I’m excited that the political ads have stopped.

Living on the far southern edge of the Eighth Congressional District, but not far enough north to escape Twin Cities ads, I spent the last six months watching candidates from over Minnesota – all eight congressional districts! – make their pitches to voters. And if you listened to them, you’d think there was a fundamental divide in this state between outstate rural areas, like my hometown, and urban Minnesota, particularly the Twin Cities.

The successes of Minnesota’s cities and Minnesota’s vast rural counties have been pitted against each other – both in this election, and for years.  Greater Minnesota is made out to be bogging the state down, sucking resources and getting handouts. On the flip side, to hear many tell it, the Twin Cities take, take, take and never look beyond the seven-county metro.

But the election is over and it’s time to move on. Discourse on Minnesota’s rural-urban divide has dominated our media for long enough. It’s time to face it: rural Minnesota and urban Minnesota are inextricably linked. And regardless of what the campaigns said, we agree on a lot.

Minnesota Public Radio’s Ground Level survey of 1,600 Minnesotans across the state asked us about our values. And it should be no surprise (or maybe it’s a big surprise): we share a lot of them. Both rural and urban Minnesotans value healthcare and jobs. We want educational opportunities for our children, regardless of where they live. Our state has 12,000 beautiful lakes, acres of forest and prairie, and public lands that are valued by people statewide – in 2008 we even raised our own taxes to protect our water – and that was in the middle of a recession! Safeguarding our natural resources and natural beauty is a shared priority. And boy, do our roads need fixing.

So we share the same values and want similar things for our state. But you wouldn’t know it from the way we talk about our rural-urban divide. We’re told we come from two distant worlds with wildly different values, experiences, and priorities – things that, to hear many tell it, can never work together.

But to fall for this story is to miss the good things happening outstate. The State Demographic Report found that since 1974, rural poverty has been cut from over 20% to 12%. Green energy growth is exploding statewide, and doesn’t even include jobs from biofuels like ethanol. This is part of a larger trend of rural revitalization, where small towns and communities are embracing new identities to adapt to a changing world. And in news that should make everyone who values our resources happy, much of this revitalization centers on eco-tourism, clean energy, and bio-industry.

The changes happening in greater Minnesota are good for the whole state. Smart rural development benefits city dwellers too. The Minnesota Rural Partners Study revealed what many people outstate have been saying for ages: the economies of rural and urban Minnesota are fundamentally linked. In the state’s economy, outstate frequently punches above its weight. Greater Minnesota is home to more than 40% of jobs across nearly twenty industries.

But the story goes deeper than just jobs. Improvements in rural economies also bring substantial benefits to the cities. For example, 38% of growth in outstate manufacturing is actually pumped into the urban economy. And for every 25 jobs created because of this growth, four are based in the metro. The Twin Cities aren’t an island. The metro should care both when outstate’s doing well and when it’s struggling.

Luckily, things are looking up outstate. It’s clear that these improvements in the rural economy will create a cascade of economic growth for the urban economy too. As a state, we should invest in this progress. And I don’t just mean with tourism dollars: while all can appreciate greater Minnesota’s lakes, parks, and natural beauty, urban folks need to keep caring even after their cabins are boarded up for the winter.

We can begin bridging the rural-urban divide and protecting what we care about by supporting smart policies that both protect our resources and support rural economies. As greater Minnesota embraces revitalization schemes rooted in respect for our resources, the rest of the state must get behind these efforts. Support local food hubs and plans that invest in rural community infrastructure like the Rural Housing Loans Program. Partner with farmers to improve our water quality and support state tax credits for home solar. There aren’t winners and losers here. It’s not a fight.

Chances are we’ve all heard our late senator Paul Wellstone’s saying “we all do better when we all do better” repeated again and again these past few months. It’s practically becoming a Minnesotan cliché.  But coming out of this divisive election season, let’s take Wellstone’s words to heart and focus on what unites us, not what divides us. A great place to start is our natural beauty and resources. We can pursue excellence economically and environmentally for country and city folk alike and protect our lakes and forests while we’re at it.

We’re looking at four years of a new statewide government. Let’s make it count, put our divisive rhetoric behind us, and unite behind our shared values for one prosperous, beautiful, caring Minnesota.