Comments on Worthington ? (Marshall, Fairmont, Montevideo: real estate, crime rates, new house)

[Dave/Jill]

We might be moving to SW Minnesota, looking into the Worthington area. Any comments on the area would be helpful. Thanks.

[golfgal]

Personally, I would run far away from Worthington. They are having serious financial issues in their schools and if their referendum doesn't pass this fall, and it doesn't sound good, the town is going to struggle in a big way, housing market isn't going to be good, etc. If you want SW MN, Marshall would be your best choice in the area. The town is prosperous, well supported by the business community, has several major employers, good schools, brand new high school, Southwest MN University is there. Marshall has a considerable amount more going for it then Worthington.

We have good friends that live in Worthington and while they like it there NOW, they are probably moving in a year because of the financial issues and other things going on in town. They are not alone in that either.

[swanee]

I personally would not move to Worthington, as there are now too many people who live there who don't speak English. I have nothing against them, I just don't like not being able to understand what is being said when I am out shopping, in a restaurant, etc. I don't know how the schools are, I know there are a lot of foreign (Laotian, Mexican, etc.) kids there now because of the meat packing plant, but they are learning English as a second language. It is a nice town though, has a college and a lake. I know of one couple who is in the process of moving because the people who lived next to them were going into their house and stealing their stuff. And if the school referendum does not pass this year (which will raise the real estate taxes if it does pass), they are going to be in major trouble. They have already cut a lot of school programs. There are other towns around there (it is located on the Interstate for easy access to work if that is where your job is), and it would be an easy commute from another town along the Interstate. Luverne is a nice town that has an up to date school and is 30 miles away, and it is only 25 miles from Sioux Falls, SD, for shopping and doctoring when necessary. I guess it all depends on why you are moving and how far you want to drive to work. You may like Worthington, you may not. I would advise you to go visit the town to see what they have to offer. There is also Adrian, a smaller town, and Jackson, which has a vocational school, (along with other towns) along the Interstate.

[Kevin1169]

I grew up in Worthington, and have some family members still in the area. I get back there about 1-2 times a year. 80% of my family has sinced moved away, and the remaining 20% aren't happy with the situation.

Since the local Swift plant doubled their size in the early 1990s, the immigrant population has swelled in Worthington. As of the last census, there are approximately 30% minorities (primarily Latino) in Worthington. The average income level of the population has also dropped which has defeated the population increase benefits to local business owners. Gang-related (Latin Kings, MS-13, etc.) is now a part of the local scene, and drugs are more prevalent than ever. Crime rates rival those of major cities.

I also would be concerned with schooling. Considering that metal detectors were installed at the Jr. High and High School...in a town of 10,000...I'd be concerned for my kids. If you decide to move to Worthington, do your homework. There are some benefits, but to me the negatives outweigh the positives.

[usmc]

Worthington gets a bad rap because of it's diversity -- the crime index (actual crime rate) is lower than Fairmont and Marshall you can verify this on the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension website by searching Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). The school referendum passed and the sky is no longer falling, almost every school district has had to pass a referendum in the past 10 years -- so Worthington isn't unique in that area. The schools have an excellent curriculum with academics, athletics and the arts. If you have children there are plenty of opportunities for them to choose from in the school system. Economic development is the number one priortiy of this area -- we are a leader in bioscience with Newport Labs and Intervet located in the city. We are a regional hub with an up-to-date airport, great fishing and hunting and a JOBZ zone to boost economic development. MN West Community and Technical College is headquartered here and has just finished a renovation and add-on project -- the college has great two-year programs in nursing and law enforcement to name a couple and southwestern Minnesota offers great opportunites in health care for graduates. All in all we have a great community that has to struggle with narrow-minded views of people who don't live or work here and are willing to point a finger of disgust in our direction -- my kids are all graduates from Worthington High School and they have had no problems in adjusting to life as adults. Come to Worthington and really see what it's like -- I think you'll be impressed. Oh yes, no one else mentioned the lake or that we will be building a new YMCA, must have slipped their minds while they were running away.

