Nisswa (Minneapolis, Brainerd, Baxter: for sale, rental, how much)

[GraniteStater]

My parents are retired and saw an interesting property listed in Nisswa. It seems to be an area with a lot of big and small lakes as well as a number of retirees. Google maps showed the driving distance to Brainerd and Baxter to be about 30 minutes. Does this seem accurate on the four lane highway between the two areas? I notice property taxes seem fairly reasonable given the caliber of the house that is listed for sale within close proximity to Gull Lake. Overall, what would you guys list as the pros and cons for this town? Is it a relaxing rural town of 2,000 or does the population triple in the summer with all the people from the cities flooding up? Any additional information is appreciated as well as links to snowmobile trail maps. They DON'T want to be by the trails.

GS

[fromupthere]

Can't really give you any info other than to say when I visited, I loved it. I thought it looked like a great small town.

[GraniteStater]

^
Thanks for that info.


Does anyone else know how much of an influx from the Twin Cities that Nisswa gets during the summer season?

The area in particular is Interlachen Rd (Route 77) between the Gull Lake Area and Route 371.

[Sonata36]

I have been through that area during the summer, on non holidays, and it felt so busy to me that it was like rush hour traffic all the way though for miles and miles and miles, if that is what you are asking.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Sonata36

I have been through that area during the summer, on non holidays, and it felt so busy to me that it was like rush hour traffic all the way though for miles and miles and miles, if that is what you are asking.

Oh, so 371 likely gets the brunt of the traffic since it is four lanes? The property that is listed is off route 77 which I would imagine would get much less traffic. Route 77 also goes along the west side of Gull Lake on down to the west side of Baxter. Does this route have less summer traffic in general? Thanks.

[west336]

Nisswa and that area in general is pretty priceless if you're an urban rat like me and are not use to "getting away from it all". It's "cutesy", if that makes sense to you, and that area has most of what you'd want if you are used to living in a city but want the isolation of the NorthWoods. That road IS quite a decent little freeway but that is because there is SO MUCH traffic there in the summertime that come from the cities, but nothing too oppressive IMO. I wasn't aware of any "cheap" land out there and before the housing bubble lots out there were unbelievably expensive, so maybe you're hitting the area at just the right time....I don't know (blue book it).

Hope that helps.

[GraniteStater]

^
Thanks for that info.

If I understand the map correctly county road 77 is a loop road that goes all the way around Gull Lake and connects at two separate points to 371...

It has been quite a long time since I have driven 77 so I don't remember how much summer traffic that road gets in particular considering it's a two laner.

Any locals want to add anything?
Thanks

GS

[Mesabi]

Sorry for the late post but will throw my opinion in! Nisswa to Brainerd is definitely not 30 minutes, probably closer to 15. In the summer during the rush hour of cabin driving...Friday evenings and Sunday aft/evn traffic on 371 will slow down a little bit, but if your living there, get your shopping or whatever down before these times and be enjoying the beautiful outdoors the area has to offer during these times! I love the area and other then weekends in the summer, the are is really quiet!

[BillWallace]

Mesabi nailed it - definitely more like 15 minutes.

The Brainerd - Nisswa - Pequot Lakes area is very popular in the summer, especially on weekends. The County 77 loop road does have a fair amount of traffic on the north side of Gull Lake as it serves Grandview Lodge, The Pines golf courses and a number of restaurants at the NW corner of Gull Lake like Bar Harbor and Zorbaz. That said, it's not a constant stream of traffic and most of the homes along there are on the lake so the bulk of your living will be toward the water and away from the road.

Nisswa itself is a cute little town with a couple blocks of shops and restaurants that are always busy on summer weekends but quite accessible at other times.

[Sateef]

This is years late but having grown up poor white trash within ten miles from Nisswa back in the '60's and '70's (yeah, I'm that old), I know the place. I still have family living in the area.


It's changed an awful lot from back when as you can imagine but it still has a huge influx of visitors in the seemingly short summer months but there are a lot more retirees in the area than ever before. The price of property on or across the road from a lake, any old pond, is stupidly expensive now. There are a number of former resorts (Grand View, The Pines area, Interlacken and Breezy Point) which have sub-divided their land holdings and sold them off. It's suburbia in the north woods now.



Highway 371 is four lane from Brainerd past Nisswa now and from Thursday night to Monday morning there is a whole lot of vacation and weekend travelers from the Minneapolis area. I would not recommend living too near that highway unless you like the sound of the traffic day and night.


Growing up in the area was good if you enjoyed winter sports. We filled the freezer with fish in the summer and venison in the fall and heated the house with wood. We had mixed feelings about the tourists with their flash cars and fat wallets but we loved their money as well as their daughters.


There is getting to be more big city problems with crack houses/kitchens out in very rural rental properties. Be careful approaching isolated houses if you are not familiar with who is living there.



In Brainerd the paper mill has closed and the old railroad shops have closed so they are becoming more dependent on the tourism and retail sector. The whole area has gone that way actually which I'm not sure is good but it's the way of many rural communities. If you can find well paid, steady employment it's a nice area to live in. But you better be accustomed to snow and cold because you will see plenty of both.