NEW YORK – the consumer finance magazine Money chose Northfield in Minnesota as one of the 50 best places to live in the United Stages. Writer Mallika Mitra cited affordable homes and “room for adventure” and Carleton and St. Olaf colleges. Then there’s the Jesse James Festival in Septembers. It’s a celebration not so much of the 1876 robbery of the First National Bank, when the notorious Jesse James gang rode their horses into town to rob the bank, but of the citizen-led manhunt that led to the gang’s demise. Population: 21,000.
Among surprises
Also listed by Money magazine:
> LaCrosse, Wisconsin. “Picturesque with a healthy job market, thriving arts scene, some of the best freshwater fishing in the country.” Population: 52,000.
> Boise, Idaho. “Thousands of acres of protected reserves, 100 parks, cricket fields, an off-leash dog park the size of four football fields, museums, and a zoo.” Population: 250,000.
A river flows through. Northfield’s downtown is dissected by the Cannon River, 40 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi.