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CHAPTER 2: COMMUNITY CONTEXT
ROSEMOUNT HISTORY
EARLY HISTORY
The first settler of European ancestry was William Strathen, who arrived in the Rich Valley area of
Rosemount in 1853 and claimed land within the northeast quarter of Section 13, which is located by
the present day Flint Hills Refinery. Other settlers followed. The first religious service was
conducted in 1854 by Reverend Kidder. Andrew Keegan, a surveyor, was the first postmaster in
1855. In 1857, the Rich Valley post office was established, with C.H. Carr serving as postmaster.
In 1858, the Board of County Commissioners officially designated Township 115 North, Range 19
West (the portion of the present City located west of US Highway 52) by the name Rosemount.
The portion of the present City east of US Highway 52 was annexed by an act of legislation in 1871.
The name Rosemount was chosen to honor a village in Ireland. A small school was also constructed
in 1858.
In the 1860’s, 52 men served in the Civil War. The Village of Rosemount was formally platted in
1866 by James A. Case and in 1867 the first grain elevator was constructed by the railroad.
The Village of Rosemount was incorporated in 1875 and the first town hall was constructed a year
later.
The 1880’s saw the Village of Rosemount became a viable business area. Many businesses opened
and two-story brick buildings were built. In 1881, Rosemount erected the first gas street lamps in
the Downtown area.
The first school district building was built in 1896 and
taught grades 1 through 8. In 1918, the first high
school was built and taught grades 1 through 12. In
1922, the school had 50 high school students and
began a football program. The high school building
still exists today and is a part of the Rosemount
Middle School complex on the northwest corner of
143rd Street West and South Robert Trail. Dakota
County Technical College opened in 1970, with the
first graduating class in 1971.
20TH CENTURY
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With World War II in full swing, the federal War Department in 1942 acquired 11,500 acres of
farmland within Rosemount and Empire Township for construction of the Gopher Ordnance
Works. The plant was built to produce white smokeless gunpowder.
At the end of the war, the government found ordnance work at the site unnecessary and sold some
of the property to farmers. The majority of the property was sold to the University of Minnesota
for research. The property is currently called UMore Park (University of MN Outreach, Research
and Education Park) and is still owned and managed by the University. In 2013, the University
completed planning work for the property that culminated in the preparation of an environmental
review of various development options for the site. To date there has been no new residential
development approved for the property; however, the City’s future land use map has been updated
to guide some of the northern portions of the site in a manner consistent with the environmental
review. Future land uses within UMore will be tracked separately for purposes of determining
consistency with the City’s 2040 System Statement.
Starting in 2012, the City approved several long-term interim uses on the land to allow mineral and
gravel extraction and ancillary uses over a large portion of the site. These uses will be staged so that
the northern portions of the property can be developed while extraction uses continue on the
southern portion of the site.
As a municipality at the edge of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Rosemount has continued to see
strong interest in residential construction as development has spread out from the central cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul. Rosemount’s close proximity to goods and services within the region, an
excellent school system, and plentiful job opportunities have driven demand for housing at a
relatively constant rate over the last several decades. This growth has occurred while large areas
within Rosemount have remained rural in character.
ROSEMOUNT BUSINESSES
Rosemount has a long and successful business history. The First State Bank of Rosemount was
granted a charter in 1909. Rosemount Engineering was established in 1955 as a result of
aeronautical research conducted at University research facilities. Rosemount Engineering ultimately
relocated and was renamed Rosemount Inc., and now operates worldwide. Brockway Glass, which
was located east of South Robert Trail between Connemara Trail and Bonaire Path, began operation
in 1961, but closed in 1984. The Harmony subdivision now exists at the former Brockway Glass
site.
Great Northern Oil Refinery began construction in 1954 and began operation in September 1955 at
an operating capacity of 25,000 barrels per day. The refinery was purchased by Koch Industries in
1969 and renamed Flint Hills Resources in 2002. Crude oil processing capacity of the refinery in
2018 was about 339,000 barrels per day. The facility primarily refines Canadian crude into
petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, propane and butane.
DOWNTOWN
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The heart of Downtown Rosemount has historically been located around the intersection of 145th
Street West and South Robert Trail (State Highway 3). Use of this area as a downtown business
district extends as far back as 1864, when businesses dependent on the rail line were constructed in
the area that is now Downtown Rosemount. The railroad built a 40,000 bushel capacity grain
elevator in 1867 and the new business district developed around it. (The elevator is still being used
today.) The village was laid out in its present location by J.A. Case in 1866 and incorporated in 1875.
