Northeast Minnesota: New Possibilities in the North Country

This is the second of four case studies examining the opportunities and challenges in Greater Minnesota. In the first report, Walljasper examined some of the big ideas coming out of the southeast, including the development of the Destination Medical Center in Rochester, the vibrant arts scene in Lanesboro, and many other examples of economic diversification. In this report, he heads to the beautifully diverse landscape of northeast Minnesota. He finds that some conditions have hardly changed from 30 years ago, including the heated debates over the effects of mining as communities consider ways to preserve both livelihoods and the environment. Such dire economic pressures are precisely what led to the inception of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, six independent regional philanthropic organizations that have disbursed more than $285 million a year since their founding in 1986. Under the direction of Virginia McKnight Binger, then board chair of McKnight, and Russ Ewald, then president, McKnight created these unique entities because it believed that the people in the best position to lead in Greater Minnesota were those who lived and worked in the communities themselves. Thirty years later, we still hold on to that principle and remain committed to a prosperous and resilient Greater Minnesota. This report explores communities north of the metro area and east of Brainerd and Bemidji. Walljasper reports that the region's economy now goes far beyond mining to include tourism, education, health care, aviation, and advanced manufacturing. Mining makes up only 12 percent of the economy in the six-county region that encompasses the Iron Range. Duluth, with unemployment at 2.9 percent, is winning national accolades. Outside magazine recently named it "America's Best Town" and lauded its access to adventurous outdoor recreation such as trout fishing and downhill skiing. Aitkin County has been recognized for offering innovative senior services, and cities like Proctor and Pine City are reviving their downtowns with high levels of community engagement. As in all regions of the state, the challenges faced by the people in northeast Minnesota are not easy to overcome. For answers, local leaders are increasingly taking a deeper look at their community's entire range of assets and resources. We hope this report will spark more interest in this bountiful region and offer a fresh lens through which we can see all its potential

Community Transformations: The Promise of Arts-Based Community Development

The Twin Cities is recognized across the country as a hotbed for the arts, which not only enhances cultural life but strengthens the region in other ways. Dozens of art galleries, theater companies, music venues, design firms, and other arts organizations attract talented workers, high-paying firms, and growth industries to this area. This natural relationship between cultural abundance and economic prosperity is a cornerstone of the influential "creative class" theory that explains why some cities thrive and others wither. Yet creativity is not limited to privileged, upper-middle class circles. The arts make a substantial impact in low-income and minority communities by knitting community bonds, inspiring young people, animating a new sense of possibility, bolstering economic development, and forging a positive identity for challenged neighborhoods

Food for Thought: Small Towns, Big Ideas

Commissioned by McKnight, Jay Walljasper's latest report looks at the forward-thinking and innovative concepts spurring development and interest in Southeast Minnesota

Food for Thought: A River Runs Through Us

Jay Walljasper, commissioned by McKnight. In this latest installment in our Food for Thought series, Walljasper explores why the vitality of the Mississippi River is crucial to the Twin Cities' future

North by Northwest: Rural Resilience in Northwest and North Central Minnesota

The McKnight Foundation is pleased to release "North by Northwest: Rural Resilience in Northwest and North Central Minnesota", the third in a four-part series focusing on Greater Minnesota. Written by Jay Walljasper, this report explores how communities are pulling together to enliven Main Streets, attract businesses and young families, nurture the arts, improve education, and instill confidence that their towns will thrive in the years to come

Minnesotas Local Food Climate

The first installment of the Food for Thought Series, a collection of third-party reports that inform our program strategies and are shared with the fields we support

Food for Thought: 27 Bright Ideas We Should Steal from the Rest of the World

Jay Walljasper, commissioned by McKnight. In the fourth installment of the Food for Thought Series, Jay Walljasper looks at civic models from around the world that are worth replicating here at home

Food for Thought: A Tale of Three Cities

Commissioned by McKnight, Jay Walljasper's latest essay captures valuable lessons from Seattle, Denver, and Toronto — regions that serve as both competition and inspiration for Minneapolis-St. Paul

Food for Thought: Mary Tyler Moore Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Jay Walljasper, commissioned by The McKnight Foundation. The third installment of the Food for Thought Series, a collection of third-party reports that inform our program strategies and are shared with the fields we support. In this report, Walljasper examines identity issues confronting Minneapolis-St. Paul and posits some solutions

Still Thriving: The Changing Face of Southwest and South Central Minnesota

In the final installment of McKnight's Food for Thought series, Jay Walljasper explores how rural Minnesota communities are bucking the stereotype of small town malaise, instead thriving through innovation and creative partnershi