Metro Location
Ideally located at the junction
of Interstates 35W and 35E, Columbus is rural in
nature but only 20 miles north of both downtown
Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul, 25 miles to the Twin Cities International Airport. Only Columbus offers expanding businesses
the easy access and high visibility of a
dual-interstate location — without leaving the seven-county metro area.
Room to Grow
Columbus’ three square miles of
high-visibility commercial property are prime for
development. Sewer and water are available to the
entire freeway district and installed to land in the
southwest portion.
High Traffic Counts
An estimated 85,000 vehicles
drive through Columbus every day, giving it one of
the highest daily vehicle counts in the region.
Easy Access to Customers and Employees
Columbus-based businesses have the access
advantage. Their north metro location enables
them to:
- Bypass the congested metro core by linking to
the Twin Cities’ 694/494 loop
- Access regional markets in Duluth, St. Cloud and western Wisconsin via Interstates 35 and 94.
- Attract rural workers from eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin using MN 97 and a network of other highways and county roads.
- Tap the seven-county metro workforce, estimated at more than 1.4 million in 2004.
Planned highway, interchange and infrastructure
improvements will only enhance this access to
customers, suppliers and employees.
Workforce Development
The University of
Minnesota, Metropolitan State University and four
community and technical colleges — all within 25
miles of Columbus — provide local employers with
customized training and a ready supply of graduates.
Large Retail Trade Area
Columbus boasts a large
retail trade area and healthy growth rate of over 3%
annually. It is “well positioned to be an extension
of the retail and commercial developments...to the
north,” according to the McComb Group, Inc.
The Forest Lake area is a freestanding growth center located in the seven county metropolitan area in northwestern Washington County, northeastern Anoka County and southwestern Chisago County. The area is experiencing rapid residential and commercial growth. The City of Forest Lake services surrounding communities with retail and commercial businesses. The retail/service industries draw from a 50-mile radius north and east. The lakes in the area have been an important asset in the past, in the present and will be long into the future.
