Research just completed by Calvin Beale at the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Economic Research Service identified 55
rural counties in the district as “recreational”
counties, defined by Beale as nonmetro counties that rank
high on the presence of second homes and/or the proportion
of income and jobs derived from recreation-related businesses,
like lodging, restaurants, real estate and entertainment.
As the map demonstrates, most of the district's recreational
counties are concentrated in the high-amenity corridors.
In more temperate parts of the country, many high-amenity
locales tend to become “retirement” counties-those
that saw at least 15 percent in-migration of people over
60 with a main residence over the course of a decade. As
of the 1990 census (this research has not been updated from
the 2000 census), only six counties in the district were
considered retirement counties, four of which were also
categorized by Beale as recreational counties.
The district's cold winter climate is what separates its
high-amenity belts—where seasonal residences predominate—from
year-round retirement destinations like Florida and Arizona.
In Cass and Crow Wing counties, two major vacation destinations
in Minnesota, seasonal housing makes up 45 percent and 33
percent, respectively, of all housing units.
Return to: More than just a pretty
place?
