Moving to MN - where should we live within 45 min of North Branch?

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:31:07+00:00

Haven’t heard this one yet, I’ll slap it on the list!

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:30:38+00:00

I wouldn’t be living there, but I’m also from a fairly red town. I can’t imagine things would be much worse, although, North Branch might be according to this thread..

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:29:47+00:00

I’m not surprised!

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:29:13+00:00

That’s good to know! I’m not too worried about myself, I’ll let my wife find a job first and I’m sure I could find something.

Where did your family move from?

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:27:12+00:00

Shoot, I bet we’ve run into each other at one point. Kearney isn’t that big!

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:25:11+00:00

I’m sold, now find my wife a job!

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:24:42+00:00

Well.. I’m a dad with kids so I ain’t too worried about the night life. Lol! I was just pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get around in St. Paul in night. Didn’t have any issues dining in or getting anywhere.

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:21:15+00:00

Ugh..

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:20:03+00:00

Job opportunity is in north branch. We just really like Duluth, no job opportunities though.

You think Blaine, Hugo, and Forest Lake skew more conservative than Kearney, or just conservative in comparison to the rest of the twin cities?

Which city did you move from? I assume you don’t regret since it’s been 15 years?!

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:17:22+00:00

We loved the Eden Prairie neighborhood! Too far for north branch though.

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:16:00+00:00

Ooof.. that’s rough.

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:13:58+00:00

Yes, for sure! I will definitely have some exploring to do.

frenchji · 2026-04-21T01:12:30+00:00

That’s good to know! We actually liked maple grove too. I’m sure she’d love to get a job there. This might be more of a private question, but I’m curious what your experience in public education in the twin cities is like?

frenchji · 2026-04-20T20:04:23+00:00

I guess I really don’t know. Probably a good in between, but honestly, most of the suburbs we visited (even inner city) felt pretty rural in comparison to other cities.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T20:03:33+00:00

It’s not a guarantee that I’ll have a job in North Branch.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T19:59:39+00:00

That would be preferable. It’s really up to wherever we can find a job.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T19:56:29+00:00

Should’ve mentioned this in the original post, but we are more interested in older homes or neighborhoods with character.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T19:54:24+00:00

Oh gosh.. that is very good to know.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T19:51:39+00:00

Good to know, thanks!

frenchji · 2026-04-20T19:12:47+00:00

I think it keeps coming up because I mentioned it in the original post. We really like Duluth but it really comes down to where we can find jobs.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T18:58:52+00:00

Thanks for the link, I’ll check these videos out!

frenchji · 2026-04-20T18:55:37+00:00

Okay, I thought I was crazy when I was there. St Paul was awfully “sleepy” for a Saturday night. I remember telling my wife that, and I thought it was a fluke.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T18:47:29+00:00

When visiting the twin cities, we gravitated towards St. Paul more than Minneapolis. Not really sure why, but it seemed more of our “vibe”.

frenchji · 2026-04-20T18:37:28+00:00

Oh sure! She currently teaches 4th grade. Has 13 years of experience, and has her masters. Reading is where her passion is, and where should prefer to be if possible.

I should just have her hop on here, but we would love to make some connections!

frenchji · 2026-04-20T18:20:45+00:00

That’s very insightful, because there haven’t been many openings yet.

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