Rosemount Continues Growing - With No End in Sight

With 2011 nearing its end, Rosemount Patch looked back on how much the city has grown over the year--and well, the last 10 years.

The has undergone a lot of changes over the years. It started as a small farming village in 1855, and according to an 1880 census, the population of Rosemount was 964. Since then, Rosemount has grown exponentially and become a very popular destination for young couples to raise families--while also retaining its small town feel.

In 2000, Rosemount's population was 14,619. Fast forward to 2010, and the population grew nearly a whopping 50 percent to 21,874, according to a 2010 U.S. Census report.

Mayor Bill Droste has been the mayor for the past nine years, and has lived in the community since 1989. According to Droste, he has seen many of the big changes in Rosemount, including new housing developments (Evermoor), business expansion (strip malls near and ), and the construction and opening of the .

"So to see new retail [popping up], and the medical clinic [being built] ... it's all significant additions to the community," Droste said. 

There seems to be a pattern: people in general seems to be settling down in the outer suburbs. Farmington's population also grew a whopping 70 percent in the last 10 years, bringing its population total to that of Rosemount. Although, the two cities share much more than that. The two towns both have a rather small senior population (about 7 percent), a large white population (about 85 percent) and similar median income (around $80,000 a year).

"We're a third-ring suburb. Eagan and Apple Valley are mostly developed and we're the next ring for development. It's probably the primary driver for growth," Droste said.

However, Droste feels the reason families choose to move to Rosemount versus Farmington is distance. 

"What I see is it has more to do with distance with the price of gas [being so high]," Droste said.

"I think the small town feel [of Rosemount] appeals to people, and yet, you're close enough to the city. I think also we have a strong school district," Paul Eggen, owner of , said. "I think the attractiveness of our downtown with the growth of all the new developments [has helped, too]. We have very attractive neighborhoods and you see a lot of parks; that's a big draw for people."

And not only has the population in Rosemount grown in the last 10 years, but within 2011 roughly 15 new businesses have popped up around the city, including , and .

"We certainly have a good selection of restaurants," Eggen said. "That was always the biggest complaint people had, and it's something we certainly have a lot more of now."

In addition, Maple Plain-based as well as will be opening up facilities in the city in 2012 and bringing with them hundreds of new job opportunities.

The Rosemount Port Authority recently reviewed 2004-2009 U.S. Census data that showed within those five years, 1,600 jobs were added to the community, and primarily all those job-holders live in Rosemount, Droste said.  

With the growth of the city also comes the need for better transportation, and the city is on top of it. The city has teamed up with the The buses will bring commuters to Minneapolis and St. Paul.

In addition, churches in Rosemount have also been affected by growth. A few start-up churches have moved into the community, and the churches already in town have had to build new buildings or expand their buildings over the years.

"It's always exciting to see growth and change," Droste said. "It's either that or cities see a decreasing or stagnant population, which is problematic because cities have to then [figure out] how to pay for things ... it creates a lot of problems."

Droste said his predictions for Rosemount is that "we will probably see the same growth numbers going forward." 

There will be three new housing developments built in Rosemount in 2012 on Akron Avenue, which will help add to the city's growth.

"Even with the economy and recession as deep as it is, the metro area is growing and we will probably see good growth in Farmington, Rosemount and Lakeville," Droste said.