Rochester or St. Cloud? (Duluth, Mankato: apartment complexes, new house, schools)

[blakeb99]

Which city do you think is better? I've heard a lot of good things about both. Which one is more modern? And, are there any other medium sized cities in Minnesota comparable to these?

[golfgal]

Both are going to have their pluses and minuses. I think housing in the Rochester area is less expensive then St. Cloud. St. Cloud has 3 colleges/universities close and is closer to the lakes region. It really depends on what you are looking for and what your job is. Mankato would be similar to both Rochester and St. Cloud, slightly smaller, much less expensive, especially the surrounding communities. Duluth would also be comparable but then you deal with the winter in Duluth.

[thatoneguy]

i have lived in both rochester and st. cloud. i live in st cloud right now and i'd say st. cloud is quite nicer. rochester is pretty run down, outdated, and is even getting a little rough (not nearly as much as minneapolis or st paul, but still). st cloud is very safe, has a lot of new stuff, and is almost like a suburb to the twin cities. and it has the river and a historic downtown (although the rest of the city is quite modern). st. cloud is also more family friendly.

[snowlandcook]

Originally Posted by blakeb99

Which city do you think is better? I've heard a lot of good things about both. Which one is more modern? And, are there any other medium sized cities in Minnesota comparable to these?

I haven't lived in Rochester, so I can't compare the two, but I can tell you about St Cloud. I've lived here for over 20 years. It is quite nice--except for the traffic and infra-structure. (There's a traffic light at every corner and they aren't synchronized.)

What do you mean by "modern"? What are you looking for?

Modern as in new buildings? There are new parts of towns--lots of new houses/housing developments/apartment complexes, a couple new schools (and one that we're voting on building tomorrow), a lot of growth (business-wise).

Modern as in young, hip people? St Cloud has many young people since it's a college town. There are coffee houses, pubs, places to go dancing. Is that what you're after?

I'm not sure what to comment on since I'm not sure what you're looking for.

But I wouldn't say Mankato is similar to St Cloud. It is much smaller (which the other writer acknowledged) and somehow seems more remote.

[blakeb99]

hmmm, im not too familiar with mankato, but i'm def going to look into it. yea, i was pretty much referring to buildings and places. i don't particularly care for living in an old city with old homes and buildings, although i know every city has its old section. i also, don't like traffic congestion. i think i am going to take a ride up there pretty soon and check out all the areas...i guess that would be the best think to do lol

[golfgal]

I think you will find Mankato and St. Cloud to be very similar, although St. Cloud is larger. Both are college towns, both are the central shopping/medical centers in their region. Neither are going to have metropolitan type traffic. Division street in St. Cloud is always busy because of the design but there are other routes to take to avoid that. They both have older downtown areas but have newer developed areas elsewhere. The mall in Mankato is much larger and has more offerings then St. Cloud but they both offer about the same shopping otherwise.

[snowlandcook]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I think you will find Mankato and St. Cloud to be very similar, although St. Cloud is larger. Both are college towns, both are the central shopping/medical centers in their region. Neither are going to have metropolitan type traffic. Division street in St. Cloud is always busy because of the design but there are other routes to take to avoid that. They both have older downtown areas but have newer developed areas elsewhere. The mall in Mankato is much larger and has more offerings then St. Cloud but they both offer about the same shopping otherwise.

I hate to disagree, but I will. When was the last time you were in St Cloud? I live here (and have lived here for the past 20+ years)--and between 2003 and 2005, I commuted to Mpls. (right downtown) on a daily basis. The traffic in St Cloud is far worse than the traffic in the cities. My extended family, who lives in the cities and visits here, agrees. Division Street isn't even the worst anymore. Our lovely city planners recreated Division Street three blocks south (County Road 75, which turns into Hwy 23, and which is also called Roosevelt Road and Second Street South--yes, that's 4 names for the same street, depending upon where you are on it--another common feature of St Cloud). Even on Sunday morning, the traffic was so backed up on that street between 33 Ave and Hwy 15 that it was grid-locked. (We couldn't turn right onto that road off of 33 Ave--traffic was backed up for miles.)

