Am I insane to want to do this commute? (Duluth: rent, home)

[northstar22]

OK . . . so I live in Plymouth, and I have a job possibility in Duluth. I majored in aviation administration, and I've been looking for a good airport management job since I graduated about a year ago, and this is it. It's pretty much my absolute dream job - managing a small airport on Lake Superior.

Chances are slim and none that I get this job, but if I do - I'm thinking about commuting from Plymouth (and eventually Stillwater) instead of moving to Duluth.

The reason being that I am SICK of moving (I've moved twice times in the past two years) and I'm already meeting friends here in the Cities and getting attached to the area, and I don't want to start over again in a new place. Also, I LOVE driving and nothing clears my head like a long drive - as long as there is no traffic! I actually get energy from long drives - it's fun to me.

So, is the commute doable? I'm not asking would you do the commute (I know most wouldn't, and I'm 'special' that way), but is it doable at all?

[Voyageur]

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

OK . . . so I live in Plymouth, and I have a job possibility in Duluth. I majored in aviation administration, and I've been looking for a good airport management job since I graduated about a year ago, and this is it. It's pretty much my absolute dream job - managing a small airport on Lake Superior.

Chances are slim and none that I get this job, but if I do - I'm thinking about commuting from Plymouth (and eventually Stillwater) instead of moving to Duluth.

The reason being that I am SICK of moving (I've moved twice times in the past two years) and I'm already meeting friends here in the Cities and getting attached to the area, and I don't want to start over again. Also, I LOVE driving and nothing clears my head like a long drive - as long as there is no traffic!

So, is the commute doable? I'm not asking would you do the commute (I know most wouldn't, and I'm 'special' that way), but is it doable at all?

I work in Golden Valley and live in Northfield.

One of my co-workers lives in Rochester. A former co-worker lived in Duluth. However, she would only commute once per 3-day work-week (12-hr shifts), staying with a friend locally in between shifts.

That said, Plymouth-Duluth and back on a daily basis sounds extremely unpleasant to me. I would just move to Duluth. Or else pass on the job. But then, I'm not you.

[marmac]

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

OK . . . so I live in Plymouth, and I have a job possibility in Duluth. I majored in aviation administration, and I've been looking for a good airport management job since I graduated about a year ago, and this is it. It's pretty much my absolute dream job - managing a small airport on Lake Superior.

Chances are slim and none that I get this job, but if I do - I'm thinking about commuting from Plymouth (and eventually Stillwater) instead of moving to Duluth.

The reason being that I am SICK of moving (I've moved twice times in the past two years) and I'm already meeting friends here in the Cities and getting attached to the area, and I don't want to start over again in a new place. Also, I LOVE driving and nothing clears my head like a long drive - as long as there is no traffic! I actually get energy from long drives - it's fun to me.

So, is the commute doable? I'm not asking would you do the commute (I know most wouldn't, and I'm 'special' that way), but is it doable at all?

Aren't you the same poster who asked recently about comuting from Stillwater to Plymouth daily ? ( and then debated nearly every poster that thought it was a rough daily comute)


I would tell you that Plymouth to Duluth would be a rough comute due to Minnesota having winters, short daylight in winters, and not perfect driving conditions at times in winters. Not to mention the distance.

I imagine you will just debate everyone who doesn't tell you it's a great idea.

Where will your comuting debate question be for next week ?

[Kebinminn]

Insane. You may have friends here but you'd never see them.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by marmac

Aren't you the same poster who asked recently about comuting from Stillwater to Plymouth daily ? ( and then debated nearly every poster that thought it was a rough daily comute)


I would tell you that Plymouth to Duluth would be a rough comute due to Minnesota having winters, short daylight in winters, and not perfect driving conditions at times in winters. Not to mention the distance.

I imagine you will just debate everyone who doesn't tell you it's a great idea.

Where will your comuting debate question be for next week ?

I don't plan on debating anybody. I'm not here to troll.

[Camden Northsider]

Plymouth vs. Duluth residency seems like a no-brainer. I've always gotten the impression that there is a significant population of people in the metro (and/or other places) that are keeping their eye out for job opportunities that come up in Duluth on the odd chance that something might be a good fit and allow them to actually move there. Beautiful city, tons of recreation opps, and from what I've seen the housing seems relatively cheap there in comparison to the Cities. Passing up the chance to potentially get a cheaper place perched on a hill overlooking Lake Superior so that you can continue to live in Plymouth while unnecessarily spending hundreds of dollars in gas (and endless hours in a car) each week seems totally irrational....but that's just my honest opinion.

Plus your primary argument for wanting to stay is due to having put down roots in Plymouth and not being able to stand the thought of moving again, yet you imply that you'll at some point in the near future be moving to Stillwater (a place fairly similar in feel to Duluth and pretty far away from from both Plymouth and Duluth)? Sounds pretty irrational to me- I can't speak as to whether you're insane or not, but at the very least it sounds like you're on the right track to get there .

[Voyageur]

Just the savings in gas and vehicular maintenance/wear/tear will be significant.

And as the previous poster said, some people love Duluth. Personally, I didn't, though I think it certainly had it's charms.

And, of course, if you're willing to live across the harbor, you can save even more on housing costs! I'd pay a bit more to live in Duluth, though - which would still be less than paying to live in Plymouth.

[uptown_urbanist]

I vote for insane.

You could move to Duluth, rent or buy something cheaper than what you'd pay in the Twin Cities, and drive down to see friends when you have the time. Doing that commute on a daily basis would mean you wouldn't have a chance to enjoy much in life other than driving and working.

I understand not wanting to constantly relocate, but if you think this is a long-term job you might as well put down roots near or where you'll be working. And what if you're eventually in a serious relationship? (assuming you're not already) A spouse or partner most likely isn't going to be happy with you having that sort of daily commute, or else may be living in Duluth and you'd want to relocate, anyway.

[northstar22]

OK, thanks for the input. I thought it was a crazy idea at first. While I know I could do the drive, the gas and maintenance costs would slowly suck me dry. The loss of free time would also suck.

The whole "drive down on the weekends" thing won't work for me. I thought I'd do that with Michigan, but I've been home exactly zero times since I've moved up here.

Also, Stillwater is only 30 minutes from Plymouth, so it wouldn't be a long-distance move. I'd still be able to keep the same social circle.

Looks like I'll just pass on the job. I'm sure Duluth is nice, but I just can't stomach another long-distance move. Work is important, but not important enough to just throw out the rest of my life.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

Looks like I'll just pass on the job. I'm sure Duluth is nice, but I just can't stomach another long-distance move. Work is important, but not important enough to just throw out the rest of my life.

Did you get the job even though you said your chances are slim to none?

I thought this was a joke at first, google maps gave 2 different routes from plymouth to duluth and one was about 2 hours 40 minutes and other was about 3 hours 20 minutes.

Anyways, I vote for Insane

I asked on here quite a while ago commuting from St Cloud to like Maple Grove and thought that was a lot...