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Appendix E: Relevant News Articles (cont.) Copyright 2005 Star Tribune Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) April 16, 2005, Saturday, Metro Edition SECTION: HOMES; Pg. 3H LENGTH: 683 words HEADLINE: NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT; BIG LAKE; Big Lake boom is making waves; City has easy access to Twin Cities, St. Cloud BYLINE: Neal Gendler; Staff Writer BODY: Big Lake, about midway between Minneapolis and St. Cloud, is part of the boom that's turning the Interstate Hwy. 94 corridor's rural towns into suburbs. Big Lake's population has grown from 3,113 in 1990 to 8,525 today. Outside the city, Big Lake Township has 7,289 more. Though Big Lake is no longer a tiny town, it's still small enough to appeal to young families looking for "a little bit of elbow room and a smaller community in which to raise their children," said Shirlee Heitz, an agent with Dynamics Real Estate. Since she moved to Big Lake in 1970, she said, the school district has built two elementary schools, a high school that's now an intermediate school and a new high school. The city's location is a draw because residents can work or shop and eat in either the Twin Cities or St. Cloud metro areas. Some new homes are being built by folks who bought their first home in Big Lake and now want something bigger. Some residents work in the area; a nearly full industrial park holds businesses with about 300 jobs and $14 million in annual pay. "A lot of homes are being sold on half an acre to 2.5 acres," Heitz said. "Those go like hotcakes." The city has limited the pace of residential construction so it doesn't outrun city services. There still are a lot of first-time-buyer homes being built in the $180,000-to-$220,000, she said. But she recently was looking for a house in the $500,000 range for a buyer and found "an amazing amount." David and Cindy Book left Big Lake last August but loved it so much they're moving back from Lake City as soon as school's out. Here's an edited version of Cindy's explanation. When did you first move to Big Lake, and why? We moved to Big Lake Township from Golden Valley in 1966. We bought a lot with 250 feet along Thompson Lake, about two miles northwest of the city. It was close enough to the cities, but not too close. When we moved, Iwas astay-at-home mom and Dave was in sales and worked out of our home.