Best city to live in between Duluth and Minneapolis? (Cloquet: sales, real estate)

[splizzle]

Hello everyone,

I've read a few posts here in the Minnesota thread and everyone seems very friendly and eager to help. I haven't seen this question asked, so I'm hoping you can help me out.

What is the best city to live in between Duluth and Minneapolis?
(preferably close to I-35)

A little about us:
My wife recently received a promotion to a position in Duluth, MN. She'll be telecommuting 50% of the time, but the other 50% of her time will be spent in the field (mostly in Duluth).

I'm a little concerned about finding a job in Duluth though, which is why we're considering living somewhere between Duluth and Minneapolis. I think I'll have better luck finding a job in Minneapolis that fits with my background (Account management / Sales). I don't mind a 60 - 75 minute commute. I'll even consider a 90 minute commute for the right place. My wife doesn't mind a long commute either because half of her time will be spent working from home.

We currently live near Portland, OR. We both love the outdoors - hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and skiing. We also enjoy eating out, going to the movies, and going to sporting events (can't wait to catch a Vikings game).

I just turned 30 and my wife is in her mid twenties. We don't have any children, so schools aren't a major factor in our decision. We're flying into Minneapolis this Friday and staying through Monday to scope out a place to live and look at houses. We'd like to stay below $350k.

Do you have any thoughtful recommendations? Thanks for your help in advance.

[newcastle]

All the towns between the two cities are tiny. Cloquet (just south of Duluth) is the largest at 11,200 until you get to Forrest Lake (just north of Minneapolis) at 15,000. Halfway between the two is Hinkley-not much there other than Grand Casino and a good cafe "famous" for its carmel roles. People commute from Pine City to Minneapolis for work, but it would be a long haul north to Duluth for your wife.

Moose Lake or Sandstone may be good options for you for commuting. They are about 90 miles north of the twin cities.

Hopefully in two years there will be a train running between Minneapolis and Duluth and you could just hop on that. It is in the planning stages and is called the Northern Lights Express. It should run at 110 mph.

Good Luck, you shouldn't have any trouble finding homes in your price range either. You could pick up a nice lake home in Moose Lake, Sturgeon Lake, or around Duluth for that amount.

[splizzle]

Thanks newcastle! I have been looking at Pine City as the commute seems fairly reasonable for the both of us.

On the other hand, I am considering biting the bullet and focusing my job hunting efforts in Duluth. The more I research the city, the more I like it. Granted... it has it's pitfalls - like any other city.

I've read a lot of threads on the neighborhoods in Duluth and my head is spinning. Any suggestions on which neighborhood to focus our home search in if we decide to live in Duluth? Would like a newer home, townhouse, or condo. A view of the water would be nice.

BTW - Minnesota is beautiful. I thought we were lucky here in Oregon.

[splizzle]

Thanks for the fantastic post. I really appreciate it!

Things are continually changing for us the further along we get into this relocation quest. A couple things are certain.

1. We're definitely moving to Duluth (or a nearby suburb)
2. We're initially going to rent instead of buy.

I checked out some of those condos you listed and also came across this article - BusinessNorth Exclusives

So it sounds to me like there could be some nice rental opportunities here. Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be much listed on the internet though. I've check out duluth.craigslist.com in the real estate rental section and some other Duluth rental sites, but I'm not finding any of these condos listed.

I'm usually pretty self sufficient when it comes to researching these kinds of things, but I'm having a hard time here. Any suggestions on finding newer condos available for rent in the area? We'll be in Duluth this weekend and it would be nice to have some places narrowed down to look at.

I really do appreciate all the help here. I'll have to buy ya a beer when we're in town

[HometownMND]

Hey Splizze!

I have lived in D all my (short life lol) . I like and live in WD-the Spirit Valley area and it is nice. The homes are older and a little more affordable but are nice. You are in walking distance to stores and everyone in my neighborhood likes that you don't have to go up over the hill unless you have to for essentials.

