Best Places56289, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 56289, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
56289 ranks 8,763rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 56289
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
56289's strengths and weaknesses
Where 56289 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 141 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 56289 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 56289
A household needs to earn about $81,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 56289 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $82,330, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 56289's effective rate of 0.79%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 56289
56289 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 56289.
Who works in 56289, and how
Work in 56289 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 56289
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 56289.
What the weather is like in 56289, month by month
56289 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 8. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 16° | 8° |
| April | 54° | 43° | 34° |
| July | 83° | 73° | 63° |
| October | 59° | 48° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 56289
The nearest airport, St. Cloud Regional, is about 57 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 101 miles away.
The best schools in and around 56289
Schools across 56289 average a B, better than 64% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Prairie Woods ElementaryA− · 59% proficient
- Murdock ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Belgrade-brooten-elrosa ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- New London-spicer MiddleA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- New London-spicer Sr.B+ · 57% proficient
- Belgrade-brooten-elrosa Sec.C · 33% proficient
- Kerkhoven SecondaryC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 56289 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
56289 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 56289 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 56289
Is 56289 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 56289 ranks 8,763rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, health care access, and state infrastructure, and lowest on biking and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 56289 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $309,733. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $82,330 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 56289 safe?
Yes, 56289 is safer than 85% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $206 per resident a year.
Compare 56289 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 56289. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 56289 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
56289 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 56289: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 56289: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 56289: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 56289: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
56289 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.