Lots of Newspapers!

Another thing that I love about Minneapolis is the huge number of local papers. It's really amazing when you walk into a coffee shop, glance down at the requisite pile o' papers in the foyer, and realize that among the half-dozen weeklies there is usually at least one or two papers local to the neighborhood you're in. It gives you a real sense of place. These journals are generally not paragons of high-minded journalism; rather, they're honest and decently put together snapshots of community activity.

And I guess the real thing that strikes you when you keep running into these locals papers is exactly that: community. It's a much celebrated term. Politicians trot it out when they want to drum up support. Corporations claim to nurture community when it benefits them. But you don't actually see such genuine communal artifacts that often.

I'll close by giving a list of links to a variety of Twin Cities-based neighborhood papers:

Southwest Journal

Downtown Journal

The Bridge (no link available)

I've only listed three, but I'm pretty sure there are at least a dozen. Very impressive!