My grandma lived out east. The homes are really nice and are bigger plus the homeowners do a little more TLC to their properties. There isn't a lot of stores out there except in the plaza area.

Up over the hill the homes are nice as well like in Piedmont/Mall area but I don't know much about it. Stores are really close obviously in the mall area.

WD area you would probably find cheaper homes.

The condos on the lake seem nice but are super expensive with a lot of vacancies. There are condos up by Kohls in the mall area along with townhomes I have heard a lot about.

Real estate sites you could try are coldwell banker, Messina, Edmunds, prutential, century 21 and I'm sure they would help you out lookng for condos I assume. The realitor my mom used to sell my grandma's house isn't in the business anymore but I would recommend her if she was.

Best of luck! Hope it helps.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

If I was you, I'd rent. You might learn that the commute is brutal. If you live in Hinkley (for example) you are in the middle of no where.

Or, buy something in Forest Lake and rent an apartment in Duluth.

Better yet, rent in Duluth and then you look for a job there. I just don't see commuting as a viable option as the Cities to Duluth is a solid 2.5 hours apart (minimum). In the winter, it would be a nightmare on many days when you add a few snowflakes.

When you do the drive, you will understand. There is nothing in between that is worth considering. You are obviously looking for a nice place. If you spend $350K it will be a hard sell in the years to come unless it is on water and then the $350K won't buy you much.

[Camden Northsider]

Just wanted to also add- i think it's smart of you to decide to focus in duluth, that commute would get very old quick (and during certain times of week, you would run into horrible traffic with people from the cities going up north). If you keep your eyes on the job market and start doing some networking once you get in the city, it might take several months but I would think that something suitable would eventually open up for you there- if not, try a different career route- the nice thing about smaller cities like Duluth is there is less competition for some of the more skilled positions requiring higher levels of education/experience. However, there of course are a lot less of these jobs there, and I would assume there is probably still competition from people in the cities wanting to "live the dream" by moving to duluth area (note- I'm not at all familiar with Dululth's job market and any growth in certain industries, but my impression is that it's definitely not booming with professional level positions; however, a quick search on indeed in your field came up with a fair amount of results: All Account Management Jobs in Duluth, MN | Indeed.com).

[bcgr]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

the nice thing about smaller cities like Duluth is there is less competition for some of the more skilled positions requiring higher levels of education/experience.

I'm not so sure-remember Duluth has a lot of colleges for its size so one has to compete with tons of grads for a few positions.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by bcgr

I'm not so sure-remember Duluth has a lot of colleges for its size so one has to compete with tons of grads for a few positions.

It is a moot point.

The OP was looking at "Account Management / Sales". Generally, the real emphasis is on the Sales side. They are called "Account Managers" because it sounds more professional and they do manage the account but get paid partially off of commission. If they don't get commission, then they manage the account of a sales rep and are paid to coordinate the job (like in printing) and are chained to a desk.

splizzle. If you are in outside sales or inside sales??I'd try to figure out a way to live in Duluth. Lot's of companies have reps going "North" but they seldom do a good enough job covering the territory. Hence, there are several Twin City offices that have Account Managers living in Northern MN.

So the question is, what industry are you currently in??? If there are a suitable amount of accounts in Northern MN, then working out of a home office would be ideal even though you would be applying for a job in the Cities. IMHO, that is the ideal situation as you make connections in Cities and work out of Duluth. Oh, $350K in Duluth will buy you a very nice home.

But scrap that commute idea... That is a crazy (as you will see when you do the drive).

