Tag: community development

By Julie Tesch I recently read an article about Willmar in, of all places, the New York Times, and I was surprised and amazed (I’m a bit sad to say) at its positive view of rural Minnesota. I’m a bit sad at my level of surprise not because it was an article on Willmar, but ...

By: Kelly Asche, Research Associate There isn’t a week that goes by here at the Center where we don’t use U.S. Census information in some form. Its importance in creating our research and helping to develop good policy cannot be understated. If you were to quickly breeze through our research for this year, you would ...

By Julie Tesch, President & CEO Have you read a newspaper lately? Was it your local newspaper? Was it in print or online? I’m fortunate to have a daily, regional newspaper delivered to my door every day. I also have two neighboring community newspapers delivered weekly. Why do I spend this money? It is my ...

For years, the focus for economic development policy has been about “jobs, jobs, jobs!” Now, businesses and workforce development organizations are saying, “People, people, people!” Communities in Greater Minnesota are now recognizing that strategies focused solely on recruiting and retaining jobs have to change.

By Julie Tesch, President & CEO March 6, 2019 I recently moved back to rural Minnesota after living in densely populated cities in the Midwest and East Coast for the past 25 years. This was a conscious choice that I made because of my age and stage in life. After living in St. Paul, Indianapolis ...

What is “Letters to the New Governor”? A compilation of essays giving insights and recommendations by experts from around the state writing on issues of importance to Greater Minnesota. They comment on the ideas and motivations behind some of our most difficult policy questions facing our state, including the region’s changing demographics, the rural economy, the ...

  Our newest publication is “Letters to the New Governor,” a collection of essays by experts around the state writing on an overview of the issues in Greater Minnesota. Some of the authors include Tim Penny and Charlie Weaver on why the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota need each other, Gary Wertish and Kevin Paap ...

  Our research associate Kelly Asche can tell you all about the State of Rural Minnesota in 2019, the Center’s latest report, and our newly updated Atlas of Minnesota. Listen to his recent interview on KAXE/KBXE Bemidji-Grand Rapids-Brainerd-Ely.

  Reed Anfinson, editor and owner of the Swift County Monitor-News in Benson and the Grant County Herald in Elbow Lake, continues his conversation this week about the issues our new governor from Greater Minnesota will be working with. Transportation is, of course, big, and so is workforce housing. But the real problem, says Reed, ...