Orono Community Case Study

Referred to as “The Lakeshore City,” Orono, Minnesota is 16.1 square miles of rolling green hills, glistening lake-line, and Midwestern fundamentalism is considered a haven to its 7,796 residents. The members of this community boast some of the flashiest educations, highest incomes, healthiest lifestyles, and most expensive homes in the state of Minnesota. The assembly of wealth in Orono combined with values that emphasize education, safety, and integrity is a recipe for a nationally recognized school system, low crime rates, and a high standard of living for all citizens. According to the City of Orono, the community’s philosophy is to “Protect and preserve our many natural resources and open spaces. Preserve our distinct urban and rural land use patterns and lifestyles. Preserve our local character and identity.” The wealth and strong values of Orono,
The demographics of this community are primarily Caucasian and upper-middle class. The white population of Orono accounts for 91.5% of all citizens while the second most common racial group is that of Asian decent with only 2.8%. Most of the white population is decedent of either German, Norwegian, or Irish heritage and affiliate with Christianity (primarily Catholic and Protestant sects). While the statistics are staggeringly skewed towards a near entirely white population, there has been an increase in population size and racial diversity from the 2000 census to today. The community is primarily middle-age individuals that are married with children. The median household income in Orono was $100,325 in 2013 which is well above the state ($60,702) and the national median household income ($51,939). This access to wealth stems from the high education level of the community where nearly 99% of citizens have graduated from high school and 60% of the community has a bachelor’s