Alexandria? Crime, Jobs? (Minneapolis, Fergus Falls, Marshall: for sale, apartments, appliances)

[mudmuffin]

For the past several winters we haven't had a lot of snow. Well, the Cities got dumped on last March but no snow like we had when I was growing up here. There are small towns all over the state with low crime. Where are you moving from?

Compared to places like Chicago and Gary the crime rate in the entire state is low. We have housing projects but not like in those cities.

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by mudmuffin

For the past several winters we haven't had a lot of snow. Well, the Cities got dumped on last March but no snow like we had when I was growing up here. There are small towns all over the state with low crime. Where are you moving from?

Compared to places like Chicago and Gary the crime rate in the entire state is low. We have housing projects but not like in those cities.

California...........

[mudmuffin]

Well, that will be different for you.

Other towns to consider are Brainerd/Baxter (also a resort area) but you might find some property in the outer areas that is cheaper. Any of the smaller towns south of Duluth on I-35, you'll be close enough to Duluth if you get bored. According to the last census, Duluth is the third largest city in MN though it doesn't look like it. Bemidji is a nice town and growing fairly fast commercially. They rely somewhat on tourism but not totally. Bemidji also has a problem with racism towards native americans so if you're a minority you may not feel comfortable there. Note that not eveyone in Bemidji feels this way but it's there. If you're looking in SE MN, Winona/Redwing, you'll probably get more snow. You could check out Faribault and Owatonna (south of the metro area on I-35) they have a small town feel but still close enough to the Cities to commute. Any of the towns along or near Hwy 169, Jordan, Le Sueur, St. Peter and Mankato. You will want to stay away from Cass Lake in Northern MN as the crime rate there is too high for the population.

For gas prices in an area you can check out GasBuddy.com

[TornadoAlley]

What part of the state has less tornadoes?

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by absolute

all of the state, the most active is north suburbs and st.peter area

I am looking at the se and sw of that state. Better? Do they get a lot or?

[mudmuffin]

You really shouldn't be that worried about tornadoes. We have an extensive warning system here and you can pretty much tell by the weather when it will happen unlike earthquakes. That said, MN gets less tornadoes than states like Illinois or Missouri, even less than Iowa. The weather system does seem to go around the metro area but that is true of any large metro area. If you really have concerns after you move here talk with some of the area residents, they will surely help you out and also if they know you don't have a clue they will probably keep an eye on you too. Well they'll be keeping an eye on you anyhow seeing as you're from CA.

[mudmuffin]

absolute is correct in stating that SW MN is the middle of nowhere. Basically farm country and no really large towns for miles. I think the only large towns between Austin (Hormel and Spam) and Sioux Falls SD are Worthington and Albert Lea.

[TornadoAlley]

OPPS!. Re=checked. It is SE.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by mudmuffin

absolute is correct in stating that SW MN is the middle of nowhere. Basically farm country and no really large towns for miles. I think the only large towns between Austin (Hormel and Spam) and Sioux Falls SD are Worthington and Albert Lea.

Actually, Marshall is larger and much more prosperous then Worthington. Marshall is a GREAT town if you are looking for a smaller town, 12,000 people. The economy is great there, several large companies for employment, state university, good schools, moderate housing costs, etc.

As far as tornadoes, I have lived in Minnesota for over 40 years and have NEVER experienced a tornado personally. I have never even had to go to our basement for bad weather. I have pretty much lived in the southern part of the state, Twin Cities, Rochester and Marshall.

[DaninEGF]

I work the Natl Weather Service in Grand Forks ND and we serve northwest MN down to the Fergus Falls area and east to Bemidji. Agree with previous posters in that I would not worry about tornadoes. They can occur anywhere, and the chance of you actually seeing or being in a town hit by one is very very small. They are not non-existant however, and certainly want to keep alert when there is a severe threat. Climatology-wise...the south would stand a higher threat than the north...with the northeast part of the state the lowest threat.

As for snow...pretty much all of Minnesota is in the main storm track for winter storms in the winter. Each winter varies greatly, but on average snowfall increases from southwest to northeast across the state with the far south central area like albert lea and austin over to sioux falls receiving "on average" the least. But I always caution, this is on average, and some winters you will have much more snow than others...hence average. Yes the wind does create a problem in the western half of the state, where it is more open. Generally the tree-no tree line runs near a Roseau-Fosston-Detroit Lakes-Fergus Falls-Alexandria-St Cloud-Twin Cities-Rochester line with more praire and open land west of this line and and more wind driven snow than east of there. Up here in the red river valley...wind and blowing snow are the main hazards in reduced visiblity. But these events do not occur for days on end, and certainly we all get around fine during the winter. People just pay attention to the weather and dont venture outside of town in bad wind/blowing snow conditions.

There are many nice small towns in Minnesota. Alex and Fergus Falls are nice towns near resorts and also good for travelling to Fargo or the cities. Rochester is a nice city too with Mayo and IBM big there. Worthington and Marshall near Sioux Falls are nice too, but are in the wind belt.

Basically I would not let weather dictate much on your move. Choose based on the city and job (if you are looking for one).