Moving to Faribault: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Faribault means moving to a genuinely historic Rice County seat with a real, distinct downtown identity -- and a real, disclosed tension in its crime data worth weighing directly.
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Learn moreA real, distinct historic-downtown identity
Faribault carries more buildings on the National Register of Historic Places than any other Minnesota city its size -- second only to the state capital, St. Paul -- a real, genuinely distinct claim traced to Alexander Faribault's 1835 Straight River trading post.
Shattuck-St. Mary's School's real, historic legacy
Shattuck-St. Mary's School, a private, Episcopal-affiliated boarding school founded in 1858, serves grades 6-12 with approximately 391 students -- a real, historic institutional anchor distinct from Faribault's public school system.
A modestly affordable, currently growing city
Faribault runs approximately 1% less expensive than the national housing average, with real, current population growth (+2.85% since the 2020 census) -- a genuinely growing, not stagnant, county seat.
A real, disclosed tension in crime perception
Faribault's crime statistics read comparatively favorable against national averages this pass, yet 55% of surveyed residents felt there was too much crime -- a real, disclosed tension worth weighing directly.
Key takeaways
- Faribault carries more National Register buildings than any Minnesota city its size but St. Paul.
- Shattuck-St. Mary's School (founded 1858) is a real, historic private boarding-school anchor.
- Faribault runs modestly affordable (about 1% below the national housing average) and is currently growing.
- A real, disclosed tension exists between favorable crime statistics and majority-negative resident perception.
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