What Is A 'Star City'?

Mark Lofthus works for the state of Minnesota. He said the "Star City" program began in 1981 with the idea that cities needed to be more engaged in working in economic development. The idea is that Minnesota cities shine a little brighter when trying to lure new companies to town if they have a star by their name. "The state provided this process by which they would be certified," Lofthus said. To get a star, cities complete 11 tasks, including drafting a five-year economic development plan, a slide presentation of their community, creating a local development corporation and successfully marketing their city to an industrial client. After that, the city gets its sign. From Winona to International Falls, there are about 200 "Star Cities". "Over the holidays, especially in the summer we have people who call us up and say, 'Hey, I was driving up north and saw this sign. What is that all about?'" Lofthus said. The star program stopped shining about 10 years ago. "Well, currently the program doesn't exist," Lofthus said. "Did you get to the point where there were too many stars in the galaxy?" WCCO-TV's Ben Tracy asked Lofthus. "Every city who wanted to go through the process had gone through it," Lofthus replied. The signs still shine. Lofthus said once a city is a "Star City", it will remain a "Star City". The state discontinued the Star program in part because of budget cuts and because in the 1990s, many cities started hiring their own economic development professionals.