NORTHERN SUBURBS
The 7 county metro area had 2,642,056 residents according to the 2000 census. By 2004, it had grown by 90,000 people. The fastest growing counties are the suburban counties which ring Minneapolis and St. Paul (Hennepin and Ramsey Counties). Sherburne, Chisago, and Isanti Counties (all at least partially in the study area) were in the top 100 fastest growing counties in the US.
Most areas gained population between 1990 and 2000. The outer suburbs and the area just past the edge of development (which has a very low population, so any growth causes big percentages) grew the fastest. The inner ring suburbs and some rural cities and townships accounted for the population losses. This map is of the seven county metro area, which doesn't include Chisago, Isanti, or Sherburne Counties.
The inner city has the lowest values here. Both rings of suburbs have high median ages. The developing edge has lower values because young families and professionals are moving into new suburban areas. The rural areas are slightly higher, because of an aging farm population and movement of students toward the city.
There is a general trend of increasing median income away from the city center. The developing edge of the suburbs has the highest values (the blue ring between the city and the rural areas).
The "white flight" to the suburbs has left the inner ring suburbs and central cities with higher minority populations.
