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4 <br /> <br />Existing and Future Land Use <br />The Fargo Moorhead metropolitan area has seen tremendous growth in recent years. The economic prosperity <br />of the metro area has contributed to the growth in the surrounding communities. According to the 1990 Census, <br />Cass County population was 102,874, grew to 123,138 in 2000, then increased 21.6% to 149,778 in 2010 and <br />then increased 23.2% to 184,525 in 2020. With significant growth in commercial and residential building <br />permits, Cass County can expect continued growth. In addition to utilizing Census data to project growth, Cass <br />County participates with the FM Metro COG in researching demographic trends as part of its long-range <br />transportation planning and modeling. It is anticipated that by the year 2030 population in Cass County could <br />grow to over 200,000. Table 1 illustrates population in the County’s largest cities. <br /> <br />Despite the growth and importance of the metro area, the County <br />remains primarily agricultural. The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed <br />that Ninety-Five percent of the approximately 1.13 million acres of <br />land in Cass County are used for agricultural purposes. Map 1 <br />illustrates this by showing agricultural land uses in white, green, and <br />rust orange, commercial in dark blue, and residential in orange. It <br />becomes evident that the County’s land use is predominately <br />agricultural. In 2024 the 2022 Census of Agriculture will be released <br />with updated numbers. <br />Further, the County has committed to promote development only in <br />areas that can adequately accommodate it. The 2018 Cass County <br />Comprehensive and Transportation Plan describes Cass County’s <br />commitment to achieve orderly development that maintains Cass County’s rural heritage. The plan can be <br />found at: https://www.casscountynd.gov/our-county/planning/cass-county-comprehensive-and-transportation- <br />plan/comprehensive-plan-current-documents. <br />Highway Safety <br />Cass County and its agents are committed to continuing to implement effective roadway safety practices during <br />the planning and maintenance of the county road network. Commitment to educating the public, roadway <br />safety improvements, sign maintenance and improvement, routine road maintenance, and operational safety <br />are all components of each project. Cass County is a member of the state’s Vision Zero Partnership Network and <br />has won multiple Vision Zero Partner Awards in safety <br />Map 1: Existing Land Use