I want to know more about Marshall, MN and SW Minnesota in general (Worthington: 2014)

[broomstick]

I've posted a thread on Marshall before, but I wanted to make a new post just to see if I could gain more info. I'll be taking a visit to Southwest Minnesota State in December. I'm an out-of-state student so I have no idea what the town or even the region is like.What is SW Minnesota like? I've read that it's very flat, prairie type land? What are the people generally like? Is it more country type people since it's a rural area or what? Any info at all would be appreciated.

[Jay4Jay]

Southwest Minnesota is a very agricultural that is for sure. It's flat for the most part until you get past Marshall then its more rolling hills. The population of the region is very spread out and not concentrated, the biggest town of the area is Marshall but you will likely go through many small towns along highways and railroads. Since many families are farmers they tend to be more religious and conservative politically but most people are caring about others in their community and the region. In Marshall you will find a community that is growing at a moderate to slow place with new houses and buildings being built all the time. We have many fast food restaurants and some shopping and grocery stores like Hyvee, Walmart, Shopko, Runnings, Menards. There are many hotels to stay at which I don't understand why. There are a few parks scattered along the city. Along with SMSU there is a high school, middle school, 2 elementary schools, and I believe a alternative school and private school. In the winter you will find it very cold and very windy, probably the windiest in the state but summers are very hot and humid and spring is usually very rainy. I think this basically sums up the region but if you have any questions about the region or Marshall feel free to contact me

[Minnesota Spring]

It is very rural, but being a college town, there are various groups of people in town. There is even an arts council in town that serves the area.

[tvdxer]

It's rural, but in an agricultural sort of way, meaning that except in state parks, there is always some reminder of civilization in view, be it a barn, silo, wind farm, or old farm detritus.

The land is generally flat, but there are some views to be had, namely at the Minnesota River valley.

Lots of declining small towns.

The area was once inhabited by the Dakota Indians. Migrant Mexican farmhands have been coming up for decades, but only lately (since the 1990s or so) have they settled in mass, mainly due to the meat processing plants, making some of the cities there the most diverse in Minnesota. For example, in Worthington, 35.4% are Hispanic, 8.6% are Asian, and 5.5% are "African American", of which a large percentage are Somalian and Ethiopian. There was in fact an Ethiopian restaurant there until 2014. They have revitalized the parks and streets there. In the tiny town of Walnut Grove, 35% of the population is Asian.

Some pictures from down in that part of Minnesota:

Downtown Worthington by tvdxer, on Flickr

Ruins at Fort Ridgely by tvdxer, on Flickr

MN 4 near Fairfax by tvdxer, on Flickr

Ball'n, Lamberton, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Downtown, Lamberton, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Man riding bike in front of closed creamery, Lamberton, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Fishing off the bridge, Worthington, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Lake Okabena, Worthington, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Jogger on Lake Okabena path, Worthington, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Queen Sheba Restaurant, Worthington, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Auto repair shop, Walnut Grove, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

Worthington window by tvdxer, on Flickr

Squirrel by tvdxer, on Flickr

Boating in Worthington by tvdxer, on Flickr

Street vendor in Worthington by tvdxer, on Flickr

Silos by tvdxer, on Flickr

My GPS *** OBD-II reader *** Smartphone by tvdxer, on Flickr

Old car at edge of town, Lamberton, MN by tvdxer, on Flickr

[joshvanklomp]

I went to SMSU from 2006-2011. Personally, I loved my time at SMSU and in Marshall, so much that I moved back to town shortly after graduation.

However, it's definitely not for everyone. If you are a bigger city kid, Marshall might not be the town for you, with a population of around 13k. Yet it is the largest town in the area. Marshall is somewhat isolated in that the closest "big city" is Sioux Falls (150k), which is 90 miles away. This is especially noticeable in Marshall shopping choices: WalMart or Shopko. That's basically it.

I think you'll get a good vibe of the campus and the community when you're on your visit. The people here are generally nice and welcoming towards the SMSU community. Many residents are SMSU alumni themselves.