The Buzz

• August - Music & Market on Main (Eastwood Bank parking lot)
  
  
• August – Gladiola Days 23rd – 29th
  
  

 

Community Profile

Overview

Located 20 miles east of Rochester and 20 miles west of Winona, St. Charles offers big city conveniences with the advantages of small town living. Best known for being the Gateway to the Whitewater Valley, St. Charles is a vibrant community of 3,560 people comfortably nestled within the rolling hills and valleys of southeastern Minnesota. St. Charles is a great place to visit and an even better place to live. Our vibrant main street, small town charm, and scenic residential subdivisions make St. Charles a desirable place to live, work and raise a family. In St. Charles, recreational opportunities abound. The Majestic Whitewater State Park is only seven miles north of the city. We have five beautiful city parks offering a variety of activities, including picnic areas, volleyball courts, ball fields, playground equipment and biking and hiking trails. We are very proud of our Senior Center with and our expansive recreation programs. While you’re here, play a round a golf at the St. Charles Golf Course, enjoy a warm summer day at our state-of-the-art Aquatics Facility, or visit our public library. If shopping is more your style, St. Charles’ downtown area has several antique and specialty shops for your prowling pleasure, a pleasant outing for both the treasure seeker or browser.

Location

County:	Winona
Region:	Southeast
Distance from Minneapolis:	100
Distance from nearest MSA*:	25 Miles from Rochester MSA
US Congressional District:	1
MN Legislative District(s):	28B
Web site:	www.stcharlesmn.org
Last Updated:	3/24/2008

Population

Area	2008 Estimate	2007 Estimate	2000 Census	1990 Census
Community:		3,569	3,295	2,703
County:		49,954	49,985	47,828
Nearest MSA:		181,603	124,277	106,470
Minnesota:		5,263,610	4,919,479	4,375,099
Source: U.S. Census, State Demographer		* Metropolitan Statistical Area

Major Employers

Employer	NAICS	Products/Services	Employee Count
St Charles Schools-ISD #858	6111	Elementary & Secondary Schools	115
Golden Living Center	6231	Nursing Care Facilities	93
Excel Manufacturing Inc	3339	Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing	49
Mike's Food Center	4451	Grocery Stores	31
City of St. Charles	9211	Executive, Legislative, & Other Gen. Govt. Support	18
SEMA	3332	Industrial Machinery Manufacturing	13
Subway	7221	Full-Service Restaurants	11
US Post Office	4911	Postal Service	11
Kwik Trip	4471	Gasoline Stations	10
Merchants Bank - St Charles	5221	Depository Credit Intermediation	10
Twin Valley Ag	3253	Pesticide, Fertilizer & Other Ag. Chem. Mfg.	9
Ag Specialists	3253	Pesticide, Fertilizer & Other Ag. Chem. Mfg.	8
Brownell Drug	4461	Health & Personal Care Stores	8
Eastwood Bk	5221	Depository Credit Intermediation	8
Wolter & Raak Ltd	5412	Accounting, Tax Prep., Bookkeeping, & Payroll Services	8
St Charles Vet Clinic	5419	Other Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services	7
St Charles Tire & Service	3262	Rubber Product Manufacturing	6
All-American Co-op	3253	Pesticide, Fertilizer & Other Ag. Chem. Mfg.	5
Red's Welding	8113	Comm. & Indus. Mach.& Equip. (exc. Auto & Elec) Rep. & Maint.	3

Workforce

Winona County		Southeast (10) Econ Dev Region
Total Employment	27,713	257,055
Available Workforce	29,086	270,787
Unemployment Rate	4.7%	5.1%
Source: DEED - Labor Market Information: LAUS Annual Average 2008

Employment By Industry

Winona County		Southeast (10) Econ Dev Region
Natural Resources and Mining	386	2,483
Construction	578	8,632
Manufacturing	6,709	40,316
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	4,437	41,442
Information	N/A	3,421
Financial Activities	694	8,432
Professional and Business Services	2,083	13,724
Education and Health Services	3,792	58,833
Leisure and Hospitality	2,101	19,899
Other Services	641	6,478
Government	3,284	30,408
N/A - No Data Available
Source: DEED - Labor Market Information: CEW Annual Data 2008

