Planning for Rural Minnesota's 'Brain Gain'

While the share of Americans living in rural communities is decreasing relative to the overall population, some rural areas, such as the Willmar lakes area in Minnesota, have managed to attract young residents.

1 minute read

August 29, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Amid headlines about rural brain drain and the migration of young people to the city, rural Minnesota is seeing a quiet but steady 'brain gain' of people like [Leah] Schueler, a health educator for Kandiyohi and Renville County Public Health," reports Anne Polta.

Polta pins the attraction of Willmar to residents like Schueler on the efforts of the Vision 2040 plan, described as "an initiative to design the future of Kandiyohi County."

The article also places the example of Willmar in context of the larger trends of migration into and out of rural areas around the country as well as several more anecdotes of residents who came to the country from the city.

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