Princeton, Minnesota
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Princeton is a city in Mille Lacs and Sherburne counties in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
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 ...
, at the junction of the
Rum River The Rum River is a slow, meandering stream that connects Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake with the Mississippi River. It runs for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 5, 2 ...
and its West branch. It is 50 miles north 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 30 miles east of St. Cloud, at the intersection of Highways
169 Year 169 ( CLXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Apollinaris (or, less frequently, year 922 ''Ab urbe co ...
and 95. The population was 4,819 at the 2020 census. A majority of its residents live in Mille Lacs County.


History

In the winter of 1855 Samuel Ross, Jame W. Gillian, Dorilus Morrison, John S. Prince and Richard Chute platted the town of Princeton. The plat was officially recorded on April 19, 1856.''Princeton Centennial.'' #Ptown, Minn.: Princeton Centennial Committee. 1956.


Lumbering

Princeton's location near the junction of the Rum River and its West branch was critical to the town's development. In 1847, Daniel Stanchfield led an expedition to explore the Rum River. The group discovered vast white pine forests upstream from Princeton's future site along the Rum River, the West Branch Rum River, and their tributaries. Three sawmills were built in Princeton between 1856 and 1867. Lumbermen floated logs down the Rum River to the Princeton mills, though most of the logs passed through Princeton to mills in
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 ...
.


Brickmaking

Brick-making was another important industry in the Princeton area. The industry developed about two miles northeast of Princeton near beds of clay. A community known as Brickton formed in the location. From 1889 through the late 1920s several brickyards operated in Brickton, collectively producing as many as 20 million bricks per year. When the brick industry declined, Brickton ceased to exist. “Years after the last brick had been shipped from Brickton, specifications in contracts for construction of public buildings often stated that it should be of Princeton brick or of equally good quality.”


Other

Other important industries in Princeton's early years included: wheat farming (before potatoes became primary), potato farming, starch production, dairy, and distilled spirits production, in which the town's distillery continues to play a key role. The Princeton Farmers Market has been a seasonal mainstay since 1988.


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 the ...
, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water.


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 incl ...
of 2010, there were 4,698 people, 1,926 households, and 1,176 families living 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 . There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.5%
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 ...
, 0.4%
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, 0.3%
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 ...
, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% 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 ...
or
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 1,926 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% 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, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% 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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 3,933 people, 1,624 households, and 998 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,670 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.27%
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 ...
, 0.13%
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 ...
, 0.38% Native American, 0.28%
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 ...
, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.36% from other races, and 0.56% 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 ...
or
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 0.89% of the population. There were 1,624 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,216, and the median income for a family was $42,558. Males had a median income of $31,684 versus $22,009 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 $18,381. About 2.7% of families and 6.7% 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 5.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

*
Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...
, former
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
champion wrestler *
Jared Berggren (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Union Neuchâtel in Switzerland. College career He played four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, in which he averaged 7.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 bloc ...
, Professional basketball player, former Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball player * Fay Cravens, Minnesota legislator and newspaper editor * Charles R,. Davis, Minnesota legislator and educator *
Kurt Daudt Kurt Louis Daudt (born September 26, 1973) is an American politician and the Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He is a former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minneso ...
, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives * Robert C. Dunn, Minnesota legislator and newspaper editor * Robert G. Dunn, Minnesota legislator and building contractor * Rod Grams,
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
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 ...
* Clarence C. Mitchell, Minnesota legislator and lawyer *
Robert J. Odegard Robert J. Odegard (December 22, 1920 – September 20, 2013) was an American businessman and politician. Life and career Born in Princeton, Minnesota, Odegard served in the United States Navy during World War II. He received his bachelor's de ...
, Minnesota state representative * Jerome P. Peterson, Minnesota legislator and educator


"Coke Geysers" world record attempt

The Princeton High School Student Council organized a community effort to break the world record for simultaneously erupting coke geysers on May 27, 2011. The record of 2,854 bottles was set in October 2010 in the Philippines. Hundreds of students participated, with a goal of setting off a series of 3,000 geysers, a figure they exceeded with 3,051 total simultaneous eruptions. But ''Guinness World Records'' personnel did not officiate the event and never made the record official. Students say the idea grew from a plan for a graduation prank into a way to put their small town on the map. A video of the attempt was broadcast on Minnesota NBC News affiliate
KARE 11 KARE (channel 11) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities area as an NBC affiliate. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Olson M ...
and edited by a YouTube user named Physics314Nerd.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Princeton is served by the Princeton Municipal Airport.


Major highways

The following routes are located within the city of Princeton: *
U.S. Highway 169 U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555 km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma at Memorial Drive. Route description Oklahoma US 169 is a major north–south ...
* Minnesota State Highway 95


References


External links


City of Princeton, Minnesota website



ePodunk: Profile for Princeton, Minnesota

{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota Cities in Sherburne County, Minnesota