The politics of an exurban shift

Baldwin and other exurban and rural areas may have a greater impact in upcoming redistricting than the state's cities or suburbs, says Charley Shaw over at the Politics in Minnesota blog.

This is mainly because recent growth in Minnesota has been focused not in the cities or suburbs as it has in the past, but in what state demographer Tom Gillaspy calls a "doughnut" around the city.

Redistricting of these exurban areas will likely result in more political power for places like Baldwin and an increase in the size of districts along the doughnut.

This could mean state politics will be shaped more by residents of exurban areas than before.

The changing position of exurbs in the power structure of Minnesota is another example of how dramatically the exurban shift is affecting not just the everyday interactions of residents in these areas, but also much broader structures within the state.

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