Moose Lake, Minnesota: An ideal town

[tvdxer]

Roughly 40 miles south of Duluth and 115 miles north of Minneapolis on Interstate 35 lies Moose Lake, an idyllic small lakeside town of 2,751 (2010 census). Unlike other regional cities, it has experienced a boom in population, more than doubling since 1990. It was also probably the town worst affected by the June 2012 floods, being almost completely submersed and cut off from all transportation for days as a result. You can read about the ordeal here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/dis...th-flood-zone/ . Against all odds, though, Moose Lake has came back, and when I visited today there was almost no sign that anything had went wrong.

We start with Moose Lake's downtown, which sports several cafes and restaurants, a one-screen movie theater, and several extant businesses. There's more to it than just this, but that will have to be posted later (probably today):

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Downtown Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Downtown Moose Lake Overview by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Downtown Theater by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Downtown Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Responsible Older Sister by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Jitters Cafe by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Florist and Tan by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Downtown Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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ML DT Businesses by tvdxer, on Flickr

We then go from the business district (that wasn't all of it...more of that in some time) to the residential district. They kind of morph right into each other, and most places I took pictures are no more than a 5-10 minute walk to the business district. Here's a family I spotted hanging outside their home from the business district (notice the parked truck bed):

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Just Hangin' by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Residential Street by tvdxer, on Flickr

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ML RA House by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Triking by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Another Pretty House by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Fall Colors by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Streets of Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

A "long" house:

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Long House by tvdxer, on Flickr

Another "long" house. This house actually had a sign saying "Private Household".

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Another long house by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Another long house by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Streets of Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

The sidewalk was covered in leaves:

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Leafy Sidewalk by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Lakefront Houses by tvdxer, on Flickr

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The life? by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Lake Walkers by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Tower across Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Lakeside deritius by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Ready for Next Summer by tvdxer, on Flickr

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In Perspective by tvdxer, on Flickr

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The Streets of Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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The Good Life by tvdxer, on Flickr

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The Good Life Zoomed In by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Snowmobile Route by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moosehead Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Across the Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

And now to the Park. Moose Lake has an interesting arrangement: at the east side of the town there is a park (with water frontage), next to a public campground (which fills up in the summer). Overlooking the campground and park facilities is a school, which I believe is K-12.

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Moose Lake City Park Entrance by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake City Park Panorama by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake City Campground by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake City Park Panorama 2 by tvdxer, on Flickr (you'll probably have to view it full-sized on Flickr to make any sense out of it)

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Halloween Decorations by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Halloween Decoration Installation by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake School by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake School by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake School by tvdxer, on Flickr

More coming later...didn't get to upload all the files I wanted last evening.

[Bond James Bond]

"Welcome to Moose Lake, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

[Mplsuptown]

Nice enough looking place. I'm sure having the lake is a bonus.

[Jennifat]

Cool thread, tvdxer. Glad to see you're getting out to some of Duluth's surrounding communities!

Moose Lake is a pleasant, very typical northern Minnesota town. I've driven through there a few times on my way to and back from Duluth. Seemed like a cozy, quiet place.

Interesting info on the early summer flood; I had no idea Moose Lake was affected by the deluge. Yeesh. The media really only focused on the devastation in Duluth.

Do you have any plans to check out Cloquet? I've been meaning to get up to that area for some photo tours, but just haven't had the time. That's another nice little town in the Duluth periphery, too.

[tvdxer]

As promised, here are some more pictures. A heck of a lot of more pictures. These are a mix of yesterday's photos (mainly after nightfall) and some I captured today. I had business at the Carlton County Courthouse, and Moose Lake was only a twenty or so mile trek down the freeway. I went there accompanied by my mom, who loved Moose Lake too and even bought a guinea pig at the cooperative.

Entering Moose Lake

Moose Lake is accessed from either the 216 exit (if you're coming from the north) or the 214 exit (if you're coming from the south) on Interstate 35, which in Minnesota north of the Twin Cities is a reliable, very uncongested 70 mph freeway.

The urbanized area of Moose Lake is approximately 1.5 miles beyond the exit.


Getting Into Town

The following were taken where urbanization starts on Minnesota Highway 27.

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Veteran's Park by tvdxer, on Flickr

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In-town power plant by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Rusty Old Light by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moose Lake Co-Op by tvdxer, on Flickr

(I went into this store with my mother, who bought bird feeder and a guinea pig. They gave her a really good deal, she said)

Urban Center and Beyond

Moose Lake is centered around Arrowhead Lane, which creates an apparent north-south division. The focus of activity is around Elm Ave., which is pictured extensively in the first post. Here's some at night, and farther along Arrowhead (Hwy 73 / 27 / 61 / what?), where it transitions into a dense highway strip:

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Lonely Terazza by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Busy by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Thru a Window by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Night Intersection by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Night Shot by tvdxer, on Flickr

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The Other Part of Downtown by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Small town urban core by tvdxer, on Flickr

(Just beyond that

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Highway Strip Development in Moose Lake, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Highway strip development in Moose Lake, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

One of the reasons I fell in love with Moose Lake the time I camped there in 2006 was this alley, which backs Arrowhead Ave. and the businesses along the highway.

