On March 11, 2026, community leaders, stakeholders, and residents gathered at the PBS North studios in Duluth for a pivotal conversation about the future of our region. Hosted by the Northland Foundation and Northspan, the “Moving Forward Together” community listening session served as a platform to debut new research and, more importantly, to hear directly from the people who live and work in the Northland.
The goal was simple but ambitious: to identify the obstacles to our economic growth and find a collective path toward a region where everyone can belong and thrive.
The Thrive Rural Framework
The cornerstone of this initiative is the Thrive Rural Framework, a comprehensive tool developed by the Aspen Institute. Tony Sertich, President & CEO of the Northland Foundation, opened the session by explaining that thriving communities aren’t built by one project or one organization alone. Instead, it requires a “regional horsepower”—a collective effort to influence our own future rather than waiting for decisions to be made for us from afar.
A Region in Transition: Key Insights
Karl Schuettler, Vice President with Northspan, presented a data-driven look at how northeast Minnesota has evolved since 2000. The findings challenged several common narratives about our “shrinking” region:
- The Power of Migration: While deaths have outnumbered births since 2016, the region is seeing positive migration of over 1,000 people per year since the pandemic. New residents are effectively stabilizing our population.
- The Aging Shift: Our 65+ demographic has grown by 36% since 2000, while the population under 18 has shrunk by 15.5%.
- Economic Realities: While income growth has outpaced inflation, poverty is also rising, particularly in areas with growing populations. This “hollowing out” of the middle class is a trend we must address collectively.
Priority Action Areas
Based on extensive research and community feedback, the session highlighted seven “gaps” in our regional systems. Two priorities stood out above the rest:
- Housing: Participants participated in a live word cloud exercise that confirmed housing as the #1 challenge. The session emphasized moving away from town-by-town competition for funding and moving toward a unified regional housing strategy.
- Information Sharing: With the decline of traditional local media, many community groups and public officials find it harder to reach a broad audience. Rebuilding trusted, shared information systems is essential for a healthy civic life.
Moving the Needle
The event at PBS North wasn’t just about sharing data; it was about starting a movement. From investing in the next generation of leadership to building stronger rural-tribal alliances, the roadmap is now laid out.
As the discussion during the Q&A made clear, whether we are talking about workforce housing in Two Harbors or media deserts in our rural counties, we are one ecosystem. When we row in the same direction, we have the scale necessary to tackle the root causes of our challenges rather than just managing the symptoms.
Get Involved in the Future of the Northland explore the full Thrive Rural analysis, you can read the complete report online. Visit the Northland Foundation and Northspan to learn more about how these organizations are partnering to strengthen our region and how you can participate in the next steps of this initiative.
This session at PBS North is part of our ongoing commitment to bringing regional experts and community voices together under one roof to solve the Northland’s toughest challenges.