Afton is a city in Washington 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 2,886 at the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

. It lies on a small bay where Valley Creek empties into the St. Croix River, several miles north of its confluence with 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 f ...

. Afton is well known for Afton Alps, the largest ski and snowboard area in the

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 statu ...

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

. It is home to

Afton State Park Afton State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the St. Croix River in Washington County. Its hiking trails offer views of the river, rolling glacial moraine, and bluffland it preserves. It is a popular place for birdwatching, picnics ...

on the St. Croix River. Due to these two destinations and its quaint small-town appearance in a major metropolitan area, Afton receives a fair amount of local tourism in the form of day trips. The 2018 US Winter Olympic Gold Medalist cross-country skier

Jessie Diggins Jessica Diggins (born August 26, 1991) is an American cross-country skier. She and teammate Kikkan Randall won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in the team sprint in 2018. At the 2022 Winter Oly ...

is from Afton.

History

The first settlers in the area arrived in 1837. The settlement of Afton was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1855, with the name chosen from a poem (

Sweet Afton "Sweet Afton" is a lyrical poem describing the Afton Water in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was written by Robert Burns in 1791 and set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman in 1837, under the title ''Flow gently, sweet Afton''. This poem was originally publ ...

) by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. A post office has been in operation at Afton since 1857. The city contains three properties listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

: the 1856

Erastus Bolles House The Erastus Bolles House is a historic house in Afton, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1856 in what was then the separate community of Valley Creek. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its loc ...

, the 1864

Newington Gilbert House The Newington Gilbert House is a historic house in Afton, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1864 in what was then the separate community of Valley Creek. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its ...

, and the 1867

Cushing Hotel The Cushing Hotel is a historic hotel in Afton, Minnesota, United States, established in 1867 to cater to railroad workers, lumbermen, and travelers. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 for having local signif ...

Geography

The city has a total area of ; is land and is water. Main routes include Hudson Road, County Roads 18, 21, and 71; and Minnesota Highway 95. Afton borders Lake St. Croix Beach, Lakeland, and St. Mary's Point to the east. It also borders West Lakeland Township to the north, Denmark Township to the south, and Woodbury to the west.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

, there were 2,886 people, 1,081 households, and 863 families in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 115/sqmi (44.4/km). There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of 45.6/sqmi (17.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

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 on ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 4.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.6% 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 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 1,081 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.2% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 48.2 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.1% were from 25 to 44; 42.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 2,839 people, 996 households, and 833 families residing in the city. The

was 113/sqmi (43.7/km). There were 1,027 housing units at an average density of 40.9/sqmi (15.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.65%

, 0.25%

, 1.02%

, 0.39% from

, and 1.69% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 996 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.5% were

living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.11. The city population contained 26.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $89,095, and the median income for a family was $96,087. Males had a median income of $64,135 versus $37,300 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 $36,338. None of the families and 0.6% 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 t ...

, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

References

External links

City of Afton – Official Website
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Washington County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in Minnesota Territory