Quote:
Originally Posted by woodyallen55
I am a 58 year old single(NO PETS!!! :-))Gay Jewish Guy who has been living in Huntsville, ALA for the past 34 years....WAAAAAAAAY TO HOT Temperature and Politcally
My Banjo and my Knee are READY to MOVE
This summer I drove 3600 miles to Winnipeg and back and decided the time was 2014 to move.
I am a Purchasing Manager for a small Electronic Contract Manufacturer(I purchase Electronic Components and related items). I toured Digikey, with whom I have had a close bond with since 2000.
I AM READY to MOVE!!!
My confusion is Grand Forks or Thief River Falls, North Dakota or Minnesota..
I LOVE the shuttle!!!! :-)
Which State is cheaper??? Income, Property, Sales Taxes, Car Tags, Insurance(Home and Auto)?
I look forward to ALL and ANY input that would assist me.
I did grow up in Philadelphia, PA and then Boston, so I do remember shoveling and cold.....
And believe it or not it snows and Ice Storms are common here!!!!
I am ALWAYS the first to shovel mine and our TEMPLES drive and walkways.....
Snow and Ice are the SAFEST times to drive here... NO ONE ELSE on the roads!!! :-)
I would only need a 2 bed/2bath home or condo BUTT as other Southerners here have said MUST have a two or more heated garage! :-) I have three vehicles......
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I live in East Grand Forks Minnesota.... Digi-Key is a great place it seems and continues to grow and yes their shuttle service from GF, EGF and Crookston to TRF is very nice. Thief River Falls housing is very very tight and has been for years, esp the rental market. But I have only been to TRF a few times over the years so not quite familiar with prices, etc there.
For the GF-EGF area....which side to live on just depends. EGF is a small town, like a small suburb if you will. Shopping is done in Grand Forks. Same can be said for TRF, as there is no Walmart, Target or the like there and most travel to GF for major shopping. Driving btwn TRF and GF-EGF can be a bit dicey in the winter as the roads are all 2 lane and mostly in open country as TRF sits just on the eastern edge of the red river valley. Thus travel to and from TRF can be tricky due to blowing snow issues.
I would talk with Digi-Key to see how they handle situations when employers who live outside of town and take the bus cannot make it home. Do they have accomodations for those few times or what are the expectations in bad weather.
North Dakota has cheaper car tags for sure, and a much lower income tax. Minnesota has a higher income tax but lower property taxes....though there has been many moves in ND to lower the rate and use some oil money to lower property taxes. In Grand Forks. property tax is roughly around 2 percent of the assessed value....give or take. in EGF it is closer to 1 pct. For car insurance purposes, I am not aware of major differences. I lived in ND as well and moved across the river and didnt notice any real change.
Grand Forks does have housing options and more shopping and other activities associated with UND. GF/TRF areas are huge hockey towns.
Now for housing in GF....lots of folks on this forum who move here want to find a single family housing rental.....but that is tough to find. The area here as always been a rental apartment place but you buy a house. There are newer apartment rentals with garages available, with nearly 1000 units added in the last year alone and another 1000 units to come on line in 2014. For townhomes/condos....those are a nice option but you generally buy them.... though there is one rental towhnhome community on the south end called Times Square Townhomes managed by Hampton Management. I suggest googling that info on the web to check any openings. They come with 2 car garages. There are scattered 2 BR/2BA duplexes for rent around town at times. but availability can be variable. I suggest buying a place if you know you will be here a while....as the housing market has been very brisk in the last 2 years.
Housing prices in the local GF area kind be high compared to southern states. Newer 2BR/2BA townhomes with garages would run around 200-240k but can find some nice older ones for the mid 150s-170s.
Check out Greenberg Realty or Crary realty for MLS listings to get an idea. They also service TRF areas too and you can check their sites for links to the area MLS page that includes small towns in the area in ND and MN.
I would be happy to answer any ? you have. I enjoy helping folks out.
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