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Falcon Heights, Minnesota facts for kids

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Falcon Heights
City Hall
City Hall
Motto(s): 
"Families, Fields and Fair"
Location of the city of Falcon Heightswithin Ramsey County, Minnesota
Location of the city of Falcon Heights
within Ramsey County, Minnesota
Falcon Heights on The National Map
Falcon Heights on The National Map
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Ramsey
Area
 • Total 2.24 sq mi (5.80 km2)
 • Land 2.23 sq mi (5.78 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
955 ft (291 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 5,321
 • Estimate 
(2019)
5,528
 • Density 2,475.59/sq mi (955.87/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
55108, 55113
Area code(s) 651
612 (U of M campus only)
FIPS code 27-20420
GNIS feature ID 0643548
Website www.falconheights.org

Falcon Heights is a suburb of Saint Paul and a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,321 at the 2010 census. It became a village in 1949 and a city in 1973.

Falcon Heights is the home of the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus; the Gabbert Raptor Center and Les Bolstad Golf Course, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, and the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life. Its University Grove neighborhood is known for its modern architecture.

History

Heman Gibbs settled in the 1850s near the modern intersection of Cleveland and Larpenteur Avenues. His homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places and his home is a county museum.

On September 2, 1901, then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt first publicly used the African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, which was still a part of St. Paul at the time. Roosevelt became president just two weeks later, upon the assassination of William McKinley, and built the phrase into his concept of Big Stick Diplomacy.

In the 1930s, a real estate agent named Faulkner developed land owned by a 3M executive and named this development—Falcon Heights—after himself. The first house arose in 1937. In the 1940s, Curtiss Field was an airport near the intersection of Snelling and Larpenteur. This land is now a city park named Curtiss Field.

In 1949 residents rejected annexation by Roseville or St. Paul, and voted to incorporate themselves. The expanded Falcon Heights included the University of Minnesota Golf Course and Test Fields as well as the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Two-thirds of Falcon Heights is public land, chiefly the university and state fair.

Parks

Falcon Heights Community Park and Curtiss Field have recreational sports in the summer for kids and an ice rink and warming house in the winter. The community park also has a soccer field and a fitness course. In the winter Falcon Heights Elementary School has ice rinks and a warming house. Grove Park, in University Grove, also has a temporary warming house and ice rink in the winter.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.24 square miles (5.80 km2), of which 2.23 square miles (5.78 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.

Snelling and Larpenteur welcome sign
Corner of Snelling and Larpenteur Avenues

Minnesota Highway 51 / Snelling Avenue serves as a main route in the community.

Falcon Heights is bordered by Lauderdale to the west, St. Paul to the south and Roseville to the north and east.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1950 3,884
1960 5,927 52.6%
1970 5,530 −6.7%
1980 5,291 −4.3%
1990 5,380 1.7%
2000 5,572 3.6%
2010 5,321 −4.5%
2019 (est.) 5,528 3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
Falcon Heights, Minnesota, map (1951)
1951 map of Falcon Heights

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,321 people, 2,131 households, and 1,259 families living in the city. The population density was 2,386.1 inhabitants per square mile (921.3/km2). There were 2,254 housing units at an average density of 1,010.8 per square mile (390.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 8.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 15.0% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 2,131 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 31.8 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 16.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.7% were from 25 to 44; 21.8% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

In popular culture

The 2001 film Sugar & Spice was partly filmed in Falcon Heights.

A small part of the 1996 film Jingle All the Way starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was filmed at Falcon Heights Elementary.

Education

Falcon Heights is served by the Roseville Area School District. Falcon Heights Elementary is the only school within the city boundary. The elementary school features a park with two playgrounds, one of them built in 2006.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Falcon Heights (Minnesota) para niños

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