This beautiful place brings back memories from the past.

Carlton County boasts beautiful natural resources for outdoor enthusiasts: whitewater rafting/paddling Chub Lake and the St. Louis River; skiing/hiking Jay Cooke and the Cloquet Forestry Center; biking/skiing the Alex Leveau and Munger Trails! But it’s the small-town connections that I love! Listening to local stories at The Streetcar, Harold’s, and other businesses is the best! I became an author of a children’s book after meeting Carlton neighbors in 2017. They told me about their efforts to restore my favorite Lake Superior lighthouse…and my ship began to set sail!!!

“OACC is more than just a platform—it’s a real opportunity for farmers and local creatives in Carlton County to grow their businesses and connect with their community. It’s designed to support and promote the work you’re already doing, while helping you reach more people and expand your customer base. Whether you raise beef, grow produce or hay, sell flowers, or offer something totally unique.” Mercedes Moffett, Carlton County Extension

Carlton County is beautiful in every season, though fall is my favorite. Winter frost on the trees. The mud, flowers, and fecundity of Spring. The warm sun making my garden grow all summer. The apple harvest and kaleidoscope of fall covers every fall. I would not want to be anywhere else.

As a newer resident from the Twin Ports, I find whether right in town where I live or a short peddle away on the bike, the nature that surrounds us here is easy to spot, and accessible for us to enjoy. I’m grateful for the community-minded efforts that go to making all this area such a great place to live.

Its something that never crosses your mind because it is there – the field you tend – and it defines what local is here. A drive on a country road and the field that borders it is tended and managed by you and it brings us joy. And we come to expect that it will be there in the future. Your field comes to the passer-by in that way, your work brings us meaning – rootedness and defines what local is here. Thank you for the joy your field brings us as we pass by.

From all of us in the surrounding region who gather around dinner tables filled with your hard work, we send our deepest thanks. Your labor—sunrise to sunset, in every kind of weather—feeds not just our bodies, but our communities and spirits. Your work is foundational, and it matters more than words can say. You play a big role in why we love it here.

A daughter of immigrants in our community was known to say, “the most priceless, most valuable gift you can give to the other is the gift of your time.” The great jazz legend, Miles Davis said it something like this, “Time isn’t the main thing, time is the only thing!” It doesn’t matter when or where you understand this simple truth, it only matters that in time, you get there. Thank you neighbors for the gift of your time making this such a great place to live.

Tucked along the edge of Jay Cooke State Park’s breathtaking ridgelines and river valleys lies a small town that feels like home the moment you arrive—Carlton, Minnesota. Here, life slows down just enough for you to catch your breath. Kids ride bikes through quiet neighborhoods, neighbors wave from their front porches, and the aroma of fresh coffee and hometown cooking drifts from local businesses that know your name. Carlton may be small in size, but it overflows with pride and purpose

We don’t know what we don’t know until we do and once we know, we know. One thing we never really know is what the other is working with. Round here there is a willingness to work through it, to work it out. And that’s good to know.

While walking down the street, I witnessed a stranger stop to help an elderly woman carry her heavy grocery bags up the stairs. She thanked him with a warm smile, and he simply nodded, wishing her a good day before continuing on his way. It was such a simple yet beautiful reminder of the kindness that still exists in the world.