St. Cloud, Minnesota sits on the Mississippi River and blends a lively college‑town energy (St. Cloud State University) with affordable housing, a compact downtown of restaurants, breweries and galleries, plus river trails, nearby lakes and year‑round outdoor recreation — a comfortable, interesting place for multi‑week assignments.
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is about a 65‑mile drive for big‑city dining, concerts and international flights, so you get small‑city pace with easy weekend escapes.