In 1876 the first town hall was built and by 1880 the population of Rosemount was 964.
Like other railroad communities, Rosemount’s Downtown grew rapidly in the late 1800’s and early
part of the 20th Century, but changing retail preferences led to a large portion of the City’s
commercial activity moving along major highway corridors and into neighboring communities
outside of Downtown. The City has retained some of its historic buildings, however, and undertook
planning efforts in the early 2000’s to help revitalize the Downtown area.
The City of Rosemount has placed a priority on Downtown redevelopment since 2004 when it
adopted the Development Framework for Downtown Rosemount. As a result of City’s
commitment to reinvestment in the Downtown, several projects have been completed, including the
opening of the Robert Trail Library and the opening of the award-winning Waterford Commons, a
mixed use building with 13,000 square feet of commercial space and 108 rental units. Additional
redevelopment has occurred on the City owned former St. Joseph Church site and the former Genz-
Ryan property. The first phase of redevelopment on the Genz-Ryan property included a 60-unit
CDA senior housing project and construction of a restaurant. Redevelopment of the St. Joseph site
included a new community gathering space and a 92-unit private senior living project named The
Rosemount. The community has also benefited from the private investment in the community
resulting in expansion and/or refurbishment of buildings within the Downtown. Both the
Rosemount State Bank and Fluegel’s, two of the more historic local businesses, have both updated
their buildings; Fluegel’s increased square footage for more retail opportunities and Rosemount State
Bank modified their drive-thru and interior space.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE
The Township and Village of Rosemount merged in 1971 and City Hall was moved to the 1300
block of 145th Street East, directly north of Dakota County Technical College. In 1972, the first
Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance were adopted. In 1975, Rosemount became a statutory
city with a mayor-council form of government. In 1987, the current City Hall at 2875 145th Street
West was constructed and in 1992, the Rosemount Community Center/National Guard Armory was
built.
Throughout its history, Rosemount has undergone dramatic changes including significant
population increases, major industrial and government projects, implementation of new
transportation technologies, and a shift from an agricultural economy to a service-oriented economy.
This section of the Comprehensive Plan will examine the trends that will help shape the City in the
future.
ROSEMOUNT POPULATION AND RESIDENT DEMOGR APHICS
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POPULATION AND HOUSE HOLDS PROJECTIONS
The City of Rosemount has experienced continual growth throughout its history as urban
development has expanded outward from the Downtown area and western edge of the City. The
City nearly doubled its population from 1990 to 2000. Between 2000 and 2010 the City again added
a similar amount of households numbering 7,587.
The expected population for 2040 is 38,000, or roughly 15,000 more persons than the City’s
estimated number of 23,044 as of 2016. Similarly, households are projected to almost double
between 2010 and 2040.
TABLE 2.1: POPULATIO N
a Combined Rosemount Village and Rosemount Township populations
b City of Rosemount forecast
Rosemount has experienced several periods of rapid growth throughout its history, most notably in
the 1980’s and again in the late 1990’s. More recently, the City, like most within the Twin Cities
metropolitan area, saw a decrease in housing and construction activity during the economic
downturn of the late 2000’s. As a result of these changes, growth that was expected to occur
between 2020 and 2030 under the City’s previous plan has been pushed back to 2040 and slightly
lowered. These updated projections are the basis for the City’s updated MUSA boundary and other
work throughout this plan. These numbers are also consistent with the Metropolitan Council
regional model.
POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
The current population of Rosemount is predominately young families. Table 2.2 shows that
slightly less than one third of the population is between 25 and 44, with an additional one quarter of
the population being school aged children. The population in retirement age is a small proportion
of the City at approximately 7.7%. However, its percentage of the overall population has been
increasing over the past three decades and is expected to continue increasing as the existing
population ages. This trend is shown by the retirement age share of the population increasing by
2.3% during the 2000’s.
