Brewed Fresh Daily

Duluth is quite a bit like Cleveland, although not nearly as large, but has suffered some of the same challenges. An economy dependent upon a dwindling industry (Cleveland = manufacturing, Duluth = Mining). A refocus on tourism (Duluth DOES have a convention center which pumps a bunch of money into the local economy and with the lake, the North Shore, the main road up to the Boundary Waters and all the outdoor activities available, a thriving tourism trade). A legacy of old-school, good ol' boy, back-room deals being overshadowed by grass roots efforts of the locals. A relatively new focus on regional economic development using "what we know best" as the foundation (Cleveland = manufacturing, alternative fuels, bio science, technology, Duluth = aviation, mining science, technology). One thing I learned about while I was back home over the last week was the new mayor's E-City initiative which includes Internet kiosks and (are you ready for it?) a large Wi-Fi footprint in downtown, which covers the Canal Park area which is popular for tourists, conventioneers and the growing number of funky offices for knowledge workers moving from Minneapolis to Duluth. The other initiative is Duluth's Soft Center...