Build it and they did come. Western Wisconsin sees big growth after new bridge.

Never in a million years did Christina Snaza imagine she would move to Wisconsin.

A native Minnesotan whose phone still sports the 218 area code of the state's northern half, Snaza and her husband were drawn across the St. Croix River three years ago from their home in Oakdale when they learned how affordable and convenient it would be to move to Somerset, Wis.

"We still call ourselves Minnesotans," said Snaza, who now has a Wisconsin-born toddler.

Whether by happenstance or by design, thousands have made the same move into western Wisconsin since the four-lane St. Croix Crossing Bridge opened in 2017 and slashed commute times to the Twin Cities and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The rural hamlet of Roberts has grown 20% since the bridge opened, with some of its 2,100 residents moving into a subdivision jokingly referred to as "Little Woodbury." Vikings flags snap in the breeze outside homes in the Somerset neighborhood of River Hills. And at Sweet Beet Bakery in New Richmond, owner Ashley Adkison says she has house hunters stopping in every Saturday to pick up tips on the local schools as well as some of her fresh-baked "Croixnuts" pastries. "They ask 'Is everything open all week?' " she said, the city residents trying to prep for life in a small town.

The residential boom has made St. Croix County the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin. The bridge opening was like a "green light switch went on," said Rob Kreibich, the president and CEO of the New Richmond Chamber of Commerce and a recently elected Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Less crime, lower taxes and a small-town feel all play a part in drawing folks out of the Twin Cities, he said. Some new arrivals are looking for a place to start a family, but plenty of retirees or near-retirees have come as well, some citing lower sales tax or the absence of state tax on Social Security income as a factor. For others, a move to New Richmond has meant being closer to their up-north cabin.

Realtor Gina Moe-Knutson said some town councils have courted the growth while others were reluctant to let go of their rural identity. The first locale across the bridge, St. Joseph Township, has seen modest growth of 8% since the bridge opening, while it's 19% in New Richmond. The city invested in infrastructure 25 years ago, said former director of planning and development Robert Barbian, building out water and sewer connections and plotting roads across farm fields as adjacent township land was annexed into the city for developments that became Waters Edge, Fox Run, Whispering Pines, and Gloverdale. The result is the city's footprint has grown from 6,183 acres in 2015 to 7,674 acres today, said New Richmond City Administrator Noah Wiedenfeld.

"We looked ahead quite a few leaps," Barbian said.

A flood of retail brand names followed the new residents to New Richmond, with newer openings including a Tractor Supply, Aldi, Starbucks, Caribou, Dunn Brothers, Jimmy John's and the city's first pet washing station. A co-working space opened up in town for people who work from home but may need an office once in a while.

Somerset

It's a similar story in the nearby Village of Somerset — with the population up 17% since 2017. At 3,220 people, it's significantly smaller than New Richmond and perhaps not as prepared to grow. Developments like Pine Vale and Winesap Prairie have welcomed new residents while the village sees some growing pains ahead, said Somerset Economic Development Director Bob Gunther.

A new public works facility is needed, as well as an expanded police station and a new Village Hall, according to a facility needs assessment done last year. "If we were to buy another plow truck we don't have another spot for it inside," he said. The steep cost has local leaders wary, said Gunther, but some things can't be put off. "We just put $4 million expansion and improvements to the wastewater treatment plant," he said.

For now, they've asked developers to keep growth at about 50 units per year to avoid overwhelming the schools with new students, Gunther said. The public school enrollment numbers have actually fallen since the bridge opened, from 1,574 kids the year before to 1,452 last year, but as new families with young children move to the area, some expect a bubble of students to show up in enrollment numbers soon.

As far as the local business community, the city has filled its industrial park and wants to add another, he said. The Somerset Village Board recently resolved to buy land for a second industrial park, said board member Brandon Krohn. And then there's the local parks: Taxpayers want to see them improved, and the council has tried to focus on improving its main one along the Apple River. "We're really excited about our parks," Krohn said.

Changing lives

The opening of the St. Croix Crossing Bridge changed Caleb Garn's life. First, his family moved to Somerset from their home in Robbinsdale. And then his business expanded into New Richmond. Today, Garn sits on the Somerset Village Council and the local chamber board, and he volunteers with the Somerset Champions, a civic group that does what it can to make the city better.

"It's fantastic," he said of his family's new life in Wisconsin. "I'm elated to have made the move."

He and his wife were searching for a new home when they checked east of the St. Croix River. After reviewing the schools, they chose Somerset and today have a sixth- and 10th-grader in local schools. His business, Big Watt Beverage Co., expanded from its Minneapolis location into New Richmond five years ago. The company blends and packages a variety of beverages for other companies, including canned cocktails, infused water and THC drinks. If it wasn't for the St. Croix Crossing Bridge, their work would be more difficult, he said. "That bridge is used for a massive amount of commerce for our vendors, suppliers and customers," he said. "It definitely is a game-changer for the region."

Their business is booming, with all its 2025 capacity spoken for, and he says he's contemplating a "pretty serious expansion." He's become a believer in moving out of the Twin Cities urban core as well.

"Life is so much easier, so much more relaxed away from the hustle bustle," he said. "It just is a different world." He's also found it to be a better business climate. "It still shocks me how easy it is to have government really genuinely want to help you run your business rather than constantly throwing up obstacles," he said.

Bill Kwasny said he and his wife settled on New Richmond in retirement as a more convenient place than their old home in Plymouth. Not only are they closer to their Stone Lake, Wis., cabin, they're closer to children who moved from the Twin Cities to eastern Wisconsin. There's a range of other benefits, too, from lower taxes to better car insurance rates now that they're further from hot spots for car and catalytic converter thefts. Kwasny and his wife don't miss the traffic, either, he said.

"New Richmond has five stoplights in the whole town," he said.

Paul Kluskowski and his wife moved from Empire Township near Farmington, landing in New Richmond. "We wanted a small, quiet town and somewhat rural, more rural than Farmington," he said. "It's that bridge from Stillwater that's made a big difference," he said. They still grocery shop in Stillwater at Kowalski's, and something like an Applebee's would be a good addition to New Richmond, he said, but for a couple "getting older" and wanting something quiet, New Richmond has been a good move.

"We love it here," he said. "It's exactly what we were hoping for."