As new immigrants arrive in Central Minnesota, the sense of community evolves

This area was mostly German and is changing now, with many Asian, Latin American and African immigrants.     - - Donna Poisl

Written by Caitlin Yilek

Central Minnesota’s German heritage is just as thick as some of the accents that remain in the families that settled here decades ago.

But as a new wave of immigrants plants roots in Central Minnesota, Germans are losing their reign.

Thirty-nine percent of Benton, Stearns and Sherburne County residents reported having German heritage, according to three-year estimates from American Community Survey data collected between 2010 and 2012.

That’s down 1 percent from the three-year estimate for 2007-09.
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