If you are choosing between Hudson and River Falls, the commute is usually the first honest filter. Both towns sit in the St. Croix Valley. Both work for people who have ties to Wisconsin and to the Twin Cities. They do not feel the same at 7:15 a.m.
I help buyers compare specific homes in both places. I am dual-licensed in Wisconsin and Minnesota. This is a practical way to think about the drive — not a ranking of which town is “better.”
The short version
Hudson sits on the St. Croix River, tight to I-94. That is the usual pick if most of your week is in Woodbury, Oakdale, Maplewood, St. Paul, or the airport side of the east metro.
River Falls sits farther into Pierce County, along Highway 35, with UWRF and downtown in the middle of daily life. That is the usual pick if your work, school, or family is already on the Wisconsin side — or if you want the college-town / Kinni rhythm and will trade some interstate minutes for it.
Plenty of households split the difference: one person works in Minnesota, the other in River Falls or Hudson. In those cases we map *both* drives before you fall in love with a listing.
Staying on the Wisconsin side
If work is in River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, or a shop/clinic along 35, the “commute winner” flips. River Falls in-town can be a short local drive. Hudson to River Falls is a familiar valley hop, not a metro slog.
Do the test once before you write an offer: leave at your real departure time, park where you would actually park, and come home the same way. A Saturday drive is not the same errand.
Work in Minnesota, live in Wisconsin
This is common. Wisconsin address, Minne
What I see in practice:
- Both towns have single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and newer construction mixed with older in-town streets.
- Hudson’s river and interstate location pulls some buyers who would otherwise stay in Minnesota. That demand shows up in certain neighborhoods more than others.
- River
River Falls tends to fit if you:
- Work, study, or already have family in River Falls
- Want to be near UWRF, downtown, or the Kinnickinnic
- Prefer a college-town pace and will accept a longer interstate run
- Are looking at in-town streets or a little acreage just outside the city
Either town can fit if you:
FAQ
Can I work in Minnesota and live in Wisconsin?
Yes. Many St. Croix Valley buyers do. I am licensed in both states, so the home search can include Hudson, River Falls, and the border towns that actually fit the drive. Confirm tax and lending details with your lender and tax professional.
Is Hudson always more expensive than River Falls?
No. Some Hudson homes cost more than some River Falls homes, and the reverse is true. Compare the house in front of you: condition, lot, updates, and association rules. Start with the two listing pages above rather than a single average.
Should I wait to look until I know the town?
You can look in both at once. A short list in each town is faster than deciding in the abstract. If you already know the job is locked in Woodbury, we can weight Hudson first and still keep a River Falls backup if a specific house is worth the extra minutes.
Sarah Jenkins is a dual-licensed WI/MN Realtor with Property Executives Realty (Sarah Jenkins Real Estate LLC). Related: First-time buyer guide · Moving to River Falls for UWRF
- Split WI/MN work
- Care more about a specific house than a specific downtown
- Need a buyer’s agent who can show both without restarting the search
Sandy Jenkins and Brent Olson work many of the buyer leads that come in through the site and ads. Listings stay with me. You do not need to know that split to start a search.
How we short-list without getting stuck
- Write down the three places you have to be in a normal week (work, school, family).
- Drive both routes once at rush hour.
- Pull a small set of homes in each town — not fifty tabs.
- Walk the block, not just the interior.
- Only then talk offer timing, inspection, and which town still makes sense.
If you want alerts while you think, use the search on sarahjenkins.com. For a conversation, call or text (612) 703-3944 or email sarah@sarahjenkins.com. Office: Sarah Jenkins Real Estate LLC, 311 N 2nd St, River Falls, WI 54022.
Falls has a wide spread: in-town near campus and downtown, subdivisions, and homes just outside the city with more lot.
Compare three or four *real* listings in each town at your budget. Condition, lot, association rules, and updates will move the number more than the city name on the sign.
See what is actually for sale:
Who usually picks which town
Hudson tends to fit if you:
- Work in the east metro more days than not
- Want I-94 without living in Minnesota
- Like downtown / river energy when you are home
- Are comparing Hudson against Woodbury or Stillwater as much as against River Falls
sota job (or the reverse). I can search both sides of the river because of the dual license. What I cannot do is pretend the tax, insurance, and school questions are identical.
Before you lock a town:
- Confirm where you need to be most days, not once a month.
- Ask your lender and tax person how a WI homestead vs a MN job affects *your* file. I will not quote rates or tax tables here; those move.
- Look at winter. A route that is fine in September is the one that matters in January.
If the Minnesota job is fixed and the Wisconsin town is flexible, Hudson is the more common “keep the commute sane” choice. If the Wisconsin community is the point of the move — UWRF, family, the Kinni, a River Falls listing you already like — we plan the extra minutes on purpose.
Price and housing mix (without fake averages)
Inventory changes week to week. Treat any “Hudson is always more expensive” line as incomplete.
How the drive actually feels
Times change with weather, construction, and whether you are aiming at downtown St. Paul or a job that is already on the east side. Use these as a starting point, then drive the route at the hour you would really leave.
Hudson toward the east metro
You are close to I-94. Many buyers describe this as the “hop on and go” option. If the job is in Woodbury or along the interstate, Hudson often wins on minutes. Downtown Hudson and the river neighborhoods add a different feel once you are home; the commute math is still the interstate.
River Falls toward the east metro
You typically use Highway 35 north toward I-94, or a mix of county roads if you are avoiding the interchange. It is doable. It is longer than Hudson for most east-metro offices. Buyers who take this route usually have a reason that is not the drive: UWRF, family in town, a specific neighborhood, or a house that simply fits.