When Shawn Vogt Sween was a child growing up in southeast Minnesota, her grandfather used to say to her “we live in paradise here.” Raised on a grain farm between Grand Meadow and Spring Valley, Shawn’s family cherished the bountiful land the region had to offer. On one side of their homestead lies flat, fertile farming land that retreating glaciers left behind. Adjacent to the plentiful plains, the earth is playful and marked with the babbling streams and rolling hills characteristic of the Driftless Region. Shawn was shaped by the region’s natural beauty, her family’s farming heritage and the support of her community.
Shawn and her kids
During her childhood, Shawn was involved in every activity she could find which empowered her to develop her sense of self, community and prosperity. At age 17, she was elected National President of the Future Homemakers of America. This was cause for celebration by everyone in the community. “I rode on a firetruck into town and everyone cheered,” she said. “All of my teachers and classmates were there and celebrating with me.” She explains that when something great happens for one person in a small town, it is great for the whole community.
Now a Harvard-educated layer, Shawn eventually left her hometown to pursue her education and kickstart her career. She found herself moving across the country for a span of 14 years with her husband and high school sweetheart Patrick Sween. From Washington D.C. to the Mojave Desert of California, nothing felt home to the couple quite like life in rural Minnesota. The pair realized they wanted to raise their children in a community like the one they grew up in. Today, Shawn, Patrick and their five children live on a hobby farm two miles from the farm where Shawn grew up and her family still lives. “The cost of living is excellent, schools are fantastic, the community members are caring and kind and our family lives just down the road,” Shawn explains.
In addition to the natural beauty and sense of community that drew Shawn’s family back to the area, they also enjoy the cultural opportunities that are available. They participate in all the town festivals and parades, frequent a nearby theater in Lanesboro, visit history museums, and even stop by to marvel at the Maynard Green rock collection. Many visitors are also drawn to the popular Four Daughter’s Winery, which is owned by Shawn’s parents.
Shawn and Patrick
Entrepreneurship runs in the family. Shawn serves her community through her law practice where she specializes in agricultural law, community banking, rural business law, rural community support, rural citizen legal needs and more. Based in a renovated building in Grand Meadow, she is proud to demonstrate that small towns are an excellent place for business owners to be. “I started getting letters from the community before I even moved back to the state,” she said. “People were eager to support a local business.” Shawn explains it is not just entrepreneurs that find opportunity in small towns. “There are many opportunities for really diverse and well-paying careers.” The new wave of remote work caused by the pandemic has already begun to change the economic landscape for small communities. “What I’ve seen over the last year is that people seem to be leaving the more urban centers and seeking out small towns as a place to raise a family, but still keep the same jobs.”
In 2019, when Shawn was asked to join the Board of Trustees for Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), she was excited for the opportunity to expand her knowledge of southern Minnesota. “I’ve always had a love for this region, but SMIF has given me an opportunity to know more about other communities in the region,” she said. “It’s nice to see how an investment in the region can have a huge impact.” SMIF has given Shawn an opportunity to learn new things about the region she grew up in. “SMIF has provided a lens for me to see all the amazing work communities and people in our region are doing, and I have been honored to support that work by participating in SMIF’s lending, grant making, child care initiatives and community development efforts.” Shawn adds “We all have a lot to learn from each other, and together our region can grow even stronger.”
The kindness of the community, the beauty of the land, and the bounty of opportunities are all deeply rooted and intertwined to make rural Minnesota the place it is today. For Shawn, this place that she and her family call home, is truly paradise.
This story is part of our Love Where You Live story series showcasing why people love living and working in southern Minnesota. To learn more about the benefits of living and working in Greater Minnesota, check out the cost of living tool from the Center for Rural Policy and Development. To learn more about our Love Where You Live campaign, visit smifoundation.org/lovewhereyoulive.
