Franconia Township is a township in Chisago County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 1,805 at the 2010 census, up from 1,128 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. The township is home to the Franconia Sculpture Park.

History

Franconia Township was organized in 1858, and took its name from Franconia, Minnesota.

Geography

Franconia Township is located in the southeast corner of Chisago County, on the west side of the St. Croix River, which forms the

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

–

border. To the north are Shafer Township and the city of

Shafer Schaefer is an alternative spelling and cognate for the German word ''schäfer'', meaning 'shepherd', which itself descends from the Old High German '' scāphare''. Variants "Shaefer", "Schäfer" (a standardized spelling in many German-speaking ...

, to the north and west is Chisago Lake Township, and to the south in Washington County is the city of Scandia. The unincorporated community of

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

is located in the northeast corner of the township. U.S. Highway 8 follows the northern border of the township, leading east to Taylors Falls and west to Lindstrom. State Highway 95 ( MN 95) runs south through the township, set back from the top of the bluffs overlooking the St. Croix River. State Highway 243 leads east from MN 95 across the river to the nearby village of

Osceola, Wisconsin Osceola ( ) is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,765 at the 2020 census. Located mostly within the Town of Osceola, the village sits on the border with Minnesota, separated by the St. Croix River. It is ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Franconia Township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.50%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,128 people, 316 households, and 257 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 340 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.90%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.51%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.89% Native American, 0.35% Asian, and 0.35% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. There were 316 households, out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.37. In the township the population was spread out, with 34.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.7 males. The median income for a household in the township was $68,125, and the median income for a family was $70,521. Males had a median income of $48,333 versus $35,714 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $25,233. None of the families and 0.9% of the population were living 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 ...

, including no under eighteens and 1.5% of those over 64.

Popular culture

Franconia township is situated in a region commonly known as 'Swedeland, USA' for its locale as an area heavily settled by Swedish immigrants. Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg wrote a series of four novels regarding Swedish emigration to Minnesota titled ''The Emigrants'', the last of which contains a reference to Franconia. In the final chapters of ''The Last Letter Home'', the main character Karl Oskar watches his children grow into adulthood after the death of his wife Kristina. It is mentioned that the fifth of his six children, his daughter Ulrika, later married a Norwegian farmer and raised a family of four children in Franconia.Moberg, p. 226

References

External links

Franconia Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Chisago County, Minnesota Townships in Minnesota