Home inspection in St. Francis.

What we see in St. Francis homes.

St. Francis dates to 1855, when Dwight Woodbury built a dam, a mill and the first structure on the Rum River. The township was organized in 1857 and the city incorporated in 1962. It covers 23.73 square miles across parts of Anoka and Isanti counties, with Highway 47 and Ambassador Boulevard as main routes. The population jumped 93.5 percent from 1990 to 2000 and another 12.8 percent from 2010 to 2020, reaching 8,142, so most houses are subdivision builds from those decades, with rural lots beyond them.

Subdivision houses from the 1990s and 2000s tend to show builder-grade shortcuts: attic ventilation and insulation, flashing, grading that has settled and deck attachments. Furnaces, water heaters and roofs on the earlier ones are nearing replacement age. On rural lots, foundation drainage, outbuildings and whichever well or septic components are visible matter, and buyers should confirm how the property is served. For radon, EPA lists Anoka County as Zone 2, and MDH recommends every Minnesota home be tested.

Local facts checked September 2026 against: Wikipedia, Minnesota Department of Health.