Retiring to MN from WI: Best Small Towns to Live (Minneapolis: universities, property taxes)

[WisconsinAlumni75]

Hello, Minnesotans!

This is your neighbor interested in retiring to MN. Although MN isn't exactly a retiree's haven, its property taxes are better than WI and I do not want to move too far away or down to hot, humid South.

I am looking for charming small to medium-sized towns with a population of 10,000 to 30,000. Friendly, vibrant Downtown welcoming to outsiders with local businesses and cafes and good hospital along with beautiful scenery and water recreation (river or lake for fishing with walkable park nearby) is a must. I prefer the location not to be too close to regional/metro areas, such as the Twin Cities, Duluth, or Mankato. It would be awesome if it's near small colleges and universities.

Here is my list of choices below. I appreciate any comments you may have about these towns.

Hibbing
Bemidji
Fergus Falls
Brainerd

Marshall
Willmar
Hutchinson
Waconia
New Ulm
Saint Peter

Red Wing
Northfield
Faribault
Owatonna

Worthington
Fairmont
Albert Lea
Austin
Winona

[fromupthere]

I would suggest Grand Rapids over Hibbing. Grand Rapids is a great small town that has everything you need. It grows greatly in the summer because of all the people with cabins in the area, but it still such a great town. Only about 9000 people, lots of very small towns around too. I also love Northfield. I've only been there a couple of times, but thought it was such a charming place. I like St. Peter but have only been there once about 12 years ago. Red Wing is another charming small town. I didn't like it as much as Northfield, but there was still something about it I liked. Winona is nice. It's been a while since I've been to some of the others. I personally would not choose Austin or Albert Lea. I've lived in Hibbing and would not move back. Bemidji seems nice - but again it's been about almost a decade since I was there. I'm undecided on Owatonna. I've been there several times, but just not sure what I think. Some of the others I've never been to or haven't been to since I was a kid so my memories of them are fuzzy and useless for this topic.

[Green Onions]

Originally Posted by WisconsinAlumni75

Hello, Minnesotans!

This is your neighbor interested in retiring to MN. Although MN isn't exactly a retiree's haven, its property taxes are better than WI and I do not want to move too far away or down to hot, humid South.

I am looking for charming small to medium-sized towns with a population of 10,000 to 30,000. Friendly, vibrant Downtown welcoming to outsiders with local businesses and cafes and good hospital along with beautiful scenery and water recreation (river or lake for fishing with walkable park nearby) is a must. I prefer the location not to be too close to regional/metro areas, such as the Twin Cities, Duluth, or Mankato. It would be awesome if it's near small colleges and universities.

Here is my list of choices below. I appreciate any comments you may have about these towns.

Hibbing
Bemidji
Fergus Falls
Brainerd

Marshall
Willmar
Hutchinson
Waconia
New Ulm
Saint Peter

Red Wing
Northfield
Faribault
Owatonna

Worthington
Fairmont
Albert Lea
Austin
Winona

Northfield:
20,000 people
Vibrant downtown, which has changed nicely with the times as much of the utilitarian shopping has moved to Target and other stores along the highway south of downtown, while boutiques and other casual shopping places have flourished downtown
Several eclectic bars/cafes/coffee shops, some right on the river with patio dining/drinking
Good hospital
Fishing -- well, you *can* fish in the Cannon River (know some good carp recipes?) ... but for lakes you'll have to head about a dozen miles west, as Northfield is just inside the Driftless Area, which is mostly lake-free
Carleton college has a beautiful arboretum of both upland oak savannah and river lowlands, with over 10 miles of trails (St. Olaf college on the west side of town also has some nice trails, mostly in recently-restored prairie)
By the way, both campuses are beautiful and make themselves very nice assets to the community (some free film showings, musical performances, the college libraries, etc.)
Downtown Northfield to Burnsville (I-35) or Apple Valley (Cedar Avenue) is 30 minutes; downtown Minneapolis is 45 minutes away

[golfgal]

Bemidji, Brainerd and Fergus Falls will match the most items on your list and since water recreation is a must, the closest matches. Hutchinson is another good option. Waconia is lovely but probably too close to the metro for you.

Albert Lea might work as well. Red Wing is also good if you are ok with a river vs a lake.

Willmar is a bit of an unknown for many "lake" people. It's a great option too.

Marshall, New Ulm, St. Peter are great places to live but water recreation is limited, available, but not as convenient as your other options. Yes, there is a river that runs through New Ulm and St. Peter but they aren't navigable really.

One I would add to your list would be Waseca.

Bemidji is the "big town" around there so it might be more of what you are looking for, same with Willmar and Fergus.

