St. Croix River Crossing Turning New Richmond Into 'Boomtown'
NEW RICHMOND, Wis. (WCCO) -- A small town just outside the Twin Cities is busting at the seams.
New Richmond is one of the fastest growing communities in the entire state of Wisconsin.
A big reason why is the new St. Croix River Crossing, which opened last summer, creating a direct path from the Twin Cities to western Wisconsin.
According to Rob Kreibich, with the New Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the town is Wisconsin's new hot attraction.
"Welcome to Boomtown USA, I guess it's the new boomtown," he said.
That's not an exaggeration.
The town is full of new storefronts and businesses, including a chiropractor, insurance agency and a steakhouse. There's also an Aldi, Wal-Mart and a long list of chains, including a new 60-room hotel.
"May and October are very busy," said the hotel's general manager, Samantha Collins. "I've had to turn people away for those dates, we have weekends where we have three or four weddings. Maybe we should have built another floor on the building."
Another happy newcomer is the owner of Vudu Street Food, which is set to open Friday.
Minneapolis food truck chef Christian Orosz noticed the storefront while en route to get a tattoo.
"I see the potential for growth here," he said. "I think people are crying out for that city kind of feel without having to go all the way to the cities."
The overall projection in New Richmond is to double the population of just over 8,000 in the next 10 years.
The city's chamber of commerce says the hope now to recruit a butcher shop and a bakery.
More new additions to the city include: a new auto mall, a fitness center, a law firm, a Dunn Brothers coffee shop, and expansions to several existing businesses.