Why I live in Duluth

As high school graduation approached I was ready to get out of Duluth. I told my parents when time was near for me to go to college I did not see myself coming back to Duluth ever. I told them I was tired of the "small" city and wanted to live in the big city. The big city I was talking about was Minneapolis.

Once in Minneapolis it was love at first sight. I was ready to experience the big city and have stuff to do. While I lived in Minneapolis I did just that. If I would not have lived in Minneapolis I would not have met my wife, met life long friends and most of all not learned how much my heart was in Duluth.

There were many good things about my times in Minneapolis but as I got older and my priorities shifted (A wife and daughter) I realized Minneapolis was not the place I wanted. When my child was first born, living in a crappy apartment with crappy neighbors, no yard and paper thin walls, I knew it was not the place I wanted Emma to grow up in. I realized to live in a good neighborhood and buy a nice house had to be in Duluth. Lucky for me I had extended family in Duluth who really made the move to Duluth possible. They were so supportive and helpful. Without my extended family there is no way Heather and I would be here today.

Here are the things I love so much about Duluth you can't get in Minneapolis. First there is no such thing as rush hour in Duluth. I know many Duluth natives will say they fight rush hour traffic but until you battle the traffic in Minneapolis around the hours of 8AM or 5PM, don't talk to me about rush hour. Second, I have no fear about letting my daughter at age 4 ride her bike in the neighborhood while I get dinner ready. (Yep, that's right I cook!) Third, I live in a house. With the jobs I been able to have, buying a house in a good neighborhood would not have been possible in Minneapolis. Finally, I love the outdoors. In Duluth we are 5 minutes from Lake Superior, 10 minutes from a hiking trail, and 30 minutes from getting on a lake to do some fishing.

I love the life I had while in Minneapolis but my heart is true and will always be true to the cold, snowy, summer lacking city of Duluth, Minnesota.