1982 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

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continue in the near future. During the 1970 to 19.76 time period, it was estimated that governmental units within a five mile radius increased 16 percent in population and contiguous governmental units. increased 8 percent. (see' Table 1). This equates t to 27 percent and 13 percent respectively for a ten-year period. Future population projections prepared by the Metropolitan Council call for substantial population growth, at least up to the year T000, with governmental units within a five -mile radius increasing 65 percent and contiguous government units increasing36 percent during the p g thirty Year 1970 to 2000 period. The City of Gem Lake has not as yet experienced rapid growth..,During the I960- 1970 period U.S. census figures indicate that the population of Gem .Lake decreased from 305 to 2.16,. or 29 percent. The population decline, however, can partially be explained in the reduction of persons per household from 3.92 to 3.72. (1t is also possible that this population. reduction may be due to possible over -reporting of population in the 1960 census due to the uncertain boundaries of the City at that. time.) During the 1970 to 1976 period, the Metropolitan Council. estimates show that the population of Gem. Lake increased from 216 to 282 persons, an increase of 31 percent. Even though the population of Gem Lake has not increased since. its incorporation, this condition is undoubtedly only temporary.. The major reasons why the population has not increased are probably (1) the strict development controls established by the municipality, and (2) the withholding of a substantial amount of the undeveloped acreage by a relatively few individuals who have had no desire to V develop the land. However, for the purposes of this Plan. it should be expected that the. population of the community will substantially increase with the entry of developable lands onto the market within the next twenty years. Characteristics of the Population There is a wide diversity in the characteristics. of the population residing within the various governmental units located in the vicinity of Gem. Lake (see Table 2). In generai, the population of Gem Lake is older than. other .municipalities in the area, with a relatively large percentage (40.2 percent) of the population over 355 years old. Only Dellwood and. North Oaks,. which are relatively exclusive high income suburbs- have as high a percentage of the population. over - 35. Conversely,. Gem Lake has the lowest percentage of the population in the primary child bearing 25-34 age group (8.8 percent). The 1970 average family income level in Gem Lake ($9,560) was by far the lowest in Ramsey County and is possibly the lowest of all municipalities Within the contiguously urbanized portion of the metropolitan area. Approximately 8 percent of the population within Gem Lake was viewed to be below the poverty line as defined by the 1970 U.S. Census, Contrasting with this relatively low average family income, there are families of substantially higher income on large tracts of land, generally in the central portion. of the City. This variance in income with Gem Lake is also exhibited in the development .pattern within a five mile radius of Gem: Lake. At one end of the spectrum are 10