Fort Snelling is an unorganized territory of

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapo ...

in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. It is named after historic Fort Snelling, which is located within its boundaries. The district also includes

Coldwater Spring Coldwater Spring (Dakota language, Dakota: ''Mní Ówe Sní'') is a spring (hydrosphere), spring in the Fort Snelling unorganized territory of the U.S. state of Minnesota, that is considered a sacred site by the Dakota people, and was also the si ...

park, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, parts of the

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a and protected corridor along the Mississippi River through the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, to just downstream of H ...

, and several government facilities. As of the 2020 census the territory had a population of 322 people.

Geography

The unorganized territory of Fort Snelling is just east of the city of Richfield. Historic Fort Snelling is located at the eastern end of the territory, near the confluence of 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 ...

with the Minnesota River. It also borders

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 ...

to the north and Bloomington to the southwest, while across the Mississippi River is

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

in Ramsey County, and across the Minnesota River are Mendota and Mendota Heights in Dakota County. For postal purposes, the eastern portion addresses in the unorganized territory (including Terminal 1 of the

Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

and the Fort Snelling historic site) are in zip code 55111 with a

mailing address, while addresses in the western part of the territory (including the airport's Terminal 2 and the

Metropolitan Airports Commission The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is the owner and operator of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota as well as six other reliever airports in the Twin Cities region, which primarily provide se ...

offices) are in zip code 55450 and have a Minneapolis mailing address. 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 ...

, this unorganized territory has a total area of 17.2 km² (6.7 mi²). 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. Fort Snelling's territory contains numerous military and other federal facilities. These facilities include the current

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

base at Fort Snelling, Fort Snelling National Cemetery, and the Minneapolis

Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a nationa ...

Medical Center. Several facilities belonging to Minnesota state government agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Transportation are also located in the territory, as are the headquarters and portions of

Fort Snelling State Park Fort Snelling State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of Minnesota, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. For many centuries, the area of the modern park has been of importance to the Mdewakanton Dakota people who consid ...

and the

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in eastern and central Minnesota. Located just south of the city of Minneapolis, it is one of fourteen Regional Priority Urban Wildlife Refuges in the nation. Many par ...

. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, however, includes most of the land area of the unorganized territory.

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

Building C is located on the property of Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and in Fort Snelling.Fort Snelling UT, Hennepin county, Minnesota
.
Archive

U.S. 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 the ...

. Retrieved on December 19, 2009. Delta uses it for northern and regional operations.Niemela, Jennifer.
Delta reaches deal on Minnesota jobs
. '' Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal''. Tuesday December 16, 2008. Retrieved on January 19, 2012.

Demographics

Fort Snelling was listed as an incorporated village during the 1890 Census. Most people resident in the unorganized territory are service members stationed at the barracks at Fort Snelling. The number of troops stationed there has declined over the years; for example, between the 2000 and 2010 censuses the population dropped from 442 to 149. Since then, however, a small amount of private housing in the old fort's Upper Post area has been developed as housing aimed at veterans, and more is planned, so the population may increase again. 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 2020, 322 people resided in 239 households in the unorganized territory. 83.5% of households spoke English at home and 14.6% spoke Spanish. The median household income was $18,594. 31.1% of the population was 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 ...

References

{{Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Unorganized territories in Minnesota Populated places in Hennepin County, Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River Former municipalities in Minnesota