At a Glance

Blue Earth’s largest icon to business and industry weighs 8,000 lbs., is 55 1/2 feet tall, and wears a size 78 shoe. The Jolly Green Giant statue was established as a tribute to the importance of agriculture and industry to Faribault County, Erected in 1979, the statue is a symbol of the long-standing association of the City of Blue Earth with Green Giant.Location

Blue Earth is a growing community strategically located at the intersections of Interstate 90 and Highway 169 in south-central Minnesota. The city is located 125 miles from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport; 90 miles from Rochester; 220 miles from Des Moines, Iowa; 130 miles from Sioux Falls, SD; and 40 miles from Interstate 35 at Albert Lea, Minn.

Workforce

The rural work ethic is a heritage of the people in Faribault County who maintain excellent reputations as high quality, productive, and reliable workers.

Major employers include:	(No. employees)
Aerospace Systems	100
Blue Earth Area Schools	245
Kerry Ingredients	230
United Hospital	170
Seneca Foods/Green Giant	475*
St. Luke’s Lutheran Home	230
Wal-Mart	85
TAFCO Equipment Company	70
BEVCOMM	69

* Represents peak seasonal employment.

Industrial Park

A progressive industrial park is located west of the city. It is 160 acres, zoned for both heavy and light industry.

There are sites of all sizes available for development. Services to the park include: city water and sanitary sewer, municipal electric power, natural gas, Chicago-Northwestern Railroad track adjacent to the park, and asphalt roads throughout the park.

Air transportation

The Blue Earth Municipal Airport is an all-weather airport offering a 3,500-foot lighted, hard surface runway with instrument approach and a fixed base operator. Fuel, maintenance, Unicom and aerial application services are available, along with hangar space rental. A courtesy car is provided for pilots and passengers flying into the airport.

Flights from Fairmont and Mankato airports, connecting to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport are also available.

Utilities

The community is served by a municipally owned electric utility, Blue Earth Light & Water. Water and steam heat systems are owned and operated by Blue Earth Light & Water. Gas service is available from either Blue Earth Light & Water or Centerpoint Energy.

BEVCOMM provides many telephone services including local telephone services, cellular phone service, Internet access, voice mail, calling features, local area network and alarm steystems as well as the latest in digital switching and fiber optics.