The Auto Center is adjacent to the River Hills Mall, a premier shopping center serving Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. The mall has over 4.5 million visitors every year and the city of Mankato has been growing 12x faster than comparable cities. Mankato is home to Minnesota State University, Mankato and has a robust economy made up of agriculture and agribusiness, large regional healthcare, manufacturing, retail and higher education.

Mankato-North Mankato MSA includes Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. The 2020 census shares the MSA has a population of 103,566, yet there is a bigger draw to Greater Mankato. The regional area of Greater Mankato is the hub for 287,175 people. Through retail and healthcare employment, 163,591 people ages 16 and older have a 45-minute drive time to Mankato.