International Falls Daily Journal - Moving up there soon to be in God's country - Comments

This discussion has run its

Laurel Beager — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:08:02 -0600

This discussion has run its course.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!THERE IS

GOPHER60 — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 19:46:56 -0600

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME. I AND MINE DREAM EVERY SINGLE DAY ABOUT RETURNING. RETIREMENT IS THE ONLY WAY WE POSSIBLE CAN..... 3 MORE YEARS...

Hey Vikesfan! I don't know

rainydaze — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 08:28:27 -0600

Hey Vikesfan!

I don't know much about gourmet chocolate, but had a individual sell some to my customers at a business I owned only the chocolates weren't in the shapes you mentioned. Ha! Nice Idea though! Only advise I'd have is keep it simple, study the shelf life, and get your chocolate sales cap on! My fiance wants to be your first customer! I must admit I like the tone and spirit of this thread much more now. Woody makes some very valid points! The fact are many of the same reasons in which attract people to this area also make it more challenging to cut out a living here. This blog started with moving to Gods country remember? If by chance she is still following this thread I would urge you to move here, and not be discouraged by the depressed. Yes this is Gods country, and it is the most beautiful areas in the state of Minnesota. I saw 2 Timberwolves looking out my front window yesterday! When I lived in Rochester I saw a hundred houses slapped up! Want to talk polution? There is a fine line between economic growth and Northwoods Solitude. Woody also mentions the everchanging face of the Falls eonomic make up. I have to commend him as he hit it right on the head like it or not. The Falls economy will have to be very adaptive, and the people of the city will too. Those who aren't likely will become more frustrated, and lay blame on others. It is very easy to point the finger at someone else. It is much more difficult to take it upon yourself to try make a difference. I would also like to commend our mayor for the love of our area. One person alone won't make the difference though. I would encourage those in power to look outside the box when they envision the future of this great city. Heres a thought! Why aren't we marketing this area as the flat out most beautiful area to live in the state. I look at our billboard coming up from the cities, and see it shows how far away I am. Make no mistake that we have the most beautiful untapped lake resource in the state! Why don't we market that Winter and Summer! I'm quite sure the hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops... wouldn't mind winter business as well as summer. Surely I may be misunderstanding the use of marketing funds, but it stands to reason that we will have a fairly steady stream of traffic in the summer regardless of money thrown to marketing it, so why not seed some money where this city needs the additional traffic. Study the results! Why not make it profitable to have a small business year round. Your at a much greater risk of feeling the impacts of a terrible weather pattern this way. Make no mistake there are few areas that offer the outdoorsman such a wide variety of adventure, and yes still have an economy. I hope our future doesn't rest soley on the shoulders of the mill, because this may prove to be a serious detriment to the future growth of our society. Yes the mill has to become, and to my understanding is becoming more efficient to compete. Fact of life!

Anyone know how to make

VikesFan — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:40:27 -0600

Anyone know how to make gourmet chocolates? I can run the business ... just need a chef ... and the seed money!

VikesFan...now your talkin.

woody woods — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:22:58 -0600

VikesFan...now your talkin. The Vermont Teddybear had to start with an idea and yours is a great one!

Gourmet Chocolates, how

VikesFan — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:16:13 -0600

Gourmet Chocolates, how about a specialty shop that makes & creates gourmet chocolates? Things like chocolate hockey pucks, moose, fish & other unique confections. Could be housed in the old cafe building downtown, kitchen already there. With the age of the Internet, sales wouldn't be limited to summer tourists, you could take online orders. Just a thought ...

Pimmyann... most

woody woods — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:48:47 -0600

Pimmyann... most entreprenuers do not succeed at their very first business but they do learn from their experience. Colonel Sanders tried many things but didn't get KFC off the ground till he was like sixty something I believe. While most businesses are somewhat "capital intensive" there are others that are not. Many if not most people who start a business face the same "uphill" struggles that you mentioned in one form or another. Sounds like you've limited your thinking if you think the only viable business in this area is a restaurant. You are really only limited by your imagination and determination.

Oh Woody....the majority of

pimmyann — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:19:30 -0600

Oh Woody....the majority of people do not want to "get ready to invest all your money"! Many of us have debts. Yes, starting a business would be the long term answer to "have a job." However, I personally would not have to have the constant demand placed on me of a business of my own. Also, to turn a profit and be able to pay yourself takes time. Time to turn that profit is something that not everyone has. My husband and I both have student loans that we will be paying for for the next....um...25-30 years.
Also you mention that most new businesses will fail, why? Is it perhaps because people in International Falls have been trained for so many years that there is nothing in town to shop for, we have to go to Virginia, Bemidji, Duluth....
At this point in time, the only truly viable business to open in town would be a restaurant. Somebody can open it, but I don't have the resources or the background!!

