Any nurses relocate to MN from Texas or elsewhere? (Duluth: house, schools)

[ashera]

Need a lot of advice - and love this forum - been reading all these posts over and over. Have absolutely fallen in love with MN over several visits the past couple of years. Time to BE there!

First - Single nurse - wanting out of big city - (San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Dallas) Want smaller - much smaller - Want seasons - want friendlier people, want slower pace. Want to feel safe on my own. Want happily every after - you know - want it all! Like everybody else! But I think MN will be far better than TX to enjoy nature and things outside of hard nursing.
Want/need access to places to work - obviously - with no long commutes - through with that as well.

I have a 24 year old son in Grand Forks - with a brand new baby - Texas is way too far away.

I've explored nursing options in several places - and need some feedback - pros/cons - please. Duluth, Brainerd, St. Cloud, Rochester area - northern MN vs Southern - etc. I am so open - and anywhere will be closer to GF than Texas is. I'm starving for seasons - even like the snow. Spent a few weeks in Rochester during Jan/Feb so I know big snow - it will be an adjustment but I've decided I can be really cold easier than I can be really hot.

First love is Hospice nursing - but prefer inpatient and probably MN would be a lot of driving. But work agency so I can almost do anything. I'm also an LPN and will be working towards my RN through distance learning so proximity to schools not necessary.

Also need an atmosphere where a 15 year old can spend some of the summer with me and he has opportunity to 'breath' on his own in a neat area.

Sorry this letter is all over the place - Thanks for any tidbits of info might help my thinking. I'm wanting to move in the next couple of months - that's not too long!

[golfgal]

I would look into the St. Cloud area to start with. It is pretty centrally located, easy hop up 94 to Grand Forks, nice size hospital with a nice size population in and around St. Cloud. There are several smaller towns around St. Cloud, Sartell being my personal favorite, that you can live in and have an easy commute into St. Cloud. There may also be an opportunity to do elderly care at the monastery/convent at St. John's University/College of St. Benedict. It isn't exactly hospice but similar. I would also guess that there are some hospice homes in and around the St. Cloud area.

Duluth would be an ok drive to Grand Forks but it is colder there year round and would be a HUGE change from Texas where as the other places would be a BIG change .

Brainerd is a great area of the state but a little more 'remote' and not as easy of a commute to Grand Forks. That are is heavily touristy but there is a good sized hospital there.

Another area not on your list to consider is Marshall in the SW corner of MN. It would be a fairly easy drive to Grand Forks, about 3 1/2-4 hours, they have a beautiful new hospice house and a well supported program. They have a clinic and a hospital and it is a great town.

[BJB817]

Your post is kind of funny to me. I'm looking at TX for some of the same reasons you want to move to MN! Different strokes for different folks I guess.

BTW: When we've been to TX, mainly the San Antonio and Austin area were were blown away by how friendly the people were compared to MN. OUt of curiosity, where in TX do you live now?

[Lindenin]

funny... Texas is the one place I'd never move back to. You're right, different strokes for different folks. Everything is big in Texas, including egos.

Don't overlook Rochester - with the Mayo complex there, I would think demand for nurses never stops and you would have some very interesting work. Also, Duluth is a neat town, and would be a pretty mindless 4 hour drive across the state for you to get to GF.

Finally, there are some great hospitals located near but not in the Twin Cities. Buffalo, Cambridge, and Waconia all come to mind. Cost of living would be a bit higher because those areas are becoming popular for commuters.

[Lindenin]

Completely overlooked northwest Minnesota in my post. Don't forget about Fargo / Moorhead (not pretty but a healthy town). Also, Bemidji and Thief River Falls are two nice smaller towns that have thriving hospitals, and would be very close to GF.

[ashera]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I would look into the St. Cloud area to start with. It is pretty centrally located, easy hop up 94 to Grand Forks, nice size hospital with a nice size population in and around St. Cloud. There are several smaller towns around St. Cloud, Sartell being my personal favorite, that you can live in and have an easy commute into St. Cloud. There may also be an opportunity to do elderly care at the monastery/convent at St. John's University/College of St. Benedict. It isn't exactly hospice but similar. I would also guess that there are some hospice homes in and around the St. Cloud area.

