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Anoka County, Minnesota facts for kids

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Anoka County
The Anoka County Courthouse and Government Center in downtown Anoka, July 2009
The Anoka County Courthouse and Government Center in downtown Anoka, July 2009
Map of Minnesota highlighting Anoka County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Minnesota
Founded May 23, 1857
Named for City of Anoka
Seat Anoka
Largest city Blaine
Area
 • Total 446 sq mi (1,160 km2)
 • Land 423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Water 23 sq mi (60 km2)  5.2%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 363,887
 • Estimate 
(2021)
367,018 Increase
 • Density 862/sq mi (333/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 3rd, 5th, 6th

Anoka County ( ə-NOH-kə) is the fourth-most-populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 363,887. The county seat and namesake of the county is the city of Anoka, which is derived from the Dakota word anokatanhan meaning "on (or from) both sides," referring to its location on the banks of the Rum River. The largest city in the county is the city of Blaine, the thirteenth-largest city in Minnesota and the eighth-largest Twin Cities suburb.

Anoka County comprises the north portion of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the largest metropolitan area in the state and the sixteenth-largest in the United States with about 3.64 million residents.

The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest. The Rum River cuts through the county and was the site of many early European settlements. It was a common route to the Mille Lacs Lake, the spiritual homeland of the Ojibwe people. Father Louis Hennepin traveled the river in his first exploration of the region. The area became a center of fur trade and logging as French and French Canadian communities grew in the cities of Anoka and Centerville. Organized in 1857, the county's southern border eventually met Minneapolis and has become a predominantly suburban area following the construction of Interstate 35W. The county is home to local Twin Cities destinations such as the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights and Northtown Mall and the National Sports Center in Blaine.

Springbrook Nature Center Area New Wiki Version
Soils of Springbrook Nature Center area

History

Anoka County was organized by an act of the territorial Legislature on May 23, 1857, the year prior to Minnesota's admission to the Union. It was formed from parts of Ramsey County and Benton County; the Rum River previously divided the line between the two counties. The boundaries were mainly the same as they are now, except for a small part of the southeastern tip along the Mississippi River and at the south, formerly known as Manomin County. It was a small portion that connected to Ramsey and occupied one-third of the congressional township. It was then attached to Anoka County by constitutional amendment November 2, 1869. It later became known as Fridley in 1879.

The first white men to explore what is now Anoka County were the Franciscan friar Louis Hennepin and two others in his party. Not soon after, fur traders began to settle in the area which is now Ramsey County. They settled on the Rum River and more people were attracted to the area. A community was created which is now called Anoka.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 446 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 423 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (5.2%) is water.

Lakes

  • Bunker Lake
  • Cedar Lake
  • Coon Lake
  • Crooked Lake
  • Ham Lake
  • Lake George
  • McCann Lake
  • Moore Lake
  • Round Lake
  • Spring Lake
  • Smith Lake

Rivers

Major highways

  • I-35.svg Interstate 35
  • I-35E.svg Interstate 35E
  • I-35W.svg Interstate 35W
  • I-694.svg Interstate 694
  • US 10.svg US Highway 10
  • US 169 (MN).svg US Highway 169
  • MN-47.svg Minnesota State Highway 47
  • MN-65.svg Minnesota State Highway 65
  • MN-97.svg Minnesota State Highway 97
  • MN-242.svg Minnesota State Highway 242 (Now Anoka County 14.svg Anoka County Road 14)
  • MN-610.svg Minnesota State Highway 610
  • List of county roads

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Anoka, Minnesota
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1
 
23
5
 
 
0.9
 
29
10
 
 
1.8
 
41
22
 
 
3
 
58
35
 
 
3.7
 
70
46
 
 
4.4
 
77
56
 
 
4.5
 
81
61
 
 
4.4
 
78
59
 
 
3.9
 
70
50
 
 
2.8
 
57
38
 
 
2
 
40
25
 
 
1.2
 
26
10
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Anoka have ranged from a low of 5 °F (−15 °C) in January to a high of 81 °F (27 °C) in July, although a record low of −40 °F (−40 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.87 inches (22 mm) in February to 4.45 inches (113 mm) in July.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 2,106
1870 3,940 87.1%
1880 7,108 80.4%
1890 9,884 39.1%
1900 11,313 14.5%
1910 12,493 10.4%
1920 15,626 25.1%
1930 18,415 17.8%
1940 22,443 21.9%
1950 35,579 58.5%
1960 85,916 141.5%
1970 154,712 80.1%
1980 195,998 26.7%
1990 243,641 24.3%
2000 298,084 22.3%
2010 330,844 11.0%
2020 363,887 10.0%
2021 (est.) 367,018 10.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020
USA Anoka County, Minnesota age pyramid
Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 Census data

The 2000 United States census listed 298,084 people, 106,428 households, and 79,395 families in the county. The population density was 705 sq mi (272/km2). There were 108,091 housing units at an average density of 256/sqmi (98.7/km2). The 2010 United States Census found that 330,844 people were in the county.

At the time of the 2000 Census, the racial makeup of the county was 93.64 percent white, 1.60 percent black or African American, 0.70 percent Native American, 1.69 percent Asian, 0.02 percent Pacific Islander, 0.65 percent from other races, and 1.71 percent from two or more races, and 1.66 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2000 Census found 30.2 percent were of German, 14.3 percent Norwegian, 9.0 percent Swedish, 7.3 percent Irish and 5.9 percent Polish ancestry.

There were 106,428 households, out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. Of all households, 19.30% were made up of individuals, and 5.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.19.

The county population contained 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 34.10% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,754, and the median income for a family was $64,261. Males had a median income of $41,527 versus $30,534 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,297. About 2.90% of families and 4.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.90% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Township

  • Linwood Township

Census-designated place

  • Martin Lake

Unincorporated community

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Anoka para niños

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