Cloquet vs. Pine City vs. ? (Duluth, Moose Lake: new home, theater, good schools)

[LLPVT]

Hi -

My husband's job may have us relocating to the area between Duluth and Pine City. We're looking for the right town: not too big, not too small (in population or mindset), good schools for our kids, runaround room for the dogs, and (ideally) a lake for our small sailboat. I've looked at listings from Pine City to Duluth, and nothing feels quite right, and numerical demographics can only tell you so much.

Having lived in small towns before, we know they're not always welcoming to new people, so we're trying to do this carefully ... looking for a community that values education and has some knowledge of the world beyond its own borders.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be helpful!
Thanks.

[fromupthere]

That's a tough one to answer in my opinion. I grew up in Duluth and back in those days it was a great place and I would have encouraged anyone to live there. Nowadays not as much. It's a tough call with the outsiders and small towns. Esko has excellent schools but there's not much to the town. That being said, it's close to Duluth and everywhere up there is close to some lake or another. I personally like Moose Lake but don't really know how the schools are or how outsiders are treated. But I think it's a cute town. Good luck! I hope you find the right place for you.

[nick is rulz]

Cloquet is an absolute dump.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by fromupthere

That's a tough one to answer in my opinion. I grew up in Duluth and back in those days it was a great place and I would have encouraged anyone to live there. Nowadays not as much. It's a tough call with the outsiders and small towns. Esko has excellent schools but there's not much to the town. That being said, it's close to Duluth and everywhere up there is close to some lake or another. I personally like Moose Lake but don't really know how the schools are or how outsiders are treated. But I think it's a cute town. Good luck! I hope you find the right place for you.

My wife grew up in Esko and her parents still live up there. They seem fairly happy with the area, FWIW.

[aluminumpork]

I have a few friends from Pine City (college aged) that moved to Duluth for school. From the sounds of it for kids, there isn't much to do but drink. Just for sake of not being completely without things to do, I would choose Cloquet. Plus, you're much closer to Duluth, where you'll find plenty to do. Also, I don't consider Cloquet to be a complete dump.

[fromupthere]

I agree that Cloquet is not a dump. I think you can find things to do there and being so close to Duluth helps.

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

My wife grew up in Esko and her parents still live up there. They seem fairly happy with the area, FWIW.

That's wierd...I have an aunt and uncle in Esko. All I know about Esko is that the schools are excellent and so are their athletic programs. I believe there are a good number of commuters to Duluth and lots of new homes.

[nick is rulz]

does Esko still have that obnoxious blinking light aka "the heartbeat of Esko" near the school?

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

does Esko still have that obnoxious blinking light aka "the heartbeat of Esko" near the school?

I haven't been over by the school for years.

[newcastle]

I grew up in Cloquet and think the schools and atheltic programs were good as well as the drama program. The director worked for the Guthrie for a time-or one of those theaters down in the cities. As far as knowing anything about the outisde world, I think you may have trouble with the small towns and even Duluth.

I also lived on Island lake near the city of Moose Lake in the town of Sturgeon Lake. Confusing yet? All three of those lakes are gorgeous. I loved it. The downside is that you are driving 45 miles or more to shop or do anything.

You may like Hanging Horn lake near Barnum. That is a pretty cool spot too.