Occupations and Wages in Southeast Minnesota

Utilities

Utility Type		Utility Name	Utility Phone	Contact	Contact Phone
Electricity		City of St. Charles	932-3020	Kyle Karger	507-932-3020
Natural Gas		Minnesota Energy Resources Corp	1-800-889-9508	Rory Lenton	1-800-889-9508
Wastewater		Dover-Eyota/St Charles Sanitary Dist	(507) 932-4171	Paul Ihrke	(507) 932-4171

Communications

Telephone Information Local Telephone Company: Qwest Telephone Number: (800) 603-6000 Contact: Karen Jothen Telephone Number: (612) 663-5675 Digital Central Switch: No Equal Access Market: Yes Extended Area Service: Yes Custom Calling Feautures: Yes Customized Local Area Services: Yes Current Technologies: ISDN Internet Service Local Public Internet Access Site: No Multiple Internet Service Providers: No Speed of Service: DEED Certification as E-Commerce Ready: No

Cable TV Information Local Company Telephone Website Mediacom (800) 332-0245 HBC 888/474-9995

Newspapers Information Newspaper Name Telephone Frequency St. Charles Press (507) 932-3663

Commercial Transportation & Shipping

Highway Information
Interstate	Miles From Community	Load Limit in Tons	Seasonal Limit In Tons
I-90	Within	10	10
Four Lane	Miles From Community	Load Limit in Tons	Seasonal Limit In Tons
Other	Miles From Community	Load Limit in Tons	Seasonal Limit In Tons
MN-74	Within	10	7
US-14	Within	10	10

Truck Information

Truck Lines:   2

Truck Terminals:   0

Navigable Water Information
Water Name	Depth

Rail Information
Inter-Modal Facility:	No
Inter-Modal Facility Distance:	25 miles
Rail Line	Frequency	Reciprocal Switching	Distance to Main Line	Passenger Service
DM&E	Daily	Yes	0	No

Air Service Information
	International	Local Regional	Service
Name	Rochester Intl. Airport	Winona Municipal Airport	Winona Municipal Airport
Location	Rochester	Winona	Winona
Miles to	30	25	30
Longest Runway Length	9,033 Feet	5,199 Feet	5,199 Feet
Surface Type	Paved	Paved	Paved
Lighted	Yes	Yes	Yes
Customs	Yes	No	No
Service Type	Charter, Commercial, Freight, Jet	Charter, Commercial, Freight	Charter, Commercial, Freight
Navigational Aids	BEACON, ILS, VOR/DME	ILS, VOR/DME	ILS, VOR/DME
Weather Info Systems	AWOSA/MNWAS, SATVIDEOWEATHER	AWOSA/MNWAS	AWOSA/MNWAS
Major Airlines	American Eagle, Delta, Allegiant Air, Federal Express

Housing & Commercial Activity

Housing Information
Single Family Units:	725	Percentage Owner Occupied:	67
Multiple Family Units:	276	Median Sales Price:	- - -
Mobile Homes:	89	Median Assessed Value:	- - -
Number of Units Built Since Last Census:		Median Rent:	$309
Number of Residential Building Permits for 2009:	8	Vacancy Rate:	4
Value of Residential Building Permits for 2009:	$1,369,000
Source: US Census, 2002

Commercial Activity Information
Number of Commercial Building Permits for 2009:	3
Value of Commercial Building Permits for 2009:	$470,000
Number of Public Building Permits for :
Value of Public Building Permits for :

Retail Sales Information
Year	Community Sales	County Sales
2007	$0	$577,323,763
2006	$0	$572,893,103
2005	$0	$547,891,300
Source: MN Dept. of Revenue

Business & Community Services

Financial Institutions Information
Name	Phone	Total Assets	Capital as % of Assets
Eastwood Bank	(507) 932-5001	$123,731,000	- - -
Merchants Bank - St Charles	(507) 932-4610	$26,000,000	- - -
View All Financial Institutions

Lodging & Meeting Facilities Information
Facility	Number of Facilities Available	Facility Size	Teleconferencing Available	Teleconferencing Available to Public
Hotel	0		No	No
Motel	2	25 rooms	No	No
Conference Center	1	250	No	No

Additional Lodging & Meeting Facilities
Facility Type	Facility Name	Phone
Bed and Breakfasts	Victorian Lace Inn	507/932-3054
Motel	Downtown Motel	507/932-4050
Motel	White Valley Motel	507/932-3042

