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Saint Paul & Minneapolis Residents Happier Than Most
Sunday, December 4th, 2011 at 9:24pm. 591 Views, 1 Comments.
Men’s Health Magazine recently released a list of 100 American cities and the overall happiness level of their citizens. Would you be surprised to know the Twin Cities ranked in the top 20?
Saint Paul is listed as the eighth happiest city on the list. Its Minneapolis neighbor to the west ranked a less-cheerful-but-still-impressive 14th. St. Paul received an A- for an overall grade, while Minneapolis earned a B+.
The results were calculated using an algorithm that took into account suicide rates, unemployment numbers, antidepressant usage and a measure of people who report feeling “blue”.
The top 10 happiest cities are as follows:
1. Honolulu, HI ~ A+
2. Manchester, NH ~ A
3. Fargo, ND ~ A
4. Omaha, NE ~ A
5. Boston, MA ~ A-
6. Madison, WI ~ A-
7. Sioux Falls, SD ~…
5 Minnesota Cities Among the Best for Young People
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 11:58pm. 514 Views, 0 Comments.
Five Minnesota cities have been named among the 100 best communities for young people. The cities of Edina, Landfall, Mankato-North Mankato, Northfield and St. Louis Park all made the list created by America's Promise Alliance.
The organization created list using what they call Five Promises for the success of young people: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others.
Edina made the list for the first time. Northfield and Landfall have made the list twice. Mankato-North Mankato and Saint Louis Park were among the top 100 for the fourth time.
- Edina was named one of the nation's 100 Best because of its community-wide commitment to raising healthy young people, fostering youth leadership and cultivating…
Twin Cities Metro Life Among the Least Stressful
Monday, September 13th, 2010 at 1:46pm. 527 Views, 0 Comments.
Life really is pretty good in the Twin Cities metro. According to a survey commissioned by Portfolio.com, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area is among the least-stressful metropolises in the United States.
Portfolio.com's survey compared the nation's 50 largest metro areas on such things as crime rates, commuting time, unemployment and heart-disease deaths. Minneapolis and St. Paul came up third on the list of "least-stressed cities," behind Salt Lake City and Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Va. Detroit, Los Angeles and Cleveland ranked as the three most stressful cities.
With some of the lowest unemployment, murder, poverty and even ozone pollution levels in the country, the Twin Cities meto area ranked pretty well in all of these catgories in 2009. In contrast,…
Hastings Seeks to Put Itself on the Map for Businesses
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 6:13pm. 389 Views, 0 Comments.
The Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority is hoping a $10,000 marketing study will help them to promote current businesses and try to attract new ones.
Hastings, with its population of about 22,000, is split between Dakota and Washington counties. With its small stature, Hastings is ready to battle the perception that it is too small and too far away from Minneapolis and St. Paul. The city wants to emphasize its small-town, family-friendly atmosphere and easy access to big-city benefits.
"Hopefully, this is the Miracle-Gro of economic development," Mayor Paul Hicks said.
The depressed economy and resultant falling tax base is inviting more communities to think like a company by pursuing businesses. From start-ups to established…
Saint Paul's Merriam Park a Study in Neighborhood Vitality
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 5:46pm. 1029 Views, 0 Comments.
The Pioneer Press recently published an article about the small-scale retailers that have helped reinvigorate the neighborhood of Merriam Park in St. Paul. Local business owners and entrepreneurs have brought much needed food, retailers, and services to places where they could truly benefit the community.
For decades Marshall Avenue was a bustling streetcar route, a major artery that crossed the Mississippi River to link the Twin Cities. Shops focused on everyday needs, even after buses replaced streetcars.
In 1965, this single block boasted a remarkable assortment: a corner drugstore, a grocery store, a hardware store, a bakery, a Laundromat, a paint store, a barber shop, a cafe, a beauty salon, a variety store, a TV repairman, a restaurant, a dentist's…
Planned New Neighborhood Holds Promise for Saint Paul
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 9:32pm. 1035 Views, 0 Comments.
Civic, community, educational and political leaders in Saint Paul want to create a long-term plan to revitalize the Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods.
Along with 339 other communities in the U.S., the Wilder Foundation of St. Paul has applied for a $500,000 grant to plan the Promise Neighborhood. This Saint Paul neighborhood would be designed to improve the lives of its residents by focusing on the health and well-being of children and families.
From making more fruit and veggie servings available to prekindergarten children to tracking students's progress through college, the Promise Neighborhood idea is sometimes referred to as a "cradle-to-career" approach. The Promise Neighborhood's proposed all-emcompassing philosophy is modeled after the…
In Saint Paul, An Urban Farm Has Sprouted
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 9:26pm. 870 Views, 2 Comments.
An empty city lot in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul is being converted into an urban garden. The transformation is part of a nationwide effort to bring fresh foods to places where it may be hard to acquire.
The garden is sprouting up thanks to the Urban Farming organization. Urban Farming has planted 50 gardens in 20 cities across the nation. St. Paul was the last stop.
"It's amazing how much food you can grow in a small area," [founder of Urban Farming] Taja Sevelle said. "We're encouraging people to grow their own food at home and get back to the simple basics of growing your own food."
"We have a beautification aspect to it, environmental aspect to it, this is the perfect opportunity to add this proponent of edible gardens and vegetable gardens,"…
Saint Paul & Minneapolis Among Leaders for Residents' Well-Being
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 9:44am. 402 Views, 0 Comments.
Of the nation's 52 largest metropolitan areas surveyed in 2009, the Twin Cities Metropolitan area ranked 4th best in the nation in terms of well-being, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. San Jose, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C., were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. San Francisco was 5th. That's a lot of coastal cities, but we know that one reason the Twin Cities are great is because we experience all of the seasons here in full force without the earthquakes or the hurricanes.
This Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index defines large cities as those with a population size of 1 million or greater. Interviews were conducted with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asking individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional…
Eagan’s Sesquicentennial: Here's to Another 150 Years
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 11:58pm. 515 Views, 1 Comments.
Eagan was established as a township in 1860, a year before the Civil War began, and two years after Minnesota became a state. This year, Eagan will host several events to commemorate its 150 year history and its big birthday.
War and outlaws, homesteads and wheat fields. 150 years ago, Eagan MN was a very different place. Even 100 years ago, the city was known as "The Onion capital of the World." When was the last time you heard it called that? Eagan has slowly transformed from a ruffed landscape to farms to a suburban community outside the city of Saint Paul.
The city has been collecting historical photos, and Eagan Communications Director Tom Garrison said he's been surprised looking at them. A photo of a car accident on Yankee Doodle Road and Pilot Knob…
Holiday Flower Show in St. Paul's Como Park
Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 11:36am. 504 Views, 0 Comments.
About 60,000 people will visit the Holiday Flower Show in St. Paul's Como Park. The show, which runs through January 18, 2010, at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, "brings a wash of indoor color to contrast with the outdoor snowscape," which as you know is particularly snowy right now. Of course, the poinsettia is the star of the show and it comes in more colors than you could imagine, like peppermint twist, cinnamon stick, and even eggnog.
Located right in our backyard, the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is a gem of the Midwest even if you might not realize it. Not many cities have been able to maintain buildings such as this. Despite several calamities in its 95-year history, it has survived. It is a rare cultural attraction that draws crowds even in…
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