The landscape in and around Minot has been quickly changing over the past several years as development has been booming.

The boundaries of the Magic City have also been expanding to meet the need for more space...

for commercial business and places to live.

Tonight Shaun Sipma looks into the expansion of the city and where the new lines are being drawn.

The City of Minot, nicknamed the Magic City in it's early days because at the speed of which it grew seemed almost Magic.

It's seems these days the Magic has returned to Minot as growth has once again put the city on the map.

(Donna Bye, Minot City Planner) We'll we're seeing a growth in all quadrants of the city."


City Planner Donna Bye says permits like these have been flying out the door for several years now as construction has been booming.

(Donna Bye, Minot City Planner) "This is where Minot is making it's mark and we're really making a lot of great press on it."


Bye says the growth that really began in 2003 with a few smaller residential subdivisions has heated up and spread out around the city.

(Donna Bye, Minot City Planner) "Our industrial growth has gone a little bit towards the east around the airport and certainly across Highway 2 and East Burdick. A majority of our redisential growth is in the southeast quadrant with a little bit northwest and southwest. And then we've seen a majority of our commercial development certainly out around the Super Walmart, the Dakota Square Area and then a little bit up on North Broadway."


The areas highlighted by different colors depict parts of teh city that have been annexed in different years. Some of the largest being the energy and Agriculture parks in 2006, airport property and other commercial and residential areas in 2007, and several very large residential developments in 2008

In 2009 even more residential areas were brought into the city along with more industrial ground on Minot's eastern edge.

Bye says even with the addition of new housing projects, her office is still hearing about a need for more in Minot.

(Donna Bye, Minot City Planner) "We're still hearing from the residential side that there is still a lack of adequate housing space espeically when you start talking about the growth that's coming from the Minot Air Force Base and those oil industry jobs."


With no signs of things slowing up yet, Bye says she expects more growth in the near future in the southwest part of Minot simply because of the demographic already there.

(Donna Bye, Minot City Planner) "Certainly the shopping district does tend to pull more businesses around them. As the Y and the new trail out there people tend to migrate towards those areas."

As migrating goes, Minot as a whole seems to be the area people and businesses are migrating to and with it... is a need for more space.

We'll continue to look into the growth of the Magic City tomorrow.

Shaun Sipma KX News. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list