Cook or Tower (Duluth, Ely: ski resort, for sale, oceanfront)

[Kizziebird]

Anyone have any insight about Cook or Tower Minnesota? We are thinking of purchasing property there. How far is it from Ely? Are there any jobs that would keep us in the middle class range-or would we be living off the land?

[MidniteBreeze]

Well, I can tell you that Tower holds the honor for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Minnesota. Are you ready??
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60 below! That is actual temperature, NOT windchill!

[Kizziebird]

As long as I have my quilts and cookstove-absolutely! I grew up in an almost uninsulated farmhouse, had to wear mittens when I did my homework! I was responsible for getting the wood stoves going before my parents got home so the house would be fairly warm.

[Kizziebird]

I recently was able to visit Ely, which I enjoyed immensely! My husband is a Native American artist and dreams of having his own small gallery. We looked at a few commercial buildings for sale and are wondering if the business turnover there is high? Seemed like there were quite a few buildings for sale. Sure was a cute town though, and surrounding areas are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Property prices are so low up there, I am guessing it is because the economy is significantly lower than down here in the cities?

[MidniteBreeze]

Ely is kind of an artsy, liberalish, enviornmentally conscious oasis in the northwoods. Property prices are certainly lower than in the cities and elsewhere, but are relatively expensive for the area due to a lot of wealthier folks buying up the lakefront properties. (There are actually several celebrities who own homes up there....it's a real bargain for them compared to the prices of oceanfront or rocky mountain ski resort property!)

The local economy mostly consists of tourism-based operations...resorts, Boundary Waters Canoe Area outfitters, etc. Other "major" employers are mostly in the public sector, i.e., the local community college, government agencies such as the forest service and the DNR...that sort of thing.

I'm no business expert by any means, but I think something like a Native American art gallery might be a reasonable business risk. The Ely area attracts a lot of upscale tourists and "summer" residents (along with the outdoor adventure types), so I would imagine there might be a future there for that sort of thing...people looking to decorate their "cabins" with local art, etc.

That sure does sound like a wonderful way to make a living though...and since you're not scared off by the cold, all the better

Hopefully someone else can give you more specifics of the actual business climate than I can, but I sure do wish you luck!

[Kizziebird]

Yes, I did notice that the acreage and the lake properties were pretty spendy in Ely, that's why I started checking out other nearby areas such as Cook. You are right about it being Artsy and attracting the rich. All the more reason to have a gallery eh? Who knows, maybe that's not even where God wants us-and just where we want to be! Thanks for the info., it was very helpful! This is a great site.

[karib]

Can anyone tell me what Railroad runs through Cook and how frequent trains run? I cannot find it on line other than that it is the Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific Railway Co. I cannot find a website for them. We are looking at a property that looks like the tracks run through the back of the property and want to know if it will be an issue. Thanks!

[mudmuffin]

kizzie, hope you've been watching the temps in that area. Embarass, down the road from Tower was -30 and in the next few days I'm sure it will be colder.

MidniteBreeze, sure hope you're staying warm.

[mudmuffin]

karib, DWP is a subsidiary of Canadian Northern and links Chicago to Winnipeg.

[MidniteBreeze]

mudmuffin,

Thanks Yep, it's about -20 outside right now, but I'm nice and cozy inside with my hot coffee and fuzzy slippers!