Local Medical Facilities Information
Facility Type	Nbr of Facilities	Total Nbr of Beds	Telemedicine Available
Clinic	1		No
Dentist	1		No
Doctor	2		No
Hospital	0		No
Nursing Home	1	90	No
Name of Nearest Hospital (if none in community):	St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester
Miles to Nearest Hospital:	25

Additional Local Medical Facilities
Facility Type	Facility Name	Phone	Telemedicine Available
Assisted Living	Red Soppa	507/932-3688	Yes
Chiropractic	St. Charles Family Chiropractic	507/932-5696	Yes
Clinic	Olmsted Medical Center	507/932-3810	Yes
Dentist	St. Charles Dental Office	507/932-4530	Yes

Local Transit Information
Service	Available	Service	Available
Inter-Community Bus	Yes	Taxi/Cab	No
Intra-Community Bus	No	Disabled Transportation	No

Library Information
Name	Phone	Internet Access
Southeast Libraries Cooperating		No
St. Charles Public Library	507/932-3227	Yes

Recreation Information

Facilities

Community Center, Senior Center, private 18 hole golf course, Aquatic Center, Whitewater State Park, ice rink, tennis courts, walking trails, five city parks, ball fields, volleyball, skate park, playgrounds and paved walk and bike trails.

Festival/Arts

Gladiolus Days Festival , Nessler Golf Tournment, Sting Baseball, Fall Car Cruise, Farmer's Market, Summer - Saturday Morning at Winona County Fair Grounds, Springfest, Threshing Bee, Memorial Day, Home and Garden Show, Winona County Fair

Service Organizations

Lions, Women of Today, VFW, Moose Lodge, American Legion, Boy, Girl and Cub Scouts, Masonic Lodge, Ducks Unlimited, Friends of the Library, 4H, Future Farmers of America, St. Charles Senior Organization.

Education

Post-Secondary Information
Nearest Technical College & Specialty	Location	Miles To
		25
Nearest Community College & Specialty	Location	Miles To
Rochester Community and Technical College	Rochester	20
Rochester Community and Technical College was founded in 1915 on a motion by Dr. Charles Mayo to the Rochester School Board. Rochester is Minnesota's oldest - and one of the nation's oldest - original community colleges. The 2005-2006 academic year marked RCTC's 90th anniversary. The college serves approximately 7,500 students in credit-based enrollments and 3,000 in noncredit courses. Degrees offered: Associate in Arts, Associate in Applied Science, Associate in Science, diplomas, and certificates. Largest programs: Liberal arts, nursing, business, digital arts, law enforcement. Unique programs: Dental hygiene, equine science, horticulture technology, human services, radiography, surgical technology, veterinary technology. Its location is within University Center Rochester, an expansive campus that includes the University of Minnesota Rochester and Winona State University - Rochester Center, altogether serving approximately 20,000 credit and noncredit students annually. 8/08
Nearest Public College/University & Specialty	Location	Miles To
Winona State University	Winona	25
Winona State University is a premier regional university with graduate and undergraduate programs. It is enriched by a dynamic culture and is renowned for its principle-centered approach to education. Located in the high bluff country of the upper Mississippi Valley, Winona stands among the front ranks of midwestern universities and is recognized as one of the most distinctive undergraduate universities in the nation. Degrees offered: Associate of Arts; Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science; 4 Special Licensure Programs; 10 Pre-Professional Programs; Master of Science. Winona State University is comprised of five colleges offering over 80 majors and 10 pre-professional programs: College of Business; College of Education; College of Liberal Arts; College of Nursing and Health Sciences; College of Science and Engineering. Your education will be shaped not only by extraordinary and approachable faculty, but also by our distinctive approach to teaching and learning, the way we use technology, and the rich natural beauty of this magnificent region that embraces our campus and community. 6/06
Nearest Private College/University & Specialty	Location	Miles To
Saint Mary's University - Winona	Winona	20
In the Lasallian spirit of faith and zeal, Saint Mary’s University — a global and diverse learning community — serves students through relevant and innovative educational programs, experiences, and enterprises. The university is nourished by its Catholic intellectual, moral, and cultural traditions and is inspired by excellence in teaching as modeled by Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The hallmark of the university is its commitment to serve the needs of individual learners and promote life-long learning in a variety of contexts. SMU enrolls about 6,000 students. Of those, about 1,350 are traditional undergraduates; more than 4,600 are adult learners in the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs. At the coeducational, residential Winona campus, located in the majestic bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley, the undergraduate College curriculum combines traditional liberal arts and sciences with career preparation in a student-centered environment. “U.S. News & World Report” (2008) ranks Saint Mary’s in the National Universities category of its America’s Best Colleges listing. 8/08
Telecommunications Use Available at Area Post-Secondary Institutions:		Yes