As a resident of Koochiching

woody woods — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:33:23 -0600

As a resident of Koochiching County I don't always agree or disagree with Int'l Falls Mayor Shawn Mason. However, I have never known a more passionate advocate for our area. Our local economy continues to change or morph more rapidly than it has in the past. If you go back 80+ years and look at the old censuses you can see occupational changes were occuring then. Most of the family names that were here then are gone now. And so it goes. While the papermill has certainly driven our economy since Int'l Falls was known as "The City of Destiny" it's economic role now and forever will continue to diminish. For the mill to compete on a global stage it has to produce more with less. Sad but true. As the mills local economic might subsides so too will the merchants that depend on that economy. One thing is true. All businesses eventually go out of business. Whether they last one year, a hundred years or three hundred years. Businesses start, mature and die. Change is constant. This area will continue to survive because there are people who really want to live here. They are currently and quietly tinkering on some widget or gadget in their garages. They are learning about technology that they can apply to their idea. They are writing, creating, brainstorming. They are drawing up plans and crunching numbers as they get ready to start a new business. Most will fail. Some will make it. All will give it their very best try. Those who fail may try again and succeed. As for Mayor Mason and the other politicians you get a chance every four years to hold them accountable. The good news is you get to hold yourself accountable every day. In other words if you got a great idea put your plan together, get ready to invest all your money and tons of sweat equity and give it all you got plus 200%. Other than waiting for a super employer with big wages and lots of benefits to move here that is the only way you can make more or less money than what is currently being offered by local employers. This is a great place to start a new business. Woody Woods

EXCELLENT LETTER

kay — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 11:34:48 -0600

EXCELLENT LETTER RAINYDAZE!!
This is what it is all about. I am sure everyone has an idea about what they would like to see happen here in this great town. If each person would submit just one idea and the mayor and economic development board would consider reading the blogs MAYBE they might get some insight about what the PEOPLE would like to see happen. This can be a positive format for those who want to see something good develop in our community.

WOW! Nope I'm not a native,

rainydaze — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 09:55:01 -0600

WOW! Nope I'm not a native, nor did I graduate from the local high school, don't have any family in the mill either. Haven't spent anytime in the ER (Knock on wood), and haven't been diagnosed with any rare forms of cancer. With that being said I would still like to weigh in on this thread. I grew up in a small town in SE Minnesota. We moved up here roughly one year ago. I left a life of serious hustle and bustle overpouring with economic growth. I might suggest that it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I too believe there needs to be some groundwork done to build the local economy though. I'm not one to judge quality of life by weighing money, but understand the basic needs of a decent income to feel comfortable for many reasons. The way I see it our local economy is being driven predominately by the mill and tourism. Arguably a volatile situation with such little diversety, and seems obvious though not all are being careful to be politically correct there is some resentment built up from the lack of opportunity. If either one were to take further cutbacks many more would feel further economic impact. I'm sure there is someone heading the economic development board, and which in my experience has worked hand and hand with the City administrator, or at least should be. I'm also sure that this isn't an easy position to fill. Certain funds should be allocated to keep the city viable, and thus information pertinent to prospective employers moving to town is very likely public knowledge. Instead of complaining due to the lack of opportunity lets use some of that frustration to look into the information being gathered from the economic develpment board, and begin working together on some solutions? I'm sure that is oversimplified, but in my mind the problem in which drives all others is the lack of gainful employment in town. The solution seems to be attracting some gainful employers. I have a degree in Marketing, and have run a couple small enterprises though am certainly not a expert in this particular situation. I do relate the sales process of bringing new business to town similiar to a particular business I ran, and can be a competitive situation. There are a lot of towns whom are actively seeking big employers. With that being said there is an obious need for a serious undertaking in the process of attracting business to the area, and for that matter educating the public to accept new business also. Sometimes the smaller communities are headed by individuals that view the town as there little retirement nook, and don't want change. I certainly don't know that to be the case here, but it is very common. In closing I may add scaring new people from moving to the area is probably not a smart move. I know I know you feel you are educating them. Truth is we moved here, and absolutely love it! With that being said yes I too agree that we need to work together to help Ifalls prosper now and in the future. Lets work on solutions, not mindless venting which makes us all look like fools!

