Riverside
A shipyard village on Spirit Lake, with the Munger Trail through the middle.
Riverside is a small far west Duluth neighborhood on the bank of Spirit Lake, where the St. Louis River widens above Morgan Park. A shipyard operated here on Spring Street in 1918 and the site is now a marina. The Willard Munger State Trail runs straight through, Spirit Mountain is five minutes up the hill, and the neighborhood is quiet, owner-occupied and cheap. It is also twenty minutes from downtown with no published price to work from.
Everything about Riverside
Each part of the Riverside guide has its own page. Start anywhere.
Riverside is one of the smallest neighborhoods in this guide and one of the easiest to like once you have been there.
HistoryRiverside exists because of a war and a shipyard.
CharacterRiverside is quiet in a way that only very small, very far-out neighborhoods manage. It rates 4.6, and the sound is Grand Avenue traffic, water, and whatever is happening at the marina.
Who lives hereRiverside is a small, quiet, strongly owner-occupied neighborhood. The tract it shares with Smithville reports 84.8% owner-occupancy, 15.2% renters and a $1,075 median rent, with 91.1% of housing single-family and none in structures of five or more (ACS 5-year 2023 estimates, accessed 2026-08-13).
HousingRiverside's housing is small river-corridor stock, and buying here is really two different transactions depending on whether the parcel touches water.
SchoolsRiverside is in Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) on the west-side pathway, most likely Stowe Elementary, then Lincoln Park Middle School, then Denfeld High School.
Parks & recreationRiverside's recreation offer is disproportionate to its size, and it comes in two directions: water and hill.
Restaurants & diningRiverside has no restaurants, cafes or bars of its own.
CommunityRiverside is a car neighborhood at a genuine distance, with an unusually good bicycle option.
Safety & feelRiverside reads as a very quiet, low-density river neighborhood with almost no through traffic and a strong owner-occupied character. There is no commercial activity to draw anyone in after dark and street lighting is limited.
Daily lifeErrands from Riverside mean driving, and the useful thing is that you have two roughly equidistant options.
Local loreA shipyard built here in 1918. The McDougall Duluth Shipbuilding Company worked on Spring Street during the First World War, and the site is now the Spirit Lake Marina, so the ground has been about boats for over a century. The Munger Trail runs through the middle. Seventy paved car-free miles to Hinckley pass straight ...
Is it right for you?You will love Riverside if you want water and trail at a price that makes no sense anywhere else. Direct frontage on Spirit Lake, a marina in the neighborhood, 70 paved car-free miles running south from your doorstep, Jay Cooke reachable by bicycle, and Spirit Mountain five minutes up the hill, all inside a band ...
How Riverside scores
Is Riverside right for you?
You'll love it if
- Direct St. Louis River and Spirit Lake frontage, with a marina in the neighborhood and boat access at Indian Point northeast.
- The Willard Munger State Trail runs straight through, giving 70 paved car-free miles south to Jay Cooke and Hinckley from the doorstep.
- Spirit Mountain is five minutes up the hill for skiing, tubing and lift-served mountain biking.
- Genuinely quiet at 4.6, with a nature-access rating of 4.8 and among the lowest prices in the city.
- The most owner-dominated housing profile in the guide: 84.8% owner-occupied, 91.1% single-family, and no large apartment stock at all.
Look elsewhere if
- No published median, one of the thinnest markets in the guide, and frontage and non-frontage parcels are effectively different products.
- Twenty minutes to downtown and ten to twelve to the nearest grocery, with a long school ride at every grade.
- River flood history and bank stability are real due-diligence items on frontage parcels.
- Converted seasonal cabins are common here and are the most frequent source of unpleasant surprises in this corridor.
- No confirmed congregation, no commerce and no school inside the neighborhood.
If you like Riverside, also look at
Northeast, where the Munger and Western Waterfront trails begin and Indian Point gives boat access.
SmithvilleSouth along the river, sharing the same Census tract and a similar owner-heavy river-corridor profile.
Morgan ParkSoutheast along the river, the 1913 US Steel company town built of concrete block.
ProctorNorth over the hill, its own school district and a walkable small-town main street.
Fond du LacSouthwest along the river, the oldest community in Duluth and even quieter.
Gary-New DuluthSouth along the river corridor, with the nearest published price anchor in the far west end.
Common questions about Riverside
What is the history of Riverside, Duluth?
The McDougall Duluth Shipbuilding Company operated on Spring Street in 1918, building vessels during the First World War, and the site is now the Spirit Lake Marina. That yard is why the neighborhood exists in its current form.
How much do homes cost in Riverside?
There is no separate published median, because Redfin does not report Riverside as its own geography, and it is one of the thinnest markets in this guide. The Far West Duluth band runs roughly $140,000 to $260,000, with the Gary-New Duluth area at about $207,000 (accessed 2026-08-13). River-frontage parcels trade on water access and can sit well above that. Price frontage separately.
Does the Munger Trail go through Riverside?
Yes, straight through the neighborhood. The trailhead is at 75th Avenue West in Norton Park to the northeast, and from Riverside the trail runs about 70 paved, car-free miles south through Jay Cooke State Park toward Hinckley. In winter the same corridor carries snowmobiles.
What should I check before buying river frontage here?
Flood history and bank stability first, for the specific parcel rather than the corridor generally. Then whether the house began as a seasonal cabin, because converted cabins are common here and incremental winterizing is the most frequent source of surprises. Then well and septic, where they apply, and site history if the parcel is near the old shipyard ground on Spring Street.
What schools serve Riverside?
Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) on the west-side pathway, most likely Stowe Elementary at 715 101st Avenue West, then Lincoln Park Middle School, then Denfeld High School. Parcels at the northeastern end may be assigned to Laura MacArthur instead. Every grade involves a long ride, so confirm the assignment and the route with the district.
Where these facts come from
- Wikipedia, Riverside (Duluth), for boundaries, main routes and the 1918 McDougall Duluth Shipbuilding Company site accessed 2026-08-13
- Census ACS 5-year 2023 estimates, Census Tract 36, St. Louis County, Minnesota accessed 2026-08-13
- Redfin, Duluth MN neighborhood housing market data (for the Far West band and the Gary-New Duluth anchor) accessed 2026-08-13
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-2025, ISD 709 school enrollments accessed 2026-08-13
- Minnesota DNR, Jay Cooke State Park and the Willard Munger State Trail accessed 2026-08-13
- NWS Duluth, seasonal snowfall records and normals accessed 2026-08-13
- Duluth Police Department 2025 Annual Report accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.