[swanee]

Originally Posted by swanee

It is a nice town though, has a college and a lake.

I guess you didn't read my post very carefully, I mentioned the lake and the college. You only read the bad, it seems.

[alliexdork]

Originally Posted by Kevin1169

I grew up in Worthington, and have some family members still in the area. I get back there about 1-2 times a year. 80% of my family has sinced moved away, and the remaining 20% aren't happy with the situation.

Since the local Swift plant doubled their size in the early 1990s, the immigrant population has swelled in Worthington. As of the last census, there are approximately 30% minorities (primarily Latino) in Worthington. The average income level of the population has also dropped which has defeated the population increase benefits to local business owners. Gang-related (Latin Kings, MS-13, etc.) is now a part of the local scene, and drugs are more prevalent than ever. Crime rates rival those of major cities.

I also would be concerned with schooling. Considering that metal detectors were installed at the Jr. High and High School...in a town of 10,000...I'd be concerned for my kids. If you decide to move to Worthington, do your homework. There are some benefits, but to me the negatives outweigh the positives.

Being a Worthington High School senior I can say we have no metal detectors in any of our schools and jus last year we had cameras installed (they're fake though).
And about the crime rates and all of that, you can safely walk through Worthington at 3 in the morning and the only thing you have to worry about is curious cops following you (they don't have much else to do). We did have a shooting in the trailors and it was a HUGE scandal that was in the papers for weeks, even though the one person that was shot was only in the hospital for a day or two. But most of the "gangs" are young guys that really just sit at home and smoke weed.. honestly nothing to worry about.
We have good places to eat like Ground Round, Perkins, and two steak houses (Micheals & Cole's). Also we have some authentic mexican food places.. a really good one is El Azteca. A couple of good authentic asian food places like King Wok and Panda House.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by alliexdork

Being a Worthington High School senior I can say we have no metal detectors in any of our schools and jus last year we had cameras installed (they're fake though).
And about the crime rates and all of that, you can safely walk through Worthington at 3 in the morning and the only thing you have to worry about is curious cops following you (they don't have much else to do). We did have a shooting in the trailors and it was a HUGE scandal that was in the papers for weeks, even though the one person that was shot was only in the hospital for a day or two. But most of the "gangs" are young guys that really just sit at home and smoke weed.. honestly nothing to worry about.
We have good places to eat like Ground Round, Perkins, and two steak houses (Micheals & Cole's). Also we have some authentic mexican food places.. a really good one is El Azteca. A couple of good authentic asian food places like King Wok and Panda House.

El Azteca has GREAT food!

[Isaysos]

I would deffinatly choose Marshall if your going to SW Minnesota. It is the employment, retail, and educational hub of the area. Although it is slightly larger then Worthington, it has many differnt ethnic groups and is noticably more kept up than Worthington. They have a brand new high school that rivals many schools in the suburban twin cities, a large new YMCA, nice restaruants, a newly expanded airport with commercial flights, 2 lovely golf courses, and many large, high paying employeers, (some of which can never seem to hire enough people). The town is constantly growing at a steady rate because of its diverse economy, (not just because the meat plant keeps expanding like in Worthington). Marshall seems to be alot more progressive than Worthington in many ways. I lived in Marshall for a few years and would deffinatly want to move back to raise a family. Those are just some of the things I can think of from my observations. I never lived in Worthington, so im probably missing a few ammenities that it possesses, but regardless in the area Marshall is viewed much more livable than Worthington and other cities in Southern Minnesota.

[derrick_debaere9009]

Montevideo is also a nice place i just moved here not too long ago and its a nice small town and is growning there is alot of different people here and u could find an older house, new house or build your own here there isnt much to do here but we are building a new superwalmart and other businesses r coming soon and we are also putting a huge addition on the hospital now and for employment there are various different employers here