Cost of living report

When Caleb Lauritsen-Norby and his husband, Blake, visited Lanesboro for the first time, it felt like home. They opened Parkway Coffee and Marketplace in downtown Lanesboro in 2017.

After 14 years away, Shawn Vogt Sween decided to return to her hometown in southeastern Minnesota to open her law practice and raise her family.

Adriana Bermudez was born and raised in Northfield, and now she is in her second year of serving in Northfield early childhood settings through the AmeriCorps LEAP Initiative program.

When Erin Dorbin had a work meeting in Houston County, she knew she had found her future home. Read how this Small Town Grant recipient and rural arts and cultural development enthusiast has helped youth in Houston County develop a sense of place.

This is the first story in our Love Where You Live series that highlights why people love living in rural Minnesota. Mary Kennedy, the Blue Earth City Administrator and partner in SMIF's REV program, has seen firsthand the change that is capable of happening in a small town.