Discussions

I have the opportunity to move to Souris or to Minnedosa , and I am wanting some input as to what you guys think is the best place? Input as to housing, schools, possible jobs, and any and all other aspects that come into consideration when moving a young family. Thankyou all for your HONEST input.

I would suggest you take a tour as both places are close. Minnedosa is lovely if you can stand the smell of the ethanol plant.

I have been both. Minnedosa is beautiful yes, but you can't plant roots somewhere because of beauty lol

I'm looking for more of personal reasons as to why to move somewhere. I'm generally new to "Westman" area so I'm not too sure of these two places....which one would YOU move to, and why?

More to offer.

Get the job first then decide. Small towns don't have too many options so find a job first then decide where

Ive lived both places. I find that while Minnedosa is pretty, its a really hard place to fit in. There is the lake, but really not much else other then the ski hill. The highway between Minnedosa and Souris is always crazy, so if you go into the city its the one road and thats it.  
 
Souris while Ive heard its cliquey, People acknowlege you here. They smile and will chat. The waterpark is here for the kids, the cost of living is still reasonable. The city is 25 minutes away and you have two highways to get there.  
Not alot for businesses though. So depending on your lifestyle you may have to drive to Brandon for what you seek.  
 
Ultimately everyone has a differing opinion. You have to find your own niche. Good Luck

I've lived in Brandon and just really not a fan of the city life. I am a farm girl so small town or country living is where I am comfortable...lol and my husband has a job offer in both places, im a sahm until the kids are off to school, then I will job hunt...So trying to make an educated decision before we uproot and replant somewhere else. Thankyou all so far for your responses, any more people have anything to add would be great!

Is access to medical care. Don't know what it's like in Souris, but in Minnedosa the doctor shortage has forced ER closures on many occasions.  
Have to agree with others posting, the highway from M'dsa to Brandon is a nightmare and it's also IMO very cliquey here.  
I think house prices are crazy here, but you can do a quick check on the MLS to compare to Souris.  
But the lake and beach are great and I can honestly say I've never noticed the smell from the ethanol plant....

What line of work do you work in? That would be helpful for people commenting about the job market.

Minnedosa is beautiful, and I have never been able to smell the ethanol plan there!!!  
I am not from there, but am there quite often, and have never had any trouble fitting in. In fact, it's the exact opposite, I've found people to be incredibly welcoming!  
As for medical care, they are going to be building a new hospital there.

I think not. They are presently fund-raising to build a new medical clinic, not a hospital.  
Plans for a new hospital somewhere between Minnedosa and Neepawa seem to have ground to a halt. If and when one is built, the smart money is on Neepawa.

I have personally lived in both and both are beautiful. Both have their clicky groups, but I found Minnedosa is much more welcoming. It's close to Neepawa which has a bit more to offer. I am not a city person so Brandon wasn't a fit for me. I suggest go to both and hang around for the day talking to people in each community.

I would say Souris if you have children, I find there is more to do there.

Minnedosa is a dumpy looking town. Just drive around and you will see. Souris is a much nicer town and the houses are kept up much better.

Thank you everyone for your input. I've heard bad things about the hospital in Minnedosa, even as much as 1 lady trying to sue them because of neglect on a patient that died... so that makes me a bit nervous to bring my family to there if an emergency.... does anyone know anything about health care in souris?

Some surgeons will go to Minnedosa (or they used to) if that plays in your decision.  
 
Coworkers of mine have said Minnedosa is super clicky, but I haven't spent much time there so I don't know for sure. Souris can be as well but maybe not as bad.  
 
Souris has a very new pool in town that draws lots of people from around Westman, so that'd be good for the kiddos. Lots of good restaurants in Souris too. Souris has a relatively new arena as well, Minnedosa doesn't but they're trying to raise the money for one.  
 
Souris was more prone to flooding than Minnedosa but I think they've got that solved now with the dikes they built in 2011.  
 
I find Minnedosa to be the better looking town of the two. Souris has practically no curbs on their streets and that makes it look less appealing.  
 
Minnedosa has more industry than Souris, so when you go looking for a job once your kiddos are in school it might be easier to find something in Minnedosa. Souris is becoming a bedroom community to Brandon.

Minnedosa is one of the only towns around that had a decrease in population in the last census (-5.3%). Given that information I would proceed with caution when it comes to housing or other investments in that community.

I can only speak for Souris...Moved here from the city 12 years ago. Great place to raise a family and a great community. Very good school system, good sports programs and facilities (Pool,Rink,Skate park,etc...). Health care is available in town (Hospital,Clinic,Dentist) 3 Dr.'s in town I believe. The town has everything most people need...Brand new hotel being built. Good variety of housing for sale. Plus your only a 1/2hr from Brandon for any of your other needs.  
Plus I would prefer to drive Hwy#10 South or Hwy#250 over Hwy#10 North any day.  
 
Im sure you can be happy in either town.

Souris gets my vote.  
Minnedosa is to clicky, and I agree a dumpy looking town and it's only gotten worse over the last few years. The beach at minnedosa isn't the best either so def wouldn't influence my choice in moving.  
I love the feel of souris and I think it's a beautiful town and enjoy the pool and water slides there with my kids. I think it's more of a country feel.

I have heard that of both towns, but I really think it depends on the individual and how you fit in.  
Join a service club, there is a very strong lions club in Minnedosa.  
 
the highway in both directions is very busy with commuters, but going north there are a number of passing lanes that have been done in the last couple years and the new section being redone at the last couple curves going north. should be interesting.  
 
minnedosa is within 30 minutes of a day trip to RMNP  
 
souris has the new water park and swinging bridge  
 
minnedosa is 15 minutes to Neepawa which is a bit larger and has more commercial opportunities.  
 
take a drive around both towns, check out Realtor.ca for house prices, drop into the town offices to find out emenities and the mill rate and what is new on the horizon.  
 
dont forget about Carberry, same distance and a 4 laner,

Curious to know which place you decided to move to !

I can''t speak for Souris, but I grew up in Minnedosa.  
 
Pros:  
-The Elementary School is (or at least was) really great for a small town. The teachers seem to really care and the library is fantastic.  
-Lots of Parks around town for the kids to play at.  
-The beach  
 
Cons:  
-There really isn''t much for the older kids/young adults to do. I see that many of them end up turning to drugs and partying out of boredom or spend their time burning gas on "loser laps" around main street.  
-People tend to be more "judgey" and rumors spread faster then the common cold.  
 
It really is up to you, if you can put up with people trying to start drama and not let it get to you, and make plans to come to the city for entertainment you should be fine.  
 
 
EDIT** Just saw how old this post is. Guessing my pros and cons won't make a difference now. Ooops! haha  
 
Edited by Miss Moxley, 2017-11-06 07:35:15

HOWZITGOIN said "Curious to know which place you decided to move to ! "

Was also wondering, and what factors tipped the scale?  
BTW, since this post was started at least two businesses have closed their doors in Minnedosa - the women's clothing store and a coffee shop.

There were a number of reasons that led to this decision. We visited and talked to a number of people from each place, and asked what their thoughts where , and surprisingly the majority said souris. Minnedosa seemed to really be slowing down, and as a previous poster said 2 business shut down now. The people seemed much more friendly in souris, And even though the beach is in minnedosa, that wasn't going to sway our decision much as we are not much of water people lol the school for the younger grades got raves in minnedosa, however some other factors shifted us away from that school too ... thank you everyone for your input! Souris has been great! It was the right decision

The thing that sold me on Minnedosa was its proximity to Riding Mountain National Park. My family and I are big outdoors type of people. There is just so much to do there

Congrats!!! Glad Souris was a good fit for you