Year Population Households Growth Rate
1900 807 a N/A -
1950 1,375 a N/A -
1960 2,012 a N/A 31.7%
1970 4,034 a 1,025 50.1%
1980 5,083 1,456 20.6%
1990 8,622 2,779 41.0%
2000 14,619 4,742 41.0%
2010 21,874 7,587 33.2%
2020 25,900 b 9,300 15.5%
2030 31,700 b 11,600 18.3%
2040 38,000 b 14,000 16.6%
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TABLE 2.2: AGE GROUP S
Age Group 1990 2000 2010
Under 5 Years Old 939 10.9% 1,380 9.4% 1,711 7.8%
School Age (5-17) 2,026 23.5% 3,751 25.6% 5,010 22.9%
College Age (18-24) 808 9.4% 914 6.3% 1,460 6.7%
Young Workers (25-44) 3,266 37.9% 5,332 36.5% 6,492 29.7%
Mature Workers (45-
64)
1,230 14.3% 2,458 16.8% 5,514 25.2%
Retired and Semi-
retired (65 and Older)
353 4.1% 784 5.4% 1,687 7.7%
Total Population 8,622 100% 14,619 100% 21,874 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
One age group that is
consistently lower than
others is the number of
college-age adults within the
community. One causal
factor is the lack of a four-
year colleges in the area.
High school students who
graduate from Rosemount
often leave the area to attend
college. This is a concern to
the community if these
young adults do not return
to Rosemount after
graduation. This trend is
commonly referred to as a
“brain drain” because the
bright students taught at
Rosemount High School end
up living in other communities without returning the benefit of their quality education to the
community. These population trends are common of a growing suburban community.
TABLE 2.3: PERSONS P ER HOUSEHOLD
1990 2000 2010
Population in Households 8,613 14,609 21,852
Total Households 2,779 4,742 7,587
Average Persons per Household 3.10 3.08 2.88
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
CHART 2.1: POPULATIO N BY AGE AND GENDER
Source: ACS 2010-2014
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Rosemount is a community
of young families, as
shown in Table 2.3 by its
high average persons per
household. In 2010,
Rosemount’s households
averaged 2.88 persons per
household, higher than the
overall Dakota County
average of 2.60 and
Minnesota average of 2.48.
As Rosemount’s
population ages, the
average person per
household figure is
expected to decline, but
the number is expected to
remain higher than average
as long as Rosemount
remains a growing
community.
Table 2.4 and Chart 2.2 indicate that a large number of Rosemount’s households have children, with
over 46% of households having children residing in the home. This number is lower than the
amount in 2000 when 52% of households had children residing in the home. This figure is expected
to continue to decline over time as the population ages and children grow up and move out to start
their own families. Still households with children will likely remain a significant portion of the
population.
TABLE 2.4: HOUSEHOLD TYPE
Household Type Total Number of
Households
Households with
Children
Households without
Children
2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010
Families – Married 3,326 4,934 2,045 2,715 1,281 2,219
Families – Female Only 430 679 329 465 101 214
Families – Male Only 176 305 113 210 63 95
Total Families 3,932 5,918 2,487 3,390 1,445 2,528
Non-Family Households 810 1,669 76 138 734 1,531
Total Households 4,742 7,587 2,563 3,528 2,179 4,059
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
RACE AND OTHER CHARA CTERISTICS
The racial diversity of Rosemount’s residents has been increasing at a steady rate since the 1980’s.
More recently, as highlighted in Chart 2.3, the percentage of the population that is white-only
decreased from around 92% in 2000 to roughly 83% in 2014. The City’s African American,
Hispanic or Latino, and Asian populations each comprise around 5% of the overall population, and
are expected to continue increasing at a faster rate than other racial groups.
CHART 2.2: HOUSEHOLD TYPE IN ROSEMOUNT
Source: ACS 2012-2016
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EDUCATION AND EMPLOY MENT
EDUCATION LEVEL
Rosemount has a highly educated population with more than 19 of 20 adults having high school
diplomas in 2016. This represents an increase from 1990 when 94% of adults had high school
diplomas. The number of college graduates has also increased significantly, with over 3 of 10 adults
having at least a bachelor’s degree in 2016, while less than one fourth of adults had degrees in 2000.
TABLE 2.5: HIGHEST L EVEL OF EDUCATION1
2000 2016
No High School Diploma 508 5.9% 526 3.6%
High School Diploma 5,573 64.8% 7,726 52.4%
Bachelor’s Degree 2,000 23.3% 4,595 31.1%
Graduate or Professional Degree 518 6.0% 1,909 12.9%
1 Persons 25 years or older
Source: 2016 American Community Survey
INCOME
Rosemount residents also enjoy relatively higher average incomes. The median household income in
2016 was $92,393 compared to the median Minneapolis-St. Paul 13-County MSA household income
of $70,915. The median Dakota County household income of $77,321 was also slightly lower than
Rosemount’s. The proportion of Rosemount residents with incomes below the poverty line
dropped from 5.0% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2000, but then jumped back to 5.0% by 2016.