[demtion35]

Even if you did move (Moose Lake) example and had to be at work at 7a.m. in the cities (along with a whole lot of other people) they are all going into the city and the rush hour traffic would be a nightmare youd have to leave at 4 a.m. just to commute?? No thanks!! Then the rush hour traffic after work leaving the city No thanks!!
Hands down without a doubt move to Duluth. You like the outdoors but where is there outdoors in the metro? Also dont forget Duluth is the destination and further north of all or most of the cities people for vacations anyways. Here you are a short drive from SNF and the BWCAW. In my opinion there is WAY more to do in Duluth than the metro area. Without question! SHT runs through the city and continues to the border, you can hike and camp along the trail beings you like camping. NOt to mention all the State Parks in Northern MN. along the Northshore. Lake Superior is great for surfing and windsailing in Jan, - Feb and even March storms. The winters up here are fantasic with the many rivers and smaller systems freeze up and its opened instantly for snowshoeing. Let me tell you that snowshoeing opens up a whole new world when done on the frozen Knife River or Lester River to name a few. Do you like fishing? Guaranteed a short drive north up hwy. 4 is Fish Lake, Boulder lake, and Island Lake to name a few, and on these lakes there are also canoe accessible campsites so you can camp here also to spend the weekend. You wont find this type of solitude in the metro area as you can in the Duluth area. Do you like cross country skiing? The whole area is famous for its xcntry. ski trails. Ammity creek, Lester River Park, Pedmont trail systems just to name a few. How about mtn. biking? There are the COGGS Trails for starters and just in Superior Wsc. (over the river) there are other great trails also. We cant forget Hwy. 61, the Gateway to the north. Goosebery Falls St. Park, (next to Itasca State Park) this is my all time favorite. Do you like rock climbing above and old RR Tunnel? Elys Peak Climbers Area Trailhead is just a short drive away. What about hunting for agates? We have the famous Lake Superior Agates can also be found in gravel pits (with the needed permission of course). So many State and National Forests are so close to the area. Hawks Ridge in the fall folks gather for the annual hawk migration and watch and count the hawks as they mass and prepare to cross Lake Superior as they have had this route for ages. An event not to be missed on a cool fall morning. There is the Maritime History Museim which is free admission and will be able to learn all about famous Lake Superior and its many shipwrecks over the years. To witness the fury of The Lake in a winter strom with windchills in the -30 - 50 below F. is an event shared with houndreds of other Duluthians and visitors. Gale Force winds that crash over the Top of the Lighthouse totally flooding over the gated peir is something I wont ever forget. In the shipping season the Lift Bridge is in full operation allowing ships from all over to enter the Harbors. The area and all around are full of geocaches waiting for the gps. to lead the way to hidden treasures. Remote places that only a few may know about, hidden away for the view at sunset and the storm clouds approaching in the distance from 50 miles away across the waters of Lake Superior with its lighting shows lighting the skies. Remote wilderness camping in the BWCAW an vast area set aside in Norther MN. for the canoeing spirit that so many have. Hey if you drive through Ely in the summer time with out a canoe on top then you will stand out a bit. LOL . Ely MN. Famous for its art, its shops its closeness to the wild. Hiking trails abound in the BW some of them are The Kek Trail, the PowWow Trail, SHT. and the Border Trails. The hightes point in Mn. also has fantastic hiking trails also in northern sections. There is Gunflint Trail which rides on for 55 miles ending at Trails End a fantastic campground on the edge of the BWCAW. The Gunflint offers many hikes and Entry Points into the BW wilderness, and beyound. Ten years ago 7/4/99 a great stome hit and millions of trees were felled and great damage was done in and around the BWCAW. Campers were stranded and some injured in its wake. It was a massive strom blocking the Gunflint trail and causing the waters of Gooseberry Falls to rise over the banks. Many of the stories of surviors and cleanup crews can be read in "Our Wounded Wilderness" by Jim Cordes. Tower Sedan mine pit is a tour that will take you on a elevater several miles below the surface of the earth showing how mining was once done. SO intresting. International Wolf Center and the International Bear center is located in Ely. Fantastic a must see. I have lived in Norther Mn. my entire life and have seen 40+ years of winter. I cannot for now imagine living anywhere else.
Thanks