***Retired looking at Mankato, Rochester or La Crosse/Winona areas (Minneapolis: section 8, apartments)

[folkguitarist555]

Hi there, I'm in the Seattle area, and looking to escape the brutal traffic, soaring high rental costs, and overall high cost of living and crowds. I am looking at Mankato...Rochester or the Winona/La Crosse area. Living within a 20 mile radius in the smaller outlying towns is ok too from any of these 3 places. I am looking for a smaller city with less population obviously. Looking for..

Some decent nature, rolling hills, bluffs, or lakes, rivers..etc.
Bearable winter is ok...not as much snow as places like Buffalo NY and etc..
Pleasant people
Not so horrible traffic
Cheap rents under $600 a month if possible
Looking for a studio or 1 bdrm


thanks that's about it for now...

[Meemur]

I won't comment on the "not much snow" aspect.

Of your three cities, I would recommend Mankato, unless you have ongoing medical problems, in which case pick Rochester because of Mayo Clinic. Rents will be higher there, though. Employment will be somewhat better than the other two cities. I know you're retired, but money doesn't go as far as it did, and you may need a part-time job.

Mankato has some cheaper apartments near the sketchier areas downtown, and even those won't be as bad as Seattle. Just be careful on Friday and Saturday nights. You are also not far from St. Peter, which has a decent food co-op and about and hour and change from the Twin Cities if you need anything that you can't mail order. Note that employment isn't the best: college students tend to snatch up the minimum wage stuff.

La Crosse seemed to have a higher crime rate than reported due to vets (and others) on pain pills. I only spent three days in that area, so maybe I was just in the wrong part, but it reminded me a lot of the crappy part of Toledo, Ohio. Lots of Section 8 and long-term unemployed folks.

If I didn't have to be really, really cheap, I'd look farther north around Eagan. Yes, it's closer to the Cities, but more people are employed and there are fewer drug problems and a better quality of life, in general, more "pleasant" people.

Rural MN is not like rural OR or WA. There are many unhappy people who are just surviving. I wouldn't go too "cheap" for that reason. In IA and MN, employed people are the happier people.

[RememberMee]

For some unexplained reasons Mankato and Rochester are linked by a superior concrete two lanes highway US14 that puts most interstates to shame and it has very little traffic. Never figured that out it is so excessive, but it makes Mankato- Rochester travel a breeze.

[HighFlyingBird]

Not too much snow...well its Minnesota. But I googled and it does look like Buffalo gets about double the snow of Rochester. Eek! I live in Rochester and I find the snow very manageable. The city is great about getting out there and getting it cleaned up and private businesses and home owners tend to be on top of parking lots and drive ways/side walks. There are some morning commutes that aren't so great if the weather is bad...but never unmanageable (at least so far).

Rents here in Roch are pretty high right now. There has been a big influx of people to fill jobs which has brought up prices. $600 would be tight, but possible. There are a few "bad pockets" but I have been all over and besides a trailer park or two, there isn't any part in the city I would feel uncomfortable walking at night or living. Coming from Seattle area, you will be very pleased with the COL

I haven't spent much other time in the other places you are considering so I cant comment too much. I will say I moved from a major city (with the traffic, crime, etc) and we were looking at smaller towns and settled on Rochester and I am glad we didn't go smaller. It would have been way too much of a culture shock. And I even grew up in a small town. When visiting Winona, which is quite charming, I felt like it was SUPER isolated I didn't like the vibe in La Cross, personally.

Rochester has a lot of free stuff to do and has a thriving social scene these days. Not dating, necessary, but community involvement. It seems like there is always something going on if you are outgoing type.

Coming from a major city with major traffic, Rochester is great. It takes 15 minutes or less to get anywhere in town. That took some getting used to, I was always super early for like a year. People are very polite drivers here, for the most part. Which also takes some getting used to.

If its a possibility I would just come and spend some time exploring. Your heart might really be pulled to one place that facts and figures cant explain.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Originally Posted by Meemur

Rural MN is not like rural OR or WA. There are many unhappy people who are justI surviving. I wouldn't go too "cheap" for that reason.

Well, THAT is a completely false and silly generalization! (Speaking as someone who lived in rural MN for 11ish years, including in a very small town close to Winona/LaCrosse.)

Both Mankato and the Winona area are very nice and affordable. Rochester is nice and somewhat more expensive. Compared to the COLA of western WA you will think all of these places are very inexpensive. But the cost of housing in particular in SE MN is going up rapidly due to the influx of people fleeing places like the west coast and urban Mpls/St. Paul.

The Winona area is the prettiest of the three. Winona and LaCrosse are also the locus of one of the strongest and most active regions of organic farming in America. It's an exciting time to live in that area if you have an interest in organic or specialty farming.

