So what is there to do in Duluth? (Hermantown, Cook: neighborhood, movie theaters)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by MidniteBreeze

Oh, and we can't forget the taxpayer sinkhole that is a Great Lakes Aquarium. It is worth at least one visit though. Other "touristy" things in the canal park/Bayfront area (besides shops and restaurants): William A. Irvin ship (I think they still do a "haunted" ship for halloween), omnimax theater, marine museum (free and very interesting), Bananaz arcade for the kiddies and of course just stolling along the pier "watching the ships come in" as the old song goes, lol.

The W.A.Irvin tour is actually pretty fun. My wife (a native of Duluth who grew up in Esko) kept on getting mad at me because I was playing tourist and would always hang back to take pictures, and if she stayed back with me she would miss the first part of the guide's commentary in each new part of the ship.

Those oar boats are kinda BIG.

[Lorenzo left]

For me, it was a great place to grow up (Lakeside) and go to school (East, UMD) and a great place for my kids to grow up (Lakeside, East) but an awful place to make a living....luckily for my kids, they got out of there soon after high school......if you are not in the medical field, or invited to join a law firm, or inherited your business from your father (which several of my East High classmates did), good luck. As one friend's father told me when I was about 13, "Living in Duluth is an economic choice." In other words, enjoy the Lake, the woods, the trails, the relative safety of the streets, the short commutes and of course Park Point, but better be happy with $30k a year. But how charming is Duluth? I left Duluth permanently four times;
each time I returned for family reasons, but finally at age 42 I got out of there for good. Moved to the Twin Cities. And except for exasperating traffic, too many people who never learned how to entertain themselves and the insane price of houses here, it's wonderful to live in the Cities after all those years trying to make ends meet at the Head of the Lakes. Bottom line: Beautiful but I can't eat scenery.

[aluminumpork]

Beautiful but I can't eat scenery.

Greatest quote ever, and I completely agree with you. You can do very well for yourself in Duluth as long as you're in the primary fields. If you're in tech, there are good jobs around but you either have to get lucky or know someone. You've just gotta look hard and wait or know people.

[BlueNoodle]

Originally Posted by aluminumpork

Greatest quote ever, and I completely agree with you. You can do very well for yourself in Duluth as long as you're in the primary fields. If you're in tech, there are good jobs around but you either have to get lucky or know someone. You've just gotta look hard and wait or know people.

ouch.
well still, this is all good to know.
that's really about what is happening down here on the gulf coast.
and not nearly as scenic.
i wont turn this in to a mississippi bashing thread so i'll leave it at that.
hubby already has scored a job with the cirrus facility as an instructor/test pilot, i don't know about the pay grade yet though. and from what i've been seeing, your housing market is way way better than ours down here. you get more house for what you pay however, less land. it's a trade off i guess.

no matter, i'm still excited. i'm staying positive and i'll start stocking up on quilts and warm fuzzies.

[aluminumpork]

Originally Posted by BlueNoodle

and from what i've been seeing, your housing market is way way better than ours down here. you get more house for what you pay however, less land. it's a trade off i guess.

Well that's good to hear. Only thing I've heard locally is that the condo market is great here compared to everywhere else in the country. Condos are going up left and right. I was going to mention though, in a few neighborhoods and you can score quite a bit of good land (of course, "quite a bit" is relative). I currently live in Duluth Heights and have a full acre. Duluth Heights -is- the mall area, so I'd say that's pretty good. I've heard mixed reports on Cirrus jobs. From people I've talked to, it seems that assembly positions (glueing, etc) are not the greatest and start at $10/hour. Where as cockpit assembly and more skilled positions (such as test pilot I would assume) are much better positions.

Keep your hopes up! Land a nice house in a nice neighborhood, I'm sure you guys will love it here.

[Jim91]

Hello Everyone, I hope that everyone had a great Easter. My family and I are moving to Duluth in July. Does anyone have any suggested furniture stores, household appliances, and local grocery stores that you could recommend? Thanks in advance!

Jim

[Duluth07]

I know this thread has been going on for three years, but it's interesting to note how much has changed in just three years. Three years is now what a decade used to be - look at the difference in housing, jobs (people are happy just to have one), all the people who are in situations they never dreamed they'd be in...the difference in Duluth is that this has always been life here. Probably since 1970 or so, people have lived as if 'this could end tomorrow' - we've seen jobs and companies and things end overnight and people have had to pack up and go in a moment's notice. It's just the nature of living in a city that is 160 miles away from any metro area that could help us recover. In Duluth, it's just Duluth/Superior standing alone. If I were to do it again I would advise people of that before coming here. Don't live beyond your means here because if that great job you came here for ends, it's not like other metro areas that are spaced within a 30 minute drive of each other (and you can find a new job quickly). That one good job you find here might be the only one you're going to find for many years. Problem now is, I know a lot of people who are not finding anything, and this time they have no money to move somewhere else and try again. Not only that, but from what I've been hearing, the job prospects in the once-sure thing cities aren't as great as one would have thought. Again, you have a lot of people living here who have to move back in with parents, friends, relatives, and if they are an open-minded family, their adult children can help out with things around the house. I've been able to help out with things that my parents would never be able to do on their own unless they hired someone. So while I've found something part-time, I consider the upkeep of our house my other job. And that works for me. I'm glad to spend these years with my parents. I know a lot of people who have such a bad relationship with their parents they are never welcomed home again.

The other thing about Duluth that I've mentioned before is that, while it's an interesting city with a very interesting mix of people, there is one thing that stands out that I (and many others) don't like: if you are a single adult here with no kids, you'll very likely have no luck in meeting anyone. Almost everyone here had kids and is married/partnered. This is not the place for anyone who is single, without kids, college educated, healthy (non-smoker, non-drinker and loves to workout) and is seeking someone else in the 25-40 year old range who is similar. They just are very few and far between here. The college students, I'd say 80% are from Minneapolis/St Paul and are out of here the minute their last class ends on Thursday and don't come back until late Sunday night or leave down there at 5:00 am on Monday. It's become a 'suitcase campus'. So while I like what the mayor and other groups are trying to do with the campus (the latest is, since Woodland Junior is closing, it's going to be a prime piece of property to create a 'dinkytown' or 'uptown' feeling with student housing and mixed use space, which will ultimately lead into Mount Royal Shopping Center). If that does well, then that will bring a new progressive energy that is desperately needed here. Single, professional people without kids don't really want to be lumped in with a bunch of people with 5 kids running around screaming with chocolate on their hands and faces. They want their coffee shops, their gyms, their social spaces. This could be a pretty good plan if it gets off the ground, and the funding is there.

So anyway, sorry to ramble on here. I think Duluth is large enough where there's certainly enough room for everyone, but if you only have small groups of certain members of society, that's just not enough and sooner or later those people (especially those who are young/single, or gay/single and have a dating pool of about 6 people) will get frustrated and leave within a year. These are also the people who are generally very high educated, qualified, artistic and could contribute a lot to our city. We need to find a way to let these people know they're welcomed here and we want them to stay. The prerequisite for 'being someone who is worthy of being here' shouldn't have to require having kids and a spouse.

[DmaxDiesel]

Echo Valley Motocross Park in Brookston, about 40 miles west of the town.

[Radical_Car]

There is plenty to do. Hope you enjoy

[218girl]

St. Urho festival in Finland in march. about10 miles inland from the shore.