Railway heritage runs deep in Proctor
From the late 1800s through World War II, Proctor was a major railway hub for the transportation of iron ore through Minnesota. The railroad is no longer the primary reason people move to Proctor, but its legacy remains. Locals drive by a historic locomotive on display at the history museum, the high school mascot is the Rails, and an annual festival honors the town’s railroad heritage. In its heyday, thousands of locals worked the railway, and their homes were built to fit a more urban setting. “The houses in town have small lots and are close, but not to where you can walk in between two and touch both,” says Jamie Sathers-Day, a broker with JS Realty who sells homes in Proctor.
Older and newer homes with smaller lots
The median home sale price is $335,000, compared to nearly $300,000 in Duluth and $420,000 in the neighboring suburb of Hermantown. The town has a grid layout, where many homes sit on small lots and have detached garages accessible from a back alleyway. Single-family homes are most common, some dating to the late 1800s. Century-old styles include bungalows and American Foursquares. Meanwhile, many ranch-style and bi-level houses were built between the 1940s and ’90s. Similar houses were built in the 2000s along with larger New Traditional homes, plus townhouses and condos.
Competitive girls hockey program at Proctor High School
Students may attend Bay View Elementary School, which receives a B-minus grade from Niche, followed by Al Jedlicka Middle School, rated C. The middle school building is attached to B-plus-graded Proctor High School. The Proctor Rails have a competitive girls hockey program that made it to the state tournament 10 times between 2010 and 2025, winning the state championship in 2021.
Mountain fun, an all-inclusive playground and stock car racing
Spirit Mountain offers year-round recreation. When visitors aren’t downhill skiing in the winter, they’re spending the warmer months going down slopes on the Timber Twister Alpine Coaster, mountain biking through the woods and playing mini golf. Proctor Golf Course is open to the public and has a sledding hill. The Playground for EveryBODY was opened in 2022 and allows children of all abilities to play. Halvor Lines Speedway has weekly stock car races on the dirt track from May through August. “The speedway is so loud that you can hear it everywhere,” says Michelle Ryan, a Realtor with Re/Max who sells homes in Proctor and lived there for a few years. “You have to not care about that because it's every week all summer.” The Silver 1,000 is the last race of the season and has been a tradition since 1973.
Restaurants and bars on Third Avenue; stores in Hermantown
There aren’t many businesses in Proctor, but most are along Third Avenue (U.S. 2). Proctor Pizza & Subs has been serving the community since the 1980s. It also offers Mexican food and sells frozen pizza to heat up at home. Black Woods is a Duluth chain that serves steak, burgers and seafood with free popcorn to snack on. For a late-night dive bar experience, Keyboard Lounge and Powerhouse Bar stay open past midnight every day. Keyboard Lounge is known for karaoke nights, while Powerhouse Bar frequently has live music from local bands. Proctor has a few convenience stores, but for everyday shopping needs, the closest big-box retailers such as Walmart and Aldi are about 15 minutes away in Hermantown.
South St. Louis County Fair and the Hoghead Festival
The South St. Louis County Fair is held every summer, featuring carnival rides, a rodeo, a petting zoo and other attractions. Proctor’s railroad history is celebrated during the annual Hoghead Festival, “hoghead” being a nickname for railroad engineers. The festival started in 1976 and brings the community together for street dances, a parade, golf tournaments and fireworks. An old locomotive sits outside the Proctor Area Historical Society, a museum that preserves the area’s history. It also features an F-101 Voodoo fighter jet, honoring two local servicemen who died in a similar jet in 1971 at Duluth Air Base.
The "Proctor Fog" impacts driving to Duluth
The community’s proximity to Lake Superior contributes to what locals call the “Proctor Fog.” “The fog just sucks you in,” Ryan says. “It can happen any time of day. You’ll be on the highway and you can’t see a thing. And then once you’re out, it’s gone.” The Duluth Transit Authority operates a bus route to Duluth, less than 10 miles away. It's about a 15-minute drive to Duluth or, on the Wisconsin side, Superior. Duluth International Airport is about 20 minutes.
Written By
Nicolas Stuart