Plus, the traffic lights are different at every single corner. Sometimes all left-turn lanes go at the same time. (That's a good plan.) But most of the time, one direction (like, all those going north, whether they are going straight or turning) goes at one time while the people in the other three directions sit still. Sometimes, there's no-one even attempting to travel in the one direction that has the right-of-way, so the folks in the other three directions sit there, waiting for no-one!

Plus, as golfgal said, we are a hub for the smaller rural towns--and when those drivers try traveling through this "big city," watch out! They might turn left from the far right hand lane.

As for our mall (Crossroads)--the anchors are Macy's, Penney's, Sears, and Target. They recently added a Coldwater Creek, which is also quite large. The mall is hailed as the largest mall north of the Twin Cities. I can't complain about the shopping in St Cloud. It's retail central--lots of places to shop. Last time I was there, the mall in Mankato was much smaller--but I concede that that could have changed.

No offense, golfgal, but our views seem entirely different on this one. I'm curious what your experience is with St Cloud.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by snowlandcook

I hate to disagree, but I will. When was the last time you were in St Cloud? I live here (and have lived here for the past 20+ years)--and between 2003 and 2005, I commuted to Mpls. (right downtown) on a daily basis. The traffic in St Cloud is far worse than the traffic in the cities. My extended family, who lives in the cities and visits here, agrees. Division Street isn't even the worst anymore. Our lovely city planners recreated Division Street three blocks south (County Road 75, which turns into Hwy 23, and which is also called Roosevelt Road and Second Street South--yes, that's 4 names for the same street, depending upon where you are on it--another common feature of St Cloud). Even on Sunday morning, the traffic was so backed up on that street between 33 Ave and Hwy 15 that it was grid-locked. (We couldn't turn right onto that road off of 33 Ave--traffic was backed up for miles.)

Plus, the traffic lights are different at every single corner. Sometimes all left-turn lanes go at the same time. (That's a good plan.) But most of the time, one direction (like, all those going north, whether they are going straight or turning) goes at one time while the people in the other three directions sit still. Sometimes, there's no-one even attempting to travel in the one direction that has the right-of-way, so the folks in the other three directions sit there, waiting for no-one!

Plus, as golfgal said, we are a hub for the smaller rural towns--and when those drivers try traveling through this "big city," watch out! They might turn left from the far right hand lane.

As for our mall (Crossroads)--the anchors are Macy's, Penney's, Sears, and Target. They recently added a Coldwater Creek, which is also quite large. The mall is hailed as the largest mall north of the Twin Cities. I can't complain about the shopping in St Cloud. It's retail central--lots of places to shop. Last time I was there, the mall in Mankato was much smaller--but I concede that that could have changed.

No offense, golfgal, but our views seem entirely different on this one. I'm curious what your experience is with St Cloud.

No, I don't live in St. Cloud but I did go to school there and have been in town many, many times recently, including shopping and Makato's mall is twice the size of Crossroads, sorry. St. Cloud is a great town but I don't see that the traffic is worse then rush hour in the twin cities and most of my trips are on weekends in St. Cloud. The point is, Division St and the surrounding streets are not the only way to get around town. Yes, the area is busy but if you live there you will find ways to avoid the worst traffic. The Mankato shopping areas are easier to navigate then St. Cloud but they have a lot of traffic and are the regional hub as well.

[blakeb99]

I wouldnt have thought the traffic would have been as bad in st. cloud as people are saying. I read somewhere I believe that the size of the city is 60,000 people. I figured this was a nice number, beings here in Lafayette we have 100,000 and the city is growing by leaps and bounds (easily the nicest city in all of Louisiana), and the traffic isn't all that bad, except for rush hour. But, I suppose with 3 colleges, and plenty of traffic in and out the minneapolis area, it makes traffic congestion worse in st. cloud. what about moorehead? any of yall have experiences around this area?

[warmweather!]

No offense to anyone, but I absolutely can't stand St. Cloud! I would definately choose Rochester. Rochester is also in a much more beautiful area. I always see St. Cloud as a U.S.A. slum, but maybe I'm wrong. I've never lived there.