Belle Plaine isn't a familiar name when it comes to the game of "know your Twin Cities suburbs". Mainly because it isn't really a suburb and because it's a smaller city. This "Mayberry-like" city about 15 miles southwest of Shakopee with a population of just over 6,000 is apparently full of residents clamoring for economic growth. And when the residents say economic growth, mayor Tom Meger says that translates to "Where's our Target, where's our Walmart?"
One guy already got in a good rant (and some MnSpeak traffic) about the damn fools that moved twenty miles out from the cities knowing full well that little to nothing existed there. But I'll give you an insider's perspective as my wife is originally from this far-flung, backwards town where a mere two dining options (Subway and Dairy Queen) exist.
Belle Plaine exists today because after the Bloomington Ferry Bridge was built, commuters could finally cross the Minnesota River into cities like Eden Prairie and Bloomington and suddenly a commute to Minneapolis and even Blaine was easy and with gas around a buck per gallon it didn't break the bank. Couple that with houses around $150,000 at that same time, the scene was set for Belle Plaine to grow.
The only problem is that the growth didn't last and the SUV driving commuters are now stuck with shittily-built cookie cutter houses and townhomes in a small town with zero amenities 15 miles from crap you actually need. They forget, though, that they routinely pass at least one each of Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Target and Kohl's because to get a job that supports their lifestyle of "I want to live in the country but have everything from the suburbs" they have to work in Shakopee, if not further away, to afford all that they "need".
In short, it's a city filled with the worst kind of hypocrites. They'll likely vote out the current mayor because, in their eyes, Tom Meger (a nice guy, by the way) can't further the necessary economic growth that the residents of Belle Plaine so desperately need. Well fools, which do you want? Do you want your slice of Mayberry or do you want the same crap that every damn Twin Cities suburb has? Make a decision because you'll neverhave it both ways. And if you want to live closer, good luck peddling your house in a town where well over 100 homes are currently on the market.
Will I showcase Belle Plaine on MinnPics? Click and find out.
3 comments:
The tag of hypocrites is spot on although maybe a "whiner" tag would also work well ;-)
Hmm, a whiner tag my get plenty of mileage.
Sounds similar to our neck of the woods in Wisconsin. Close enough to commute but far enough away to be a bit on the Mayberry side. Urban sprawl...I think it's going to take a big hit with the economy as it is. One good side effect in my opinion.
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