What's it like living in Rochester MN? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: transplants, sales)

[601halfdozen0theother]

No one cares about Rochester getting overpopulated. It already is.

Just don't go south or east unless you are only visiting for a day or two. Urbanites should stay in urban areas.

[Dennis Schroeder]

Lol

[buckaroo17]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

About 45 minutes south on 52 to the Root River, great for trout fishing.

The National Trout Center is in Preston. National Trout Center Take a look under their "All things trout" and "Currents" tabs for info about fishing in that area.

Yes, Rochester is on the western edge of the Driftless. But ssshhhhh - don't tell anyone else about this area; we don't want it to get overpopulated, overvisited and spoiled and it is getting a little too well known. I never told you about it and everyone else reading this: you are growing sleeeepy, you have forgotten what you just read, and your only desire is to go to Minneapolis and stay there.

...I'm driftlessing off to sleep...I know nothing...

[Thorondor]

Originally Posted by scoobulaboobula

Greetings all,

I'm thinking of relocating and I'm interested in learning all about the Rochester MN area. What's Rochester like? Who are the major employers in Rochester, other than the Mayo Clinic? Is Rochester a good place to retire? What's the economy like? Are there many jobs available? What is the tax base for the area? What about the surrounding towns, what are they like?

When I think about Minnesota, I think about lots of lakes, harsh winters, and that's about it. Sorry, I've never been there. However, I have spent many years in Germany, so I know about winter and all that includes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Rochester is a great place to raise a family or retire. It has been voted as one of the best places to live in the US multiple times. If you're expecting a city with lots of nightlife, you may be disappointed, although the downtown has definitely started to become much more vibrant the last few years. There are many beautiful state parks in SE Minnesota, and some excellent bike trails such as the Douglas Trail and the Root River Trail. There are many job openings in the healthcare sector, as well as some in technology and hospitality. There are many nice small towns around Rochester-Lanesboro, for instance. Winters are cold and summers are warm to hot. It's easy to get outside and enjoy the snow with the abundance of cross-country skiing trails and decent skiing at Welch Village. The Twin Cities are just a 1-1.5 hour drive from Rochester, so there are plenty options for weekend day trips. Hope you find what you're looking for either here or somewhere else!

[fromupthere]

Originally Posted by Dennis Schroeder

next biggest employer, IBM - 2000 employees.

That is just a guess/estimate as IBM does not like to share their numbers and they are constantly laying off and even do that with contractors now when that wasn't so much the case. Rumor has it they plan to be gone from Roch completely in the not too distant future, at least with IBMers.

[Dennis Schroeder]

Originally Posted by fromupthere

That is just a guess/estimate as IBM does not like to share their numbers and they are constantly laying off and even do that with contractors now when that wasn't so much the case. Rumor has it they plan to be gone from Roch completely in the not too distant future, at least with IBMers.

I guess my point was just, there's one massive employer and a bunch of small employers and it's never going to get too crowded. You could add 20 more IBMs and it still wouldn't be crowded. However my grandpa is from around Elgin/Plainview and I know the attitude of such people. We'd drive 40 minutes into town to go out to eat but if we had to wait 5 minutes in line he'd be angry about how crowded it was and we'd have to just drive home. Basically any amount of civilization is "over crowded."

[fromupthere]

My point of the RAEDI link had nothing to do with overcrowding, just a link to the employers with the largest numbers and IBM is one you cannot put a number on anymore. That's all, nothing more, nothing about population, overcrowding, the growth of the city, etc.

[Lodestar]

I'm the one who said it was flat. I drive from the west to get there and I always think of it as flat. And that's not for lack of traveling. I've been all over the state.

I chuckled at the statement that northern MN is flat. Just got back from the North Shore. Guess it depends on where you are. It's plenty flat in Morehead.

To satisfy, would you settle for rolling prairie?

[fromupthere]

Originally Posted by Lodestar

I'm the one who said it was flat. I drive from the west to get there and I always think of it as flat. And that's not for lack of traveling. I've been all over the state.

I chuckled at the statement that northern MN is flat. Just got back from the North Shore. Guess it depends on where you are. It's plenty flat in Morehead.

To satisfy, would you settle for rolling prairie?

Nobody said Northern Minnesota is flat. I commented on the stars you see in Northern Minnesota as compared to the stars we saw in FLAT NW Texas. If you want to see flat, you should see NW Texas. THAT is flat. (Just to clarify also, it is Moorhead.)

[Dennis Schroeder]

Northern MN is flat until you get to Lake Superior. Rochester is flat, too.