Bemidji, Grand Rapids, or Duluth (Hermantown, Herman: crime, house, high school)

[Gottahavelakesandtrees]

My wife and I are looking to move our new family from Alaska to northern MN. We are looking for a safe, progressive community, with (very) easy access to the great outdoors. Coming from Alaska, we would also like to have as much land access as possible, be it parks or affordable acreage (home). Any suggestions? Fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation a must!

[golfgal]

All of those areas are going to meet your needs. Duluth is the largest of the 3 so that is something to consider. Bemidji and Grand Rapids are probably more affordable. They are all self sustaining towns so everything you need will be there. Duluth is closer to the Twin Cities so that is a bonus too.

My Dad is from Bemidji and I have spent a lot of time there visiting my Grandpa. We still own land there but haven't been there for a couple years. I love it there. Duluth is more touristy but then you have Lake Superior too so that is a draw. I have only been to Grand Rapids once so I can't really comment on that. There are a couple regular posters that live there so they will chime in I am sure.

[aluminumpork]

My sister and her family live in Bemidji. It seems every time I visit there are new stores, new things to do. I know you're probably not looking for that sort of stuff, but it shows a strengthening economy and growing community. There are many lakes around that area and I'm sure you wouldn't have any problem finding a decent amount of land no more than a few miles out of town. I myself am from Duluth and therefore a little biased.

Duluth is a beautiful city with many parks, trails and rivers/streams. Most of the east residential lots are heavily wooded and don't feel like there in a mid-size city at all. I currently live in the Duluth Heights area (by the mall) and have a full 1 acre lot. I see nothing but trees when I look out my rear windows, which I like. I used to live about 15 miles out of town in Normanna township on a nice 50 acre plot of land, I loved it out there, but it sure is nice being closer to everything.

You might be interested in the Hermantown area (basically a suburb of Duluth). A town of about 8000, there should still plenty of land out there. I don't think you'd have much of a problem getting 2 - 5 acres out there.

[snowblind9]

Well gottahavelakesandtrees, I've only lived in Grand Rapids a couple months. It is heaven on earth as far as I'm concerned. If you like lakes, there are over one thousand in our county alone. Hunting is plentiful. Grand Rapids is about 8000-9000 people, small enough to live life good, but big enough to have your everyday comforts. I have to say I was so surprised at the friendliness of the people we have met so far. Housing is very affordable right now. The slowdown on the economy has been putting a pinch on people here. You can get a great deal on a house. We sold our house in Bismarck (2 bed, 1bath) and bought a house outside of Grand Rapids on a wooded one acre lot, with four stalls of garage, 6 bed 3 bath for 189,000. Despite there being a pinch on the economy, it is still growing. There will be a steel mill plant being built about 15 miles away that will add about 700 permanent full time jobs. This will help put a punch in the local economy. It is not touristy here. I cannot say enough good things about here.

[Gottahavelakesandtrees]

How do the school systems compare?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by snowblind9

Well gottahavelakesandtrees, I've only lived in Grand Rapids a couple months. It is heaven on earth as far as I'm concerned. If you like lakes, there are over one thousand in our county alone. Hunting is plentiful. Grand Rapids is about 8000-9000 people, small enough to live life good, but big enough to have your everyday comforts. I have to say I was so surprised at the friendliness of the people we have met so far. Housing is very affordable right now. The slowdown on the economy has been putting a pinch on people here. You can get a great deal on a house. We sold our house in Bismarck (2 bed, 1bath) and bought a house outside of Grand Rapids on a wooded one acre lot, with four stalls of garage, 6 bed 3 bath for 189,000. Despite there being a pinch on the economy, it is still growing. There will be a steel mill plant being built about 15 miles away that will add about 700 permanent full time jobs. This will help put a punch in the local economy. It is not touristy here. I cannot say enough good things about here.

A steel mill? I assume that is related to the iron ore mining/industry related to the Iron Range.

[Dangerous Dave]

Originally Posted by Gottahavelakesandtrees

How do the school systems compare?

I went through the Duluth School system, and when I moved west, I found the schools VERY lacking. If your kids graduate from Duluth schools, they will likely be able to CLEP half of their college courses if they end up going anywhere else in the country after high school.

So the short answer is, the schools are good.

[Dangerous Dave]

Oh, and if you're coming from Anchorage, or any of the "warm" areas of Alaska, you may have to acclimate to the Dultuh Winters... they are brutal!

[Gottahavelakesandtrees]

Thanks for the info. What about crime? Are these areas all pretty safe/clean?

[roneb]

Check the crime indexes list on each city-data page. I know folks in Duluth have posted concerns about crime there, but it's still roughly half of Portland's (where I'm at). Personally, I'd love to be in Duluth.