Affordable Alexandria Storage Units

Moving and storage go hand in hand. Whether traveling across town or the country, moving is an exciting and fresh start. While Storage Rentals of America is here to help you with all your storage needs, we also want to help you get familiar with the area. That's why we put together this resource guide for Alexandria.

About Alexandria, MN

Douglas County’s seat is Alexandria, Minnesota. The 2020 census counted the population as 14,335. This city is “Goldie-locks” size, not a tiny village, and not a big city, but just right. You will find the locals friendly and helpful. They even use a nickname for the city they call “Alex” because perhaps Alexandria sounds too formal. Livability magazine voted the city as one of the top ten small towns in America.

The early settlers in the area, who displaced the native people, originally came from Europe. Alexander and William Kinkead were two brothers who arrived in 1858. They named the village Alexandria. This name was about one of the brothers and the ancient city in Egypt known for being a major historical city of great renown. The village, incorporated in 1877, grew to the size of a city by 1909.

In this area, evidence was discovered as a stone carved with Viking symbols called “runes.” Some experts believe that this proves that the Vikings were the first early European explorers to visit America.

What to do in Alexandria, MN

Tourists love the resorts in this area and the beautiful lakes that locals appreciate as well.

• Shopping: Shopping reflects the history of the discovery of America by the Vikings. There are the Viking Plaza Mall, a Scandinavian Gift Shop, and the Midway Mall.
• Destination: There is Lake Brophy County Park and many other lakes to enjoy. Golfers will enjoy the Geneva Golf Club.
• Features: The Runestone Museum is a must-see place to learn about ancient Viking life. On display is a carved stone with Viking runes. The museum also has replicas of boats the Vikings used to reach America.

Working in Alexandria, MN

The local economy depends on tourism, health care, manufacturing, and retail. The unemployment rate is a meager 4.1% compared to the national average of 6.0%. Households earn about $55,426 annually. Job growth is expected to be 36.5% over the next decade. This rate is good compared to the American projected growth rate of 33.5% for the next ten years. If you commute to work, it will take you, on average, only 13 minutes.

The most common industries based on jobs are health care services (9.1%), tourism (8.2%), educational services (7.6%), metals and metal products (6.6%), construction (6.1%), retail (4.7%), and social assistance (4.4%).

Alexandria, MN Neighborhoods

All the neighborhoods are family-friendly and have places to buy or rent. Many homes, especially on the lakes, are offered as vacation rentals.

Here are the three neighborhoods that have the nicest houses:

• Holmes City: This is the most expensive neighborhood. If you want to buy a home here, expect to pay around the median price of $372,955. This cost is less than the average home in the United States, which is $423,600. Most of the homes in this area were built between the 1970s and 2010. You can buy a mobile home, a townhouse, or a single-family home with three or four bedrooms. There are also nice apartments to rent. The average rent is $1,285. You can find places to rent easily because the vacancy rate is 28.9%.
• Alexandria North: The median price for a home in this area is slightly lower. It is $310,667. The rent is about $1,169 per month. The vacancy rate is 9.1%, making finding a place to rent fairly easy. Middle-class families with children and retirees like this area.
• Alexandria Southeast: The median home price in this neighborhood is $295,658. This area has homeowners and renters. Most of the houses were constructed from 1970 to 2000. The average rent is $1,305 per month. The vacancy rate is 2.3%. This shallow rake makes it very difficult to find a place.

Alexandria, MN School District

Alexandria Public Schools is the local school district. The district invests $14,448 per student annually. There are 16 students for each teacher, which is a good class size.

The best-ranked private schools in the area are St. Agnes Elementary (PK - 6), and Zion Lutheran School (PK - 8).

For higher education, Alexandria Technical & Community College is a two-year public college in the town. There are 119 more universities and colleges within 200 miles, including the private, four-year College of Saint Benedict (56 miles away), Saint Johns University (52 miles away), and the University of Minnesota (32 miles away).

Moving to Alexandria, MN

Here is some information you may find helpful about the community and how to turn on the utilities.

The municipal ALP Utilities provides electricity and water. Electricity is also offered by Runestone Electric Association. The sewer system is managed by Alexandria Lakes Area Sanitary District. Natural gas is provided by CenterPoint Energy. Telephone, TV, and internet connections come from CenturyLink, Starlink, Spectrum, and others.

The Park Department manages the public parks, which have baseball fields, pickleball, and winter ice-skating. Residents play tennis at the outdoor courts of the public schools. The lakes have nice beaches near the swimming areas, boat rentals, and many fishing opportunities.

The local government includes the mayor and five city council members.

Alexandria, MN Housing

In this area, the median home price is $327,000, which is going up by 3.8% yearly. These are very moderate home prices. They are 17% below the American average. The lower housing costs help keep living costs down and offset some of the higher costs of health care, food, and other goods and services. The cost of living is 1.0% lower than other Minnesotan cities and 2% higher than the American average.