EXCERPT: “According to Minnesota State Demographic Center data, Houston County saw a 4.8 percent decline in population from 2000 to 2015. More than 1,400 people left the county during those years. The smallest towns in the county have been the hardest hit, with Brownsville and Hokah reporting about a 10 percent drop in population. Rural Houston County has not been immune either, with Blackhammer Township reporting a 38 percent population loss and Houston Township a 17 percent population loss. Things may be stabilizing, as 2016 population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau showed a small increase in the number of people in Houston County, but still more than 900 people fewer than at the turn of the century.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2uA6wRh