Around here, every day's a road trip

When Terry Clayton's company transferred him from eastern Wisconsin to Plymouth, he wanted to live nearby. But he found what he was looking for in more distant Zimmerman: a house on 21/2 acres overlooking a lake, for about half the price of a comparable house closer to the beltway.

The down side is that every day he must drive 38 miles to his job as general manager of Triarco Arts & Crafts, and 38 miles home, crossing two county lines in the process.

He'd like a more efficient vehicle than his pickup, but Clayton hasn't thought seriously about moving closer to work. "You just get to the point where you just live with it, and I do," he said.

According to a 2006 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, one in every three employed Minnesotans over the age of 16 works outside the county they call home. The state ranks sixth in the nation, just below such classic bedroom states as Virginia and New Jersey but right along with commuting stalwarts New York and Massachusetts

Moreover, three Minnesota counties -- Sherburne, Washington and Scott -- are among the nation's leaders in the percentage of residents who work elsewhere. In each case, about seven in every 10 workers cross at least one county line on their way to work.

The survey found that the same was true for a majority of workers living in Anoka, Wright, Carver and Dakota counties.

The findings underscore the important links between transportation infrastructure and job growth in counties with soaring population numbers.

Some officials also suggest that long commuting times have social costs, cutting into the time residents might want to spend on community involvement. "None of that is a surprise," said Scott County Administrator David Unmacht. "Where we are, statistically, is irrelevant to what we're doing about it."

Many counties, one metro

Studies based on county lines have some inherent problems, said State Demographer Tom Gillaspy. After all, counties are political subdivisions that in Minnesota range in size from compact Ramsey to sprawling St. Louis. A better measure would be commuting time, he said.

"If you work in Houston, most people live in Harris County, but Harris County is a pretty big place," he said.

But the rise of intercounty traffic does point to the struggles that some counties and their cities are facing with the rapid influx of new residents.

Some of them are banding together to focus on regional solutions to transportation and transit needs, while others are working closely with each other or with municipalities to promote economic development.

Representatives of St. Paul and Washington, Ramsey and Dakota counties were in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to talk to the Minnesota congressional delegation about their newly formed East Metro Transportation Alliance.

"One reason we believe transportation investment is critical to Washington County is that it drives economic development," said state Sen. Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury.

Although economic development and job creation are traditionally functions of city governments, Washington County officials last winter began meeting with cities that want the county to take a more active role, said deputy county administrator Molly O'Rourke.

She added that some counties are talking with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce about developing a website to help potential employers find available land to develop in areas with a healthy labor supply.

Brian Bensen, Sherburne County administrator, said that officials are well aware of the need to boost jobs in his booming county. Only last week, county commissioners and staff members held a workshop on efforts to provide more jobs for people moving in, he said.

The county, one of three funding partners for the North Star commuter rail line, is also pushing for improved roads and soliciting businesses that are looking for greener pastures, Bensen said. Officials are particularly targeting professional and industrial types of employment, he said.

Most of Sherburne County's commuters head to the Twin Cities metro area, although those west of Becker tend to gravitate to St. Cloud, Bensen said. Keeping more of them in the county would pay social as well as economic dividends.

"Many people in the public sector have noticed the difficulty in finding volunteers for organizations with people spending an extra hour or two in their cars," Bensen said. "It's a tougher sell [getting people to volunteer] when you've been putting those hours in."

Even those who do participate in the community aren't fully engaged if they spend too much of their day on the road, he said.

"We want to develop a better network where you live, rather than where you work," Bensen said.

One stumbling block in creating more local jobs is finding the land to set aside for development, said Barry Stock, city administrator for Savage. After the Bloomington Ferry Bridge opened up northern Scott County for business in 1995, Savage acquired 260 acres for a business park. Every parcel in the park has since been sold, resulting in 700 to 1,000 new jobs, Stock said.

"Now, how many of those employees are from Scott County? I couldn't tell you, but it at least provided employment options for people living here," he said.

As for Clayton, he said that his company is considering moving its Plymouth office. The reason?

"Most of our employees are coming from the west, from Buffalo, as far as Lester Prairie," he said. "We've not made a decision to move yet, but when you have employees driving as far as 40, 50 miles ... "

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455

Kevin Duchschere • kduchschere@startribune.com