Austin, MN

Austin is a southern Minnesota city on the Cedar River, best known as the home of Hormel Foods and the SPAM Museum. The river powered early mills, but meatpacking and food production became the city's defining industry. Austin is more than a company town, with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, local schools, parks, and a traditional downtown giving it civic life beyond the plant. Its location near Interstate 90 also makes it a regional service center for surrounding farm communities.