With a theme of “Inclusion in Action,” the fourth annual Equity Summit took place on October 1 at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia and showcased a broad range of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the region, including Hello, Range! 

Hello, Range! is the Mesabi Iron Range new resident attraction and retention initiative. Funded by local partners, Hello, Range! communicates the great quality of life on the Mesabi—between abundant outdoors recreation opportunities, great schools with small class sizes, a lower cost of living, and many other perks. Hello, Range! connects folks who are new to the area, helping them create a home and find an instant sense of community. 

At the Equity Summit, Hello, Range! hosted a breakout session which invited attendees to consider how each of us can help build a welcoming and inclusive community. At each table, Hello, Range! Coordinator Miriam Kero encouraged participants to consider what actions they could take this year to be more welcoming to newcomers. Through markers and posterboards, each table drew visual representations of ideas. Responses included: 

  • Creating events
  • Inviting folks to share meals 
  • Utilizing the Eveleth gym as a community space

“It was heartening to see the interest and passion for the work in the room,” shares Miriam. 

Hello, Range! began in 2018 when a group of community leaders, led by Beth Pierce at the Iron Range Tourism Bureau, came together to address the regional need for population and workforce. Other rural counties (for example, Ottertail County) were marketing themselves effectively, and these leaders recognized that as a region, we offered an equally wonderful place to live, and they wanted to do a similar kind of marketing. They created the website HelloIronRange.com with support from a Blandin Broadband grant. Pages on Facebook and Instagram contributed to the initiative’s online presence, but the volunteer-led activity took a hit when the pandemic began.

In 2023, leaders from the City of Hibbing, the Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR), and Essentia convened with the Iron Range Tourism Bureau. Continuing to market the Mesabi Iron Range surfaced as a high priority, and the group decided to help find kick-off funding to restart the initiative. Hello, Range! received donations and a match from the IRRR to begin a new phase of work.

“We updated our website, began posting on Facebook and Instagram again, and started using LinkedIn to better connect business-to-business,” shares Miriam. “We quickly realized, however, that marketing was only a part of the need. Folks are moving to the Iron Range, but it can be challenging to connect into the community and stay. We decided to start some retention activities.”

A pilot project turned into “New Iron Ranger Gatherings.” These welcoming meetups take place once a month at three locations across the Range: 

  • Hoyt Lakes Public Library: every second Tuesday
  • Hibbing Public Library: every third Tuesday
  • Virginia Public Library: every third Thursday

To learn more about upcoming events and get involved, contact Miriam at miriam@ironrange.org or check out the Hello, Range! website: helloironrange.com