Please help! We need info about Hibbing (St. Paul: real estate, crime)

[Oryliss & Mariranne]

My wife and I are moving from the Oregon coast because the cost of living is too high. We are thinking of moving to Hibbing Minnesota but was curious about the job situation there.I am a welder and steel fabricator .Is there an future in hibbing.

[BJB817]

It's a tough job market on the range. Hate to say it, but your best prospects would probably be in the Twin Cities.

[Delaneyland]

There ought to be a ton of work for welders / fabricators in Hibbing, there are probably eight mines within 20 miles of Hibbing. You can look at http://www.mnwfc.org/ for listings, a start anyway. I don't know if you're union or not, but if you are planning on working in or around Hibbing, I'd very strongly suggest looking into union membership as all the mines are union. I would also suggest spending some time there before moving, its different on the Iron Range.

[Oryliss & Mariranne]

Thank you for the information. Its been a huge help. We really want to move to Hibbing. Are you from the Hibbing area?

[Delaneyland]

Originally Posted by Oryliss & Mariranne

Thank you for the information. Its been a huge help. We really want to move to Hibbing. Are you from the Hibbing area?

I live about an hour south of Hibbing, I've spent nearly my entire life in Northern MN and have lived through the ups and downs. I do quite a bit of hauling material to the mines and right now, the mining is doing great with worldwide demand for resources....but that is another story. I really would encourage you to visit before you move, the range is quite different...not necessarily bad, just different.

[Oryliss & Mariranne]

can you tell us what it's like? You said not necessarily bad, so can that mean not good and not bad, or just what you make of it? My husband is from Indiana, and I am from the south. We both love to fish and he loves to hunt. we have been trying to do a lot of research before we move. I even suggested to my husband to make a trip for a few days just to check things out. I also think that would be a good idea. all information that you can give would be great and you can lay it all on the line. lol thanks.

[Delaneyland]

Hibbing and most of the towns on the Iron Range are primarily union towns with union mentality...meaning there are a lot of folks with the "us against them" attitudes, if you're not a union guy (or girl) it can be hard to measure up. It is nothing like it was in the 70s and 80s where if you drove a foreign car through town you had a target on...but union guys (in my experience) are pretty hard headed with the union stuff and have a hard time looking in the future. I like the Iron Range towns, they have a homey feeling (most do anyway) and folks are friendly, as is most of rural Northern MN. Hibbing has a Tech school and a Community College, a little hospital, a super Wally World, they just got a Lowe's store last year, and all the normal below average fast food places...with some good local places too. Real estate is way below average price, a friend of mine bought 40 acres, a small house and a few outbuildings for sixty something about 10 miles out of Hibbing 5 years ago...things have gone up but still remain quite reasonable compared to the rest of the state. If you're the kind of folks that need theater, orchestras, all the fancy city stuff...you'll hate it. I didn't get that impression but thought I'd warn you. I've met a number of folks from the "city" that think we live like cavemen here in the North, personally I wish I were further out, Alaskan bush living would suit me just fine. Hunting and fishing are great, there is an ATV park not far from Hibbing (the DNR and huggers are making it harder every year to use established trails that zig zag the norhtland) winters are great with weeks on end of below zero (perfect snowmobiling weather and ice fishing, trapping, etc.) The dopers have moved into parts of the Range but the local sheriff's dept and task force are doing their best to run them out of Dodge...in the last 5 years there have been 8 or 10 drug related murders, Nationally that probably isn't terrible but its way bad for the "norm" here, if there is such a thing as normal. Crime exists but most of it is (again) drug related property crime.. Yes, we have mosquitos, wood ticks, spiders, gnats, horse flies, black flies, deer flies, skunks, coyotes, raccoons, porkys, moose, bear, feral dogs and cats (legal to shoot dogs chasing deer ) wolves, red and gray squirrels, chipmunks, lots of mice that will keep you busy in the fall, high taxes (that will get worse with the Legislature doing what they do in St. Paul) and a vast variety of other things to do. Its good to hear you like the outdoors because if you don't like doing things outside, you'll be crazy by February!! Anything else you'd like to know, just let me know!

[Oryliss & Mariranne]

Thanks for your response .How bad are the ticks? And is there a place close by to sell your furs?

[Oryliss & Mariranne]

Is there pheasant hunting close to hibbing area? And any catfishing?

[Delaneyland]

Ticks are ticks, I've lived with them my entire life and they don't bother me but they drive some folks wild. The population depends mostly on the weather...dry or cold years aren't so bad, warm and wet years brings them out. So far this year, I've probably only pulled a dozen off me, a few more off the dogs. Fur buyers are everywhere, a lot of guys ship them out of state for better prices, I like to deal with locals when I can. No pheasants near Hibbing (unless you raise them) and some catfish...rivers seem to be the trick for catfishing. Are you ready to move yet??