By Danielle Strenke

Some people now refer to Chisago County towns as ìsleeper communitiesî because of the large number of residents who live here but commute to work somewhere else.

According to report from the US Census Bureau, the average American worker in 2000 commuted 26 minutes to work each day. The average commute for people working outside the home in Minnesota in 2000 was between 20 minutes and just under 23 minutes.

In Chisago County, the average time spent driving to work was above the state average in 2000. The average commuter here spent between 25 minutes and nearly 32 minutes in the car. The same average is true for Isanti, Pine, Kanabec and Anoka counties.

There were just over 2.5 million people in the Minnesota workforce in 2000. Of those, over 77 percent drove alone to work and about 10 percent carpooled. Another 7.5 percent walked or used public transportation to get to work, while about 4.5 percent worked at home.

Residents in North Branch know that on any given weekday, the drive on Hwy. 95 through town, particularly across the I-35 bridge is hectic and congested during the afternoon rush.

Residents of Rush City also notice busier traffic near the I-35 exit in the early morning hours and late afternoon.

At the Holiday Station in North Branch, the afternoon business picks up right after 3 p.m. and holds steady through 6 p.m., manager Mike Runisch said.

In the morning, the store is steady from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. ìThen thereís a lull until maybe 7:30 and then we see a second wave until 9 a.m.,î Runisch said.

Runisch said he sees a lot of the same people on a consistent basis come through the doors at Holiday. ìWe have a lot of regulars,î he said.
What does the typical commuter buy at convenience stores? In the morning, Runisch said, itís coffee and a bakery item or breakfast sandwich. ìThey need the coffee so they donít have road rage,î he joked. ìSome people will buy lunch items for the day.î

He said more of the morning customers are residents from outside of Chisago County, while the afternoon customers are usually local.
When theyíre on their way back home, Runisch said commuters stop for some of the same things. They also buy fast snacks or meal items for the entire family, he said.

A sampling of afternoon rush hour customers showed a varied crowd, including place of residence and time of commute.
Several customers coming through Holiday are fortunate enough to live and work in North Branch. One lives four miles from town and drives a school bus. ìThe kids commute with me every day,î she said.

Others commute from Rush City, Pine City and Chisago City to North Branch. Still, there are far more who are traveling outside of Chisago County to work.

One customer said his daily commute from Mora to the Twin Cities puts 75 miles one way on the odometer. ìI beat the traffic in the morning,î he said. ìNot many people are on the road at 4 a.m.î

The average U.S. commuter in 2000 left for work between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. according to the census report. Fifty-three percent of workers left during this time, while nearly 18 percent left between midnight and 6:29 a.m.

While most people are commuting from the north to the south, commute in the opposite direction but still find traffic trouble spots.

One commuter travels daily from the southern metro area to work in Sunrise ñ 150-miles round trip. He said even though he is traveling away from the Twin Cities, the commute is still bad. ìFridays are worse sometimes,î he said. ìThereís usually a day during the week that itís better, like Tuesdays.î One of the worst parts of his trip, he said, is the North Branch bridge over I-35. ìI hate this bridge, itís terrible,î he said. ìI go through Harris just to get around it.î

Several locals and commuters from elsewhere voice their frustration over the length of time it takes to simply move through North Branch.
Runisch said even with the traffic headaches, afternoon commuters are still friendly. ìWe have those customers who we know we can pick on and joke with,î he said. ìThey feel welcome. Itís always our goal to help them start the day and make them want to come back and see us.î

In Rush City, employees at the Holiday are pleased that the metro bus strike has finally ended.

Manager Sharon Taylor and employee Kate Courey said the back parking lot was overflowing during the bus strike. The gravel area where employees typically park was filled with cars of carpoolers, Courey said.

The Rush City store and gas station sees an increase in customers start around 4:30 a.m. during the week and it subsides typically by 7 a.m.
Taylor said because the store is a diesel station and has an area for truck drivers, they are always busy with truck traffic.

Most people stopping in the morning are heading to the Twin Cities, she said. ìThe average customer is probably 20 to 40 years old,î she said. ìThey stop for coffee, doughnuts and chips.î

After the early morning rush, Courey said they start to see people commuting from other areas to work in Rush City. ìTheyíre coming to work at Plastech or Dennis Kirk,î she said.

Taylor said in the afternoon, customers are stopping for a ìquick fixî like pop, chips or something nutritious like a granola bar. ìThey also buy pizza, cereal ñ something quick for dinner,î she said. ìA lot of moms stopping in to buy something in a hurry for supper.î

The afternoon crowd tends to be a little quieter ñ and sometimes a touch grumpy, Taylor said.

Although the bus strike caused congestion in the Holiday parking lot, it seemed to make people feel better because they were carpooling. ìThey are happier when they ride together,î Taylor said.

In the 2000 census, the average male worker traveled about 27 minutes to work while the average female worker traveled about 23 minutes to work.

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com