Anoka County

All you want to know about Anoka County

Anoka County, Minnesota
Map
Location in the state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	May 23, 1857 ^[1]
Seat	Anoka
Largest city	Coon Rapids
Area - Total - Land - Water	446 sq mi (1,156 km²) 424 sq mi (1,097 km²) 23 sq mi (59 km²), 5.08%
Population - (2000 / 2006 (estimate)) - Density	298,084 / 327,005 704/sq mi (272/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website: www.co.anoka.mn.us
Named for: City of Anoka

Anoka County is the fourth most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. 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. Anoka County comprises the north portion of seven-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of Anoka County at 327,005 in 2006.^[2] The county seat is Anoka^[3].

One of the state's early settlements, the Rum River which cuts through the county, was a common route to Lake Mille Lacs, the spiritual homeland of the Mdewakanton Dakota. The river was traveled under captivity by Louis Hennepin in his first exploration of the region.^[4] The area became a center of fur trade and logging as French and French Canadian communities grew in the cities of Anoka and Centerville.^[5] 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 National Sports Center, Heights Theater, and Northtown Mall.

Anoka County is named after the City of Anoka in which is derived from the Dakota word anokatanhan meaning "on both sides", or "from both sides", referring to its location on the banks of the Rum River.^[6]

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 County Commissioners
5 Cities and towns
6 Lakes and Bodies of Water
7 References
8 External links

History

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 446 square miles (1,156 km²), of which, 424 square miles (1,097 km²) of it is land and 23 square miles (59 km²) of it (5.08%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Isanti County (north)
Chisago County (northeast)
Washington County (southeast)
Ramsey County (southeast)
Hennepin County (southwest)
Sherburne County (northwest)

National protected area

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 298,084 people, 106,428 households, and 79,395 families residing in the county. The population density was 704 people per square mile (272/km²). There were 108,091 housing units at an average density of 255 per square mile (99/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.64% White, 1.60% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 1.69% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 1.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.2% were of German, 14.3% Norwegian, 9.0% Swedish, 7.3% Irish and 5.9% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data.

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. 19.30% of all households 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.

In the county the population was spread out with 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.

County Commissioners

The Anoka County Courthouse and Government Center in downtown Anoka in 2006

As of January 2007

District 1 (western Andover, western Anoka, Bethel, Burns, western Oak Grove, Ramsey, Saint Francis) - Dennis Berg, Chair
District 2 (northeastern Andover, northern Blaine, East Bethel, Ham Lake, eastern Oak Grove) - Dick Lang
District 3 (central Blaine, northern Fridley, Spring Lake Park) - Robyn West
District 4 (Columbia Heights, southern Fridley, Hilltop) - Jim Kordiak, Vice Chair
District 5 (southern Andover and eastern Coon Rapids) - Scott LeDoux
District 6 (southeastern Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Linwood) - Rhonda Sivarajah
District 7 (eastern Anoka and western Coon Rapids) - Dan Erhart

Cities and towns

Cities		Townships	Unincorporated communities
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 St. Francis Spring Lake Park†	Linwood Township	Linwood

† only partly within Anoka County

Lakes and Bodies of Water

References

^ [1]
^ "2006 Census Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau (2006). Retrieved on 2008-10-22.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ "Anoka County Early Years". Anoka County Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-10-22.
^ By June D. Holmquist (1981). They Chose Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 40.
^ By Stephen Return Riggs, James Owen Dorsey (1892). A Dakota-English Dictionary. Govt. Print. Off., Univ of Michigan, 37. Retrieved on 2008-10-22.
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

Anoka County government's website

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Anoka County, Minnesota

County seat: Anoka

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 \| St. Francis \| Spring Lake Park‡

Townships	Linwood

Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties