Sixty Years of Transition in a Planned Company Town, with a Portrayal of Current Resident Evaluations

Most company towns in the United States, because of their paternalistic overtones and rather minimal design standards, receive scant attention in reviews of previous new town and new community development efforts. At the same time, however, it has been noted that certain similarities exist between these previous corporate- sponsored entities and many contemporary planned communities. In an effort to consider the processes that one of these older developments has experienced over a span of sixty years, this paper traces the evolution of Morgan Park, Minnesota, one of the few company towns which has received favorable attention for certain design and planning-related criteria. The partial results of a recent resident survey are also discussed so as to determine the extent to which some of these initial inputs are still recognized and appreciated by present day inhabitants.