Educated and driven? Rare

justaviewer — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:41:38 -0600

Educated and driven? Rare cancers? HA! A "rare" cancer is pretty "rare"...no such thing...cancer is cancer, everyone has carcinogens (correct my spelling as I know you all will) in their bodies, however, it takes 'something' to make that carcinogen react to ones body. May it be stress, may it be smoking, whatever the "poison" may be, EVERYTHING causes cancer people, everything, so, before you put the whole town down due to the mills' pollution, do your research. I have been reading these comments, these editorials, all the posts for the past 4 months and it's been pretty comical in my eyes! Everybody has a right to say their opinion, but man oh man, quit yer ******en, start worrying about your own life. Never even thought about saying my own opinion, own thoughts, but, hey, if ya'll are, why cannot I?

I live in Iowa and my inlaws

hacksawone — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:49:20 -0600

I live in Iowa and my inlaws have a resort in Nestor Falls. We have been visiting and shopping in your community for 26 years. I have found the people very friendly and sincere. Like many smaller Iowa towns your community faces many challenges but the least of which is its people and way of life. Several years ago on the way up my son fell ill with an unknown problem as we were having breakfast. We were directed to your Medical Center where we received much welcomed concern,compassion and treatment. Within a few hours of medication he became better and we continued on. Like in a smaller Iowa town had he not gotten better we would have been directed to the nearest more qualified center I'm sure but we were more than happy with the service. Another time I needed emergency care at a local dentist for a pre-root canal procedure. Likewise I was well taken care of at a must lower cost as well. While some may feel they have to sacrifice to live in a small town, I am one who thinks that I sacrifice to live in a large city. Better pay always means higher prices also! This year I am looking forward to spending 6-7 months sacrificing living in Nestor Falls. Yes, it will be a change and Yes, I am looking forward to it. I will no doubt have a Post office box in your town and will enjoy visiting the Falls when I feel the need to visit a larger city like it is compared to Nestor Falls. Better jobs I'm sure are needed but I hope not at the expense of becoming a City!! I'm sure others would agree.

I grew up in the Falls and

HollerKid — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:02:06 -0600

I grew up in the Falls and moved away when I was 30. Every community I have lived in since, ranging in size from a few hundred people to 15,000 people, experiences the same issues you've all been talking about. The main differences in all those communities has not been the issues they deal with, but how the people treat each other and how they deal with the issues. The most successful at dealing with their issues quit blaming others and work together to solve the issues.

Many people in the Falls have lived a sheltered life there and don't have a basis for comparison because they've never lived anywhere else. The perfect community does not exist. Every community has people who will have difficulties in finding jobs, affordable housing, etc. Every community has something it's residents complains about: the smell of the turkey farm; the noise from air traffic; the state of the roads; the need for a new libary...and on and on it goes. Every community I've ever lived in complains that the city government isn't doing enough to make things better. What I hear the loudest complainers in this thread saying is that "the powers that be" should be doing something. My question to all of you is "What are YOU doing?" It's very easy to post a comment on an Internet forum. It's much more difficult to put yourself out there in real life. If you don't like something, WORK to change it.

This comment ended up longer than I intended. I really just wanted to say, "If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

I don't know why all the

blueschool2 — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:16:01 -0600

I don't know why all the anger with folks this is about a family moving here and wanted to know were to fish put there children to school we have what four options for there children to attend schools in a town of 6000 thousand. who works on your car, what is the best place to eat out.. But mostly places to make them happy what do we have for sport for these boys... i think that half u people blow big for talking like you do.. the best thing about the town is the people, the view of the lake, ice fishin,get togethers with the town and community get togethers. what if smart a&& remarks drove people away i now reading some of the stuff people have posted before a move to a differnt town , or state for that matter would make me wonder what is going on. folks it is not a what if situation to move to this town it's awesome i know most or they know me i do what i want all 4 sesions and work at lodges in the summer as a cook if u get a chance there is nothing like breakfest in the morning looking over the lake or sundown for that matter with a steak lol. hope u enjoy your new home

Moving up there soon to be in God's country

Cindy — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 16:13:14 -0600

Hi everyone. This summer we are planning on moving to I'falls from Illinois. It will be my husband, John, two sons, Chris and Randy and I.