Homogenous. That pretty much summed up Preeti Yonjon’s impression of her new hometown, Alexandria, when she arrived in 2016. She wondered where the black and brown people were in town. (In a community of a little over 14,000, of whom 94 percent are white, it’s a fair question.) She knows where, now. And she’s working …
Tasha Connelly left Grand Rapids after high school and didn’t think anything would ever bring her back. But after years away living in other states, including Florida and Colorado, the usual things began to chip away at her resolve: family ties, a desire for more community, the lure of less traffic. She eventually returned, but …
In the Midwest, 41-45 percent of people move throughout their lifetime – but it’s not just people that migrate. So does money. In fact, we know that in the next twenty years, $47.9 billion will transfer from one generation to the next in Minnesota. This could mean big things for small, rural communities. But if …
In a region that was settled almost exclusively by Norwegian immigrants, integration was not a topic of conversation in the small west central Minnesota town of Pelican Rapids. From the grocery store to the classroom, differences were scarce. In fact, as recently as two decades ago, the people of Pelican Rapids still largely came from …