insight on Hudson, WI? (St. Paul, Northfield: sales, apartments, to rent)

[robjfoley]

My wife and I live near Denver, CO, and she has been offered a job in Hudson, WI. What's Hudson like? We are in our mid- and late-twenties and like doing things outdoors...what sort of outdoor recreation activities are around? How sunny is it during the winter, and how harsh are the winters? (We've lived in Maine and DO NOT like how cloudy it was all the time.) We currently live in an apartment in Colorado, but would want to possibly do the house thing in WI - what kind of home could we get for around the $150k price? Any surrounding areas that anyone would suggest...or even across the river into MN? Any ideas about apartments in Hudson or surrounding areas? Also, I would be looking for work - I have experience in the non-profit world, hold a masters degree in Theology, and wouldn't mind teaching, church work, or positions involving writing...any insight?

Thanks so much...

[chilaili]

From what I can remember (I left MN for CO 4 years ago) Hudson is a small (pop. about 12K in 2008), older town right on the St Croix river. There is a decent-sized marina there so if you sail at all, that's the place to be, altho I'm sure the waiting list for a slip to rent is horrendously long. Hudson had a decent main street with some good bars, restaurants and local shops. The historic side of town (3rd Street, 4th, 5th, etc) is a lovely neighbourhood and they have a great 4th of July parade thro town every year as well as the festivals thro'out the Summer down by the river.

Towns nearby are Stillwater and Bayport over the bridge in MN - they are older and scenic places too. There are also lots of smaller villages dotted all around the area - just Mapquest Hudson WI and you'll see.

Weather is like Minnesota: hot and humid in the Summer, cold and snowy in the Winter. How snowy and cold just depends.

Here are some websites that may be of help:
mod cut
Welcome to the City of Hudson, Wisconsin Web Site!
Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau

If you really are going to live there, you should definitely visit first and get an idea of what the town has to offer as well as the surrounding areas. FYI: driving to the Twin Cities in Minnesota can take between 20-60 minutes depending on time of day and weather conditions but it is a straight shot along I-94.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by robjfoley

My wife and I live near Denver, CO, and she has been offered a job in Hudson, WI. What's Hudson like? We are in our mid- and late-twenties and like doing things outdoors...what sort of outdoor recreation activities are around? How sunny is it during the winter, and how harsh are the winters? (We've lived in Maine and DO NOT like how cloudy it was all the time.) We currently live in an apartment in Colorado, but would want to possibly do the house thing in WI - what kind of home could we get for around the $150k price? Any surrounding areas that anyone would suggest...or even across the river into MN? Any ideas about apartments in Hudson or surrounding areas? Also, I would be looking for work - I have experience in the non-profit world, hold a masters degree in Theology, and wouldn't mind teaching, church work, or positions involving writing...any insight?

Thanks so much...

In comparison to CO, there is a lot of cloud cover. Look up City-data.com and compare where you lived (Maine) to MN or WI. Frankly, that is my 2nd beef (after the cold). On the up side, it is green and a lot of water (Rivers, lakes, and streams). Also you get the bonus of bugs (they like rain too).

IN CO, the mountains are beautiful but looking the other way (towards Aurora as an example) it's nothing special. Hudson is a very nice area.

Unless this is a very nice advancement in pay, I'd punt because (no question) I'd take CO over Hudson. Personally, I'd say you are going backward weather wise. Certainly there are a lot to do in the outdoors in WI and MN. But there is nothing like the mountains (hiking biking) and World Class skiing. I'd switch with you in a heart beat.

As for cost of living of housing. MN has plummeted 25% (depending on the area) while CO has held strong. Yes, some specific CO areas have taken a drive but that is in the Hispanic focused areas (housing building bust). Pound for pound you can get more home in Hudson that in most Denver bubs.

I flew out to CO 4 times looking at homes in 07 and I studied the trade-offs intensely. It's my wives 1st choice. I want even warmer than CO.

I hope this helps. Just don't the thought of change (it's exciting) over logic and research.

[golfgal]

Hudson is basically a suburb of St. Paul now. It is a nice town on the river. Cost of living in WI vs MN is about the same. Property taxes are higher in WI then MN but MN has higher income taxes so it ends up being pretty much a wash. In your price range you will find a lot of townhomes or small bungalow style houses, nothing fancy but better then renting. River Falls might be a place to look. It is slightly less expensive but still close to Hudson.

There are several county/state parks in the general area for hiking, etc. You have the river for boating and general recreation. In the winter there is downhill skiing in Afton, just across the river from Hudson, cross country skiing all over the place.

For job prospects, there are going to be several non-profits all around the area, if you like the idea of teaching there would be possibilities for jobs at some of the colleges and private schools in the area. St. Thomas University, St. Catherine's and St. Olaf would all be possibilities. You would also have options at Hill-Murray and Cretin high schools all assuming you want to use your theology degree. These are all in the St. Paul area except St. Olaf is south of the Twin Cities in Northfield, MN.

[HKB]

I just moved out of Hudson about 4 months ago. We were only there for a little over 2 years, which will probably tell you something about my opinion of it.

If you actually work in Hudson, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad. We moved mostly because the commute to St. Paul for our jobs got old real fast (especially in the winter). There were other factors as well (see the "cons" list below).

Pros:
Small town feel, yet it is essentially an exurb of the Twin Cities, so you're close enough to the metro area to take advantage of the amenities it offers. The St. Croix river is very scenic. It has a nice main street and downtown. You could probably score a great deal on a house there... especially in this economic downturn, where homes in exurban areas are losing value more rapidly than closer in. Just be sure it's really where you want to live, because trying to sell your house there will be difficult, at best. My wife and I were fortunate to sell our house last February, and we took a huge loss at that.

Cons:
Too far of a commute if you work in the Twin Cities. As I mentioned above, the downtown area is nice, but there is also an exceptionally ugly stretch along I-94, which is littered with run-down strip malls, closed businesses, and other eyesores. Also, the Interstate literally cuts through the center of town, making access from the north side to the south side very inconvenient. There are only two bridges connecting the two sides.

Someone above mentioned that taxes in MN and WI are a wash. I disagree. WI property taxes are absurdly high (almost twice that of MN), and their slightly lower sales & income taxes weren't nearly enough to offset the difference.

One thing that really bothered me that I didn't even think about before I moved there was how disconnected you are from the rest of the Twin Cities metro area. All of your media and news outlets come from the Twin Cities (20 miles away), but every decision that effects you is made in Madison... over 200 miles away. Since you don't get any media coverage of what happens in Madison, you have no idea what's going on politically. The entire time I lived there, I had no idea who my elected representitives were, and what they stood for. Meanwhile, I knew about every candidate and issue on the Minnesota side, yet had no vote there.