St. Cloud and Mankato

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by midwestmom

It's great to hear the roads are cleared so well, I've had my fair share of close calls on winter roads so its good to know that it's done well.

I know what you mean about post-college single northstar, I think that's true in a lot of places esp for the non-professional crowd who tend to be married by that age. Not quite a dealbreaker with all the other good things that have been mentioned, but something to keep in mind. I know there isn't a perfect place for all our families ages.

It's seeming more like Mankato covers pretty much everything as far as activities, shopping, etc go. I did check for pictures of St. Cloud and Mankato and the types of houses, neighborhoods look prettier in Mankato.
Of course, that's only a small sampling and doesn't reflect every part of either city. From what you've all wrote, traffic can be dealt with once you know the area.

If you go to Mankato, make sure to take a drive along MN-66 going south from the city. It's gorgeous, especially in the fall. It's reminiscent of the Driftless Area or the Appalachian Mountains with all the trees, cliffs and steep hills.

Radical Car, that does sound like St. Cloud is easy for getting to St. Paul.
Any particular reason you would choose Mankato instead? I may be wrong but Mankato seems denser and St. Cloud more spread out.

In my opinion, the ugliest neighborhood in Mankato is the area along N. Riverfront Drive near all the factories, and even that area has stunning views of the hills and bluffs.

Yes, St. Cloud is more spread out, and it also has more suburbs. Mankato is very dense in the downtown area, and the hills can make for some spectacular views. Plus, it's only about an hour's drive to the Cities, and about 90 minutes to downtown Minneapolis.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by midwestmom

Radical Car, that does sound like St. Cloud is easy for getting to St. Paul.
Any particular reason you would choose Mankato instead? I may be wrong but Mankato seems denser and St. Cloud more spread out.

Mankato is overall (in my opinion) more prettier then St. Cloud, and St. Cloud has more suburbish areas, and it's flat and doesn't have any of the hills or bluffs that mankato has. Getting to the Twin Cities from either city is fairly easy, and there are some beautiful neighborhoods in St. Cloud, such as around the hospital, but I'd say that overall the neighborhoods in Mankato are prettier.

And in St. Cloud there is Division Street, a lot of the shopping, Not all of it, but a lot of it is all off that one street. It does get busy, but once you know the city it is easy to avoid. It still isn't (again, my opinion) that good of a design.

I'll also give the edge to Mankato when it comes to parks and such. St. Cloud does have plenty of nice parks, but Mankato's (my opinion) are, better, for a lack of a better word.

In terms of shopping, St. Cloud is better. I'd say the downtowns are about equal. Colleges, I have no clue. School districts as well, I have no clue. I am a graduate of Tech High School in St. Cloud btw. Sartell( a suburb, sort of, of St. Cloud) have excellent school districts from what I hear, and I've also heard, but don't quote me on this, they don't have open enrollment.

I'll also say getting to the Twin Cities is a teeny bit easier from St. Cloud, mainly because i-94 is right there and you can be on it and hop on down to Minneapolis proper in 75-90 minutes. It's also easy to get on 494 from 94 and head on down to attractions such as the Mall of America, for example.

Also, has nothing to do with the quality of the city, though I've heard it and I've always thought it was true, that Mankato was originally Mahkato and an early spelling error was never corrected so it became Mankato. Now I've heard things that it's just an urban legend. Either way, I like that urban legend, and it adds some mysteriousness(is that a word?) that makes it more interesting(at least for me) Much more interesting then St. Cloud's name

Interesting article about it as well, fun to read.
You say 'Mankato,'

Originally Posted by northstar22

Yes, St. Cloud is more spread out, and it also has more suburbs.

I wouldn't say more Suburbs, Sauk Rapids and Sartell mainly. St. Augusta is small and there isn't nothing there besides a gas station and churches, etc.
Waite Park isn't even really it's own town, you just go down division and it just all of a sudden changes to Waite Park, and if it weren't for the sign, you'd never know.
St. Joseph is a little farther out and I don't count that as a suburb. Cold Spring, Foley, Clearwater, Clear Lake, Kimball, etc. are definitely NOT suburbs, even though, atleast according to wikipedia, to be apart of the St. Cloud metro. Well maybe they are suburbs, I have no clue to be honest as to what criteria you use when to decide what is considered a suburb and what isn't.
St. Cloud metropolitan area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[northstar22]

Mankato doesn't really have any suburbs. Just North Mankato, which is right next door and isn't really suburban, and Skyline, which is just a hilltop subdivision that is incorporated as its own city for some strange reason. You don't have to drive nearly as much to get around the Mankato area, and the Cities are just a quick shot up 169, which leads to 494 or 394. You can get to Mpls. in 70-90 minutes, depending on traffic.

[midwestmom]

Wanted to thank you for all those added details. I'm getting a better picture of both places with such helpful information. Appreciate the highway info too, for when we get up there for a visit. Just need to find out about some other things we need with some phone calls, then a visit.