Minnesota Experimental City facts for kids

The Minnesota Experimental City (MXC) was a big idea for a new kind of city in northern Minnesota. It was planned in the 1960s. The goal was to build a city that would try out new and exciting ways of living. It wasn't just about building a city; it was about experimenting with how cities could work better.

This project was led by a famous scientist named Athelstan Spilhaus. He believed that science and technology could solve many of the world's problems. People at that time felt that if we could send people to space, we could do anything! They also worried that existing cities had problems like crime and decay.

Many important people supported the MXC. These included Otto Silha, who ran big newspapers, a four-star general, and even the doctor for President Lyndon B. Johnson. Civil rights leader Muriel S. Snowden and inventor Buckminster Fuller also helped. The MXC even got about $250,000 from the government, thanks to former Vice-President Hubert Humphrey. Big companies like Boeing, Ford Motor Company, and Honeywell also promised to invest money.

What Was the Minnesota Experimental City?

The Minnesota Experimental City, or MXC, was designed to be a home for 250,000 people. It would cover a huge area, about 60,000 acres. That's like 45,000 football fields! But most of this land, about five-sixths of it, would be left as open space. This means lots of parks, wilderness, and farms, not just buildings and roads.

A special idea from Buckminster Fuller was to put part of the city under a giant geodesic dome. This dome would be like a huge, strong bubble covering some areas. The city also planned to have a branch of the University of Minnesota and a part of the 3M Corporation.

What Unique Features Would MXC Have?

The MXC had some very interesting ideas for how people would live and get around:

• No Cars in the Center: The city would have a special area just for people walking. Cars would be parked on the edges of the city. A "people-mover" system would take residents from their cars to the city center. There would also be a smart highway system to connect the city to the outside world.
• Learning All the Time: Instead of traditional schools, the city itself would be a place for learning. Everyone, young and old, would be both a student and a teacher. This idea was called "lifelong learning."
• Water-Saving Toilets: The city planned to use special toilets that didn't need water. This was a very advanced idea for saving resources at the time.

Why Didn't the City Get Built?

The plan for the Minnesota Experimental City ended quite suddenly. In 1971, the Minnesota government created a special group to find a place for the MXC. By 1973, they chose some undeveloped land in Aitkin County, which is about 100 miles north of Minneapolis.

Unfortunately for the city, the people living in that area became very strong critics. They were worried that a big city would bring pollution and urban problems to their quiet, natural area. They spoke out against the plan.

Because of this strong local opposition, the Minnesota state government stopped funding the MXC project in August 1973. Without money, the dream of the experimental city could not come true.

What Happened After?

Even though the city was never built, its story is still interesting. In October 2017, about 50 years after the idea first started, a documentary film about the MXC was released. It's called "The Experimental City" and was directed by Chad Freidrichs. The film premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival.