Where to locate...????????????

[DustinSimmonds]

I think Little Falls its somewhere around 8,500 right now but its supposed to reach around 14000 by 2020 so its growing pretty quick it dosen't have any colleges but its right between St. Cloud ( in my opinion St. Cloud is a very over rated town i used to live there trust me) and Brainered (nice town another good choice) the hospital in Little Falls just recently expanded and the economy is doing very well alot of jobs are coming to the area so the there are jobs avalible in the area so you don't need to commute far ... the city is also annexing about 800 acres to the west by 2013 so if you want to build you could probably build that way there are also really nice houses along the river to the north and south

[roneb]

I'd go with Duluth. So far the only legitimate negative given has been weather; but in reality it isn't much different than the rest of the state. One person commented on traffic, but Duluth really doesn't have any traffic issues. Traffic is light and commutes are easy. Another poster mentioned a child in private school. It could be that they had their high schooler enrolled at Marshall - the only private college prep school in the state (at least that's what I saw on a web page - I believe it was ****.com). In that case it a testament to Marshall and not a knock on the local schools, which have a very good reputation, despite a budget crisis right now. If you're into the outdoors and scenery, no place else in the state can touch Duluth. Actually, few places in the nation can! That's why it's been picked as one of the best places to live by Outside Magazine twice in the last three years!

[taw1955]

I lived in St. Cloud for 10 years. I will always love Saint Cloud. Their are not many jobs and its a college town. College kids need jobs. The winters are cold but rental housing is alot cheaper but then so are the wages. Its sort of a mixed bag of comments but I have been trying to get back their to live for 18 years.

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by roneb

I'd go with Duluth. So far the only legitimate negative given has been weather; but in reality it isn't much different than the rest of the state. One person commented on traffic, but Duluth really doesn't have any traffic issues. Traffic is light and commutes are easy. Another poster mentioned a child in private school. It could be that they had their high schooler enrolled at Marshall - the only private college prep school in the state (at least that's what I saw on a web page - I believe it was ******). In that case it a testament to Marshall and not a knock on the local schools, which have a very good reputation, despite a budget crisis right now. If you're into the outdoors and scenery, no place else in the state can touch Duluth. Actually, few places in the nation can! That's why it's been picked as one of the best places to live by Outside Magazine twice in the last three years!

I would also second Duluth. I am biased as I live there, but my wife and I chose to live in Duluth and moved from Seattle. We both love it here and both found good paying jobs. If you want a great college town, with lots of outdoor activities, lots to do- Duluth is a great city.

The weather stays a bit cooler and snowier a bit longer, but the summers and fall are fantastic. I never understood why the rest of the state thinks the weather is any worse here than elsewhere in Minnesota. Believe me, I have travelled in every season to the four corners of Minnesota playing hockey and it can be bad all over. Especially Western Minnesota in the winter0nothing to block the wind!

Never camp near St. Cloud. Horrible with terrible deer flies and humidity.

[GipsyHeart]

For a sall

[GipsyHeart]

For a small college town you should look at Crockston, MN it is the house of the University of Minnesota in Crockston. You will really have no traffic issues here...

[joby]

We are relocating from Chicago to Minnesota.I have no clue about the place.The job is in downtown Minneapolis.Kids 10 and 7,which school dist is the best for them?The median house price,and commute are all we are looking for.If some one could advice.Thank you.

[kg1701d]

I'd take a look at St Cloud. Its close to the Twin Cities, with 94 and 10 and also within 15 years or so the Northstar rail will probably be expanded north (doubters: look at the success of the Hiawatha line). Its a nice town, growing economy, property values haven't dropped, diverse economy (medical, higher education, software, manufacturing, even some finance, shopping). Its close to the Brainerd area which is great for lakes and outdoors but still a little small townish. Will always have a soft spot for that city even living in Chicago.

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by kg1701d

I'd take a look at St Cloud. Its close to the Twin Cities, with 94 and 10 and also within 15 years or so the Northstar rail will probably be expanded north (doubters: look at the success of the Hiawatha line). Its a nice town, growing economy, property values haven't dropped, diverse economy (medical, higher education, software, manufacturing, even some finance, shopping). Its close to the Brainerd area which is great for lakes and outdoors but still a little small townish. Will always have a soft spot for that city even living in Chicago.

How long have you been away kg?

I have lived in St Cloud for 19 years. The town has just boomed during that time. With three universities, you should take advantage of the arts and athletics in the area. I am a huge SCSU fan.

The downtown area has been reborn and there will be a huge project connecting the South end of the university with lofts and retail. They will be expanding the civic center and they are building a monstrous library. ING Bank just built a new office building downtown and they have 400 employees.

If you want the convenience of St Cloud but you want to get small town, look at Sauk Rapids and Sartell. Both cities border St Cloud and they are exploding at the seams. Sartell would be the more upscale.

I also like the fact that I can make it to downtown Mpls in an hour. When light rail comes to St Cloud, I will definitely be using it.