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: “Hundreds of gun owners and a couple of dozen gun control advocates packed the Crown Ballroom on Tuesday, Jan. 21, for a hearing on a slate of contentious firearm and public safety proposals. It was the first time members of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee took up the bills. Attendees offered a ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota is awarding more than $23 million in grants to 30 projects throughout the state to help bring high-quality broadband access to underserved and unserved parts of the state, Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday. ‘Fast, reliable broadband access is a critical economic development tool that improves quality of life and makes businesses in Greater ...

EXCERPT: “More than 600 kits will be shared by state troopers across Minnesota to help people experiencing homelessness. The new initiative aims to provide essentials to people who need them. The Department of Public Safety collected donations across the state and assembled them into Care on the Go kits. ‘A lot of times people will ...