A pat on Menomonie's back
Congratulations, Menomonie, you’re one of the best small towns in America. According to Smithsonian Magazine’s article, “The 20 Best Small Towns in America,” Menomonie ranks number 15. Smithsonian teamed up with geographic information systems company Esri to find culture hubs across the lower 48 with populations under 25,000. They looked for “high concentrations of museums, historic sites, botanic gardens, resident orchestras, art galleries and other cultural assets,” says Smithsonian. The article boasts of Menomonie’s Wilson Park band shell, the Ludington Guard Band, the Menomonie Theater Guild, the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, and, of course, UW-Stout. Smithsonian says that small towns like Menomonie reinforce “the truth that big cities and grand institutions per se don’t produce creative works; individuals do. And being reminded of that is fun.” Menomonie was the only Sconnie town to make the list.