As for traffic: Rochester is surprisingly unclogged by traffic, even during rush hour am and pm. I don't like driving IN Mankato purely because of weird street layout and student drivers, but the area itself will seem very low traffic to you. Same with Winona - because of it's location at the bottom of a hill and on the edge of Tha River, Winona proper is very squinchy, with teeny lots. Traffic never seemed bad to me, though, and the outlying neighborhoods are less congested. As for LaCrosse, it's simple. The southern and eastern parts are nice, the northern and river edge neighborhoods are more gritty. I have heard gossip that the heroin problem in LaCrosse is bad. North south driving goes through a bottleneck and can get congested. LaCrosse has an incredibly good food co-op. So, live in SE MN but drive into LaCrosse to the food Co-op!

Do come and explore and just decide which town you like best - only you will know what is perfect for your needs.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

Well, THAT is a completely false and silly generalization!

I think I know what the OP is getting at with the "pleasant people" comment.

There's a certain "laid-back aged happy hippie" segment that can be found in many rural OR and WA towns. These are folks that truly remind one of John Denver's public persona, ca. 1970.

I'm sure you might find a few here, but for the most part, that segment of people with that vibe and attitude don't exist in large numbers: I think I met one during my travels last summer in W. MN, and he was from OR and counting the days until he could return home.

I'm not a fan of that type. They drive me nuts! That's why I'm comfortable in MN and IA.

[folkguitarist555]

Thanks for all the great replies. Yes Rochester being a little bigger might be a decent choice and it's not that far from LaCrosse or Winona... For some nice scenery in regard to the Bluffs and the river. It's a tough choice... And will take me some more time to research. I would also have to drive to a VA Medical Center once in awhile. I know there's one in Tomah Wisconsin and there is a VA Medical Center in Minneapolis. There is also a VA facility in Sioux Falls South Dakota. One of my concerns is my car and have a newer nice car.... Would there be a concern in regard to rust due to the salt on a road set Minnesota puts down in the winter? I'd hate for my new car to rust out after 5 years or so. How would I avoid rust on my car in southern Minnesota?

[HighFlyingBird]

Originally Posted by folkguitarist555

Thanks for all the great replies. Yes Rochester being a little bigger might be a decent choice and it's not that far from LaCrosse or Winona... For some nice scenery in regard to the Bluffs and the river. It's a tough choice... And will take me some more time to research. I would also have to drive to a VA Medical Center once in awhile. I know there's one in Tomah Wisconsin and there is a VA Medical Center in Minneapolis. There is also a VA facility in Sioux Falls South Dakota. One of my concerns is my car and have a newer nice car.... Would there be a concern in regard to rust due to the salt on a road set Minnesota puts down in the winter? I'd hate for my new car to rust out after 5 years or so. How would I avoid rust on my car in southern Minnesota?

I just bought a new car and the dealership told me I didn't need the add on undercoat because the way cars are sealed and pained now a days makes rust a non-issue. I wash it 1-2 times a month to be careful but even though they could have made a little more off of me, they told me its really not an issue with newer cars. If you were really concerned, you could go to your dealership and have them do an extra undercoat.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Southeast MN and Northeast IA are FULL of very hard working, peaceful, optimistic, loving, smart people both old and young. There are also a large number of good solid forward thinking older farmers (hence the strength and growth of small organic farms in the region.) I know that because I like that type of person BEST! Foxnuttynews fed, Limbaugh listening, environment destroying, nation dividing, hate filled conservativeswhomisusethetermconservative are in the minority in the Winona and La Crosse areas, thank God. If you prefer the latter type of person, OP, you may want to live near Des Moines.

I thought I'd seen this on the road, so I just looked it up: Winona county has a Veterans Van that takes vets up to the VA hospital in Mpls. Here's a link to info about it: Veterans Van - Veterans Services - Winona County

If you're interested in exploring an area near the Sioux Falls VA hospital that is surprisingly pretty and bucolic, drive around the Quartzite region northeast of Sioux Falls. The Pipestone/Jasper area of MN is very pleasant. Dell Rapids, SD is very pretty, and has all of the tax advantages of SD. It is a functional small town with a nice grocery store and all the basics. And both Brookings and Sioux Falls are close enough to drive to for Osher classes for retired people and plenty of other things to do.

OP, the way to avoid a rusty vehicle is simply to drive your car to the car wash regularly in the winter and rinse your car off. My current car, bought and used in MN, is 12 years old and does have a rusty undercarriage, and it still runs great anyway! Don't stress about that.

[folkguitarist555]

I am stressed about my car rusting out. I just bought the thing. I have read that washing the car and the undercarriage at least once a week can help prevent rusting. I pray that is a true statement.