[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 8, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E292-E293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOODBURY, MINNESOTA

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 8, 2017

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th 
Anniversary of Woodbury, Minnesota. Located east of Saint Paul on the 
picturesque high ground between the Mississippi and St. Croix River 
Valleys, Woodbury has quickly grown from a small farming community to a 
bustling suburb of 68,000 residents. The city of Woodbury enters its 
50th year as a thriving community for all ages, with excellent schools, 
vibrant businesses and beautiful neighborhoods, lakes and parks.
  In the 1840s, settlers primarily from the eastern U.S. and Germany 
arrived to the area, then called Red Rock by the native Dakota. 
Settlers soon incorporated the area as a township and named it after 
former U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy and Treasury, and Supreme 
Court Justice, Levi Woodbury. Much of the wooded land was converted 
into farmland, and agriculture dominated the area over the course of 
the next century. As development pressures increased, in 1967 residents 
chose to incorporate as the city of Woodbury to retain local control 
over rapid development of the community.
  Today, Woodbury is one of the fastest growing Minnesota communities 
and is currently the state's ninth largest city. Twenty-thousand new 
residents flocked to the city between 2000-2016 and many more are 
expected to arrive in the coming years, attracted by its tremendous 
amenities and easy access to freeways and planned transit connections. 
Woodbury is home to a flourishing health and wellness industry, and has 
also drawn countless other businesses to the area, which benefits from 
one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation. It is no 
surprise that Woodbury is regularly rated one of the ``Best Places to 
Live'' in national rankings.

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  Since its founding, residents of Woodbury have always demonstrated a 
giving spirit to improve their community and welcome newcomers. As 
Woodbury grows and thrives, new residents are bringing diversity, 
creativity and energy that ensure the city will be an even better place 
in the next 50 years. I encourage all residents to recognize this 
special anniversary year and share their memories and their vision for 
the next half century.
  Mr. Speaker, as residents of Woodbury prepare to gather on March 27, 
2017 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the city, please join me in 
honoring this milestone.

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