There’s a Hidden Community of Floating Homes in Southeast Minnesota

There's a whole community of floating homes in southeast Minnesota that I never knew about! It's in Winona and they're homes that are literally on the Mississippi River. And it sounds like quite the ordeal to keep these things in shape.

MPR says that for decades about 100 tiny homes have been floating on the Mississippi in this community. They're off the coast of Latsch Island and they look like actual houses except they're on the water. As one resident described them to MPR, they're boathouses not houseboats. Here are just a few of the ones you can see from Google Maps.

One of the things that residents have to do is called popping barrels. That's where "sealed plastic barrels [are forced] under a houseboat to help it float". Apparently it can be pretty dangerous if you aren't careful. You also need to clear ice off of your house to avoid any water getting into your home during the thawing and re-freezing in the winter.

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Oh, there's also usually no electricity or running water in these homes. Most of these boathouses aren't lived in year-round but a few people do. I'd imagine a majority of the boathouses are treated as vacation homes.

It's just such a different way of living and the houses all look so different. It would be amazing to experience living like this but I don't think I'd ever be able to do it full-time like some of Latsch Island's residents. Would you be able to do it?

If you like unique homes, keep scrolling to take a look at Minnesota's most unique Airbnb.

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