Taking the former township residents into account, the combined area grew at a modest 4.9 percent rate during the past decade. By contrast, the surrounding cities of Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph and Waite Park grew at a 44.5 percent rate in the same time, increasing from 21,532 to 31,103 residents in the past decade. Each of those cities has gained some population from annexations. From his family farm in the former township, Dave Morreim has seen residential growth surround his property. His ancestors built Pattison Farm in the 1850s, but Morreim said most of the Westwood area farm's 200 remaining acres likely will become housing in his lifetime.
People come out every spring and talk about who's sold their land.
They tell me they hope I never sell. The land's too valuable to be a farm anymore. Housing demand All that growth has sparked the need for homes. The company plans to build more than 95 homes this year, and Werschay estimated it will build 120 to 150 homes in 2006. Many of those homes are expected to be in Sartell, including 30 to 35 he will build this year in a 240-lot Sartell development that should get roads this summer.