Minnesota Public Radio gets to the heart of state's rural population with videos and photos

Rural Americans are facing many of the same obstacles, including declining population, loss of jobs, and the movement of political power to urban centers, Tim Marema notes for the Daily Yonder in praising rural reporting done for the past three years by Minnesota Public Radio. (Photo by Ackerman and Gruber: Immigrants from Micronesia have boosted population numbers in Milan, Minn.)

MPR has been reporting and gathering information on rural life in the state for a project called "Ground Level," and has published some of the stories on a website called Fighting for an American Countryside, which says people in rural Minnesota are battling small-town decline with determination, resourceful thinking, and unwavering belief. 

"It’s the hard-nosed realism that sets this web, video, radio and e-book series apart," Marema writes. "Not every small town is going to survive, says a Montevideo resident. . . The small towns that do make it are going to have to figure out a new way forward. And that’s where the book and website take off." (Read more)

The website has videos, photos, a blog, stories, and access to the e-book. The site To visit the website click here.