By Kelly Asche, Research Associate I still remember the moment my wife and I decided to move out of the Twin Cities and back to rural Minnesota. We were sitting at the same St. Paul bar we had been frequenting for years, discussing what we wanted in life. And we realized that that’s what we ...

By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research & Operations (Note: The links in this post are not affiliate links. No one at the Center makes any money if you click on them.) When I saw it was my turn to write the blog post this week and that the assignment was “Why do I live here?” ...

  We asked the all-important question, “What is rural?” The first in our new set of videos on rural issues and research provides the answer! 

EXCERPT: “The administration of Gov. Tim Walz is getting closer to finalizing its plan to adopt a set of auto emission and electric vehicle regulations aimed at fighting climate change. But while it doesn’t need the Legislature’s approval to move forward, skeptical lawmakers in both parties ripped the proposal on Wednesday as misguided, particularly for rural ...

EXCERPT: “Fire departments throughout Minnesota are expressing concern about the dwindling number of people willing to do the job. They presented the issue to state leaders Wednesday, hoping lawmakers could help come up with solutions. ‘If we don’t look at ways to try to draw people in, it’s going to be an issue in years ...

EXCERPT: “Far from the big names such as Industrious and WeWork, Greater Minnesota coworking providers are finding ways to make smaller communities and greater distances work for them. From Winona to Moorhead, small local coworking outfits, many sponsored by local governments or nonprofit groups, are meeting the demand for flexible work space. And while they don’t ...

EXCERPT: “In 2019, the Legislature passed a slate of laws to reduce fraud in Minnesota’s largest child care subsidy. Now, state lawmakers are considering whether to give new money to the program and raise tuition reimbursement rates for low-income families to meet federal standards. State Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, said changes to the Child Care ...