What is the Pine City area like? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: for sale, real estate)

[klm90]

My family is considering a move to Minnesota from California. We've seen possible houses for sale in Hinckley/Pine City area, but we're wondering about quality of life in this area. What about unemployment rate, crime rate or cost of living? It looks beautiful in pictures, but would love some first-hand information.

[T.S.]

Originally Posted by klm90

My family is considering a move to Minnesota from California. We've seen possible houses for sale in Hinckley/Pine City area, but we're wondering about quality of life in this area. What about unemployment rate, crime rate or cost of living? It looks beautiful in pictures, but would love some first-hand information.

Pine City is a small town with low crime and low cost of living compared to some of the Minneapolis suburbs, but a very long commute if you will be working in Minneapolis or St. Paul. It wouldn't be bad if you have a well paying local job, a home based business, or are retired. I don't think well paying local jobs are very common in that area. My stepfather works for the state at the prison in Rush City and will be building a house on the lake in Pine City soon. I just moved from North Branch, MN to Charlotte, NC. Some nice snowmobile trails start in or run through Pine City, I would recommend getting into snowmobiling to enjoy the winter if you move there.

[Kaspari]

I would really enjoy to live in Pine city. My brother and his wife live there. Very friendly and beautiful. Enjoy the rivers and trees!

[shannaln]

I've lived in pine city for the last year and a half and enjoy it. Very nice people, lots of outdoor events, many convieniences such as shopping and resturants and an hour away from the metro. What drew me was the lakes and new properties being built all around them.I have 2 children and they love the elementry school, there is also a catholic school in town. As far as local jobs go, depending on your business can be hard to find. I'm in real estate and that market is just fine. There are lots of comuters who live here and drive to the cities. I don't have the stats but the crime rate here doesn't seem bad. I have heard of cabins being robbed and other crimes of that sort, but every where you go you'll find some bad elements. Hope this helps.

[Chandellia]

I moved to Pine City 1.5 yrs ago. I wish someone had told me how bad the drug problem was here. I moved with a very impressionably aged child. Moving here was the biggest mistake of my and my teenaged sons life. Now Im trying to sell my place to get out of here and no wants to buy a place here. This is the meth capital of the United States. I call and make reports about the drug deals I see going on around my home and nothing is ever done. I watch the manager of this trlr park move in thieves and drug dealers one right after another. What ever you do....dont bring your family here. They encourage drug use and sales. Then when you move those upstanding citizens into your neighborhood you no longer can hang onto anything that has to be stored outside. This is a drug hole. There is not one good thing I can say about this town. There are drunks that sleep in the park and drug deals that happen in the gazebo. Heck half the time there are kids living in the gazebo. Yep its a real great place to take your family. They dont celebrate the 4th of july. How american is that?????? Im ashamed to tell ppl that I live here and I hate being here. My home is listed for 7 grand less than I paid for it and it still cant sell. Its not the economy. Its the town and the drugs itself. Its BAD!!!!

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Chandellia

I moved to Pine City 1.5 yrs ago. I wish someone had told me how bad the drug problem was here. I moved with a very impressionably aged child. Moving here was the biggest mistake of my and my teenaged sons life. Now Im trying to sell my place to get out of here and no wants to buy a place here. This is the meth capital of the United States. I call and make reports about the drug deals I see going on around my home and nothing is ever done. I watch the manager of this trlr park move in thieves and drug dealers one right after another. What ever you do....dont bring your family here. They encourage drug use and sales. Then when you move those upstanding citizens into your neighborhood you no longer can hang onto anything that has to be stored outside. This is a drug hole. There is not one good thing I can say about this town. There are drunks that sleep in the park and drug deals that happen in the gazebo. Heck half the time there are kids living in the gazebo. Yep its a real great place to take your family. They dont celebrate the 4th of july. How american is that?????? Im ashamed to tell ppl that I live here and I hate being here. My home is listed for 7 grand less than I paid for it and it still cant sell. Its not the economy. Its the town and the drugs itself. Its BAD!!!!

Sounds like usual trailer park problems, not the Town.

[kim bauske]

i'm from denver and pine city was the biggest mistake of my life!!!!! to far from cities and its a very dirty town! the every street and parking lot is a wreck! the main street they call main street has nothing and its looks haunted with nothing! i just recently moved to cambridge and i love it! not to far from cities and theres plenty to do and eat in the town. there main street is wounderful with a great traditional swedish banker. they wash the streets ever morning in the summer and make the town look ver nice and pleasent for people! they fix every street tat needs to be fix and it doesn't take them along time to do it. i wish i would have known about cambridge sooner!

[wolves]

Originally Posted by Chandellia

I moved to Pine City 1.5 yrs ago. I wish someone had told me how bad the drug problem was here. I moved with a very impressionably aged child. Moving here was the biggest mistake of my and my teenaged sons life. Now Im trying to sell my place to get out of here and no wants to buy a place here. This is the meth capital of the United States. I call and make reports about the drug deals I see going on around my home and nothing is ever done. I watch the manager of this trlr park move in thieves and drug dealers one right after another. What ever you do....dont bring your family here. They encourage drug use and sales. Then when you move those upstanding citizens into your neighborhood you no longer can hang onto anything that has to be stored outside. This is a drug hole. There is not one good thing I can say about this town. There are drunks that sleep in the park and drug deals that happen in the gazebo. Heck half the time there are kids living in the gazebo. Yep its a real great place to take your family. They dont celebrate the 4th of july. How american is that?????? Im ashamed to tell ppl that I live here and I hate being here. My home is listed for 7 grand less than I paid for it and it still cant sell. Its not the economy. Its the town and the drugs itself. Its BAD!!!!

that sound's terrible! Sorry to hear about your experience!

[MRNorthSide]

You can score some great Crystal in Pine River/ City!

[tijlover]

Back in the mid 80's/early 90's I had 15 acres at the end of, I believe, County Road 8, (St. Croix Estates) which dead ends at the St. Croix River, where I built my escape place from the Twin Cities. I sold out because they were insisting I put in a septic system. What a joke! I was trying to live a Mother Earth weekend life style there with no electricity, running water, telephone. At that point, they were phasing out out-houses. Along with $1000 in property taxes and the insistence on a septic system, I called it quits.

From reading these posts, I see things have really changed in Pine City. But, yes, I always remembered Cambridge as being quite special.