Population by Race and Ethnicity 2000 Population by Race and Ethnicity 2016
Source: US Census 2000 and ACS 2012-2016
CHART 2.3
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TABLE 2.6: INCOME
1990 2000 2016
Per Capita Income $14,931 $23,116 $36,955
Median Household Income $41,992 $65,916 $92,393
Median Family Income $43,726 $68,929 N/A
Percent of Individual below
the Poverty Line
5.0% 3.3% 5.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and 2012-2016 American Community Survey
EMPLOYMENT
There are two ways to look at employment within Rosemount to help gain an understanding about
the City workforce: people who are working at businesses within the City and those residents that
commute outside the City to work at jobs in other places. According to the most recent American
Community Survey, done in 2015, there were 7,822 persons working at businesses within the City.
Focusing on Rosemount residents specifically, there were 11,916 of the City’s residents in the
workforce, with 11,072 of those residents commuting outside the City to work, while 844 persons
were employed by Rosemount businesses. In general, there are large numbers of people commuting
in and out of Rosemount every day to get to work, while a relatively smaller number of people
remain within the City, either working from home or at a local business. From a planning
perspective, maintaining good access to the surrounding region is important both for workers living
in Rosemount and the City’s businesses that rely on labor from other places.
TABLE 2.7: WORK DEST INATIONS
For those workers that are
commuting out of Rosemount, the
majority are generally heading
north into the major regional
employment centers including
downtown Minneapolis and St.
Paul, regional destinations in
Bloomington and Eden Prairie, or
to the west and the suburban
communities adjacent to
Rosemount. A summary of the
most significant destinations for
Rosemount residents that work
outside of the community is
included in Table 2.7.
Work Destination (Cities) Number Percentage
All Rosemount Workers 11,916 100%
Minneapolis 1,390 11.7%
Eagan 1,294 10.9%
St. Paul 1,131 9.5%
Apple Valley 853 7.2%
Rosemount 844 7.1%
Bloomington 798 6.7%
Burnsville 674 5.7%
Lakeville 363 3.0%
Eden Prairie 258 2.2%
Inver Grove Heights 248 2.1%
All Other Locations 4,063 34.1%
Source: 2016 American Community Survey
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Overall, the amount of time that people spend in their cars traveling to work continues to increase
for Rosemount workers. In 1990, nearly 75% of residents spent more than 15 minutes in travel time
to work, with almost 30% of residents traveling more than 30 minutes. By 2014, overall travel times
increased, with over 82% of residents spending more than 15 minutes in travel time to work, and
over 35% of residents traveling more than 30 minutes. Due to increased congestion on roadways
over the last two decades, this may not mean that Rosemount residents are working farther from
home than in the past, but may need longer to get to the same destination due to congestion. This
trend may continue in the future as congestion is expected to increase.
The number of Rosemount residents working from home in 2000 decreased both in number and
percentage from 1990, but went back up again by 2014. While farmers typically make up a large
portion of this category, it is anticipated that the number and percentage of the population who
work from home will increase in the future due to advances in technology that may allow people to
telecommute to work.
TABLE 2.8: TRAVEL TIME TO WOR K1
1990 2000 2014
Work from Home 239 5.2% 176 2.3% 522 4.4%
Less than 15 Minutes 1,171 25.5% 1,785 23.4% 2,043 17.9%
15 to 29 Minutes 1,838 40.0% 2,949 38.6% 4,603 40.3%
30 to 44 Minutes 967 21.0% 1,861 24.4% 2,938 25.7%
45 Minutes or More 380 8.3% 863 11.3% 1,844 16.1%
1 Persons 16 years or older
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Rosemount is home to a diverse range of businesses and employers, focused on several different
industry sectors including construction, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and education
services. Many of these larger employment categories reflect the City’s history as a railroad town at
the edge of a larger metropolitan area along major transportation corridors. The breakdown of local
businesses is also reflective of the significant role the Flint Hills Resources refinery and University of
Minnesota land (a portion of which was used to build the Dakota County Technical College) have
played in the community. In the future, the City’s economic development plan strives to provide a
diverse business climate by increasing employment in the services, health care, retail trade, and other
industries currently underrepresented in the community.
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CHART 2.4: JOBS IN ROSEMOUNT BY NAICS INDUSTRY SECT OR
Source: 2016 American Community Survey