Honestly..... I've already posted a negative review for the police department. So now we'll talk about City Hall. I have lived on Cascade Avenue for YEARS and the parking situation as always been a problem. So much so, that I was in an accident trying to get out of my driveway because I can't see past the illegally parked cars outside of my home. My husband and I have desperately tried to work with the police and the city to fix this. The city (not the police, they have NEVER been helpful) finally put up another no parking sign, but unfortunately, the police don't actually police it, so any time someone illegally parks, we have to be the one to call them. And unfortunately, the college students don't seem to care at all about the parking tickets, because it continues to be a problem. Because the police have not been helpful, we reached out to the city. At first, the city seemed to want to help. Scot Simpson talked to my husband about how to go above the chief of police's head. Scot Simpson had barrels put outside out home (after cones were stolen by the college students) and for awhile, things got a little better. We discussed a possible tow zone outside the house, and at first, Scot seemed helpful. However, after the snowfall, the barrel were ruined by plows. We were told that new barrels would be put out, but after two weeks (when calls went unanswered) Scot finally responded to my firmly worded email that there would be no barrels. Scot claims that there will be more police presence, but we have yet to see that. And the police treat us like a nuisance, so I'm not sure why Scot and the city think this will make any change. Last night, a car parked NEXT TO our driveway, right in front of a no parking sign. The police department and the city were unhelpful in this situation. We are told not to interact with illegal parkers, yet we are also told by the actions of the PD and city that they don't plan to help us at all - half the time the PD doesn't even want to ticket illegal parkers. The police chief, Scot Simpson, and everyone involved has was their hands of the situation. All should be held accountable for their lack of service in this situation. We now believe that this is a racist attack towards us as my husband is Hispanic and our last name is Spanish. That's the only reason I can think of that would cause this situation to go on for YEARS with no help. read more

See all

UWRF is my alma mater so there is a bit of nostalgia in this review. The city has changed so much since I moved from there way back in 2000. Back in those days, the buildings that lined main street were old (and looked old). It was obviously a college town with many bars and night clubs along each side of the street. On any given night, there would be lots of loud drunk college kids walking (and puking) along the sidewalks. At some point, they decided to clean the place up. The university made major investments in their college of education, build a new massive sports complex on the south side of town and built out a new shopping complex right at the intersection of Cascade and main. Many of the night clubs gave way to restaurants, antique shops and a new expanded upper scale grocery store. Even the Falls Theater which was a mainstay for families got a new facelift. Ticket prices still stayed ridiculously low. Back then it was only $3 to catch a show at any time and now it's only $4 (with super cheap concessions to boot). River falls has continued to expand southward with new large building developments on the southern end of town. There is a lot of history in RF and many of the old homes still stand at the center of the city, juxtaposed against the new shiny university buildings and the roundabout now in the center of Cascade street (that just feels weird). They have a lot of green space in the City with parks and sports fields scattered throughout. Glen park is a great place to put your canoe or kayak into the water and paddle down the Kinnickinnick river to the St Croix. Their business district on the North side of town is also expanding and creating new jobs. My favorite brewery sits there (Rush River). There is a hospital and clinic on the east side (excellent facilities). The UWRF boasts an excellent teacher education program as well as agribusiness, pre veterinarian and business/finance programs. It has been consistently ranked high in public education rankings. The city is a mere 30 minutes from St Paul so it boasts the proximity of a major metro area but offers small town living. It's a great place to raise a family while working in the metro. read more

Best little city on the Kinni! I was raised here and now I'm raising my family here. Such a close community and so many things to do.