Yesterday, Douglas County imposed temporary no-wake zones for eight lakes in the Alexandria Area because of the high water. This will last until July 30th or until the lake level decreases by a half foot below the ordinary highwater mark. The eight lakes are Carlos, Darling, Le Homme Dieu, Cowdry, Brophy, Ida, Louise and Rachel. The easiest way to envision the zone is to imagine a football field starting at the shoreline as the zone is 100 yards. Watercraft should be traveling at less than 5 mph to not create a wake.
Other news that I learned of from the Echo Press is that Livability.com placed Alexandria in their ‘Top 10 Best Small Towns in America’. Livability.com “explores what makes small to mid-sized cities great places to live, work and visit. We examine issues related to livability such as walkability, cultural amenities, transportation, urban planning and sustainability…”. The ranking criteria for the top ten list were:
- Population
- Distance from major city
- Natural Amenities Scale
- Employment rate
- Cost of Living
- Quality Schools
Top Ten Best Small Towns 2013
- Dickinson, ND
- Oxford, MS
- Rock Springs, WY
- Oak Harbor, WA
- Brookings, SD
- Los Alamos, NM
- Alexandria, MN
- Traverse City, MI
- West Plains, MO
- Cambridge, MD