According to the 1990 census, St. Peter's population was 9421. The state demographer calculated population estimates in 1998, the year of the tornado, and in 1999, based on new building permits and conversations with city officials. The estimates contradicted expectations that St. Peter would lose residents in the storm's aftermath, by recording a surprising two percent growth. Now the latest numbers from the US census support the notion that the population has grown, with St. Peter registering at just under 10,000 people. City administrator Todd Prafke says, surprisingly, word of the tornado and its aftermath drew people to St. Peter.
Communities are just like a business to some extent.
Our name was out there a lot, people heard a lot of things that were neat about St. Peter and decided that this was an OK place. The tornado destroyed more than 200 homes and left 400 others badly damaged - all in a city already suffering from a major housing shortage. Instead, the handful that did leave were quickly replaced as the city rushed to put up affordable housing, which drew young families into the community. School Superintendent Gil Carlson says the tornado gave the city an opportunity to become more economically diverse. Now, they've put in assisted living centers, they've put subsidized housing in, they've put in low income housing and executive housing.