. The area around Duluth is mostly forested and the north shore of Lake Superior (along Highway 61, north to the Canadian border) is absolutely gorgeous...tons of state parks, a world class hiking trail. You're also not far from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

While it's certainly not a big city like Houston, the Twin Ports "metro" does have a decnet array of services and entertainment options, especially for its size. There are 2 universities, a private liberal arts college and a couple of community colleges, so the students kind of add a much needed "young and hip" vibe to the community. There's also the Duluth-Superior symphony orchestra, the Minnesota Ballet and a semi-pro baseball team. You'll find the usual array of chain stores/restaurants, etc. There are also excellent healthcare facilities in the area....3 big hospitals and the Duluth clinic system.

The Bad Duluth's economy is pretty stagnant and as you've seen, housing prices are high relative to the average income in the area. Generally speaking, the nicest neighborhoods are in the eastern part of Duluth or "over the hill" by the mall area or in the "suburb" of Hermantown. You'll probably want to avoid the central hillside and West End (Lincoln park) neighborhoods. In superior, you'll want to avoid the "bar" district by tower avenue. Housing is a little cheaper in Superior, but Wisconsin property taxes are outrageous. Just something to keep in mind.

Duluth is, overall, a pretty safe place to live, but the crime index is higher than the national average in some categories (mostly non-violent crimes like car break ins and that sort of thing.) Like anywhere else, picking a good neighborhood can make all the difference.

The Ugly Well,you guessed it, the weather. I won't lie, it gets VERY cold in the winter and the winters are long. You might be nervous about driving in the snow at first. I will say that Duluth (not so much superior) is very good at plowing/salting the roads though.

If you have more questions, feel free to post back or PM me!

[snowlandcook]

Relax. Duluth isn't as isolated as you think. There are lots of smaller podunk towns in MN than Duluth, which is actually one of the largest towns in this state!

And as for the weather reports you've been hearing, keep this in mind: you can always put on more clothes when you're cold, but you run out of things to take off when you're hot.

Sweaters and sweatshirts are cheap up here--you'll be able to stock up.

Given enough time, we can turn any guy with a five-gallon hat into a fine Minnesooootan! (That's pronounced min-e-SO-tin.)

[snowlandcook]

Originally Posted by snowlandcook

Given enough time, we can turn any guy with a five-gallon hat into a fine Minnesooootan! (That's pronounced min-e-SO-tin.)

Oops--I meant ten-gallon hat.

And if you want to check out housing information, try realtor.com.

Good luck--I'd like to hear your impression after you visit.

[DuluthMinnesnowta]

I went through a phase where I despised Duluth, I'm a soon to be college grad from UMD and about my 2nd year of college I questioned my reasoning in living in a place with such harsh winters...but if you can find the joy in the weather you'll find yourself never wanting to leave this place. I quickily decided to quit complaining about the weather and find the good in it. Snow is fun to play in so you just gotta bundle up (get some good merino wool long johns) and go play outside. Visit in the winter so you get a good idea of what you'll have to work with. And if you come and stick it out 'til summer you'll be greatful because this is a GORGEOUS place to be, only a short distance to the wonderful offerings of the Superior Hiking Trail, and many other natural beautys just north of Duluth. Not to mention Fall is our time to show our true colors...literally, the leaves make you wanna smile. So, basically i suggest giving it a go.

[snowlandcook]

Originally Posted by tamu83engr

Im in Houston and talking to a company in Superior and these posts are scaring the crap out of me. It sounds like you either love it or hate it but everyone seem to agree its cold as h---. Im 45, divoriced man considering relocating there by myself and I don't even own a sweater. The local web sites don't show any rental properties or even available housing. The few houses that are for sale are small and very expensive compared to here not to metion going from a 2 million metro area to a small somewhat isolated area. I'm going up there in about a week to check it out but I getting nervous. I'm wondering if the salary sounded a little bit better than usual for a reason. It sounds beautiful and I love the outdoors but bugs and humidity of Houston plus sub-zero temps and gray skys all winter. Sounds like an invitation to cabin fever insanity to me.

Please tell me something good. Nice places to live in the area. Would it be better to live 30 miles out and commute. An hour drive is normal here. I'm sure the scenery will blow me away when I see it but right now I'm pulling my hair out and I don't have any to spare!

Hey--I'm wondering if you ever visited Duluth and what you thought about it. Don't leave us hangin'!

[Bill_B]

Something that no one has mentioned yet is the scenic areas all along the North Shore as you go north from Duluth. If you are into hiking or just enjoying the outdoors, the Duluth area and the North Shore area is a great place to live!!!

I have visited Duluth a number of times and have found the people there to be friendly and the overall atmospere there to be good. I currently live in the Twin Cities area and would prefer living in Duluth over the Twin Cities.