Minnesota

[next_migration]

Over half of Minnesota’s population, about 2.9 million people, live in the southeastern metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Twin Cities, with about 700,000 people, are surrounded by sprawling suburbs, often having over 50,000 people apiece. As for many other metro areas in this region, Kurtz et al. (2020) find that a foodshed of between 500 and 1000 km radius is required to feed this area now, but that local supply would be possible with a diet lighter on meat. Still, it’s already larger than desirable for a metro area, and known for police brutality. If you insist on living in a megalopolis, this might be better than most; otherwise, look elsewhere.

 

Gerrymandering is not a big problem in Minnesota. The northeast, from Duluth north and east, is mostly rural yet fairly liberal. Large chunks of rural central and southwestern Minnesota, and parts of the north, are solidly conservative. However, as noted, I don’t see this as an automatic reason for most liberals or moderates to avoid towns within those areas. Most are somewhat lacking in diversity. Nobody should think that means non-white people would automatically be safer in the big city (ask Philando Castile’s family about that), but Trump made great efforts to win Minnesota by ranting against Somali immigrants at rallies and got some enthusiastic audiences. If you’re not white, checking out the local political climate and demographics would be a good idea.

There are only three cities over 50,000 population outside the Minneapolis metro area. All of them are attractive destinations for people who need good-sized communities, especially to supply professional or academic employment.

 

o  St. Cloud, a city of about 70,000 in central Minnesota on the Mississippi River, has been lumped into the Minneapolis region, but is actually separated from it by a good stretch of land with low population density. Employers include medical institutions and education; there is a state university and a community college. Granite mining and agriculture are regionally important industries. It’s received an award as a “livable city” and is noted for its many parks and pleasant public spaces. Has an Amtrak stop.

o  Duluth on the northeastern border has over 85,000 people and, with Superior, Wisconsin, has a broader metro area including almost 280,000 people. It is located on the shore of Lake Superior and the hills above, so there are many hilly streets, and it hosts the busiest port on the Great Lakes, accessible to oceangoing ships. (This is a very desirable feature for the future.) The city seeks to attract tourism, and has renovated the downtown to emphasize its charm. Popular activities include hiking, biking, skiing, sailing, surfing, agate hunting on the lakeshore, and fall birdwatching of migrating raptors. Other economic sectors are shipping, health care, banking, education, engineering, and aquatic science. There is a state university branch, an aquarium, and a zoo (where several animals drowned during the last major flooding in 2012).

o  Rochester in the southeast has a population of 115,000 in a mostly rural area. It is a center of the medical industry due to the well-regarded (and politically powerful) Mayo Clinic and Hospital. It also hosts a major IBM research and manufacturing facility and manufacturers of trucks, electronics, and foods. There is a community college that hosts a branch of Winona State University. “Thursdays on First” in the summer feature live music, street musicians, and booths set up by local restaurants and artists. The downtown has many skyways and underground tunnels; bicycling is promoted.

 

There are several cities from 10,000 to 50,000 worth considering:

 

o  Winona (26,000 people) in the southeast is in the charming Driftless Area (see above under Iowa). It overlooks the Mississippi River, with a crossing bridge, and is located on Lake Winona. Manufacturing is important to the economy, with a range of employers including the well-known Watkins home remedies and spices. There is a small state university, Winona State, and the diverse school options include a Montessori school and preschool. Winona is known as the stained glass capital of the United States, with six active studios. Scenery and architecture are lovely, and by Minnesota standards the weather is mild. There is an Amtrak stop.

o  Owatonna, of similar size, is in the southeast but outside the Driftless Area. Insurance, manufacturing, and health care are important economic sectors. There is a small community college. According to legend, the local water cured a dying Princess Owatonna, and people travel to Mineral Springs Park to taste the water. (The FDA has not evaluated this claim!) It has an arts center, parks, and a famous hundred-year-old candy store, and hosts the state’s largest county fair. (If you don’t think county and state fairs are fun, you do NOT know what you’re missing, by the way.)

o  Mankato (44,000 people) in the south is at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers. The region has been growing and prospering in recent years. The largest employers are the Mayo medical chain and Minnesota State University, whose students provide a large enough fraction of Mankato’s school-year population to qualify it as a college town; there are also a few small private colleges. Locally quarried stone is a major product, and the town bills itself, perhaps dubiously, as the soybean capital of the world. Mankato has a decent, though recently cut-back, city bus service and a large network of bike trails in outlying areas.

