We live in Duluth, Minnesota. It is far less industrialized than it once was, though there still is quite a bit of shipping traffic, both iron ore and grain. I always liked the look of industry, the ore docks, the lakers, the grain elevators.
The largest two employers are the University of Minnesota and St. Mary's Duluth Clinic Health System. Duluth is a regional medical center with great health care.
A lot of work has been done in the past 30 years to beautify downtown. The streets are bricked. You can get decent Thai food and there is an award winning Indian restaurant downtown. Shopping stinks so go to Minneapolis to shop. Housing prices have increased over the past few years but housing nevertheless is a lot cheaper than Minneapolis/St. Paul.
A lakewalk was built so you can walk along the lake to downtown. There is a nine mile sand beach on a sand bar that starts from downtown. The other beaches are rocky. People wind surf and sail, primarily on the bay. Bigger pleasure boats go on the lake--there are opportunities to crew on some rich guy's big sail boat. Sailboat races every Wednesday. My avatar is currently a frozen view of the lake from last winter. The lake is always cold, though with an east wind blowing warmer surface water inland you can sometimes swim in the summer. People die every year in the lake from hypothermia. A kayaker just died a few days ago. There are many parks in town with cross country ski trails and hiking. There is downhill skiing just outside of town. Canoing and kayaking are popular and there are many rivers nearby that provide great challenges. The boundary waters canoe area wilderness is nearby and is an amazing area for canoe trips, along with wilderness areas in Ontario. There is nothing like summer in Duluth, with non-stop recreational opportunities. The summer temperature tends to be fairly pleasant, often in the 70s. Though with an off lake wind you can have 50 degree days in July or August. Rarely do you have 90-100 degree days, though they do seem to be more frequent, occurring yearly rather than once every few years.
The city is built on a hill so many have a nice view of Lake Superior.
The area is very liberal. One of our lawyers at work is a Republican. He and his family moved to Arizona for a couple of years. He said the democrats in Arizona were more conservative than the republicans in Duluth.
Winters are bitter cold and dark. But if you like skiing or snowshoeing you are set. Spring comes very late, I have seen ice on lake superior as late as June.
My peonies are still in bloom.
If not from the area, most people find the climate too harsh.
