Two "E"'s (Minneapolis, Duluth: home, live, vacation)

[calicocutie]

What can anyone tell me about Excelsior and Ely? What's the weather like? Are they safe, friendly towns? I wonder if anyone has pictures of either of these towns. Would love to see some. Is there a hospital nearby-one with a Veterans clinic? I assume there are opportunities for volunteering- we do that where we live now and that has become important to us. Look forward to hearing from some of you.

[JenLee]

Well, they are as opposite as 2 towns can get! Ely is in Northern MN and Excelsior is a suburb of Mpls!

So I'm wondering if you have the right names of the 2 towns: there are also towns named Edina, Eden Prairie, Eveleth, and many more towns that start with "E" here.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by calicocutie

What can anyone tell me about Excelsior and Ely? What's the weather like? Are they safe, friendly towns? I wonder if anyone has pictures of either of these towns. Would love to see some. Is there a hospital nearby-one with a Veterans clinic? I assume there are opportunities for volunteering- we do that where we live now and that has become important to us. Look forward to hearing from some of you.

What a strange combination of cities.

Ely is a small, geographically isolated town located in the far north of Minnesota - the REALLY far north. Like even farther north than the Iron Range. About 2 hours straight up from Duluth. The most visible industry their is tourism, outfitting all the visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area next door. The city is rather left-leaning, having passed an anti-Iraq war resolution around 2003 (which I believe was rescinded). As for the weather, it's rather comfortable in the summer, 70's, and very cold during the winter.
I don't know much about Excelsior other than that it is a Twin Cities suburb. I believe it's a wealthier one.

[Jaxx99]

Excelsior is a village on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Unlike your typical suburb, it is about 150 years old with a real main street and only 2500 residents. Real nice area, but home values are spendy. Popular retirement area, with the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis only 20-25 minutes away.

There is a picture on the website.... Excelsior, MN -- Welcome to our website!

Real nice town, but I too am curious about this seemingly random combo of towns.

[calicocutie]

The reason I picked those two towns is because I'm reading a fiction mystery book which takes place in Excelsior MN. I looked on an atlas and saw the town does exists so I was curious if what I'm reading about Excelsior is true. Most fiction stories don't even mention real towns-they use made up names so I was rather surprised to find one that didn't. As for Ely, had friends who went there on vacation and said it seemed like a nice place to retire to. They were there this summer so I couldn't get a feel for winter weather and the like. I know the initial request probably seemed a little odd but those are my reasons. : o

[Jaxx99]

Both Excelsior and Ely are unique places. I go to Excelsior often and like its charm and history.