Business View Magazine | August 2019

284 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 K nown as “The Land Between the Lakes,” the City of Albert Lea embraces the shores of Fountain Lake, Pickerel Lake, Albert Lea Lake, Goose Lake, School Lake, and Lake Chapeau, which makes it a haven for enthusiasts of boating, fishing, canoeing, and outdoor activities of all kinds. Transportation-wise, the city is located at the crossroads of Interstates 90 and 35 in southern Minnesota, about 90 miles south of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), which also puts this business-friendly, welcoming city at the crossroads of growth – in terms of population, economic development, and the expansive vision of the community at large. The city’s origin hearkens back to 1835, when Companies of the United States Dragoons came through Freeborn County. Among the troops was topographer Lieutenant Albert Miller Lea, who sketched the outline of the lake he dubbed “Fox Lake,” which would later be renamed Lake Albert Lea in his honor. In 1855, a small settlement began on the northwest edge of the lake and became known as Albert Lea, after the lake. By 1880, Albert Lea’s population was 1,966 individuals. Today, it is a flourishing community of over 18,000 residents. As in many U.S. towns, Albert Lea’s manufacturing base has substantially diminished and the city is now making strategic investments towards a healthy, sustainable future. Business View Magazine recently spoke with Mayor Vern Rasmussen, Jr.; Assistant Minnesota LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES Albert Lea,