Duluth would be an ok drive to Grand Forks but it is colder there year round and would be a HUGE change from Texas where as the other places would be a BIG change .

Brainerd is a great area of the state but a little more 'remote' and not as easy of a commute to Grand Forks. That are is heavily touristy but there is a good sized hospital there.

Another area not on your list to consider is Marshall in the SW corner of MN. It would be a fairly easy drive to Grand Forks, about 3 1/2-4 hours, they have a beautiful new hospice house and a well supported program. They have a clinic and a hospital and it is a great town.

This is EXACTLY!!!! the kind of info I was hoping for! More stuff to look at tomorrow - and it gives me a lot of things to think about! Thanks so much!

[ashera]

Originally Posted by Lindenin

Completely overlooked northwest Minnesota in my post. Don't forget about Fargo / Moorhead (not pretty but a healthy town). Also, Bemidji and Thief River Falls are two nice smaller towns that have thriving hospitals, and would be very close to GF.

I agree with you about Fargo/Moorhead - I'm sure its a nice place....but only to visit for me! I've been researching Bemidji and will look into Thief River tomorrow. Really appreciate these ideas too! Thanks!

[ashera]

Originally Posted by Lindenin

funny... Texas is the one place I'd never move back to. You're right, different strokes for different folks. Everything is big in Texas, including egos.

Don't overlook Rochester - with the Mayo complex there, I would think demand for nurses never stops and you would have some very interesting work. Also, Duluth is a neat town, and would be a pretty mindless 4 hour drive across the state for you to get to GF.

Finally, there are some great hospitals located near but not in the Twin Cities. Buffalo, Cambridge, and Waconia all come to mind. Cost of living would be a bit higher because those areas are becoming popular for commuters.

Texas does seem appealing if you've not been here - but I keep hearing stories from people that left MN area - maybe came to Texas and lasted maybe one summer season before they said 'ohmygod what was I thinking?'

There is no Texas nice....

Great state with lots of interesting things - but it's way too big and spread out and oh so hot!
Thanks for more ideas!

[ashera]

Originally Posted by BJB817

Your post is kind of funny to me. I'm looking at TX for some of the same reasons you want to move to MN! Different strokes for different folks I guess.

BTW: When we've been to TX, mainly the San Antonio and Austin area were were blown away by how friendly the people were compared to MN. OUt of curiosity, where in TX do you live now?

Well - if you have to pick SA or Austin - go for San Antonio - unless you're under 30 and then you would prefer Austin for it's incredible music scene!

I live in San Antonio - and it does have it's charm - but it's lost it's appeal for me - too crowded, hot, horrible traffic - Austin has the worst in the state - you can sit in gridlock easily 2 hours for a cross-town commute at prime time - Austin is prettier land wise than San Antonio - both towns considered Texas Hill Country - but again - it is brutally hot - and there are severe ice/freezing problems in both areas. People in Texas have no idea what to do with ice - the entire city shuts down for days. It doesn't snow - it sleets - and trees break, lines go down, people crash themselves -

Texas has only two seasons. Hot - and a few days of freezing. Truly - there are no leaves turning - spring is fast and usually just a few weeks of heavy rain - then the heat and humidity start back up.

I really can't wait to get to a different place so I can have some new things to complain about!

Best wishes on whatever decision you make. People are pretty much the same everywhere - Nice and the not-so-nice. It's just life!

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by ashera

I agree with you about Fargo/Moorhead - I'm sure its a nice place....but only to visit for me! I've been researching Bemidji and will look into Thief River tomorrow. Really appreciate these ideas too! Thanks!

I have spent a lot of time in Bemidji since my Dad grew up there and my Grandpa lived there until he died. They have a pretty new hospital/clinic in Bemidji and my guess is that they have quite a few openings for nurses. The area is somewhat depressed and isn't really growing much but it has a lot to offer and is a beautiful part of the state. One thing with Bemidji is that it is cold there in the winter, even cold to a Minnesotan. The summers never really get all that warm. You might have a few days in the 80's but it is usually in the 60's-70's for the summer there. Just some things to consider.