Housing in Smithville, Duluth, Minnesota
Part of the Smithville neighborhood guide. Back to the full guide.
Smithville's stock is small far-west housing, built roughly 1900 to 1975 and priced near the bottom of the city's range.
The types are early-twentieth-century frame houses, small four-squares, postwar ramblers and modest mid-century infill, plus at least one significant converted institutional building. Lots are irregular. New construction is effectively absent, and inventory is very thin.
The inspection list is the standard one for the era and all of it applies: lead paint on pre-1978 stock, asbestos in pre-1980 insulation and flooring, older sewer laterals, ice dams, and radon, which is routine testing here given the bedrock. Some parcels are on well and septic, so budget an inspection and a water test where they apply.
Three items are more specific to this ground.
Stewart Creek drainage and flood history. For any parcel near the creek, ask about spring melt specifically, check floodplain mapping, and ask what the corridor has done in the big regional flood years.
Hillside parcels. Anything on the slope toward Skyline Parkway carries different questions: drainage across the lot, bank and slope stability, driveway grade and winter access, and whether an ambulance or a plow truck can actually reach the house in February.
Converted buildings. Where an institutional or multi-unit building has been converted to housing, the questions are permit history, egress, fire separation and metering, not the ones you would ask about a single house. Use an inspector who has looked at that kind of property.
Carrying costs are low in absolute terms. St. Louis County taxes apply and owner-occupants should file for the Minnesota homestead credit, proportionally a large saving here. Request two or three seasons of actual utility history rather than an average, and factor in that distance from the nearest fire station affects insurance rating out here.
Dominant styles: early-twentieth-century frame house, small American four-square, postwar rambler, modest mid-century infill, converted institutional building. Watch for: Stewart Creek corridor drainage and flood history, lead paint on pre-1978 stock, asbestos in pre-1980 insulation and flooring, older sewer laterals, ice dams, radon (test given bedrock), well and septic on some parcels, hillside slope drainage and access on parcels toward Skyline Parkway, converted institutional and multi-unit buildings, which carry different inspection questions from single houses.
Lots: Modest and irregular along the river corridor, with the hillside rising behind. Lots vary, the neighborhood is small, and the official boundary reaching up to Bardon Peak means a large share of its nominal area is wooded ridge rather than buildable ground.
Notable streets: Grand Avenue, West Skyline Parkway, 88th Avenue West.
Homeowner associations: uncommon here.
What comes up for sale: Among the thinnest markets in the guide. Very few properties change hands in a year and there is no published median to anchor a price.
What the housing stock is
Share of housing units by structure type, summing to 99.9%. ACS 5-year 2023 estimates, Census Tract 36; St. Louis County; Minnesota (FIPS 27-137-003600), accessed 2026-08-13. Neighborhood boundaries do not align to Census geographies; this is the best-fit tract for the neighborhood centroid.
Housing next door
North along the river, sharing the same Census tract and the same owner-heavy river-corridor profile, with direct Spirit Lake frontage.
Morgan ParkEast along the river, the 1913 US Steel company town built almost entirely of concrete block.
Gary-New DuluthImmediately south, the nearest everyday services and the closest published price anchor in the far west.
Norton ParkNortheast, where the Munger and Western Waterfront trails begin and Indian Point gives boat access.
Fond du LacSouthwest along the river, the oldest community in Duluth and quieter still.