Cottage Grove, Minnesota

T he people of Cottage Grove, Minnesota are a resilient lot and don’t let a little hardship get them down. “Cottage Grove is what I would categorize as a very family-oriented community and the best example of that was what we did during the COVID situation,” says Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey. “The number of people that were reaching out to help others was, by far, one of the most amazing things that I’ve seen in my time being Mayor and on council for the City of Cottage Grove.” Rather than allow themselves to be beaten down by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of 38,000 southeast of St. Paul took it as an opportunity to come together – even if they had to be apart. “We actually did make the COVID experience a really positive one for our community,” says Scott Seroka, Communications Manager for the city. “It’s something I think the Mayor and the City Administrator are quite proud of.” CONTINUITY AND COMMUNITY