We’re living in exciting times in Rural America, have you heard? We’ve just completed the third out of the last four decades of overall population gain in Rural America, growing from 53.5 million in 1970 to 59.5 million in 2010. Midwest farmland is bringing record prices. Land in Rock County, Minnesota, has recently sold for […]
Broadband Access Continues to Expand in Minnesota
Connect Minnesota has released a new update on broadband access in Minnesota. There are still over 5% of rural households that don’t have access to even the most rudimentary broadband service. And as MPR observes, broadband access is NOT distributed evenly across Greater Minnesota. The 10 megabit service map above is striking in it’s asymmetry, ranging […]
Brain Gain in Greater Minnesota: A Continuing Rural Success Story
Migration from rural to urban is the story of America’s progress. In our just over 200-year history, we’ve moved from a nation of Jeffersonian farmers to a majority of urbanites. Bigger is better, of course. But not always is bigger better. And if America is anything, we’re a nation of rebels and rabble-rousers who relish […]
Broadband Briefing: LightSquared vs GPS
Cross-posted from Blandin on Broadband blog, originally prepared for Southwest Regional Development Commission. LightSquared vs. GPS A new wireless start-up with Minnesota connections has been in the news lately with plans to provide a unique wireless-satellite communications network that could bring ubiquitous broadband coverage to rural America for a fraction of the cost of existing, […]
The Junk Science of Ethanol-Food Price Pressure
With harvest wrapping up here in the Upper Midwest, I wanted to share this Op-Ed from Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, Republican Bill Northey. It came out last spring, but is still timely this fall. Rising Food Prices: Don’t Blame Ethanol By Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Food prices are rising here in the United […]
Noticing Nice
[v=Av28P04vGH4] Every so often I stumble across something that really makes me glad I live in a small town. Random things that one wouldn’t think too much about, unless of course you’re somebody like me who stays up at night thinking about these things. I know, I know, “Get a life” you say. Well, I […]
What Women Want (When Thinking About Moving To A Small Town)
Proving the adage that great minds think alike, in a post at Blandin on Broadband blog today Ann Treacy follows-up on Ben Winchester’s work on the Rural Brain Gain, which I mentioned earlier this week. The BoB blog is, of course, focused on the broadband angle, but this entry speaks more generally to how communities prepare (or […]
Two Faces of Rural America
They publish some good maps over at the Daily Yonder. This week editor Bill Bishop updated the national map of unemployment for non-metropolitan counties. “Fascinating,” I’m sure you’re thinking. Yes, i know we’ve all heard enough about the potential double-dip recession (The Ghost of the Great Reset?) to make us all nauseous, even before Wall Street […]
10 Ways Broadband Helps Rural Communities
H/T to Mike Knutson of Reimagine Rural fame for the RT on this meme. I’m not familiar with the Internet Innovation Alliance: “A broad-based coalition of business and non-profit organizations that aims to ensure that every American has access to broadband Internet.” As the blurb at the bottom indicates, you can read the fine print […]
APA STaR Publishes MIRC Story
This article was published last week in the newsletter of the Small Town and Rural Planning division of the American Planning Association. You can find them on Facebook, too. Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities: Broadband as a Rural Development Strategy By John C. Shepard, AICP, Southwest Regional Development Commission America’s economy runs on broadband. Ninety-five […]
