State of the Cities Address for communities on the hill

Local communities gathered with their respective mayors for the Annual State of the Cities Address, Proctor, Hermantown, and Rice Lake convened to discuss their continued future growth. With a combined population of over 17,000 residents, the three communities try to collaborate to make the most out of what the Northland has to offer.

“We’re just really making these communities great places to live, work, raise a family, and retire in. We want to capitalize on that, the wonderful strengths of the Twin Ports, and really share what’s happening out here in our communities,” said Kim Parameter, Hermantown Chamber of Commerce CEO.

There has been steady growth in the area since 2000 with more community involvement and renovated facilities. Hermantown Mayor, Wayne Bouchard, said, “Hermantown has been building itself in the last 20 years with a lot of grassroots initiatives. The citizenry has stood up and said, we need this and they worked hard to get it. Our school bond issue, our wellness center, and our recreational initiative are three good examples of that.”

Although separate communities the three work as a team to think about the overall impact across the greater Twin Ports area. Proctor Mayor, Chad Ward said, “I feel our three communities work well together and we have established good friendships through events like this.”