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COMMUNITY PROFILE Ramsey County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | July 2012 2-7 2.4 Economy Ramsey County is one of two major employment centers for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan region. More people are employed in Ramsey County companies than there are working residents, and the working population accounts for 98.3 percent of the overall metropolitan area. The largest employers by industry include healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, manufacturing, public administration, accommodation and foodservices, administrative and waste services, and financial and insurance. According to the Ramsey County Comprehensive Plan Update for 2030, the County’s infrastructure supports the whole metropolitan area’s economic activity and its population’s characteristics significantly influence employment and economic development, housing, use of recreational facilities, transit services and transportation, utilization of county services, and other system infrastructures. Therefore, effects of hazards on Ramsey County infrastructure are directly linked to the economic well-being of the entire metro area. 2.5 Climate The Ramsey County climate is considered severe, especially in the winter months. This problem is becoming worse as the impacts of climate change have continued to affect the County with additional extreme weather. Averaging 30.44 inches of rain per year and temperatures can range from a high of 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in summer to a low of -30 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. This equates to an average temperature of 44 degrees and consists of warm summers and cold winters. Residents of Ramsey County experience four distinct seasons. Weather conditions can be extreme during the winter months. Annual snowfall averages approximately 45 inches. During the summer, Ramsey County is on the northern edge of “tornado alley” and severe thunderstorm are commonplace. 2.6 Land Use Current Land Use Ramsey County has been completely urbanized since 1990. All land is used for residential or commercial purposes with the exception of those areas designated as historic sites or used for recreation. Future Land Use The Metropolitan Council is responsible for determining land use within the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA), the seven counties surrounding the Twin Cities, including Ramsey County. The Metropolitan Council ensures that regional services and facilities, such as sewers and major highways, are provided or planned. The Council oversees provision of these services under the authority of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act in state law. The Council provides growing cities the flexibility to decide where development occurs within broader areas that are planned and staged for development, consistent with regional perspectives 3. The Metropolitan Council makes all decisions regarding future land use within Ramsey County; therefore, the County has no authority. This section displays a number of maps illustrating Ramsey County’s current land use, project land use, topography, bedrock geology, steep slopes, and bodies of water. 3 Metropolitan Urban Service Area FAQs. The Metropolitan Council. August 2006. http://www.metrocouncil.org/about/facts/MUSAfacts.pdf