Minnesota - 1st District

Incumbent -- Tim Walz (D) ; Running for re-election

Updated Oct. 14, 2010

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District Information

District Profile from Politics in America

Stretching from the flat plains at the South Dakota border to the towering bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, Minnesota's rural 1st District is cut horizontally by Interstate 90 and vertically by Interstate 35. Rural areas continue to lose population to the Twin Cities, but tens of thousands of residents have moved to Mankato and Rochester, home to an IBM facility and the Mayo Clinic.

Agriculture and food processing still drive the local economy. Corn, soybeans, sugar beets, hogs and dairy are staples here. The 1st has one of the highest agricultural market values of any district in the country, and more than 20,000 farms dot the 1st's landscape. Food processing, from fresh turkey to canned soup, is prevalent throughout the area west of Rochester. West of Mankato, no town has more than 15,000 residents.

Rochester, the district's largest city and the third-largest city in Minnesota, has a highly educated populace: 42 percent of the city's residents hold at least a bachelor's degree and 17 percent hold a graduate degree. Service and hospitality industries here depend on consistent patient and visitor volumes at the Mayo Clinic, as well. Rochester hosts the newest University of Minnesota campus, and Winona and Mankato both have state universities.

Although the 1st is nearly 90 percent white, Hispanic, Asian and black immigrants have come to the district to work in processing plants, in agriculture and at Rochester's hospitals. Worthington in particular has a large immigrant population and a significant proportion of non-English-speaking children enrolled in its schools.

The 1st is politically moderate and will support Democratic candidates in federal elections. Barack Obama carried the district in 2008 with 51 percent of its presidential vote. Rep. Tim Walz was re-elected that year by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, although he only managed a plurality win in 2010.

Major Industry

Agriculture, food processing, health care

Cities

Rochester, 106,769; Mankato (pt.), 39,305; Winona, 27,592; Owatonna, 25,599; Austin, 24,718; Albert Lea, 18,016; New Ulm, 13,522

Notable

The birthplace of SPAM, Austin is home to the SPAM Museum.