The Northfield Community

This place we now call Northfield rests on the traditional homelands of the Wahpekute and other Bands of the Dakota Nation. Settled by Norwegian and other European immigrants in the mid-late 1800s, the community was surrounded by farming, with much of its subsequent economy supporting agricultural production. It is unique in that is it home to two 100+ year old private liberal arts colleges. These two factors gave rise to the motto seen on the town signs: “Cows, Colleges, and Contentment.” Northfield is more widely known as the place where outlaw bandit Jesse James and the James-Younger gang were defeated, thanks to the heroics of Joseph Lee Heywood and other community members.

Learn more by visiting the Northfield Historical Society or investigating St. Olaf’s history and relationship with Northfield by visiting the College Archives.

Today, Northfield is a community of a little over 20,000–one quarter of whom are college students! The City of Northfield is governed by an elected seven-person City Council, including Mayor Rhonda Pownell (an Ole!), makes decisions about the community including streets and infrastructure, the 35+ municipal parks and open spaces, housing and economic development, public art, and more (meet all of your elected officials on St. Olaf’s Vote webpage). Students at St. Olaf may choose to register to vote in the City of Northfield at the polling location in Buntrock Commons or wherever they consider home.

Northfield’s active and engaged citizenry supports 17 City of Northfield boards and commissions. Plus numerous nonprofits in issue areas such as housing, environmental sustainability and climate action, food security, disability access, healthcare equity, youth engagement, aging, and more! See the map at the bottom of the page to explore these issue areas and ways to get involved.

The community’s demographics have shifted significantly within the last 30 years, too, as a growing Latine community have settled in the area.  Many are from the Maltrata, Mexico area, and you can learn more about this community at the Radio and News website from Carleton.

In addition, more commuters from the Twin Cities make their home here. An estimated 60% of Northfield residents commute to Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

1. All Are Welcome – video created by Carleton Students covering Northfield’s Municipal ID program, implemented in 2017. (6 mins)
2. Local artist and activist Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo  has documented many aspects of the Northfield community, including Making Noise ~ The story of a skatepark and Ways of Being Home/Creando hogar about the connection between Northfield and Maltrata, Mexico.
3. Poverty in Northfield Part 1 and Part 2 – Video discusses poverty levels in Rice County and the work of the Community Action Center. (4 mins), produced by Carleton students.
4. Healthy Community Initiative’s Systems Transformation work – video (1:30 mins)

While you might have heard some people call this area “the middle of nowhere,” this place you are now a part of as a St. Olaf student IS a specific somewhere, complete with its own distinct histories, communities, and current realities. You’ve read a bit about the city of Northfield, but it’s important to recognize that Northfield is also part of a larger geo-political place of Rice County. The county is governed by five county commissioners who represent both rural farmers and city residents.

Furthermore, there are other ways to locate this place and make sense of its location. For instance, Northfield is located within the Cannon River watershed which spans multiple counties and cities. The Cannon River which runs through downtown Northfield exits into the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minnesota. Clean River Partners is a nonprofit that works across the watershed on education, protection, and improvement of this vital natural resource.

Another way to locate this place is from a Dakota perspective. Northfield is located within Mni Sota Makoce, the homelands of the Dakota which spans across southern Minnesota into eastern South Dakota, western Wisconsin, and northern Iowa.

The county seat and other large city in the county is located in Faribault (population: 24,420).  While it still remains true that the majority of residents in Rice County identify as white and of European descent, Faribault is home to growing populations of Somali and Latine communities. Some residents have worked diligently at welcoming newcomers through such organizations as the Faribault Diversity Coalition. Leaders within these communities have also started their own initiatives, such as the Somali-led efforts around Waano (afterschool learning center) and Surad Academy (charter school).

For more about Faribault and Rice County’s history, visit the Rice County Historical Society.

Counties act as a gateway for millions of dollars from the U.S. federal and Minnesota state governments to provide services to its residents, such as public assistance for children, families, and mental health; public health and emergency preparedness (like 911),  veterans services,  and documentation of births, deaths, property, and other public legal matters. In addition, counties in Minnesota also administer elections throughout the county.

Many nonprofits which started in Northfield have now gone county-wide within the last 10 years, including Healthy Community Initiative, Community Action Center, and the Rice County Area United Way, while others have always served residents within the entire county, such as HealthFinders Collaborative and Rice County Habitat for Humanity.

1. Understanding Environmental Justice in Minnesota interactive map by the MPCA. Look closely at Northfield & Faribault communities. Tabs on top of the map allow you to see different overlays. 
2. How did Minn. become one of the most racially inequitable states?
3. Rocky beginning, growing acceptance: The Somali experience in Faribault
4. Dakota History in the Faribault Region 
5. MidWest of Somalia – film highlighting the Somali American population of the Midwest (30 mins)
6. Somalis Out Loud Podcast – produced as part of a participatory action research project between Carleton and Faribault