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nphilbro 
Group: Members
Posts: 1586
Joined: Jul. 2005
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,1:20 pm |
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I was reading some things on the Facebook Albert Lea group and saw a lot of negativity about the decline of the city.
I thought I would see if this was a normal phenomenon of cities with similar placement on the I-90 corridor between Seattle and Madison.
Albert Lea is THE ONLY city with comparable access with negative growth.
Every other city on the list has found ways to engage in new industries or methods to sustain itself. The #1 growth spot is in this corridor as well.
I-90 Interstate Intersections
5/90 Seattle, WA Major City
90/84* Ellensburg, WA
*I-84 is a two state regional highway
Population 18,250 10yrs +17.9%
4 year university (CWU)
Agriculture
Largest city within 100miles – Seattle/Tacoma Metro (4.5 million)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellensburg,_WA
90/15 Butte, MT
Population 34,200 10yrs +.9 growth (5th largest city)
Copper Mining boomtown (now just 346 direct jobs)
Tourism
Services
1970-1980 59% growth
Largest city within 100 miles – Bozeman, MT (37,280)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butte,_mt
90/94 Billings, MT
Population: 104,000 10yrs + 15.9% growth
Largest City in State
Shale Oil/Coal
Destination for Surrounding Cities
Hotels/Motels servicing interstate travelers
Largest city within 100 miles – Bozeman, MT (37,280)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billings,_MT
90/29 Sioux Falls, SD
Population 153,888 10 years +24.1% (47th fastest growing in the country)
Population nearly doubled between 1980 and 2010
Largest city in state
Higher Education
Finance
Healthcare
Largest city within 100 miles – Sioux City, IA (82,684)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_Falls
90/35 Albert Lea, MN
Population 18,016 10 years -1.9%
Agriculture
Farming support services
Healthcare
Largest city within 100 miles – MPLS/St. Paul metro (4.35 million)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Lea,_Minnesota
90/39 Madison, WI
Population 233,209 10 years +11.6%
Ranked #1 on Forbes list of top 10 cities for growth
Higher Education
State Government (Capital)
Health Tech
Bio-Tech
Largest city within 100 miles –Milwaukee (2.01 million)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison,_wi
I-35 needs no breakdown for areas with similar transportation access
Minneapolis
Albert Lea
Des Moines, IA
Kansas City, MO
Oklahoma City, OK
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
San Antonio, TX
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Merely to try is to prepare for failure.
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| Post Number: 2
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Expatriate
Group: Members
Posts: 16954
Joined: Oct. 2004
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,3:11 pm |
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These other communities must have put up rusty street light corridors leading highway traffic into their cities years ago and are now profiting from their futuristic insight.. 
The loss or demise of Wilson/Farmstead has deeply wounded Albert lea's economic survivability, Albert Lea's inability to control utility costs, e.g. electricity, natural gas puts Albert Lea at a definite disadvantage with neighboring communities who have control of such utilities.
My guess these other cities on the I-90 have managed to keep their utility cost and tax low, they're not paying for a wind farm where the wind doesn't blow or an airport where the planes don't land!
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History is no more than the lies agreed upon by the victors.
~NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
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Rosalind_Swenson
Group: Members
Posts: 1527
Joined: May 2011
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,3:27 pm |
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Several people have told me that the first choice for Mall of America was Albert Lea, because of I-90 and 35, but the city or county governments wouldn't let them in. Is that true? I've tried finding information on it but can't. I have also been told that new businesses have a tough time being able to start up in town because of how things are run.
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And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
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Glad I Left
Group: Members
Posts: 2306
Joined: Aug. 2005
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,6:41 pm |
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I had heard it was the Medford mall, not the MOA.
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After we screw up health care reform, let's take on the initiative of unscrewing the education system (gov't education)
Tacitus: (c. 56 AD-c. 117) "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates."
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| Post Number: 6
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hairhertz
Group: Members
Posts: 3489
Joined: Dec. 2004
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,7:45 pm |
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Nice job, Phil 
Maybe the past leaders who said AL had lots of general laborers [unskilled] but not much for IT types [skilled] didn't help the cause?? Maybe having the go to guy making $100,000 w/o accountability didn't help?
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metis movement
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| Post Number: 7
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Rosalind_Swenson
Group: Members
Posts: 1527
Joined: May 2011
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,8:39 pm |
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(canvasback @ Sep. 07 2011,6:12 pm)
QUOTE OK, that is probably the stupidest thing I have ever read on here. NEVER have I heard that MOA was considering Albert Lea.
Well, that's why I was asking. I had just been told it again by someone who usually knows what he is talking about, so after not being able to find any information about it online, I figured I would ask here, because I absolutely hate repeating things that are not true.
It does seem weird that Albert Lea is doing so poorly, seems to be a great location with both interstates right here. It's really too bad, hopefully things can get better soon.
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And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
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This is my real name
Group: Members
Posts: 1468
Joined: Sep. 2006
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,8:55 pm |
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The Cabela's/MOA is just another one of those rumors that gets spread around by people who "heard it from someone who also heard". When they built the new Walmart, one of my dad's coworkers told him that he had heard from the manager of the Skyline Mall that Best Buy (the electronics store, not the paper company downtown that later became Celebrations) was moving into the old Walmart. Never happened, and I'm pretty sure we were never even considered.
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PEZ the only candy you eat after your favorite fictional character spits it out of their tracheotomy hole.
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| Post Number: 9
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MADDOG
Group: Moderator
Posts: 7821
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Sep. 07 2011,9:36 pm |
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I don't believe that the Cabela's thing was a rumor. I do believe they looked at Albert Lea first before choosing Owatonna.
Of course the reason the county board voted to raise the tax levy again is because they hope to drawn the Vikings to town. They figure if they build them a new stadium, they will come.
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Actually my wife is especially happy when my google check arrives each month. Thanks to douchbags like you, I get paid just for getting you worked up. -Liberal
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| Post Number: 10
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