Thoughts on the findings in Saint Paul

September 29, 2009

Polly Talen is Knight’s program director for Saint Paul.

While Knight Foundation does most of its local work in Saint Paul and the East Metro, it is important to note that the survey covers residents in the 12-county Twin Cites metro area. That means we can use this data to make comparisons with some other large urban areas in the study - like St. Jose or Charlotte - but it won't help us make comparisons between Minneapolis and St. Paul or between the urban core and the surrounding suburbs.

We can make some comparisons between last year and this year's data, but I think it is even more interesting to compare what the data says with what you or I thought it would say and what we hope it will say in the future. Two of the key drivers of community attachment in the Twin Cities and most of the other communities studied were perceptions about both aesthetics and how welcoming the community seems to various demographic groups. These factors are certainly why I moved here 25+ years ago and they are key reasons I am still here.

It was my sense that the Twin Cities seemed open to newcomers in a way that Boston did not. I had gone to college in Boston and in my summer jobs and internships I felt like I needed to have come over on the Mayflower or at least be the chief elevator operator's sister-in-law to feel like I could fully participate in the community. I was an outsider. Yet in the Twin Cities it felt like anyone could get a start here. With its legendary commitment of corporations and government institutions to the community it seemed the perfect place for someone fresh out of business school to get their start in the community and in a career. And other than missing the ocean (which I still do miss) the area's lakes, bikeways, and parks were well-preserved for the enjoyment of all. It was a community where residents cared about one another and that appeared to be committed to all its citizens.

We are still striving to be that community, but I think we have lost some ground. Interestingly the greatest drop from last year was the perception of how welcoming the community is to young college graduates. This might be a one-year anomaly given the economy and fewer new jobs - we will have to keep an eye on that in next year's study. Of even greater concern to me is how open and welcoming we are as a community to racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants. Do folks in those communities feel you can be full participants in community decision-making, in our educational systems, in health care, in the workforce? Our economic vitality as a community depends on it.

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Rj Kaufman wrote 1 year 29 weeks ago

I am fascinated by the study

I am fascinated by the study and findings to date. My family (wife and 2 teenage children) are recent transplants (<5 years) to MN, but having grown up in WI for most of my life (as well as my wife), we felt moving here after a nearly 10-year employment stint in CO would be like moving home to the Midwest values we came to know and love. How sadly this hasn't been the case for us.

I am 20-year educational communications and community engagement professional working in a suburban school district, while my wife is an educational para-professional. We live in a neighboring suburban community to our place of work. We are both very outgoing people, and found it very easy to connect with neighbors and families when we moved from WI to CO in 1998. The same cannot be said for our move to MN. While we have not been openly shunned or rudely ostracized, we would term the connections/relationships as very cool. Our children are very active in sports and performance arts (i.e. drumline, music, plays, etc.) which we found offers numerous opportunities to connect with families whose children participate in these activities. Again, though, the reception has been lukewarm at best. Even more disturbing is the lack of connection with members of the two churches we attend regularly in an attempt to find a "spiritual home." The latter was one of the most rewarding experiences of our time in CO.

So, after three years as residents of the community we presently live, we believe we are just a citizen by number. Our children have been successful in developing friendships through their school and activities. However, this has not been the case for my wife and I, who truly miss the opportunities for neighborly or friend (couples) gatherings, whether spontaneous or planned.

As I review the Soul of the Community results, I want to send it to the communities where I live and work. This is the type of work I have studied and embraced as my life's mission since I first became involved in the public school system in 1990 (by way of WI, CO and now MN). So, while I find it fascinating and revealing, as well as truly educational in my work ... it also points to a more personal perspective. Our experience in MN to date, albeit a brief one, is marred by the lack of connection and feeling welcomed. We will not establish permanent residency in the community we currently call home. It may be a catalyst to searching for new employment outside of MN. I'm not sure what people speak of when they say, "MN nice ...", but if how we've been embraced, or not embraced more appropriately, nice is too kind of a word for describing native Minnesotans.

I look forward to following the continued findings.

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