Soul of the Community

The information in our study covers the Grand Forks, N.D.-M.N., Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In each community, the Soul of the Community Study identified factors that emotionally bond residents to where they live. Some of these community characteristics were rated highly by residents, and are therefore community strengths while others were rated lower, making them opportunities for improvement. This information can provide communities a roadmap for increasing residents’ emotional attachment to where they live, which the study found has a significant relationship to economic vitality.

In the Grand Forks area, social offerings (fun places to gather), openness (how welcoming a place is) and aesthetics (an area's physical beauty and green spaces) are the most important factors in emotionally connecting residents to where they live.

Education (particularly colleges and universities) and aesthetics (particularly parks, playgrounds and trails) were perceived as community strengths. Education remains the area's highest rated area overall.  Residents also rated aesthetics significantly higher in 2009.

Meanwhile, social offerings and openness were seen as areas needing improvement. Though social offerings overall was rated significantly higher in 2009, residents still rate nightlife as lowest aspect. In openness, residents perceive the area as significantly more welcoming to families with young children in 2009, making it the most welcomed group, but see it as least welcoming to gays and lesbians.

In 2009, the Grand Forks area saw a significant increase in residents’ passion and loyalty for their community. This improvement resulted in Grand Forks having the second-highest attachment of all communities studied in 2009. This increase was driven by a rise in ratings of all three key factors that tie residents to where they live - namely, social offerings, openness and aesthetics.

Residents who feel a strong emotional connection to the area are most likely older, long-term, home-owning and retired residents. Those least likely to have an emotional connection are mid-tenure, renting, non-employed (including students) and lower educated residents.