Rogers is the last city on westbound Interstate 94 in Hennepin County but the first city more residents and businesses are calling home.
The northwest metro suburb is the fastest growing city in Minnesota — and it isn't slowing down, with plans for more large-scale housing and industrial developments over the next few years.
"We've grown tremendously," Mayor Rick Ihli said. "We want to build our community up so our citizens don't have to go to Maple Grove to shop, they don't have to go to Maple Grove to eat. And that's where we're headed."
Hugging the edge of Hennepin County across the Crow River from Otsego and St. Michael, Rogers is still relatively small with only 12,500 residents. But it's seen a dramatic 42 percent bump in population in just over four years. That's largely due to the annexation of Hassan Township, which was the county's last township when it merged its 17 square miles and 2,600 residents with Rogers in 2012.
Even without Hassan's population, Rogers' city leaders said it's had a more than 10 percent increase in residents, and that still puts it in the top fastest growing cities in the state.
The growth spurt hasn't come without challenges. The city is grappling with issues other suburbs long have had to deal with — figuring out how to pay for rebuilding and adding roads, redeveloping its downtown and balancing its small-town character with suburban-style development.
"We're protective of that small-town feel," said resident Shannon Klick, who moved to Rogers three years ago from Maple Grove for its schools, youth sports and bigger home lots. "We don't want to become a big city where there's small lots … we don't want to grow too fast."
Christi Tullbane was driving past Rogers on I-94 eight years ago to her house in Maple Grove when she spotted an intriguing housing development sign. She and her husband, drawn to the city's small-town feel, moved to Rogers for a new house on a larger half-acre lot for their three young daughters.