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Beautiful Alley in Moose Lake, Minnesota by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Beautiful Alley in Moose Lake, Minnesota by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Beautiful Alley Panorama by tvdxer, on Flickr

My sister (than a middle school student) and her friend rode their foot-scooters through that Dairy Queen drive-thru.

Moose Lake's north side seems to have a grittier feel, with a trailer court, an apartment complex, and some industry:

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Moose Lake's Industrial District by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Apartments in Moose Lake, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Hillside Terrace by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Homes in Hillside Terrace by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Dilapidated by tvdxer, on Flickr

Leaving town

At the fringe of the "continuously urbanized" section of Moose Lake there is a nice park where a river meets Moosehead Lake:

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Honorary Plaque by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Division between River and Moosehead Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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2ml lakepark 5 by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Totem in Moose Lake, MN Park by tvdxer, on Flickr

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Moosehead Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

Across the river, there is scattered development, including the Minnesota Correctional Facilities - Moose Lake prison up a hill (and visible across the lake from town):

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MCF Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

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MCF Moose Lake by tvdxer, on Flickr

The prison and private homes are separated only by a wall. I wonder if this is where the prison staff live? One house there had a shed with a sheriff's star on it.

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State prison and private homes by tvdxer, on Flickr

Other development right outside town includes a hospital (Mercy Hospital; not pictured here) and an ALCO discount store:

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Highway 73 Businesses by tvdxer, on Flickr

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ALCO Store, Moose Lake, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

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View from the ALCO parking lot by tvdxer, on Flickr

Hope you enjoyed my tour of Moose Lake, MN!

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Jennifat

Cool thread, tvdxer. Glad to see you're getting out to some of Duluth's surrounding communities!

Moose Lake is a pleasant, very typical northern Minnesota town. I've driven through there a few times on my way to and back from Duluth. Seemed like a cozy, quiet place.

Interesting info on the early summer flood; I had no idea Moose Lake was affected by the deluge. Yeesh. The media really only focused on the devastation in Duluth.

Do you have any plans to check out Cloquet? I've been meaning to get up to that area for some photo tours, but just haven't had the time. That's another nice little town in the Duluth periphery, too.

Yes, now that you say it. I wanted to do Barnum and Carlton (other small towns in Carlton County, which Cloquet is located in) with Moose Lake, but Moose Lake alone ended up occupying all of my afternoon / evening (and a good chunk of the next morning!). I am (inspired partly by your post) planning to take a day or so shooting in the following cities / towns:

> Cloquet
> Carlton
> Scanlon
> Thomson
> Esko
> Wrenshall

I'll most likely have them all aggregated into one thread, as most are very small, and they are all in the same general area. Cloquet is the only "city" of these, and speaking personally, it's a bit hard to love. Scanlon is basically an independent continuation of Cloquet. Carlton, which is located further south on the same road that leads to Scanlon (County Highway 1), is much nicer and more photogenic. Wrenshall is south of Carlton on County Highway 1 and does not consist of much. Esko and Thomson are east of Cloquet; Esko has become a popular rural suburb of Duluth in recent years, and the tiny town of Thomson is home to Jay Cooke State Park and was as devastated as Moose Lake by the June flood.

[ikops]

I could keep staring at those pictures of these kind of communities all day long. But I won't.

[Paule]

Originally Posted by ikops

I could keep staring at those pictures of these kind of communities all day long. But I won't.

Communities? don't you mean "continuously urbanized sections"?

[Mudhen419]

do they ahve an algae bloom problem? in some pics the water looks a lil green

[ikops]

Originally Posted by Paule

Communities? don't you mean "continuously urbanized sections"?

My english knowledge does not reach that far.

[Jennifat]

Originally Posted by ikops

My english knowledge does not reach that far.

It's not a matter of understanding English, it's a matter of understanding what the hell Paule is even talking about.

[Paule]

Originally Posted by Jennifat

It's not a matter of understanding English, it's a matter of understanding what the hell Paule is even talking about.

LOL, I was just foolin around. tvdxer made a statement saying "continueously urbanized section" for one of his photos. I didn't really know what he was talking about either as I can't imagine a town of 2,000 haveing something like that. To me it's akin to saying that Moose Lake has a skyline.

Here's his comment:
"At the fringe of the "continuously urbanized" section of Moose Lake there is a nice park where a river meets Moosehead Lake:"

[socrates#1fan]

Very charming little town.

[ikops]

Ah, an attempt at American humor.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Paule

LOL, I was just foolin around. tvdxer made a statement saying "continueously urbanized section" for one of his photos. I didn't really know what he was talking about either as I can't imagine a town of 2,000 haveing something like that. To me it's akin to saying that Moose Lake has a skyline.

Here's his comment:
"At the fringe of the "continuously urbanized" section of Moose Lake there is a nice park where a river meets Moosehead Lake:"

I meant the area that is continuously built up. Beyond this area, there's development scattered along mostly (undeveloped) forest in the case of Moose Lake.

And the "urbanism" of a town like Moose Lake would put a lot of American suburbs to shame.