…Across the country, from Bozeman, Mont., to Burlington, Vt., many towns offer outdoor recreation and beautiful scenery. Many of them are investing in parks and trails for the same reason Duluth is.
Ray Rasker, director of Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, said such communities want talented workforces. But their larger aim, he said, is to lure “footloose entrepreneurs.”
In the digital age, he said, entrepreneurs can build a business wherever they want — as long as the talent is there.
“So there’s this competition to try and create an attractive place to live,” Rasker said. “That’s how you attract a really talented workforce. And that’s what you need to succeed in a global economy.”…