The number one reason Floodwood is a great place to live is the sense of community. No matter how long you've been away, you can visit your hometown and find old friends. Individuals who grew up in a large or mid-sized city will never have this...nor understand the feeling it gives you. In a small town you have a name, a history, and a legacy.
Floodwood offers a lot more in a small town than almost any other. With a population of about 550, Floodwood has two financial institutions, the Floodwood Credit Union and Northview Bank. It has two gas stations, Lucky Seven and Speedway. Floodwood has a grocery stop, The Grocery Store, as well as a Dollar General. Two newspapers operate from Floodwood, the long-term home established Floodwood Forum and the newer Portage News. To top it off, it has a larger modern school with some of the best teacher to student ratios anywhere. Your security is established by a local police department and volunteer fire department.
Mat Inc., the local peat plant in Floodwood, is among its largest employers, and the brainchild of the late and great Joe Karpik. Joe took what used to be the old Ford plant that closed down, and converted it into an enterprise that is now a strong cornerstone of the community.
Floodwood, unlike most small communities, has a medical clinic (Scenic Rivers Health Clinic) and dentistry (Scenic Rivers Dental).
The Floodwood region is home to the Hingeley Quilt Shop. There are numerous artists (Kellie Rae Theiss, Al Moline Sr.) and writers (K. Farrell St. Germain) in the area.
If you need a place to eat, you've got many choices: Subway, Burger House, and Savanna Portage.
Floodwood started as a logging and farming community, but has evolved into a larger service sector. Roughly 38% of those employed work out of town in the areas of Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Cloquet, and Duluth. Several contractors reside in Floodwood and ready to serve its local citizens. Lindquist Lumber is the local lumberyard meeting the communities building supplies needs.
The city of Floodwood is simply unmatched in terms of size for its services, school, and sense of community.