Marshall is the hometown of actor and comedian Steve Zahn. You will surely recognize him from his many successful films such as Out of Sight, You've Got Mail, Stuart Little, Sahara, and Dallas Buyers Club.
Marshall, MN, is a regional center in the southwest of the state and is the seat of Lyon County. There are, according to the 2010 census, 13,680 people living in Marshall in about 5,500 homes. Most of the region around the city is agricultural and rural, and the Redwood River floodplain begins in the city. There are a couple of main routes leading through Marshall -- Routes 23 and 59 -- but the town itself is fairly isolated and relatively far from any major urban settlements. The nearest is Granite Falls, roughly 25 miles to the northeast, while other settlements like Redwood Falls to the east, and Brookings to the southwest are within commuting distance. If you are looking for something a little bigger, the closest major city is Minneapolis, which is a little more than 100 miles to the east.
Moving to Marshall
If you move to Marshall then you're most probably going to work there as well. This isn't a suburb of a major city, so you're fairly self-contained in the area. In fact, nearly a fifth of the population work for the Schwan Food Company, one of the largest frozen food companies in the U.S. Schwan has its headquarters in Marshall and employs about 2,500 people there. So, if you're looking for work, check it out!
There's a large proportion of renter-occupied housing in Marshall, which is great, although the vacancy rate is quite low, at under 6 percent. Don't expect to be overrun with options whether you're on the hunt for a studio for rent or two bedroom apartments. However, for such a small and isolated city set in a rural area, there is a high proportion of high-rise apartments and complexes, with these taking up 30 percent of the market. This will certainly make it easier to rent an apartment in Marshall, despite the low vacancy rate. Larger places to rent, such as houses, are still available though not in the quantities you'd usually expect to find in a place like this.
Neighborhoods in Marshall
One of the best things about Marshall is its high WalkScore of 88, which pretty much means that you can get by without a car for most errands. Of course, this only really applies if you're willing to lock yourself down to the city alone, and any trips out of it will require transport of some sort. It's not the sort of place where you can just jump on the subway. You'll find getting out of town a little tricky without a car, even if getting around within the city itself is perfectly doable on foot.
City Center: Routes 23 and 59 criss-cross through here, which makes it useful for any commuters in town. Most of the amenities in town are in the northwest corner of the neighborhood or just beyond its boundaries in the neighborhood next door. However, there is a nice park here -- Independence Park -- with a couple of ponds and baseballs fields.
W. College Drive / S. 2nd Street: Here you'll find Marshall Golf Club and up Main Street you'll find a series of restaurants and bars such as Mariachi Fiesta, Wooden Nickel Burgers and Brew, Varsity Pub and Sam's Place Restaurant and Lounge.
Southwest Minnesota State University / Route 59: There are loads of apartment blocks here, and there's a reason for that -- because Southwest Minnesota State University is right around the corner. There are roughly 3,500 students enrolled here, so the area's pretty busy, to say the least!
Lynd / Ghent: This neighborhood wraps around the others and goes for miles out into the agricultural land beyond the city. It's basically comprised of farms and farmland, although you will find the Grandview State Wildlife Management Area out there.
Living in Marshall
There's a lot to enjoy in Marshall for outdoor lovers, including bird watching, hunting, golf, hiking, biking, and much more around the region; and it's all within easy reach of the city. In the downtown area on Main Street, you'll find lots of restaurants and a few bars, plenty of shopping, and other amenities. Of course, the place is walkable, so if you live centrally you can get pretty much anything you need with a short stroll along the wide treelined streets.
There's also an aquatic center and skate park, several parks with sporting facilities like baseball fields and tennis courts, a cinema and bowling alley, an arts center, and the Lyon County Historical Museum. For travel, don't expect to find a bustling transit system through town -- but who cares when it's so walkable? Routes 23 and 59 take you through and out of town easily, and if you stumble upon a chest of gold there's always Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport, where you can charter your own private plane!