Year: 2016

Rural diversity manifests itself in form of tech industry, foodie culture

Communities in South Central and Southwest Minnesota have embraced means and modes of the present in hopes of positioning their humble abodes towards a chic and tech-forward future. In Wilmar, the MinnWest Technology Campus has spawned an epicenter of industry with 31 businesses grounded in bioscience, agriculture and technology that employ 550 rural Minnesotans. Among ...

State of Rural Minnesota 2017

Each year, the Center assembles the latest demographic and economic data to create the State of Rural Minnesota report. Most of the data used for the presentation can also be found at our Atlas of Minnesota Online. Click here to see the State of Rural Minnesota presentation. — Updated November 2016

Renewable energy projects 5,000 jobs for rural Minnesota

While coal was once the dominant source of fuel for Minnesota’s electrical grid, renewable energy in Minnesota is leading the way for a fossil-fuel-free future.  A new study by the University of Minnesota’s Energy Transition Lab highlights that the clean energy economy in Minnesota is expanding, that jobs, ratepayer savings and economic benefits are being ...