If you don't have kids in school, don't come here
-
1/6/2018
Nice, scenic little town along the banks of the Cannon River. Quaint, charming downtown which is easily walked. A variety of overpriced antique and specialty shops. A couple coffee houses and mediocre restaurants.
Northfield is home to two private colleges. If you take the number of college students out of the popular, Northfield seems largely populated by the elderly. Indeed, its nickname is the "Norwegian Riviera". Seniors enjoy a large active senior center, renamed "Fifty North" in January of 2018 and a number of convenient retirement housing options. They contribute to the notably bad and slow driving in town also.
As of 2018, Northfield has a Cub grocery and Target, both of which are pretty standard and poorly run. They have a food co op which boasts ridiculously, stratospherically high prices, and an Aldi's. The main employers are the 2 colleges, the hospital and whats referred to as "the Malto Meal Company", which does deliciously perfume the town when it making its flavored cereals. There are worse smells.
The townsfolk have mostly lived here for years, or are college professor transplants. I was warned by a long term resident "there are 2 types of people here. The snooty college folks and the regular people". I have found she was right. And seldom do the twain meet. Moving here in my late 50s, I have found it almost impossible to forge new friendships. Everything, oddly, seems to be done in groups here. Book clubs, volunteering, work out groups and the ever popular yoga cliques. When inviting someone to coffee at one of the local coffeehouses, they seemed almost stunned and usually say " I never go there" or something to that effect. No one seems open to forming a new friendship that is one on one. Its always an invitation to join one of their clubs. Everyone seems to keep things quite superficial here and I have heard that comment from several past Northfield residents. So if you are retired and have other friends in the metro area, I guess you're ok. Nurture your own previous friendships as you will not be making any new ones.
The taxes are extremely high here. You have a housing choice of living in a modestly priced home which is need of expensive updating or buying into a newer neighborhood, which is what we opted to do. Low crime rates which you would expect in a town full of old folks.
About 45 minutes to Minneapolis. 15 minutes to Faribault which doesn't have much going on either but is a cheaper town.
Celeste | Bend, OR