"Newspaper work has a compelling fascination.  This is especially true of the newspaper in the small town--the country newspaper.  There are so many points at which it may render service to the community and its people..."
(from Carl L. Weicht:  Editorially Speaking:  Excerpts from the Editorial Pages of the Northfield News, 1936 and 1937)

 Local journalism has been a fixture within the Northfield community nearly since its founding.  The Northfield News has documented the growth and progress of Northfield since 1876, and in varying degrees, has served as a forum for discussion of community issues.  In response to rapid population growth and commercial development proposals in the late 20th century, the Northfield News took on a new role in facilitating dialogue on these emotionally-charged issues that threatened to permanently alter the unique character of Northfield as a simultaneously urban and rural community.  According to a 1976 account of community history, Continuum: Threads in the Community Fabric of Northfield, Minnesota,

"The old distinction between urban and rural America makes little sense anymore.  The freeway, the automobile, and the television have put the city within reach of the rural American and have brought urban ways to rural society... Rural and urban people are, in fact, becoming more alike in the way they live. This trend is particularly apparent in a community like Northfield."  (Carlin 61).

Attitudes about community development and growth were beginning to change.  For many Northfield residents, planning became "a way to slow and shape growth [rather] than simply a way to anticipate and promote growth" (Carlin 58).

Through three case studies from the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's, this project will explore community change--especially the shifting balance between urban and rural interests in Northfield--resulting from commercial development issues.  It will consider the ways in which this change has been reflected in local journalism, and how the Northfield News has become an increasingly utilized discussion forum for the Northfield community.  It will also seek to analyze the role of the Northfield News within the community, and draw conclusions about how and why this role has changed.

1974-76 Commercial Development on Hwy. 3: Southgate Mall

1986 Rezoning Referendum: Commercial District Proposal

1998-99 Big-Box Development: Target Mall Proposal