Nice towns in Northern Minnesota? (Duluth, Hibbing: real estate, low crime, buy)

[opossum1]

Are there nice, Mayberry-like quiet small towns in Northern Minnesota, with very low crime?
Especially North of Duluth latitude.

I traveled through Northern Minnesota this summer but only had a chance to stop for overnight camping in Chippewa National Forest, South of Bemdji and had very mixed impression from the area as there was something untoward going on in the public campground (speeding car racing through and strange people showed up in the middle of the night). I see that Bemidji has ver high property crime, Virginia got higher than average crime too...may be this explains what I saw in the campground, some local criminal element... The situation in the campground left very bad taste and made me wonder about safety in the area, even though small towns I went through looked nice (I drove in through Fargo and exited MN via Duluth).

Are there nice very safe mayberrish towns out there or one has to look for this in Central or Southern Minnesota?

[wamer27]

Ely and or Grand Marais.

[NDak15]

Maybe International Falls. That's as far north as you can get.

[opossum1]

Thanks. I heard good things about Ely.
Is there anything closer to bigger cities? I want to be max 1.5 hours from Duluth (or, at least, Fargo).

[Tyryztoll]

Is this a relocation thread or something else?

Worried about crime in the Minnesota northwoods because you saw a speeding car and some people gathering at night?

Seriously?

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by opossum1

Thanks. I heard good things about Ely.
Is there anything closer to bigger cities? I want to be max 1.5 hours from Duluth (or, at least, Fargo).

Ely is a neat town but check the cost of living. It's a destination and those are expensive usually.

[Citykid3785]

Grand Rapids
Two Harbors
Silver Bay
Grand Marais

Note that the Hibbing/Chisolm/Virginia area is known as the iron range. There is some great natural beauty there......but also some semblance of a Rust Belt as well.

[opossum1]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Is this a relocation thread or something else?

Worried about crime in the Minnesota northwoods because you saw a speeding car and some people gathering at night?

Seriously?

Yes.

I extensively traveled (camped) around entire US and had not seen such in National Forest campgrounds. Perhaps in New Mexico, which is notorious for poor safety.
You should travel some.
If you think a shady-looking car speeding at racing speeds through public campground in National Forest is normal and safe (it can actually kill people or pets) or car driving up to your campsite in near-empty campground at 2am and running headlights at your tent and not leaving is normal, I have no comment.
You should abstain from personal attacks, really.

[opossum1]

Originally Posted by NDak15

Ely is a neat town but check the cost of living. It's a destination and those are expensive usually.

I see. Not only it's a destination but it's remote, also.
Real estate seems to be within my price range, but I guess food would be very expensive there, just like a lot of other goods one can buy locally. Delivery from Duluth or Virginia should cost too, or gas driving out there....and I wonder about availability of tradespeople: sometimes there're none in remote small towns or very hard to get anyone to do work on a house. I considered one small town in a different region but the closest building inspector was 3 hour drive away and priced accordingly, kind of a preview of upcoming costs for any work to be one on the house. That's why I'm really aiming for 1.5 hr max from big city such as Duluth/Fargo.

[opossum1]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

Grand Rapids
Two Harbors
Silver Bay
Grand Marais

Note that the Hibbing/Chisolm/Virginia area is known as the iron range. There is some great natural beauty there......but also some semblance of a Rust Belt as well.

Rust Belt, I see...yep, I got that feeling already.
I haven't considered being close to Lake Superior earlier, but I guess should look into being close to the coast. Probably less mosquitoes there too (not sure).
I'll drive around entire region this time, not just cutting through like this summer. I, generally, had nice impression from the whole area, from Fargo to Duluth, but the situation in the campground made me wander about criminal element (I had to call the sheriff from the camp at 2am actually, which I never had to do in any other places in the whole USA and they told me to stay in my locked car, not in my tent, based on the situation), there were also many fireworks going off in the forest way past quiet hours (and it wasn't even a holiday), another thing you don't really experience in the National Forests anywhere. The cop told me basically that is was locals messing around probably using drugs and he felt it was happening there a lot, not a singular occurrence. It was past Walker - the own itself made a very nice impression on me (and it's a ver low crime town according to stats), but what I had seen next made me wonder.