Dave Hengel Column: Has our community鈥檚 growth snuck up on you?

By Dave Hengel, Greater Bemidji

February 10, 2024 at 6:50 AM

I had a visitor stop in my office recently. He was moving to our community in the coming weeks, but it wasn鈥檛 his first time here. Just 13 years ago, he attended Bemidji State University.

As we talked about the reasons for his return to Bemidji, he began to share his assessment of our community. In particular, he shared what he considered the tremendous growth the community has experienced since he left. He described his perceptions of the Bemidji of his college years, and what is different today.

Quite honestly, I was surprised by all the changes he shared. He was right 鈥� all the things he shared were true and his assessment was accurate. While he was able to compare two points in time, those of us who live here and gradually experience the growth become almost immune to the change. It鈥檚 as if we never stop, look in the rear-view mirror and realize how far we have come.

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It reminds me of my trips to Colorado. When I first see the mountains, I am in awe. They are so imposing and beautiful. Yet just a few days later during the same trip, I鈥檓 paying no attention to the mountains 鈥� they are there but you鈥檙e almost ambivalent to their splendor.

Are you aware of all the change our community has experienced, or has it snuck up on you as well?

Let鈥檚 take a simple quiz on our community鈥檚 demographics today vs. just 13 years ago. Grab a pencil and jot down your responses to these questions:

What is the population of the Bemidji area which I define as a 15-mile radius around downtown Bemidji? How many more people live in our area than did 13 years ago?
How many new jobs have been created in our region during that time?
What is Bemidji鈥檚 current unemployment rate?
What is the total dollar value of sales occurring in the Bemidji area? How much has it grown over 13 years?

Now let鈥檚 see how close you are.

Population: The current population of the Bemidji area (within 15 miles of downtown) is 41,648. That鈥檚 an awful lot more than the Bemidji population sign as you enter town. There are just shy of 3,000 more people living here than in 2010. If you expand your reach to a 30-mile radius of Bemidji鈥檚 city center, our region鈥檚 population is 63,896. We aren鈥檛 your small tourist town anymore.

Job creation: The greater Bemidji region has created 3,577 jobs since 2010 鈥� an increase of over 20% in 13 short years. We have one of the fastest-growing economies in Greater Minnesota 鈥� the reason why Greater Bemidji has laid claim to Bemidji being the 鈥渟tate鈥檚 emerging regional center.鈥�

Unemployment rate: The greater Bemidji region鈥檚 current unemployment rate is 3.6%. In 2010, the rate was 8.2%. Our job growth has exceeded the number of people entering the workforce substantially, resulting in a significant decline in the unemployment rate. The number of unemployed workers in the region is currently less than half what it was in 2010.

Value of sales: The current value of sales in Bemidji is $1.4 billion. No 鈥� that鈥檚 not a typo 鈥� billion. Sales have nearly doubled in Bemidji since 2010. Since we are not large enough to have our region鈥檚 GDP measured, I use sales to measure the size of our area economy. In other words, our regional economy has likely nearly doubled in size in the last 13 years.

So how鈥檇 you do on the quiz? Are you surprised? Don鈥檛 feel bad, most everyone is surprised. All this growth and change happened and many of us don鈥檛 even realize it. For my research geeks out there, all this data is from the federal and state governments. Reach out to me if you are interested in the sources of the data.

You might be wondering why I am sharing this with you today. I have a couple of reasons. I have been concerned about Bemidji鈥檚 fuzzy identity for quite a while now. Just like the visitor to my office, there are many, many people who have not been to our greater Bemidji for quite some time. When they think of Bemidji, what do they think of? Most likely the Bemidji they last experienced, not the Bemidji we have become.

Now put on my hat as I work to promote the region. Having this fuzzy identity is a serious problem, especially when reaching out to companies and families looking for a growing, dynamic community. Memories of Bemidji get in the way of sharing the truth of Bemidji鈥檚 emergence as a regional center.

The good news is you can help change that. Word of mouth is the best marketing and promotion. Sharing the true Bemidji story with those in your circle of influence goes a long way in bringing clarity to Bemidji鈥檚 fuzzy identity.

The second reason I wanted to share the data of our growth over the past several years is for our community members who may resist continued regional development. I once heard a speaker say, 鈥淚n Minnesota, the only thing worse than the current situation is any change to it.鈥� Now that鈥檚 funny 鈥� and sadly somewhat true.

Our region will continue to grow as it has in the past decade, and that growth is good provided we don鈥檛 lose what we love about Bemidji in the process. I think we have been successful in maintaining our unique character, natural amenities and small-town feel as we鈥檝e emerged as a regional center. We are committed to holding true to that in the future.

How do you speak of your hometown? Do you share the old perceptions of Bemidji as a small, rural tourist town, or do you boast that you live in one of the state鈥檚 most dynamic regional centers? I hope the latter 鈥� you have the facts that stake your claim that you live in the state鈥檚 emerging regional center.

Dave Hengel is the executive director of Greater Bemidji Economic Development. He can be reached at (218) 444-5757 or dhengel@greaterbemidji.com.