Small towns across the region are changing - struggling to survive economically while big box retail stores and chain restaurants come to town.

Host Rachel Reabe and her guests explored ways to keep small towns healthy, in this special Midday broadcast from the Black and White Hamburger Shop in Little Falls, Minn.

	St. Anthony, Minn. is an example of a small town which has found its sense of place, even though all that's left is a church and a bar.

Small towns: a sense of place (Listen)

Several Little Falls residents talk about life in a small town. What are the benefits and what are the drawbacks? How does their sense of place impact the way they view the world?

Guests:
•Mary Phillips, a lifetime resident of Little Falls and retired newspaper reporter.
•Ron Lyschek, owner of the Black and White, who grew up in the Little Falls area, moved to the metro area for 20 years and returned home to raise his children.
•Joe Berg, grew up in the Twin Cities and moved to Little Falls seven years ago. Berg started a manufacturing company in Little Falls.

	In Viroqua, Wis., community leaders have worked hard to revive the town's main street business community, despite the lagging farm economy and the presence of big box retailers.

Healthy rural communities (Listen)

Rural communities have been hard-hit in the last 20 years with declining populations and sluggish economies. The state demographer's office expects the trend to continue, with much of rural Minnesota likely to lose additional population in the next 20 years. Currently just one-third of Minnesotans live outside the metropolitan area.

Despite the trends, many rural communities are working hard to make the most of what they have and provide a high quality of life for their residents. Recent research indicates economic and demographic factors are not the only factors in determining the health of a community. Leadership, participation, cooperation and self-reliance are among the characteristics of effective communities. We'll talk about what works and what doesn't in rural communities.

Guests:
•Julie Steiff, a licensed psychologist who works with community leadership and development.
•Karl Samp, who runs the Healthy Communities Partnership Program for the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls.