Gathering Information on living in Mn

[SEAWEED]

Well, I am an old surfer LOL I hear they surf the frozen tundra of Duluth..brrrr
These days I hike a lot , cross country ski, do a lot of textile type things like spinning and weaving, bee keeping, I guess I am into homesteading and being as self sufficient as I can be. Hence the land I would like to buy, but just enough for me to be able to manage. Good point about my mom.

[bler144]

Personally I find St. Cloud to be too flat, as another poster suggested. The river valley adds a touch of terrain in that stretch, but not a lot. The valley around Winona is far more scenic, and has La Crosse nearby. That said, the dynamic elevation can make snow/ice more problematic.

If you're looking at Northfield I'd put Faribault in the mix. If I weren't actually working at one of the colleges, I think I'd lean Faribault over N'fld.

[golfgal]

One town I've always liked driving through is Spring Valley, south of Rochester. It's a very well kept town, small, but another one I thought would be a good place to retire. You get the benefits of small town living but you are easy driving distance to Rochester for shopping, medical care, etc. There are a lot of great towns around the state. I'd say, given your interests, that northern MN might be more of what you are looking for, St. Cloud and north. Also, the St. Cloud area is lovely, especially the surrounding areas. There are a lot of lakes, rolling hills, the river valley, dense forest areas, etc.

I'm going to put in another plug for Marshall. It's a wonderful town, great school system, fantastic programs for seniors as well as assisted living and nursing home care should you need that. I think you would find many like minded individuals there and it's just a less expensive place to live over anything in the the Twin Cities metro area. I know of several hobby farm type places for sale in and around there and there are plenty of schools and districts within easy commuting distance for job possibilities or at least sub opportunities to start.

[SEAWEED]

Actually that sounds really really good. I will look into it right away. I really want to be near water, so near the lakes is a plus for me as well. Again great info Thanks everyone

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by SEAWEED

Actually that sounds really really good. I will look into it right away. I really want to be near water, so near the lakes is a plus for me as well. Again great info Thanks everyone

There are more lakes north of St. Cloud than south (through the state). I think everyone in MN is within 2 miles of a river or lake larger than an acre or something like that. Not all of those lakes are usable for recreation but it's still water and fun to watch wildlife.

One town I really like in the St. Cloud area is Albany. It's a cute town, nice community. A lot of the professors from the various colleges live there so the schools are very good. It's far enough away from St. Cloud that you get the rural feeling but close enough that it's easy to get in and out of St. Cloud for shopping, etc. It's also just down the road from St. John's University/College of St. Benedict so you have a lot of options for activities on those campuses too---and maybe some opportunities for teaching on campus too. I really don't think you are going to have any problems finding a job or a place to live that you like. I think your real problem is going to be narrowing down where to live because there are too many options.

[MattieJensen]

Consider this that MN is on the cheapest place to insure, despite the wording of the article: 10 Worst Places to Live for Obamacare - Yahoo Finance

[SEAWEED]

Well you are right about having a hard time to narrow it down! I am hoping this summer during vacation to just take a road trip through the state and just get a general "feel" for the areas. I think it will help and then look at the practicalities again. I am excited about what I have heard so far.