Duluth, MN Reviews

Intriguing and diverse city! - 8/29/2021
My husband and I just visited Duluth for our anniversary. We stayed in Canal Park and found the area fun and convenient for travelers. Lots of quaint shops and restaurants. The lake walk is right out your hotel door and takes you on a lovely jaunt right along the shoreline. It literally runs for miles and has bridges connecting it to the city for easy access. We were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the area and it’s ruggedness. Yes, there are pockets of poverty and we were surprised by some of the run down neighborhoods. But overall it was a fantastic experience. Lots to do and see and some breathtaking views, especially the scenic overlook above the city. We definitely plan to spend more time in Read More

Duluth, not my favorite. - 3/14/2021
It is the worse weather in the U.S. as far as small cities that large. The houses are fare below par. they are old shingle 1920s vintage generally and not normally well kept up. The people are narrow minded and very suspicious of outsiders and not that willing to accept. Schools seem to be O.K. but probably because they are not diversified like the rest of the country. Entertainment is limited and it seems that the only good place to actually go out and socialize is Grandmother's, by the bridge. I've lived in a dozen states: Minn., Neb., Colo., Calif., Ohio, N.C., S.C., Ga., and Florida. Duluth is the only place where I can say that I was overall very disappointed. The best time of the year is when smelting season is open and you can buy fresh smelt. It even seems that most lakes are fished out and replaced by trillions of mosquitos. It is said that the U.S. ends at Hinkley (75 miles south) and it seems true. Mush that you can get in the lower U.S. is not available up there towards Read More

Love my adopted hometown! - 5/17/2020
I moved to Duluth fifteen years ago today from Arizona with my (at that time) 3 children, who were 1, 4 and 8. My daughter was born here 2 years later. I have never once regretted it.
Having lived all over the US (including AZ, CA, IA, NV and ID, I can say with authority, Duluth is amazing! The schools are wonderful for the most part (2 of my boys are on the autistic spectrum.) It is incredibly beautiful here, being on the shore of Lake Superior is awe-inspiring and the city abounds with parks, hiking trails and outdoor recreation. Cost of living is somewhat high, but I've worked at the same company for 10 years and bought a house last year on one income. Duluth is a small city with a large artistic, culinary and musical community. There is so much to do in town both for families and singles, and if you do get bored, the Cities (as in St. Paul/Minneapolis) is only 2 hours away.
Yes, the winters are fierce and long, but they are also beautiful, and summer is simply Read More

Great place to visit, in summer only. - 2/19/2020
Summers are wonderful.
But the OTHER 9 MONTHS A YEAR - don't bother. Unless you love shoveling snow daily, being terrified on the roads that are slippery constantly, neverending cold, insane heating bills, half the town is visibly strung out on hard drugs, etc. Read More

Fairweather Duluthian - 8/25/2019
I was about to give Duluth three stars but then I saw three stars means just "okay" and it is more than that to me.

That being said, it probably is more to me because my family and heritage and my whole life has been here. And I love water. I love Lake Superior. If it wasn't for my family, though, I likely would just be visiting home in the summer and fall because, as others have noted, the winters are beyond harsh and painfully long here. It gets depressing. Especially if one doesn't drink, which I don't.

This is such a beautiful area, though, and even in winter. The lake provides some of the most powerful and majestic sites I have seen and never looks the same day to day. Gichigami is more of a sea.

Duluth and the surrounding areas are my heaven in summer. I go all over to different lakes, running, paddleboarding, and swimming. In the beginning of summer, Duluth is still cooler because of the lake (the lake is so big it never quite gets warm), Read More

Bring long sleeves - 10/8/2018
Being born and raised in Duluth definitely gives me a bias but I’ll try to be as fair as possible.

After living here for 20 years I still am in awe with the views that are only a few minutes of walking from my front door. Duluth is truly an outdoors city. Beach time in the summer, hundreds of miles of trails for hiking and biking during fall, beautiful overlooks and vistas for picnicking in spring, and 2 ski hills at your disposal during the winter. There is always something to do in Duluth.

That being said, summers can be humid and hot for a week and then only have a high of 67 the next week. During fall I honestly have no complaints about. Winters on the other hand will knock your socks off. They are long and cold, and will usually be cloudy for multiple weeks at a time. Springs are always wet and Read More

Duluth City - 6/8/2016
I have mixed emotions about Duluth as I spent half my life there and in Buffalo NY. My memories of Duluth have been of friendly people (on the surface) but being very, very lonely and wishing for something more. It's a terrible place to be single and/or childless because virtually everyone is married or has kids. If you don't, you're not going to find many people who have things in common with you. You won't find many single adults there either - so if you arrive single, you're going to leave single.

For basic things like finding a gym, getting around the city, restaurants, etc its very well-established. I never had problems with anything like that. The jobs are a different story. I, as many others I knew, worked way below my educational level. Despite being a college graduate I could only find a job that paid close to minimum - however, having lived with family and being able to walk to work, I had no car payment/insurance, very little rent, had no Read More

Don't move here for the weather - 2/15/2015
I grew up in Duluth, and moved back 15 years ago for family reasons. Duluth is the armpit of America where winters are long and cold, and shoveling snow is a routine even into April. Spring is cold and wet. Summer starts in July. We have plenty of humidity and overcast skies. People are not moving into the city, and in fact the population is in steady decline. We go inside in September and slam our doors shut until May or June. We have to get reacquainted with neighbors each spring. Move to Duluth if you like snow and a long heating season. Your furnace will run from October into June. Don't believe the embellished tourism and relocation websites. This is my honest assessment Read More

True Duluthian - 7/11/2013
I was born and raised here in duluth and I would just have to say there is probably no other area I would want to live. Duluth is truly naturally beautiful. It is just the right size city not too big not too small. The locals are Minnesota nice if you are an outdoorsy person or a photographer duluth is an area to live in for you. It's city meets outdoors. The crime is not bad if you live in the right areas west duluth is moderate, Lincoln park is bad, observation is pretty good hillside and downtown aweful, woodland and east are nice skyline is nice. Just depends you can generally spot the nice areas from the bad. But living in duluth your not gonna find much land so living in the surrounding area would be your best option if your looking for land and more privacy. The winters are kinda harsh but you get use to it last winter it got to -30 my dad left his cellphone in the car it cracked and the snow in are yard was as tall as me generally the higher up the hill you are the more snow Read More

weather, taxes, unions - 10/12/2011
The city of Duluth is being run my the unions, they place their people on the city council and the public unions get what they want.
The school board built new schools at a cost of 430 Millon dollars (inc interest) with out a vote of the people. The winters are VERY Read More