Commute from N. Rochester to Lake City? (Minneapolis: amusement park, good schools)

[HanaMandamom]

Does anyone have any insight on the commute time or trouble commuting to and from Lake City from Rochester? Possible job prospect in Lake City but don't want to live in a small town. Also, is Rochester a nice city to live in? Plenty of good restaurants, good schools, things to do for family, shopping (Old Navy?), safety, etc. I wouldn't mind living in a town between the two as long as it was a decent size and not too far from the "big city". Any help would be great.

[tmlyons710]

Rochester is a pretty good sized city. There are tons of places to eat, tons to do, and yes, great shopping, including Old Navy. The commute from N. Rochester to Lake City would probably take about an hour when the roads are clear. Occasionally a big snow storm will close 63 but the road crews are usually very quick about getting things cleaned up when that happens.

[HanaMandamom]

Thanks for your input. That commute may be too long if we wind up there. We may also have a prospect near the twin cities too, we shall see. Thanks again.

[Camden Northsider]

HanaMandamom- you're killing me, have you ever been to Lake City??? It's one of the most beautiful places in Minnesota if not the Midwest IMHO. I live in Minneapolis proper and love living in the City as well, but if ever offered the prospect of getting to live and work in Lake City I would jump all over it.

I'm sure you're already aware of this/ have at least seen the pictures, but Lake City is on the shores of Lake Pepin, which is one of the most beautiful lakes in MN and is surrounded by bluffs on all sides...a lot of city-folks go there to camp/ boat/ vacation in the summer so there are a lot of good restaurants in town and I would assume a fair amount of cultural activities there as well.

[HanaMandamom]

I have never been to MN at all. From what I have seen Lake City looks beautiful but beauty can only get you so far. I live in a gorgeous setting now with a beautiful mountain and valley view but the town is too small, 6000 or so, with everything of interest (and that is minimal) over an hour away.

Having grown up in Seattle and a large outer suburban ring, I long for stuff to be closer. A zoo, aquarium, amusement park, water park etc. for my family...home improvement stores nearby (driving over an hour to Lowes 2 days in a row because of a missing part - not fun!) it's just a pain being in the sticks. I would love a view again but it may have to be a lesser one this time. Thank you for your input, I appreciate it all.

[Camden Northsider]

Good luck, that is kind of a tough position that the offer is in Lake City then - I would say that stretch of highway that Lake City is on is, despite having a lot of population in the area, probably one of the longer stretches in the area in which to get to a decent sized town with the amenities that you mentioned.