ROCHESTER, Minn. -
Residents in Rochester are no strangers to growth.
Even after being born and raised here, Nancy thinks watching the Med City expand is extraordinary.
"Living here, it was a small town," Nancy said. "Now, it's a big city."
Rochester is already the third-largest city in Minnesota, so another addition to downtown can be exciting.
"I can hardly wait to go to the new restaurant at Hilton and to have people come and stay at hotels," Jane said. "I think the growth is great."
But for some, it's cause for concern. Some worry all the new amenities could impact those who don't have as much money to fork over for rent.
"I just look at all the new apartments that are going up all around the city and they all look like they are more high-end," Nancy said. "We're gonna need more workers that don't need low-end but they need medium. So somebody needs to do that."
The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce is trying to calm those worries by saying new developments like the Hilton Hotel will bring more positives than negatives.
"Rising property values is a concern but it is a good thing too," Kathleen Harrington, the President, said. "But with this kind of construction comes a lot of new jobs, new opportunity for many, many new people and I think, exciting growth."
Still - some struggle to make ends meet.
"The way right now it is, it's going up no matter what," Mustaf said.
Others take it in stride.
"Not terrible," Gabe Garcia said. "It's not like cheap. But it's not also like I'm living paycheck to paycheck so it's manegeable.
As the city changes, residents make their way in the evolving community.