Whitefish area growing fastest

The Whitefish Lakes region had the fastest rate of population growth with an increase of more than 14 percent from 1990 to 1995.

Household growth is occurring at a faster rate than population growth as the number of members in a single home declines. The number of households in Crow Wing County increased by nearly 11 percent since the 1990 census.

Baxter's number of households increased by nearly 50 percent between 1980 and 1990. Brainerd households grew by 11.57 percent during the same period.

By 1995, trends reported by the Crow Wing County Housing Study found the number of households at 1,480 compared to 804 in 1980. In Brainerd the number of households in 1995 were 5,395 compared to 4,658 in 1980.

Comp plans

are tools

Comprehensive plans, which have received a lot of attention in recent months, are tools for planned growth.

Such plans are legal blueprints for governmental bodies faced with making decisions about managed growth. They come out of a public discussion process and are finalized in a printed document. In the end, planning commissions and zoning offices are left with a guide for future development.

Plans often list areas for preservation, regions for commercial development and for residential living. Commercial growth is further defined into general retail and light office. Once that is accomplished, ordinances created by city councils and county boards determine answers to questions such as how much of a lot is building and parking and what is left as green space.