Low Cost Power | Connectivity | Transportation
Infrastructure
Commercial and industrial infrastructure such as low cost electrical power, next generation broadband connectivity and a global transportation network for shipping make the Grand Rapids-Itasca County area a great place to do business.
Low cost electric power (some of the lowest in the U.S.) provides a bottom line advantage by helping to reduce variable costs for business operations.
Broadband connectivity, including fiber to more than 4,000 homes in the Grand Rapids area, allows business the advantage of home based operations.
Serving as a hub for two U. S. Highways, the Grand Rapids area allows shipping to all points in North America and globally via a deep water port one hour away in Duluth., Minnesota.
Minnesota Power, Lake Country Power and North Itasca Electric Cooperative provide electrical service in Itasca County. Their rates are consistently among the lowest in the nation.
| Provider | Industrial - Cent per kWh |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Power (2008) | $.0621 |
| U.S. Mid-Atlantic (2009) | $.0825 |
| U.S. West South Central (2009) | $.07 |
| U.S. West Pacific (2009) | $.0745 |
| New England (2009) | $.1162 |
The Itasca County area is uniquely positioned for significant expansion in the use of Broadband for individual and commercial use. Though primarily rural in nature with many opportunities to live on nearby lakes or in surrounding forests, access to Broadband exists extensively throughout the county.
As an example, of the approximately 4,000 homes in the Grand Rapids area, virtually all are currently served by fiber optic cable. This allows FTTP Internet services that are easily available, commercially affordable, and reasonably priced. This infrastructure supports internet speeds of up to 60Mbps and Metro Ethernet speeds up to 1Gbps. Similar in place plant exists in the adjacent cities of Cohasset and Deer River adding several thousand additional homes. Additional construction in progress will give more nearby rural areas this same advantage.
Additionally, there exists within the City of Grand Rapids Central Business District an asset seldom found in smaller municipalities. The Itasca Technology Exchange offers space and a co-location Data Center used by several tenants and available for external co-location services. The Data Center is currently served by triple redundant Internet services at 18Mbps. Itasca Technology Exchange connects early-stage and expanding technology companies with high-speed, high-bandwidth network connectivity, data center services, office facilities, capital investment, and business services to help grow technology business.
Itasca County area is unique not only in its quality of life, but in its ability to welcome and support Information Technology employers.
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HIGHWAYS: US Highways 2 and 169 and State Highways 6, 38, 46, 65 and 200 provide good surface transportation routes to the Itasca area. US Highway 2 between Grand Rapids and Duluth, MN is a designated heavy haul corridor allowing transportation by double trailer rigs. This Commodity Corridor provides access to international shipping channels available at the Port of Duluth.
RAIL: Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail service.
AIRPORTS: Airways Aviation provides services such as Northern Air charter flights, scenic air rides, aircraft rental and flight instruction. Smaller county airports are located in the communities of Bowstring and Bigfork. The Chisholm/Hibbing airport is located half hour east of Grand Rapids and offers service to major airports through Northwest Airlink flights.
DEEP WATER PORT: Access to shipping channels is available at the international seaway port located at Duluth, Minnesota, an hour away.
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