Coon Rapids Dam
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Coon Rapids is a northern suburb of
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, and is the largest city in Anoka County,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, United States. The population was 63,599 at the 2020 census, making it the fifteenth largest city in Minnesota and the seventh largest
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
suburb.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Recreational lakes in the city include Cenaiko Lake and Crooked Lake, two-thirds of which is in Coon Rapids. The other third is in the city of Andover, immediately to the north.


History

In 1835, the Red River Ox Cart Trail was laid to establish military and trade connections between Minneapolis and Anoka. The first industries of Coon Rapids sprung up around the road, including the prominent Anoka Pressed Brick and Terra Cotta Company, founded by Dr. D.C. Dunham in 1881. The clay excavation site – known locally as the “Clay Hole” – is one of the lasting reminders of Coon Rapids’ industrial history. Today, the vital Red River Ox Cart Trail is known as Coon Rapids Boulevard and remains an important commercial corridor for the city. In 1912, construction began on the Coon Rapids Dam and the influx of laborers and engineers increased the city's population to over 1,000 for the first time. Completed in 1914, the dam functioned as a regional power source for the
Northern States Power Company Northern States Power Company () was a publicly traded S&P 500 electric and natural gas utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that is now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy (). History The company's founder, Henry Marison Byllesby, ha ...
until it was sold to the Hennepin County Park Board in 1969 and incorporated into the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. When the dam was built, Anoka Township renamed itself Coon Creek Rapids, later shortened to Coon Rapids. In 1959, the Village of Coon Rapids voted to incorporate as a city and the City of Coon Rapids was born. The city's population increased from 14,000 in 1959 to more than 63,385 in 2021, making it the 15th largest city in Minnesota.


Transportation

While commercial traffic on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
once passed through Coon Rapids - steamboats could reach as far north as St. Cloud under certain conditions the completion of the Coon Rapids Dam in 1914 established the city as the northernmost navigable point of the Mississippi river. U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highways 47 and 610 are three of the main routes in the city. Coon Rapids Riverdale Station is served by the
Northstar Commuter Rail The Northstar Line is a commuter rail route in the US state of Minnesota. Northstar runs from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis at Target Field using existing track and right-of-way owned by the BNSF Railway. Passenger service began on Novemb ...
line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
; the line opened in November 2009. The Burlington Northern/Santa Fe mainline railroad from Seattle to Chicago travels directly through Coon Rapids, and the commuter rail runs on these tracks.


Economy

Coon Rapids is home to the headquarters of medical device manufacturer RMS Company, healthcare and housing provider, Mary T, Inc., furniture retailer HOM Furniture, and printers/publishers John Roberts Company and ECM Publishers.


Largest employers

According to the City's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers are:


Government

The city of Coon Rapids has a non-partisan council–manager form of government, and its current
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
is Jerry Koch. As of the 2022 election, Coon Rapids is represented in the State House by districts 35B ( Peggy Scott,
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
), 35A (
Zack Stephenson Zack Stephenson is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 35A in the northwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Ear ...
,
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
), and 37A ( Erin Koegel, Democrat); and in the State Senate by districts 35 ( Jim Abeler, Republican), and 37 (
Jerry Newton Jerry Newton was the older brother of Wayne Newton. He and Wayne performed as the Rascals in Rhythm in Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas as children, as well as later on ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' and ''Ozark Jubilee''. In the 1966 ''Bonanza'' episode ...
, Democrat). Coon Rapids is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Dean Phillips.


Mayors & Current Local Government

Since its incorporation as a city in 1952, Coon Rapids, Minnesota has had 15
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
s: The next mayoral election will take place in 2026.
As of the 2022 election, the current members of the Coon Rapids City Council are:


Education

The city is home to Anoka-Ramsey Community College, which offers a wide variety of 2- and 4-year programs. The college awarded 754 Associate degrees in 2013. Coon Rapids is served by the Anoka-Hennepin Public School District 11.
Coon Rapids High School Coon Rapids High School (CRHS) is a public high school in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 and participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program. Academics The C ...
is the largest school in the city, with enrollment of approximately 2800. Coon Rapids Middle School is also located in the city, sharing a parking lot with the high school. The private Catholic school, Epiphany, is another school that is within the city. Cross of Christ Lutheran School is a Pre-K-8 grade school of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwauke ...
in Coon Rapids
Northwest Passage High School
is a highly rated charter school specializing in inquiry-driven
project based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...
, interdisciplinary seminars and expeditions. In the 1980s the Minnesota Japanese School, a weekend supplementary school for Japanese people, formerly held its classes at the Coon Rapids campus, using eleven of its classrooms.
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Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...
.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 61,476 people, 23,532 households, and 16,323 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was . There were 24,462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.0%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 5.5%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.7% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 1.2% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 3.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 23,532 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.6% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 2,718.1 people per square mile (1,049.5/km2). There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 1,007.2 per square mile (388.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.22%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 2.18%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.67% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.59% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.73% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino of any race were 1.51% of the population. There were 22,578 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $55,550, and the median income for a family was $62,260. Males had a median income of $41,195 versus $30,277 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $22,915. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


City of Coon Rapids official website
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River Cities in Anoka County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Minnesota Territory