Rochester, MN - Jobs and the like (Duluth, Inver Grove Heights: real estate, crimes)

[HPennington]

My fiance and I are are considering moving to Rochester, MN, but I'd like to see what all I can find out about the area before. I've perused the threads, but haven't seen too many recent posts regarding that area. I'd like to get a better idea of jobs and the economy, for instance, how easy is it to find jobs in the Rochester area if you're not in the medical field? Is there a high rate of unemployment right now? We're coming from the Twin Cities area and we haven't been having much luck in the way of jobs because for every job there seem to be 100 people applying. Is it about the same? Also, what's the cost of living like? Are there more affordable towns/neighborhoods, and which ones are safe/quiet?

Thanks for the input!!!

[fromupthere]

The unemployment rate in Rochester is less than the state average. There are plenty of areas of industry besides medical here. However, I cannot give you any specifics on who is currently hiring and the rate of applicants per job.

I grew up in Duluth and I think the cost of living here is less than there. There are some areas of Rochester that are currently seeing an increase in gang-related crimes so those should be avoided - specifically the area between 41st NW and 55th St. NW on the east side of highway 52. It used to be that SE Rochester was the bad area to live in, but there are many parts of SE that are beautiful and affordable. In general I'd say the closer you are to downtown the less appealing it might be. There are also some smaller towns close to Rochester that are nice. Depending on where you want to live - in town or a smaller town and how far away from Rochester - there are definitely more affordable small towns.

Mayo has shuttle buses that come from a lot of the communities around here too - like Winona, into Iowa, etc., and I believe (but I do not know this as fact) that it is possible to take that shuttle as a non-Mayo employee, for a fee of course. And again I do not know how much that would be.

[Camden Northsider]

If your main concern is finding employment, and you're in the Twin Cities- what's keeping you from applying to jobs while living in the Twin Cities, driving the 1.5 hrs to go interview, and then moving if and when you are able to get a job there?

[fromupthere]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

If your main concern is finding employment, and you're in the Twin Cities- what's keeping you from applying to jobs while living in the Twin Cities, driving the 1.5 hrs to go interview, and then moving if and when you are able to get a job there?

depending on where you are in the Twin Cities, it can be less than 1.5 hours to get to Rochester. It's about an hour from Inver Grove Heights.

[HPennington]

Well, I'm on the far side of the twin cities - Chanhassen, actually, so while I could potentially schedule interviews it would take some planning and require me to take a day off from my current job, which is probably doable. I just wanted to get input from people who know the area of Rochester and what they're experiencing when it comes to the economy.

[fromupthere]

As far as the recession goes, there has been very little impact on Rochester. There was an article on MSN a couple months back that listed Rochester as one of the cities that was doing well all things considered. Said there was some impact in like January and/or February.

[JMS_9]

Originally Posted by fromupthere

depending on where you are in the Twin Cities, it can be less than 1.5 hours to get to Rochester. It's about an hour from Inver Grove Heights.

Geez, grandma. If you drive 40mph maybe. Rochester is 90 miles away. If it takes you more than an hour and 15 minutes, you need to get off the road.

You can go from Inver Hills to Rochester in 60 minutes. Easy.

Originally Posted by fromupthere

There are also some smaller towns close to Rochester that are nice. Depending on where you want to live - in town or a smaller town and how far away from Rochester - there are definitely more affordable small towns.

My parents live in NW Rochester, by Wal-mart, but we grew up in Kasson and my sister now lives in Byron. Stewartville is nice too and is almost on the verge of being swallowed by Rochester.

When we moved to Kasson in 1987, Rochester was about 60,000 people. Now look at it.....105,000 and the 3rd largest city in the state and showing no signs of slowing down.

[nateduluthnative]

I,m staying in Rochester this weekend. Is Rochester really gaining people or is it gobbling up nearby cities and townships to make it look that way. I am from Duluth and must say that Rochester is the better of the two largest non metro cities as far as growth is concerned. But that may change because that area has become more communist in recent years, used to be heavily conservative.

[fromupthere]

Originally Posted by JMS_9

Geez, grandma. If you drive 40mph maybe. Rochester is 90 miles away. If it takes you more than an hour and 15 minutes, you need to get off the road.

You can go from Inver Hills to Rochester in 60 minutes. Easy.



My parents live in NW Rochester, by Wal-mart, but we grew up in Kasson and my sister now lives in Byron. Stewartville is nice too and is almost on the verge of being swallowed by Rochester.

When we moved to Kasson in 1987, Rochester was about 60,000 people. Now look at it.....105,000 and the 3rd largest city in the state and showing no signs of slowing down.

Mod cut

Nate, Rochester is really growing. They annexed some smaller area less than 2 years ago but that didn't account for much of the population increase. Being from Duluth as well, I'd say Rochester is definitely the better of the 2 and I have no desire to move back to Duluth.

[nateduluthnative]

I just got back from Rochester and must say that Duluth could learn something from it!!! While Duluth has the lake and hills, Rochester has the growth in jobs and and while its suburban areas are growing, its downtown has plenty of great shops and restaurants( the Holiday Center could use a remodeling like the mall Downtown Rochester just did. The skyline is the most impressive for a city its size!, If you were down there 20 yeara ago you wouldn't recognize it. I would definitely live there and if the medical facilities and Cirrus Design become as big as the Mayo and IBM, I would move back home to Duluth as well. Also, while looking through Rochester's real estate magazine, the houses seem more affordable than in the cities-not the "dumps" but the average homes.