Congratulations on the job opportunity in Duluth!
With the price range you listed, it sounds like most houses you'll be looking at are most likely going to be in the eastern neighborhoods of Duluth. Most of Duluth is relatively safe, but as with most cities, there are areas you're going to want to stay away from. Usually any neighborhood in East End (Woodland, Lakeside, Congdon, Chester Park) are a safe bet and I wouldn't have any problem walking those areas at all hours. Generally, you'll want to stay away from Central Hillside and in my opinion, most of East Hillside (basically anything before 19th Ave East can be a bit hairy at certain streets). I'm not nearly as familiar with West Duluth neighborhoods, but there are plenty of safe areas there as well. On the west side of the city, I would stay away from (at least living in) lower Lincoln Park.
Schools are a bit of a hot issue right now in Duluth. The school district (ISD 709) has been going through a huge renovation and restructuring plan. Whatever elementary school your kids end up going to, it will either be brand new or freshly remodeled. The same goes for middle and high school.
Driving in this city is both good and bad. Traffic is relatively light (except in certain touristy areas, such as Canal Park or downtown Superior St) and since I35 runs straight through the city, it's very easy to just hop on it and get to any other area (length wise). On the other hand, roads have always been a problem in Duluth and no matter where you choose to live, you will encounter some terrible streets. Very recently the city has started rectifying this problem, so things are improving. In my 22 years here I never seen this much road construction. Most major thoroughfares are being or have been redone. Even a few neighborhoods (especially Lakeside) have been getting brand new neighborhood streets.
Small town feel is a bit tricky for me, and it really depends on where you choose to live. While Duluth
is a small city (population of 86,000), the city's physical size (second largest in MN) and the larger buildings downtown can sometimes throw people off. Areas of East Hillside lack that feeling of community that people associate with the "small town feel". The same goes for areas of Woodland around UMD. This is mostly due to the city's large college population. Neighborhoods like Lakeside and upper Woodland both feel like a town within a town and have most of your essentials within their limits, thus creating that small town feel.
Duluth's strongest point is probably the amount of parks we have within city limits. No matter what part of the city you choose and what neighborhood, you will have a park or a trail system close by. Check out the city's official trail/park listing here:
City of Duluth Hiking Trails. Whether you're into hiking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, downhill skiing or any number of other activities, you'll have no problem finding a place to do it, and probably in your neighborhood.
For a full listing and overview of neighborhoods, check out this site:
Neighborhoods in Duluth, MN | The DuSu. Lots of good information there.
Duluth has its' challenges, but usually the greatest barrier to living here is finding a job. You've already got the hard part done.
Have your ever visited here? Where are you moving from? Are you used to the cold weather of northern Minnesota?
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
Duluth
Linear Mode
