Duluth, compared to a couple other spots on Lake Superior (houses, job market)

[406mtnh]

Hi there, I hope this post is allowed in this forum. I thought about city vs. city, but thought locals in Duluth would have more insight.


So, my family has visited Duluth, the Bayfield/Ashland, and Marquette-Munising areas and really love each of them. Lake Superior and the woods up there really speak to us, and we would like to explore the possibility of living there. I was hoping to get insight on how we might fare in these cities in a few areas that we are concerned about:


-Cost of living. We are looking for a low cost of living. It would be nice to be able to afford a home. Around 100k or less would be ideal, unless we can increase our income by a lot.


-Employment availability - we are looking for good opportunities in the construction/home renovation/green building/energy efficiency fields. We have thought about starting a handyman type business as well or being a subcontractor in construction, doing something for ourselves to earn more money. We'd like ample business or employment opportunities.


-A natural "granola" type of feel -- a good organic farming community around and a thriving farmer's market.


--Good schools, low drug use




We also want lots of outdoor/hiking/camping opportunities, but I feel these are present in abundance.

[cornsnicker3]

Duluth is a wonderful granola city with two caveats:

-The cost of housing in the nice areas (Lakeside, Kenwood,etc) are flying off the rails. I sold my home there in June for $20k more than I paid in less than two years. I had to leave and I about broke even factoring closing costs and realtor fees. $100k houses in Duluth are very old, not in a great area, or both. I would say $200k for a good home in a good area minimum.
-The job market sucks. I had an engineering job and was let go. There were hardly any options for me. I applied to them all, but zilch. Plan on being self employed or working in a solid field not subject to market swings or junky corporate politics. You will likely not strike rich here.

Beyond that, Duluth is such a gem. Nature is one of a kind and has accessibility that PNWers would be jealous of. There are no mountains or ocean beaches, but the lakes and forestry are practically endless. As I have said before, I don’t think it is better or worse than where I am now as a whole. It has its strengths.