Local K-12 Information
School Type	Nbr of Schools	Enrollment	Grades	Pupil/Teacher Ratio
Elementary	1	614	K-6	21:1
Middle School
Junior High
Senior High	1	477	7-12	15:1
Private/Parochial

School District:
Telecommunications Use Available at Local K-12:		No
High School Graduates Attending Post-Secondary:		75%
State Wide Average:		68%

Government

Structure Information
Organization:	Mayor\Council
Budget:	$6,613,388
Community Bond Rating:	Moody's - - AAA
Comprehensive Land Use Plan:	Yes
Locally Controlled Loan Program:	Yes
Recycling:	Yes
Fire Insurance Rating:	5
Industrial Plans Approved By:	City Building Official, City Council, Economic Development Authority, Planning Commision

Public Protection Services
Service Type	Regular	Part-Time	Volunteer	Seasonal
Fire	- - -	- - -	30	- - -
Police	4	10	- - -	- - -
Sheriff	- - -	- - -	- - -	- - -
EMT	- - -	- - -	14	- - -

Property Taxes Payable 2008

Property Tax Information			Assessed Market Value Information
State Tax Rate	45.95%		Commercial	$160,301,400
Municipal Tax Rate	34.48%		Residential	$20,491,133
County Tax Rate	43.02%		Other	$35,327,912
School Tax Rate	19.80%		Total	$216,120,445
Misc. Tax Rate	0.94%
Total Tax Rate	144.19%

Minnesota commercial real estate taxes are based upon market value of taxable property as set by the local assessor. To calculate the tax for the current year, first compute the tax capacity by multiplying all property value up to $150,000 times .015, plus any value over $150,000 times .02. Example: net tax capacity on a $200,000 business property: ($150,000 X .015) + ($50,000 X .02) = $2,250 + $1,000 = $3,250. Tax capacity times the tax rate equals taxes owed. Commercial and industrial property must also pay a state property tax, which is equal to the tax capacity times the State Tax Rate.

In some localities where voters have approved referendums, an additional referendum tax must be added, calculated by multiplying the referendum tax rate times the total market value of the commercial property.

Please note: Specific property tax classifications and computations can be more complex and result in different tax amounts. This simplified explanation applies in the most general situations and will allow a business to roughly estimate its potential property tax burden. The county assessor or auditor may be able to answer questions about specific properties and uses.

Commercial Buildings and Land Sites

Land Site Address City, State  Zip Code	Space Available Build To Suit Zoning	Contact Name Organization Phone Number
Whitewater Industrial Park   Lot 2 Block 1 St. Charles, MN 55972	1.4  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park   Lot 3 Block 1 St. Charles, MN 55972	0.7  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park   Lot 4 Block 2 St. Charles, MN 55972	0.8  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park   Lot 5 Block 2 St. Charles, MN 55972	1.1  Acres   Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park   Lot 6 Block 2 St. Charles, MN 55972	1.3  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park First Subdivision  170 West Circle Drive St. Charles, MN 55972	1.8  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park Second Subdivision  203 Industrial Park Drive NW St. Charles, MN 55972	1.0  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park Second Subdivision  204 Industrial Park Drive NW St. Charles, MN 55972	0.7  Acres   Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020
Whitewater Industrial Park Second Subdivision  206 Industrial Park Drive NW St. Charles, MN 55972	0.7  Acres Yes Light Manufacturing	Cris Gastner SEMDC (507) 932-3020

Economic Development Services

Contact Information
Nick Koverman City Administrator St. Charles, City of 830 Whitewater Avenue St. Charles, MN  55972 (507) 932-3020	William Spitzer Mayor St. Charles, City of 830 Whitewater Avenue St. Charles, MN  55972 507-932-3020	Cris Gastner Staff St Charles EDA 830 Whitewater Ave St. Charles, MN  55972 (507) 932-3020

Disaster & Emergency Services

Name	Phone Number(s)
Public Safety emergency resources	1-800-422-0798 or metro 651-649-5451
Federal Emergency Management Agency	Region V FEMA 312-408-5500
Small Business Administration Disaster Resources	Disaster Area Offices 404-347-3771
St. Charles Police Department	507-932-3020