Aitkin ( ) is a city and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,168 at the
2020 census.
History

Before the establishment of City of Aitkin, a transient community of Lexington was located at the mouth of the
Ripple River, at its confluence with the Mississippi River. However, maps from the 1860s erroneously depict the village of Ojibway at the mouth of the Ripple River.
Due to the importance of regional trade at Lexington, the route of the
Northern Pacific Railroad
The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
was planned to pass near there. Aitkin was founded in 1870 when the Northern Pacific Railroad was extended to that point, replacing and annexing Lexington. The city and county were named for
William Alexander Aitken, a partner of the
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company (AFC) was a prominent American company that sold furs, skins, and buffalo robes. It was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, a German Americans, German immigrant to the United States. During its heyday in the early 19th c ...
and chief factor of the company's regional operations in the early 19th century.
The development of industries attracted people to the town. In the late 19th and early 20th century, a massive wave of immigrants, mostly from present-day Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavian countries, moved into the Aitkin area to work in the
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucks[riverboat
A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury ...]
industries. They were able to start working before they had learned much English.
After the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the logging industry declined. The area developed as a farming community, based on production of cattle and poultry, which continued until the late 1970s to early 1980s. A creamery and a turkey plant were important to the town's economy. With the decline of small family farms in agriculture, many abandoned farms can be seen throughout the county.
By the 1990s, Aitkin had changed again, developing as a community for retirement and tourism, especially with its lake areas. The tourism and service industries are central today. Health care, education, human services, and non-profit organizations are some of the major contributors to the modern-day Aitkin economy, along with the hospitality industry.
Aitkin has been affected by occasional flooding of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. Major notable floods had reached past , such as the 1950 flood, and nearly , such as the summer flooding in 2012. The 2012 flood was one of the first floods that overflowed into the lake areas, flooding the cabins, since it was caused by heavy rainfall instead of melting snow. In 2023 Downtown Aitkin flooded due to the winters record snowfall and that snowfall melting.
Five properties in Aitkin are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
: the 1901
Patrick Casey House, the 1902
Potter/Casey Company Building, the 1911
Aitkin Carnegie Library, the 1916
Northern Pacific Depot, and the
Aitkin County Courthouse and Jail (built in 1920 and 1915, respectively).
Geography
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 ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
The
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
flows through the northern edge of Aitkin. The
Ripple River and Sissabagamah Creek both flow nearby.
Climate
Demographics
2010 census
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 2010, there were 2,165 people, 936 households, and 483 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . There were 1,097 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 1.5%
Native American, 0.3%
Asian, 0.1% from
other races, and 1.6% 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 1.2% of the population.
There were 936 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% 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, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.4% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age in the city was 44.3 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 22% were from 45 to 64; and 27.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.3% male and 54.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,984 people, 892 households, and 434 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 969 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.33% White, 0.15% African American, 1.31% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.35% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population. 30.4% were of
German, 16.6%
Swedish, 12.3%
Norwegian and 6.5%
Irish.
There were 892 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.3% were non-families. 46.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 30.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 32.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,574, and the median income for a family was $58,071. Males had a median income of $50,577 versus $31,641 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 city was $26,471. About 7.1% of families and 9.2% 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 ...
, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
The city's annual festivals include:
*''Riverboat Heritage Days'' - the first weekend in August.
*The ''Aitkin County Fair'' - annually at the middle of July since 2008.
*''Ripplesippi Music Fest'' - in August
*''Harvest Moon Brew Fest'' - in September
*''World Famous Fish House Parade'' takes place on
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This event was noted in a 2003 documentary which aired on the
Home and Garden Channel in the United States.
Education
Aitkin Public Schools are part of the
Aitkin Public School District.
Aitkin High School educates students in grades seven through twelve in the Aitkin School District. Rippleside Elementary educates students grades preschool to sixth grade.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The
Aitkin Municipal Airport is located at the northeast side of the city of Aitkin.
Major highways
The following routes are located within the city of Aitkin:
*
U.S. Highway 169
*
Minnesota State Highway 47
*
Minnesota State Highway 210
* Aitkin County Road 1
* Aitkin County Road 12
* Aitkin County Road 15
* Aitkin County Road 41
* Aitkin County Road 54
Media
The ''
Aitkin Independent Age'' is a weekly newspaper in Aitkin. It was founded in 1883.
Notable people
*
Franklin E. Ebner, Minnesota legislator and lawyer
*
Jonathan Edwards: Singer/Songwriter, best known for his hit
"Sunshine"
*
Leif Enger: American author
*
Francis Lee Jaques: American wildlife painter
*
Jean Keene: known nationwide as the "Eagle Lady" of the
Homer Spit
*
Robert Kerlan:
orthopedic surgeon
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (American and British English spelling differences, alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgic ...
known for his contributions to
sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...
*
Gordon W. McKay: Oregon businessman and politician
*
Marlin B. Nelsen, Minnesota chiropractor and politician
*
David E. Rued, Minnesota politician, farmer, and educator
*
Warren William: notable Broadway and film actor with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
*
Edwin M. Wold, Minnesota politician and businessman
References
External links
City websiteAitkin Area Chamber of Commerce Website
{{authority control
*
Cities in Aitkin County, Minnesota
Cities in Minnesota
County seats in Minnesota
Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River
Mining communities in Minnesota