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Idea for: People
Encourage immigrants to move to small towns Provide a reason and support for new immigrants to move to small communities. Provide housing, land and support services to build new lives. From Tom Fuchs of Crookston, MN on 05/12/05
Rating:  I am an H1-B visa temporary worker. I would love to live in a small town, especially in Minnesota (I became a member of MPR almost as soon as I landed in the US) - I just don't know how. First, the job problem: Right now I am a Latin teacher at a private school in FL. I have looked very hard for a position in the upper plains. No luck. I imagine many other immigrants are also tied to their jobs and therefore can't leave the city/region where certain industries are located. From Gene Tsao of Fort Myers, FL on 09/22/06 Rating: Our little town of 350 folks now has 25 Micronesians (from my Peace Corps region), a 7% population increase. Once established, immigrant populations can be self-promoting as extended family members join the initial influx. They tend to support each other, though there are cultural difficulties early on, which provide a great opportunity for existing community members to practice generosity! From Erik Thompson of Milan, MN on 07/04/05 Rating: From Steve Tripp of Waseca, MN on 05/27/05 Rating:  I live in a small MN town. This past weekend, one of my best friends visited. She's from L.A., and she is Vietnamese. We went to an auction to take in a slice of Americana, but the whole time everyone stared at her, in the not so subtle ways of small town staring. Then we noticed the Confederate flag flying across the street, and we left. A lot of the immigrants in my area are here to work on farms, i.e. because there's work. I don't think it's because they feel welcome. How to solve this? From Lindsey Wollschlager of Cannon Falls, MN on 05/26/05 Rating:  I'm an adult English teacher & I work with immigrants everyday in the heart of the biggest city in the state. Many of the people I work with are from rural areas. Sometimes their first exposure to an urban area is arriving on the plane in MPLS. Some are unaware that the rest of the state is not the same, that it's rural and there are many small towns. Many dislike living in the city--the noise, pollution, traffic, etc. They would love to live in a small town--but lack info & need jobs & ESL From Susan Brandt of Minneapolis, MN on 05/25/05 Rating: It's a good idea if there is good/solid planning. Consider: It would help the cities. Immigration in the cities is causing overcrowding and underfunding; The housing complexes are springing up faster than maps can be made; Houses are being built four yrds from each other and in actuality, the buildings that house the most people in the smallest amount of space is what's going up the quickest. It's an inconvenience that's breaking our city's back. *Screen out 'illegals' *demand "English" (this saves alot of $$) From Carolyn Hamilton of Columbus, OH on 05/22/05 Rating: It's a good idea that needs support to work. Immigrants in the cities who once farmed would perhaps like to again. They need access to land, education about our soil and climate, and a chance to work with mentors in vegetable and fruit production. I'd like to see the organizations that already support sustainable ag endeavors to create such programs. Also, these families will need to be placed in rural communities excited about welcoming immigrants and willing to help them get established. From Carol Ford of Milan, MN on 05/19/05 Rating: I think some of the problem with this issue is a generational gap on immigrants. As a general rule (not an absolute rule) younger citizens (below 40) are at best receptive and at worst indifferent toward immigrants moving into their communities. Older citizens are openly hostile or cold toward the idea. Immigration does present challenges. But the real question is whether you want your town to survive or not. If you do, attracting immigrants is a piece to the puzzle of small town growth. From Bryce Carson of Denver, CO on 05/19/05 Rating: I love this idea have tried touting it in my small town which is has a university and the idea gets a lukewarm reaction at best and with all kind of rules and conditions. In the even smaller town where I work in the human services department I have made this suggestion and most of the workers (not all) didn't think that was the kind of person "we" wanted to encourage. Both of these communities have seen an increase in the need for human services & law enforc in recent yrs & cuts in school staff. From Theresa O'Halloran-Johnson of Morris, MN on 05/18/05 Rating: I have worked with a range of immigrant communities in the Twin Cities and have seen how their presence has revitalized the communities in which they live. While there are some additional challenges providing additional English classes, the benefits far outweigh the costs. However, for this to be a practical solution small towns need to find ways to attract immigrants and raise their profile. One way would be to offer land at a large discount for anyone who wants to move in and build a house. From Andrew Anderson-Sprecher of Saint Paul, MN on 05/17/05 Rating:  First, there'd have to be a lot of aid to the schools to help them deal with the expenses of teaching students who have other languages as the background. Second, what would work to encourage immigrants to move to rural areas that wouldn't work for the massive numbers of young people from rural MN who are constantly leaving? Third, jobs is the driver of this issue. Without jobs that pay a decent wage, it won't pay for people to invest in building new houses. What can solve that problem. From Glenn Kuehne of Alexandria, MN on 05/15/05 Rating: This idea may be one of the best so far. In practice, yes, the concept of drawing immigrants to small towns would be difficult. But I think the rewards to small towns would far outweigh the costs. There are always racism issues as well to deal with. But hey, there was ethnic hatred between the Norwegians and the Swedes when they first came to the Upper Midwest too. They seem to have gotten over it. From Bryce Carson of Denver, CO on 05/15/05 Rating: In the metro area, I understand immigrent families have been successful with small scale sustainable farming efforts. I have heard there is a need for specialized foods and food processing. Is this an area that more research is needed? Are immigrants with agricultural back grounds given opportunities? It seems we have a good amount of unused land, that might be improved by sustainable farming projects. From Curtis Engstrom of Brooten, MN on 05/14/05 Rating: I agree with Ben--it's about a lot mopre than just opening the door. Access to services, cultural issues, attitudes toward those who are "not like us" all can create barriers. From Kate Hennessy of Marshall, MN on 05/13/05 Rating: I love the idea. It appears to be much more difficult in practice - such as ensuring the availability of cultural foods at the stores, translating public documents, locating non-discriminatory housing, identieducational needs, hanging bank practices, and ensuring human rights. These are basic supportive requirements. How about helping them start new businesses? That is just the start of the list. Others? From Ben Winchester of Hancock, MN on 05/12/05 Rating: Immigrants Rock! From Paul Schenck of Grand Rapids, MN on 05/12/05
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