Three outer-ring Twin Cities counties are among the fastest growing in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau, using building permit data, measured the number of new units of housing constructed across the United States. Isanti County, just north of the Twin Cities, saw 745 new units of housing added from July 2001 to July 2002, an increase of 6.1 percent, making Isanti the 13th fastest growing county in the nation. The southern metro's Scott County ranked 27th, with a 5.5 percent increase; Isanti's neighbor Sherburne County, posting a 4.5 percent increase, stood at 46th on the list.
Officials in Isanti attribute the county's fast growth to the local affordability of land and housing, and to increasing local jobs. They also added that the county's high position in the rankings is probably related as well to Isanti's relatively small population-32,000-which makes any increase in housing units register a relatively faster rate of growth.
—Benjamin Knelman
