Not from there but MN true and true and know Duluth very well. It is an awesome place, I love it. Be warned though there really is no spring, fall begins in August and winters are long and extreme. My wife and I spend time on the north shore every winter and it was -20f the whole time we were there this year and -28f last year. I have friends that are hard corp Minnesotans that bailed because they could not handle it. There are a handful of stud athletes up there but I do not know if I would say it is that great of place for triathlon. As far as I know the only place to swim is in the lake, which you probably do not want to do outside the canal and even in the canal are dodging barge traffic. Coast Guard may not even allow you to swim in the canal for all I know. Running is great. Biking is probably OK but all I am familiar with is Hiway 61. There is an AWESOME half IM there by the name of Superiorman and of course Grandmas Marathon.

Not sure about job market although I do not think there is much of an economy there outside tourism. Cost of living is low given that there is not much of economy or population growth.

I am happy to answer specific questions for you if I can. Where would you be moving from?

Im just looking to move from Lisbon, ND. looking for a place that i can do Tri's as well as Xcountry skiing. I have read that they have a really good Nordic center.

Actually i do most of my training indoor (pool, trainer) I/m fine with one ride outside a week. If I could afford it would move back to Denver/Boulder area but too expensive.

The Superiorman half IM has been changed for 2019. It is now more of an elite only event with the swim moved out of the canal area into Lake Superior making it a more difficult swim. Only 150 slots exist. The event had at one time, use of the indoor hockey area for the transition area (great experience) and use of the small locker room with showers. The bike and run portions have also been modified. I'm glad I did it several times in the past but as an older and slower contestant, it no longer appears to me.

The change was due to construction and had nothing to do with it being "elite." LOL as if there are 150 "elites" that trek up to duluth for a half ironman. Do not be dissuaded, it will be back to old venue next year.

Superiorman is a pretty dang cool event. I have driven up from IL the last couple years for it.

I think the 150 limitation is because they can only load the boat once and that's how many it holds. Can't do a 'sprint' if they can only do one boatload for the swim.

Duluth is growing. We have a significant aviation industry, health care is huge as we are a regional medical center for most of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota and have a Level 1 trauma center. 3 universities makes it busy with many young people. Lots of jobs, housing is a bit tough due to rapid recent growth.

The area is great if you are active. Excellent x-country skiing with many groomed trails, mountain biking on those same trails and many others the rest of the year. Plenty of good road biking in the area too. Two great lakes for open water swimming nearby, plus the big lake when warm enough.

A 2 hour drive in any direction gives you an unimaginable amount of outdoor options with hiking, biking, camping, skiing etc.

But yet it has a small town feel. No significant traffic, good schools, everything is nearby.

Come join us here in Duluth, you’ll love it.

I've been to Duluth a few times. It is awesome. A very active, outdoors town. Yeah, winters can be long, but then you just do active, outdoors winter stuff. A great place. Beautiful too.

Believe it or not, I am somewhat familiar with Lisbon ND (vaguely) and have to guess that the tri / cycling scene in Duluth will be 10x better.

Might want to buy a gravel bike to add to your stable. Great gravel rides near Duluth, in addition to road and mountain.

A couple of months ago the NY Times had an article talking about how small cities like Duluth are poised for growth because of climate change. As much of the country gets unbearably hot, they will just get more comfortable. Plus, there is lots of fresh water and little threat from rising sea level. Not a bad time to check it out.

I'm seriously thinking about buying a place near Duluth with lake frontage and retiring there. Both my parents are from the Iron Range (Mom from Virginia, dad from Aurora). Spent many a summer on Lake Vermilion, and would love to have something similar, but with the amenities a decent size town like Duluth has. Sitting here in Dayton Ohio with 91 degrees, high humidity, and only nasty reservoirs filled with goose shit near here, and winters that are damp and gray and no snow to do anything fun in.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.