considering moving toDuluth (Minneapolis, Rochester, Cloquet: real estate, apartments, rental)

[bruinsfan954]

Retired Grandma raising my disabled 2 1/2 year old grandson. I'm looking for good medical care, and good school district with early childhood education.
Will be renting, so I'd hope to find a duplex or house with a yard in a decent neighborhood..needing to keep it under $800.
Some information on what Duluth has to offer would be great, thanks

[aluminumpork]

Originally Posted by bruinsfan954

Retired Grandma raising my disabled 2 1/2 year old grandson. I'm looking for good medical care, and good school district with early childhood education.
Will be renting, so I'd hope to find a duplex or house with a yard in a decent neighborhood..needing to keep it under $800.
Some information on what Duluth has to offer would be great, thanks

Duluth and the surrounding communities (Proctor and Hermantown primarily) all have ECFE and multiple pre-kindergarten programs. ISD709 has an ECFE program, and Proctor and Hermantown have a collaborative community education organization (Proctor-Hermantown Community Education) that provides ECFE classes. If you're looking for regular pre-school, you have many options through private religious schools or through the public school district.

As for medical, Duluth is a regional medical center for northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and beyond. All but the most specialized needs should be able to be met at St.Lukes, Essentia Health or one of the many specialist organizations.

My biggest concern would be your rental expenditure limit. $800 can certainly get you a decent place in an okay neighborhood, but likely not a picturesque middle-income, white picket fence sort of place. Basically, unless you get lucky, $800 will net you a one bedroom, one bath unit of a duplex/triplex in a hybrid college/family neighborhood with a small yard. If you do get lucky, you may even get a two bedroom unit. Additionally, utilities (electric, gas) will likely not be included.

You will be more likely to find a single family home with a decent yard in Spirit Valley/Denfeld area, Lincoln Park (recommend upper/Goat Hill), Proctor, or Superior for your price range. I'd also recommend looking into the various affordable housing developments that have sprung up, there's a nice newer one above Mesabi Ave with a park and amphitheater.

[bruinsfan954]

Thanks, that's the sort of info I needed. I am in Wisconsin right now and the child services for young children is, sadly, very limited. I wanted to get into Minnesota, and picked Duluth (or surrounding area) because it is "similar" to parts of Washington state where I'm originally from. I don't mind the snow or cold, I love water and hockey is one of my favorite sports (to watch lol) White picket fence neighborhoods aren't on my priority list, just a place where my little can go out and play. I don't like apartments at all, and could possibly adjust the budget upwards if it was too good a deal to pass up

[CCbaxter]

Unfortunately the best real estate pricing is in WI (Superior) which wont help you. Like Pork said, one of the adjacent towns would be much more preferable. Just to give you an idea, I rent and have a 4 bed 2 bath house and pay $1800 a month. The problem is that a lot of what would be affordable housing has been snapped up by people who rent to college students and that has skewed the market. Good Luck.

[bruinsfan954]

I guess it just never occurred to me that it would be this hard just to get into/across the Minnesota state line lol. I know there are probably more "things" available if you get closer to Minneapolis or one of the larger cities, but I'm really not a city dweller by choice. I am simply looking for a place to raise my grandson that's reasonable and has the facilities he needs.
I actually wouldn't have a problem living in a smaller town outside Duluth, but in the winter, I have to be able to get to his appts which I assume, from past experience, are usually in or near the city.
I was fortunate in Wisconsin that the program he was in allowed his therapists to do in home care, but that ends the minute he turns 3 years old and that is in a few months. Minnesota has the same program, but goes up to age 5. You can't imagine how important that is for this child.
So...any suggestions for a town that is commuting distance???

[CCbaxter]

Two Harbors is about 20 miles N of Duluth. Rents are not unreasonable there, although in the summers tourist traffic can be a pain. The thing about TH is that the road to Duluth is a 4 lane divided expressway, and even after a heavy snowfall it is cleared pretty fast. Here's the issue with other areas around Duluth, in the winter driving up and down the hills is a pain. I assume that the child's treatments will be at either St. Lukes or Essentia. So if you go south or west of town, you are having to up and down the sides of the bowl Duluth sits in. East is the lake, which leaves N, NE actually. Lakeside/Lester Park is a lovely area, and you may find a deal there. There are some older homes as you head up the shore that may pop up for rent now and agin, but you have to be quick to hop on them. Anything with a reasonable rent in a nice location won't stay on the market long.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Are you set on Duluth? Because I think you might be better off looking at the Rochester area. Rochester has many more affordable small towns surrounding it than Duluth has, and it isn't quite so difficult in the winter. And the medical facilities in Rochester are, of course, great.

If you really want Duluth, though, you might find a nice affordable place to rent in Cloquet. It's pretty close to Duluth and the drive isn't so bad in the winter, since I-35 is kept pretty clear. I'd sure pick Cloquet over Two Harbors.

[CCbaxter]

I have to disagree 601. The temperature gradient between the top of the hill and the bottom as you go to Cloquet can make 35 hazardous pretty quickly. Many a time I have started up in rain only to hit freezing rain half way up then snow at the top
I do not disagree with you on Rochester however. Better town, better clinic (obviously) and a fast jump to Minneapolis.

[601halfdozen0theother]

^ go with that - I lived on the Range, so didn't do the route from Cloquet to Duluth regularly. But re Two Harbors - I had a neighbor on the Range who commuted from there to a job in Two Harbors because he couldn't afford the housing in Two Harbors. Housing on the Range is dirt cheap, but it's not really an easy commutable distance to Duluth - although people do it, of course. And I wouldn't recommend medical services on the Range.

Either way, commuting from a smaller more affordable place to a city with good medical services would be easier in the Rochester region than in Duluth.