[WisconsinAlumni75]

Originally Posted by Green Onions

Northfield:
20,000 people
Vibrant downtown, which has changed nicely with the times as much of the utilitarian shopping has moved to Target and other stores along the highway south of downtown, while boutiques and other casual shopping places have flourished downtown
Several eclectic bars/cafes/coffee shops, some right on the river with patio dining/drinking
Good hospital
Fishing -- well, you *can* fish in the Cannon River (know some good carp recipes?) ... but for lakes you'll have to head about a dozen miles west, as Northfield is just inside the Driftless Area, which is mostly lake-free
Carleton college has a beautiful arboretum of both upland oak savannah and river lowlands, with over 10 miles of trails (St. Olaf college on the west side of town also has some nice trails, mostly in recently-restored prairie)
By the way, both campuses are beautiful and make themselves very nice assets to the community (some free film showings, musical performances, the college libraries, etc.)
Downtown Northfield to Burnsville (I-35) or Apple Valley (Cedar Avenue) is 30 minutes; downtown Minneapolis is 45 minutes away

Northfield sounds very appealing. Being only 45 minutes away from downtowns of the Twin Cities isn't too bad either. I could compromise if it isn't too far from the Cities by almost an hour or more.

FYI, I do have my own carp recipes I learned from the best cooker in the world, my wife who passed away two years ago.

How is Faribault compared to Northfield? I know both are in Rice County with Faribault (county seat) being the largest. It is nice that Faribault has Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf because I know sign language and I can always volunteer there.

[WisconsinAlumni75]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Bemidji, Brainerd and Fergus Falls will match the most items on your list and since water recreation is a must, the closest matches. Hutchinson is another good option. Waconia is lovely but probably too close to the metro for you.

Albert Lea might work as well. Red Wing is also good if you are ok with a river vs a lake.

Willmar is a bit of an unknown for many "lake" people. It's a great option too.

Marshall, New Ulm, St. Peter are great places to live but water recreation is limited, available, but not as convenient as your other options. Yes, there is a river that runs through New Ulm and St. Peter but they aren't navigable really.

One I would add to your list would be Waseca.

Bemidji is the "big town" around there so it might be more of what you are looking for, same with Willmar and Fergus.

Thank you for your comments and a suggestion to check out Waseca, Golfgal!

The only parts of Minnesota I have visited are the Twin Cities and St. Cloud so I have limited knowledge about the rest of the state. My concern about Albert Lea and other ones in the southern portion might resemble the corn country of Northern Iowa with limited water recreation more than they do MN. Is that true or not?

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by WisconsinAlumni75

Thank you for your comments and a suggestion to check out Waseca, Golfgal!

The only parts of Minnesota I have visited are the Twin Cities and St. Cloud so I have limited knowledge about the rest of the state. My concern about Albert Lea and other ones in the southern portion might resemble the corn country of Northern Iowa with limited water recreation more than they do MN. Is that true or not?

There is a huge lake in Albert Lea and that is why I suggested that town. Yes, the rest of the are is pretty flat.

I would suggest NOT looking at Northfield. There just isn't the water sports like you want there. Again, yes, it is on a river but not one where you can boat, swim, etc. It's a lovely town but probably not what you are looking for. If you want more scenic, northern WI type areas, any of the smaller towns around Brainerd, Alexandria or Willmar will probably be more of what you are looking for.

[redwolf fan]

I would add Alexandria to your list.

Good location ( I-94) and numerous lakes.

[1stpontiac]

I grew up not too far away from Fergus Falls, and I was never that big of a fan of it. It always seemed pretty quiet and empty to me, with a lot of empty storefronts, and of course the mall was pretty close to a ghost-town as well. Personally, I liked Alexandria a little better, for having a nicer collection of stores in their downtown, but I haven't been to either all that recently.

Brainerd and Bemidji are both beautiful areas as well.

[shotz90s]

Fergus would be my choice for retirement. 1stpontiac is right that it is quiet but thats what you want in retirement. There is plenty of fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. I lived in Alex for a few years too and in the summer its a damn rat race. The traffic will stink, the restaurants are always booked w/ out of towners (not that they are bad, its just hard to get a seat) and the lakes are PACKED. Good luck getting any sort of fishing in. The a lot of smaller lakes to choose from around Fergus as well as the Ottertail river. The new river walk I hear is nice, there is a CC in town, and its only an hour to Fargo. Truthfully, its an undiscovered gem on the west side of the state. The downtown is sort of lackluster but the Viking Cafe is to die for! Good luck in your choice no matter what it be.