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• Anoka County Multi - Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan AIIIMMOMMIIMIMONIMISIWAMMO 4.4.7 Land Use and Development Trends ANOKA COUNTY Geographic location and characteristics - Anoka County is one of the seven metropolitan counties that make up the Twin Cities. It is situated in the northwestern portion of the Minneapolis -St. Paul metropolitan area. Anoka County is located in the eastern part of the State of Minnesota, roughly midway between the state's northern and southern boundary. It is bounded on the north by Isanti County, on the east by Chisago and Washington Counties, on the south by Ramsey County, on the south and west by Hennepin County, and on the west by Sherburne County. The Mississippi River forms the southwestern boundary between Anoka County and Hennepin County. Anoka County lies on both sides of the Rum River, which enters the county approximately 20 miles north of its confluence with the Mississippi River in the City of Anoka. The Rum River enters Anoka County in the City of St, Francis and flows south through the Cities of Oak Grove, Ramsey, Andover, and finally Anoka. Anoka County has a total surface area of 430 square miles. This includes approximately 320 square miles of land surface, 90 square miles of wetland surface, and 20 square miles of lakes and streams surface. The southern portion of the county is mostly urbanized and the northern portion of the county is rural in nature. During the past several decades Anoka County has been one of the fastest developing counties in Minnesota. Residential, commercial, and industrial development is continuing with the most activity concentrated in the central portion of the county. Multi hazard Requirement §201.6(c)(2)(ii)(C): [The plan should describe vulnerability in terms of] providing a general description of land uses and development trends within the community so that mitigation options can be considered in future land use decisions. A. Does the plan describe land uses and development trends? Public lands - Anoka County has thousands of acres of public land set aside for all types of activities. There are 11 large State of Minnesota wildlife management areas and land trusts sites in Anoka County. There is numerous smaller land trust and research sites scattered through out the northern half of the county. The largest of the wildlife management areas is Carlos Avery covering 26,000 acres located in the City of Columbus and Linwood Township. Carlos Avery is a unique natural resource. It is the largest wildlife management area in close proximity to a major metropolitan city. The second largest is Cedar Creek Natural History Area covering 3,000 acres in the City of East Bethel, with an additional 500 acres in Isanti County. The third largest management area is the Bethel Wildlife Management Area covering 160 acres located in the City of St. Francis, Anoka County also has a number of major regional facilities. One is the Blaine Anoka County Regional Airport - Janes Field the largest of the reliever airports in the Metropolitan Airports Commission system. Another is the National Sports Center. Both of these facilities are located in the City of Blaine. The Blaine Anoka County Regional Airport is both a recreational asset and a commercial /industrial asset. The National Sports Center is a unique recreational venue. The Center is a nationally recognized facility that supports multiple sporting activities including soccer, hockey, figure skating, cycling, and track and field. As one of the largest amateur sports facilities in the world, the National Sports Center hosts upwards of three million visitors each year for events such as the USA Cup. Within Anoka County there are hundreds of other locations that provide recreational opportunities to residents. There are over 55 major community parks in the cities and townships of Anoka County. Many of the cities in Anoka County support both organized team activities as well as individual and personal types of activities at municipal parks and recreational complexes. Local public and