The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Nov. 16, 2010:
Did the Twin Cities get more beautiful in the past couple of years?
That's what you might conclude from the results of a three-year survey of Twin Cities residents as part of a study funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on what makes people love and feel passionate about their hometowns.
Findings of the study released Monday found that the physical beauty of a community, including good parks and green spaces, was one of the most important factors that makes residents feel loyal. It's more important than jobs or public safety or good community leaders, according to the study.
And Twin Cities residents apparently think the community is pretty good-looking and getting better. About two-thirds gave high marks to the area's parks, playgrounds and trails, up from 56 percent in a 2008 survey. Nearly half said they thought highly of the area's beauty and physical setting, up from 37 percent in 2008.
But loyalty also is closely tied to openness to different types of people, and there, a survey of more than 1,000 area residents wasn't so positive.
More at TwinCities.com: http://www.twincities.com/ci_16622981?nclick_check=1
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Improving Your Quality of Life
What appeals to you about the neighborhood you call home? Were you born and raised in Minnesota or did you intentionally migrate to the land of 10,000 lakes? What drew you to stake your future here?
The Knight Soul of the Community research project was launched by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Gallup with similar questions, and the findings over time have been surprisingly consistent.
Study finds Twin Cities and Duluth residents love their cities for social offerings, openness, aesthetics
From MinnPost.com, Nov. 16, 2010:
We feel the love for our towns — both here and around the country — because of softer issues, such as social offerings, openness to diverse groups, and the beauty of where we live. And when people care strongly about where they live, indications are that economic growth improves.
'How do we love thee, Twin Cities? ...Its beauty is biggest reason for our loyalty, survey finds''
The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Nov. 16, 2010:
Did the Twin Cities get more beautiful in the past couple of years?
That's what you might conclude from the results of a three-year survey of Twin Cities residents as part of a study funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on what makes people love and feel passionate about their hometowns.
'New research: If you love your town, prosperity follows'
From The Christian Science Monitor:
If you sometimes stop and wonder why you donate to your local school’s annual fundraiser, help plant trees on your town’s main drag or offer free hot cocoa at every street fair, the answer is because you're either very generous or you know what's good for your local economy.
