Reviews & Comments
Red Wing, MN
Very stagnant town -
8/14/2013Red Wing is a pretty town along the river. It does have some things outsiders need to be aware of if you take the plunge.
The town is OLD, as in the citizens. If you're looking for a 20-30 year old youthful vibe you will find nothing like that in in Red Wing.
Sure there is the Sheridan theater, a movie theater, that's your culture.
The mall, if you can call it that, has about a dozen stores. It's pretty sad.
And finally, the jobs...no jobs. As the manufacturing has dried up in Red Wing so have jobs. No more Jostons, Pirelli, Tannery, even Red Wing shoe has had some tough times. I'm sure Wal-Mart is hiring but hard to raise a family on that. If you are a skilled worker plan on commuting an hour north everyday for a real job.
If you don't buy any of this just look at Red Wings population growth over the past few years/decade. They have gained next to nothing in new residents. It's a great place to visit or maybe retire in but you don't want to live there.
Mankato, MN
Mankato does have some culture -
8/14/2013It depends on what your view of culture is. For a city of about 60,000 it does have SOME. You need to look to find it.
Start at Minnesota State, from national sporting events to National Festivals to Theater.
The city is also building a Children's Science Museum downtown. The city has other various unique recreational things throughout the year: Vikings training camp, Minneopa Falls, Numerous biking-skiing trails, Mt Kato skiing/mt biking, summer college league baseball league (Northwoods League).
About every 3-4 years they host a National Air Show, recently they have hosted many D-II national tournaments.
I'd love to have someone show me a city around 60,000 people that is bursting at the seams in culture. I don't think Mankato is that lacking, people are expecting a little too much.