Anoka County, Minnesota

Anoka County ( ) is the fourth-most-populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 339,534. 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 seventh-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 3.63 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.

History
Anoka County was organized by an act of the Minnesota 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 became known as Fridley in 1879.

The first white men to explore what is now Anoka County were the Franciscan friar Louis Hennepin and his party. Fur traders soon 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
The Mississippi River flows southeasterly along the county's southwestern boundary. The Rum River flows southerly through the western part of the county, discharging into the Mississippi at the county's southwestern boundary. The terrain consists of low rolling wooded hills. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is a small hillock 1.2 mile (1.9 km) east of the county's northwest corner, at 1,100' (335m) ASL. Otherwise the terrain's highest point is along the western part of the north boundary line, at 1,083' (330m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which  is land and  (5.2%) is water.

Lakes

 Bunker Lake
 Cedar Lake
 Coon Lake
 Crooked Lake
 Ham Lake
 Laddie Lake
 Lake George
 McKay Lake
 Moore Lake
 Round Lake
 Spring Lake
 Smith Lake

Rivers

 Cedar Creek
 Coon Creek
 Crooked Brook
 Ford Brook
 Hardwood Creek
 Mahoney Brook
 Mississippi River
 Rice Creek
 Rum River
 Sand Creek
 Seelye Brook
 Trott Brook
 Pheasant creek

Major highways

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

Adjacent counties

 Isanti County - north
 Chisago County - northeast
 Washington County - east
 Ramsey County - southeast
 Hennepin County - southwest
 Sherburne County - northwest

Protected areas

 Bethel Wildlife Management Area
 Boot Lake Scientific and Natural Area
 Bunker Hills Regional Park
 Carl E Bonnell Wildlife Management Area
 Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area
 Cedar Creek Conservation Area
 Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park
 East Bethel Booster Park
 Gordie Mikkelson Wildlife Management Area
 Helen Allison Savanna Scientific and Natural Area
 Lake George Regional Park
 Martin Island-Linwood Lakes Regional Park
 Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)
 Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Preserve
 Robert and Marilyn Burman Wildlife Management Area

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Anoka have ranged from a low of  in January to a high of  in July, although a record low of  was recorded in January 2019 and a record high of  was recorded in July 1988.  Average monthly precipitation ranged from  in February to  in July.

Demographics

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.

Government and politics

County Commissioners
As of June 2019
District 1 (western Anoka, Bethel, Nowthen, western Oak Grove, Ramsey, Saint Francis) - Matt Look
District 2 (northeastern Andover, northern Blaine, East Bethel, Ham Lake, eastern Oak Grove) - Julie Braastad
District 3 (central Blaine, northern Fridley, Spring Lake Park) - Robyn West
District 4 (Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, part of Spring Lake Park) - Mandy Meisner
District 5 (southern Andover and eastern Coon Rapids) - Mike Gamache
District 6 (southeastern Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Linwood) - Open
District 7 (eastern Anoka, western Andover and western Coon Rapids) - Scott Schulte, Chair

National elections
Since 1996, the Anoka County voters have selected the Republican Party candidate in every national election (as of 2016), thus making it the largest Republican-leaning county in Minnesota.

Communities

Cities

 Andover
 Anoka
 Bethel
 Blaine
 Centerville
 Circle Pines
 Columbia Heights
 Columbus
 Coon Rapids
 East Bethel
 Fridley
 Ham Lake
 Hilltop
 Lexington
 Lino Lakes
 Nowthen
 Oak Grove
 Ramsey
 Saint Francis
 Spring Lake Park

Township
 Oakwood Township

Census-designated place
 Martin Lake

Unincorporated community
 Linwood

See also
 National Register of Historic Places listings in Anoka County, Minnesota

References

External links
 Anoka County government's website
 Anoka County Historical Society Digital Collection, Minnesota Reflections

Category:Anoka County, Minnesota
Category:Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Category:Minnesota counties
Category:Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River
Category:1857 establishments in Minnesota Territory
Category:Populated places established in 1857