Maple Grove said to be area's growth leader
And tiny New Market is expanding at the fastest rate, says Met Council.

David Peterson, Star Tribune

Published September 19, 2003 CENS17 in the Star Tribune
Edition: METRO
Section: NEWS
Page: 3B

Maple Grove is adding residents in greater numbers than any other city in the seven-county metro area, and tiny New Market, at the southern edge of Scott County, is growing at the fastest rate, according to estimates released by the Metropolitan Council on Thursday.

Council researchers also estimated that the population of Minneapolis and St. Paul have remained stable since the 2000 federal census, unlike federal estimates that claimed the two cities combined lost nearly 10,000 residents from 2000 to 2002.

The list of the 10 fastest-growing cities in the new decade is a bit different than posted during the 1990s, as some cities filled up and others opted for slower growth.

Dropping from the top 10 in terms of numeric growth were Brooklyn Park, Burnsville and Coon Rapids. Joining the list were Andover, Savage and Blaine.

Altogether, the seven counties grew by about 33,000 people per year in 2000 and 2001, to 2.7 million, the council said. That's a bit slower than during the '90s when about 35,000 people per year were added through births and migration.

The seven counties accounted for about 60 percent of the entire state's growth over the past 10 years, said Met Council analyst Kathy Johnson, who echoed previous doubts from State Demographer Tom Gillaspy about the federal figures showing a decline in the central cities.

``We're not seeing that in building permits, in school data, in vital statistics or in other indicators we look to,'' she said.

On the contrary, the Met Council said that Minneapolis during the past two years was one of the state's top 10 growth spots in terms of new households, adding 885. In the city that doesn't translate into as much population as it does in the suburbs, however, as many city residents are single people and empty nesters.

The council estimated the Minneapolis population at 382,700, up from 382,618 in 2000, and St. Paul at 288,000, up from 287,151.

Perhaps the most startling figure was the council's estimate that New Market has more than doubled in size in just the past two years, increasing by 145 percent to 815 people.

Dale Runkle, the city's planner, said that's ``conceivable,'' adding:

``We've done a number of sizable subdivisions in the past three years that are now pretty much filled with housing, and we were starting from a low base.''

David Peterson is at dapeterson@startribune.com.



"© Copyright Star Tribune. Republished with permission of Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of Star Tribune."

Growth leaders

The fastest growing metro-area cities between 2000 and 2002, according to Met Council estimates.

2002 Increase

Maple Grove 54,000 3,635

Shakopee 23,900 3,332

Lakeville 46,285 3,157

Blaine 48,000 3,058

Woodbury 49,170 2,707

Apple Valley 47,761 2,234

Savage 23,220 2,105

Eden Prairie 57,000 2,099

Andover 28,664 2,076

Plymouth 67,824 1,930

Source: Metropolitan Council



"© Copyright Star Tribune. Republished with permission of Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of Star Tribune."