Michael Dagen and his wife Amber Fletschock moved from St. Croix Falls to Hewitt, Minn., a town of 250 people, two years ago to build a dream life. Dagen is a sound engineer and Fletschock a visual artist; together they make the band Dorthy Fix. Hewitt may seem an unlikely destination for the two, both in their thirties, who remade a ramshackle house with hand-laid mosaics and blue-stained hardwood floors. The city has a cafe, but few other businesses. Nearly a quarter of the population is over 65.

Yet Dagen and Fletschock, whose sister lives in Bertha, have made Hewitt their home. "We're secretly hoping we can get more artists and craftspeople to move to this area," says Dagen. "It's a cheap and beautiful place to live. If you think about walking around town in 50 years, what will be here unless something changes?"