What Spring Valley is known for

Rochester is located in the center of the Spring Valley Destination. Mayo Clinic offers the most jobs of any business in Minnesota and welcomes over two million visitors annually. The clinic is a non-profit medical center with three major campuses across the states. The clinic specializes in health care, education, and research on difficult cases. Mayo Clinic is ranked first in the United States on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll.[2] Beyond Rochester lie Saint Paul and Minneapolis, also known as the "Twin Cities."[8] As the fifth-largest city in Minnesota, Bloomington has the Mall of America and is the city where Wells Fargo Bank's headquarter are located. The original Metropolitan Stadium still stands in the city.[7] 

Minneapolis is in the most populous city in Minnesota and all of Heppepin County. The Walker Art Center and three of the largest sports stadiums in the states. These include the Target Center, the Target Field, and the U.S. Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Twins draw over six million visitors to the Target Field for their games during their baseball season. The Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Vikings also play games in the stadiums. The Polaris headquarters are located in the Spring Valley Destination. Here they invent, manufacture, and sell their technology around the world.[8] 

The agricultural nature of the destination widely influences the area. Austin, Spring Valley, and Winona are all agricultural cities; they are leading producers of corn, wheat, flaxseed, and oats. Mining is also a large pull in the area, primarily iron.[1] Spring Valley is known for its diverse environment and central location. The city has a small population and many century-old homes. The farmland surrounding Spring Valley makes it a very rural yet welcoming place to visit.[1] The area welcomes around thirty million visitors a year. The summer months are the region's prime tourist season due to many festivals, farmer's markets, and sports games.[4] 

Comfortable temperatures and changing leaves are also a big draw to the area during the summer months. The area is diverse, with rural areas and cities with small populations and tightly knit communities and large urban cities with populous areas and world-famous attractions. The University of Minnesota is located in the destination, with over fifty thousand students. Minnesota has more per capita boat registrations of any state in the United States. Fishing and water sports are a popular activity for visitors in the area. There is also a wide variety of wildlife, and hunting is another popular sport in less populous areas. 

Over half of the visitors to the area are from Minnesota, out of state visitors come primarily from nearby states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.[4] The Spring Valley Destination has three other significant industries beyond agriculture; Water Technology, Biofuels, Solar, and Wind. The area is a leader in environmental technologies and renewable energy production.

Geography

The Spring Valley Destination is centered around its namesake, the small town of Spring Valley, and Rochester, Minnesota. The destination's borders spread out one hundred miles in every direction. The Mississippi River runs straight through the region, and the Minnesota River lines the land's northmost area. The zone includes parts of Wisconsin and Iowa in addition to Minnesota. The southern half of the area is mostly farmland with many agricultural communities and commercial farmland. The northern part of the destination is more urbanized, with three major cities and the top half of the Mississipi River. Rochester is known as the driftless area and the only region in North America that was never glaciated.[2] 

This left the area surrounding Rochester with deeply carved river valleys. The land covering the destination is two-thirds hardwood forest, and the rest is covered in tallgrass prairie land. There are over eighty miles of tall tree forests filled with a wide variety of wildlife. This may include deer, fox, raccoons, porcupines, minks, weasels, skunks, lynx, and more. Chickadees, woodpeckers, and cardinals are year-round birds living in the area. The migratory birds in the area include duck, geese, gulls, and egrets. The Common Loon is the state bird. The nearby rivers and lakes in Minnesota and surrounding states hold a wide variety of water life. This includes walleye, eelpout, bass, lake trout, and rainbow trout.[9] 

The winter months within the zone are frigid, with an average temperature of twelve degrees Fahrenheit. The winter lasts from November to March, and the state of Minnesota sustains around fifty-two inches of snow per year. The average temperature during the summer months is about seventy-four degrees. Summer lasts from April to September, and throughout the year, the region gains around thirty-two inches of rainfall. The weather within the area creates ideal farming conditions for harvesting corn, wheat, flaxseed, oats, and apples.

History

The Spring Valley Destination was originally home to the Dakota Sioux. Minneapolis became the first of the areas to be settled when European settlers started to farm the land in the late 1700s.[1] Bloomington remained the Sioux residence area until 1843 when European settlers built the first cabin along the Mississippi River.[7] Rochester was originally a stagecoach stop between Saint Paul and Dubuque. When the railroad made its way through the area, more residence, including the world-renowned Dr. William W. Mayo, settled into the area. Rochester was then used as a surgeon's sight for Union Draftees and injured soldiers. After the Great Tornado and Civil War, Rochester was demolished but re-established in 1883.[2] 

Many German, Polish, Czech, Slavic, and Slovenian immigrants settled in the destination after WWI. The area has a very close-knit community with strong family ties. Potlucks, church activities, and parties are held often, and baseball and football are a strong passion throughout the area.[6] The zone supports a population of around 700,000 people between Bloomington, Minneapolis, and Rochester. The Mayo Clinic, established by Dr. Mayo, is one of the most successful medical research centers globally and employs two-thirds of Rochester and Bloomington citizens. The University of Minnesota and surrounding institutions and programs have over fifty thousand students.[8] The Mall of America in Bloomington is a popular attraction for visitors from across the country.[7]