o  North Mankato (14,000 people) is smaller, more expensive, and very white. Many residents work in Mankato. There is a community college. Public transportation is limited, making a car desirable.

o  St. Peter (12,000 people) is 10 miles north of Mankato. It’s home to the state hospital for the dangerously mentally ill. Many or most residents commute to Mankato for work. It’s a peaceful town with a conspicuous police presence, well liked by its residents, with many small businesses and medium-city housing prices.

o  Alexandria in the west central region is surrounded by hundreds of lakes. It is small (over 13,000 people), but has a fairly diverse economy including tourism, manufacturing, food processing, and health care. There is a modest community college and a regional intercity transit system. Other than the lakes, attractions include a well-used dirt track speedway and the Runestone Museum, centered around the apparently debunked Kensington Runestone. Alexandria is a conservative town with little diversity, but considered an excellent place for (white) families.

o  Willmar (21,000 people) is located on a lake. The local economy is strong in agribusiness, from meat processing to biotech; there’s a fairly new industrial park hosting some manufacturing businesses. There is a community college. Willmar is pleasant and quiet with affordable housing costs. It has Latin American and some Somali immigrants and is noted to be more diverse than many small towns.

o  Moorhead (44,000 people) is on the Red River at Minnesota’s western border. It is officially part of the Fargo, South Dakota metro area, and shares a large combined public transit service with Fargo. The area boasts exceptionally rich farmland, and major businesses include agriculture, food processing, education, manufacturing, and corporate headquarters (American Crystal Sugar). Small state university and community college branches and a private Evangelical Lutheran college are among the largest employers. Some Norwegian heritage sites are present, and there’s a performing arts center with a summer school.

o  Fergus Falls, southeast of Moorhead, has 14,000 people but a fairly diverse economy, including IT and energy as well as the usual agribusiness, manufacturing, and health care. There is a community college and an arts center. Pretty white.

o  Grand Rapids (11,000 people) in the north-central area has an economy traditionally centered on lumber and paper milling; it has diversified into tourism and puts on a variety of festivals and sporting events. Judy Garland was born here, explaining why one of the events is a Wizard of Oz festival. There is a small community college that has only a handful of degree programs, but those include forestry, wildland firefighting, and pulp and paper. If you want to work in the paper industry, this town could be a good place to start.

o  Bemidji (15,000 people), is on the southwest shore of Lake Bemidji at the head of the Mississippi River. There are three Native American reservations in the vicinity, and Bemidji is the primary shopping and service center for its region. Over 10% of the population is Native American, and Ojibwe language may be seen and heard. Major economic sectors include health, social services, retail and food services, and professional and technical services; there are three small colleges or universities. The Concordia Language Villages are nearby. Public events include a large, long-running Art in the Park, a dragon boat race, a Winterfest, and the Paul Bunyan Triathlon. Hockey and curling are popular sports.

o  Three towns along the southern border are Worthington, Fairmont, and Austin. Worthington (almost 14,000 people) is the westernmost. Agribusiness (meat packing), health care and pharmaceuticals, and education employ many residents. There is a community college branch. Worthington has a substantial Hispanic minority, and some residents complain of racist policing.

o  Fairmont (10,000 people) is popular with retirees. There are five lakes, and outdoor recreation is popular. The economy includes health care (a Mayo branch), manufacturing, and food processing. There is a community college. Very white.

o  Austin (25,000 people) is home to the Hormel corporation (maker of SPAM tinned meat), a SPAM museum, and the Hormel Institute, a cancer research center. Other agribusinesses, health care, education, government, and services contribute to the economy; there is a community college. Austin is on the Cedar River and has suffered repeated flooding, though recently built infrastructure is supposed to stop that. It has a good variety of cultural institutions, but the population is not very diverse. There’s a county rural transit service.

 

At the moment, Minnesota has one Amtrak line, which stops in cities including Winona, St. Paul, and St. Cloud, and several private bus services, the regional Jefferson Lines being the best. There is a desire for expanded rail transport, but it has not been funded. Minnesota is a productive agricultural state, about equally split between crops and animal products. If you have a farming background, there are many smaller communities that might suit you.