Where to locate...???????????? (Minneapolis, Duluth, St. Cloud: rental, lofts, houses)

[Speedcat Hollydale]

I noticed that most cities that have been mentioned in your query of possible MN relocation sites have recieved mixed commentary. I have lived in the state for some time, and find that all area's critiqued so far would make for a nice transition with the exception of Duluth. It is colder in the winters, and driving there in poor weather is horrible. Visit Duluth for a nice summer vacation, but skip this one as a possible home.

Hope this is a help, Speedcat Hollydale.

[lallajo]

hello, just wanted to comment on your post. Almost any of the Mississippi River towns are beautiful, but I don't really know how big they are. Stillwater and Winona are beautiful and seem like pretty nice towns. Winona also known for being a party/college town. Lake City is my personal favorite, but I'm pretty sure it's under 10,000. It's beautiful, right on the river, clean, close to Rochester (which is where I plan on moving too in the next year-LUV ROCHESTER!!!-, and lot's of friendly people. St. Cloud has lots of traffic issues and is also known as a party/college town. I haven't been to Mankato in many years, so can't really comment on that. Northfield is pretty nice. The only thing Duluth has going for it is the lake, otherwise it's dirty, especially downtown, and for some reason over the last few years has become a stop off point for homeless people; it also gets pretty cold.

Minnesota is a nice state with great seasons, that are generally pretty distinct. If you're not an outdoorsy type person, you might find the winters to be very long, but snowshoeing or cross-country skiing can be a lot of fun (and great exercise!!). Hope you enjoy it. Welcome to Minnesota!!! =o)

[politikally]

I would add Eau Claire, WI and La Crosse, WI to your list.

Both meet your requirements (colleges included) and both have easier commutes that some of the other cities you are considering (i.e. Duluth). Plus Wisconsin has less taxes than the metro area would.

[RachelThorson]

Wow! Thank you all so much for the replies!

My hubby and I were torn between what seems to be the "main" cities just outside of Minneapolis---St. Cloud, Mankato & Rochester. We also considered Northfield.

Just before Christmas we visted each of those 4 cities. I wont bore you with our thoughts and opinions on each but we decided on Mankato. We found the perfect home and are closing in February. I'm really excited!!!

Thanks for the comments and private messages you guys are great!

Rach

[nsomniac]

Hey I might be moving to St. Cloud, I noticed one user having some real negativity about the city... Anything I should be concerned about? I did notice housing seemed to be a bit high for what it was, but then again I'm coming from a pretty inexpensive city in the midwest to live in... Obviously utilities will be higher, any other things I should know about St. Cloud or living in Minnesota vs. the Kansas/Missouri area of the country?

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by RachelThorson

Hello everyone!
I've read a bunch on here already & have ideas on my family's big (literal) move but I'd like to get one last round of feedback.

Hubby has a job which requires him to live in Minnesota, that's it. It's a great opportunity for us to pick any home town we desire and we want to do it right.

We decided on a few musts:
-No super small town (under 10,000)
-Would like to be within 2 hours from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
-Would like a college town, we've learned that college towns tend to keep the town itself young at heart
-No large town (100,000+)
-No Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs
-Would like no MAJOR traffic issues (some rush traffic is OK)


So far we are seriously considering St. Cloud, Mankato, Northfield, St. Peter & Duluth yet are leaving our options open. We are looking for good schools for our 2 kids, biking trails & other recreation/entertainment options as well. I think all the towns have drawbacks as well as positives, we're trying to weigh everything.

Thanks so much for any feedback!

hugs-n-kisses~looking forward to calling Minnesota home, summer 2007!!!

Rachel

I have lived in Duluth / area since I was 3 (I'm 20 now), so I'll speak from my own experience:

Size: Population 85,000 or so. Nearby cities: Superior, WI (across the bridge), a little under 30k, Cloquet (down the freeway) 12k, Hermantown 8k, Proctor 3k.

Distance to cities: About 2 hours. Cloquet a little shorter.

Traffic: Generally very mild in Duluth. Mall area can kind of be annoying but certainly not "big city" traffic.

College towns: I remember Duluth being ranked as one of the best college towns in the country, but not sure where I heard that. Anyway, there's the University of Minnesota - Duluth with 10,000 students and the College of St. Scholastica with 2,000 right in town. Across the bridge there's the University of Wisconsin - Superior.

[warmweather!]

Have you checked out Winona or Rochester?

[deedee56]

location, location is really the key! Price being the next issue! There are so many things to think about besides location, and price what kind of school are you looking for? Cities vs St Cloud etc will be very different. TAXES on your property, in MN there are outlaying towns with so much to offer the population may be smaller then you want but it might out weigh the benefit. In St Cloud you can find a 3 bdrm {newer} home in a nice area for upper 350,00 1/2 acre lot taxes approx $3500 or go a little further up north 35 miles to Little Falls and you can find 5 bdrm 3-4 bath 3 car gar on the river 7 acres for under $425,000. nice area great schools, super Walmart and the hospital is expanding and hiring 600 people so the city has a lot to offer as well as very affordable living! Good luck

[mnaudis4]

I lived in Golden Valley and Maple Grove. I really loved Golden Valley. less than 10 minutes to downtown and everything you need right in your neighborhood.

[zach182]

I'd definitely live in St. Cloud or Brainerd. Brainerd is expanding like crazy, but might be too far from the cities.
St. Cloud has the college and a small old-school downtown area, as well as an okay mall, parks, etc.
Mankato sucks, to be honest. : )