When I started, split-level houses were the norm. Most have a triple-car garage, he said. Stearns County Stearns County's growth was right in line with the state's growth rate. The county's population grew from 118,791 in 1990 to 133,166 in 2000, according to the census. That change represents a 12 percent increase in people.
Most growth is concentrated in the eastern part of the county.
Farms are being bought up all the time and there's a ton of new homes. Avon grew 28 percent in the past 10 years, from 970 people in 1990 to 1,242 people in 2000. Albany grew 16 percent, from 1,548 people to 1,796 people. People are more stressed out than ever before. The western part of the county's growth has been stable, mainly because of the area's dependency on the agricultural economy, said Don Adams, county environmental services director.