Alexandria is a city in 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 Douglas 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 14,335 as of the 2020 census. I-94 passes through Alexandria, along with Minnesota State Highways 27 and 29. It is south of Lake Carlos State Park.

History

First settled in 1858, it was named after brothers Alexander and William Kinkead from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The form of the name alludes to

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, a center of learning and civilization. The village of Alexandria was incorporated February 20, 1877. Its city charter was adopted in 1908, and it was incorporated as a city in 1909. W. E. Hicks was pivotal to the town's early development. He purchased the townsite in 1868 and established a mill, hotel, newspaper, and store. He donated property for a courthouse, jail, and two churches: Methodist and Congregational.

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 an area of , of which is land and is water. Many of the people who live in Alexandria are not calculated into the population because they are spread out of the city and live on and around the many lakes.

Climate

Alexandria has a dry-winter

warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dwb''), with cold, snowy winters and warm (sometimes hot and humid) summers. The autumn and spring are generally pleasant. Average annual precipitation (both snow and rain) is about 25 inches.

Lakes

* Lake Agnes * Lake Alvin * Lake Andrew * Blackwell Lake * Lake Brophy * Lake Burgen *Lake Carlos * Cork Lake * Lake Cowdry *Lake Darling * Echo Lake * Lake Geneva * Lake George * Grant Lake * Lake Henry * Lake Ida * Lake Irene * Lake Jessie *Lake Latoka * Laura Lake *Lake Le Homme Dieu * Lake Louise * Maple Lake * Lake Mary * Mill Lake * Lake Miltona * Lake Mina * Mud Lake * North Union Lake * Lake Oscar * Pocket Lake * Rachel Lake * Lake Reno * Smith Lake * Lobster Lake * Stony Lake * Taylor Lake * Lake Charley * Union Lake * Lake Winona * Vermont Lake * Lake Victoria

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 14,335 people, 6,566 households, and 3,338 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 7,321 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 91.9%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 1.1% from some other races and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.9% were under 5 years of age, and 22.3% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,070 people, 5,298 households, and 2,552 families living in the city. The

was . There were 5,821 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

, 0.8%

, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% 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 1.5% of the population. There were 5,298 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.8% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 8,820 people. The census listed 4,047 households and 2,011 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,311 housing units at an average density of . The city's racial makeup was 97.94%

, 0.42%

, 0.34% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.18% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 4,047 households, of which 23.7% had children under 18 living with them, 36.5% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.3% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who 65 or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% over 66. The median age was 37. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 83.7 males. The median income for a household was $26,851, and the median income for a family was $38,245. Males had a median income of $27,871 versus $20,254 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 ...

was $16,085. About 7.8% of families and 13.3% 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 14.2% of those under 18 and 15.7% of those 65 or older.

Tourism

Resorts

The city is located along a chain of lakes, which makes it a popular resort destination for water and land activities. There are cabin B&Bs and chain hotels along the lakes. Water sporting activities include motorboats, wake surfing, sailing, paddleboarding. Fishing was also historically popular in the city. There are

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

, like in the Pilgrim Point Park on Lake Ida. Other park areas include Lake Brophy County Park and Kensington Rune Stone Park.

Events

Local tourism events include: * Grape Stomp hosted by the Carlos Creek Winery every September * An Apple Fest in October * The Douglas County Fair every August * Big Ole Paddlefest every July, a kayaking race on Lake Miltona * Art in the Park every July. * Red Willow Arts Coalition Outdoor hosts concerts every Thursday in summer.

Attractions

The city has a museum housing the Kensington Runestone. Outside the museum stands Big Ole, a 25-foot-tall statue of a Viking built for the 1965

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Extensive repairs to Big Ole were completed in 2016. Legacy of the Lakes Museum, a

maritime museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...

, is located in the city.

Economy

Top employers

According to the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission, the area's top employers are:

Education

Alexandria Technical and Community College

Most children in Alexandria attend school at Alexandria Public Schools, which consists of six kindergarten–5th grade

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

(Lincoln, Voyager, Woodland, Carlos, Miltona, Garfield), one 6th–8th grade junior high school (Discovery Middle School), and one new 9th–12th grade senior high school ( Alexandria Area High School), which replaced Jefferson High School, which was built in the late 1950s. There are also several independent K–8 Christian schools in the area. Alexandria Technical & Community College offers post-secondary education, including certificate programs, 2-year associate degrees and transferable credits towards 4-year degrees.

Transportation

County Road 82 SE connects Alexandria to Nelson, Osakis and western Minnesota. Minnesota State Highway 29 connects Alexandria to Glenwood and Parkers Prairie. Interstate 94/ U.S. Highway 52 passes through the south end of Alexandria, which allows access to Minneapolis-St. Paul and Fargo-Moorhead. Public transportation in town (and within the surrounding area) is provided by Rainbow Rider.

Airport

The Alexandria Municipal Airport, also known as Chandler Field, is a city-owned public-use airport two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of Alexandria's central business district.

Media

Newspaper

'' Alexandria Echo Press'' is Alexandria's twice-weekly newspaper, owned by the Forum Communications Company.

Television

From 1958 until 2012, Alexandria had at least one local television station, either KCCO or KSAX, and both are still satellites of

Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

television stations. KCCO had a presence, first as KCMT, in 1958, as an NBC and ABC affiliate. It switched to CBS affiliation in 1982. Five years later, KSAX regained ABC's presence as a semi-satellite of KSTP-TV. In that same year, KCCO was bought out and became a semi-satellite of

WCCO-TV WCCO-TV (channel 4), branded CBS Minnesota, is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations divisi ...

. In 1992, KCCO became a CBS O&O when CBS acquired WCCO and its two satellites. During KCCO and KSAX's time as semi-satellites, they broadcast local news, weather, and sports through ten-minute cut-in segments during their parent station's newscast. In 2002, KCCO removed its local presence and became a full satellite of WCCO. In June 2012, cost-cutting measures at KSAX resulted in the layoff of all but two employees and the ending of local cut-in broadcasts by any Alexandria television station. The Alexandria area is also served by Selective TV, Inc., a non-profit, viewer-supported organization which transmits several cable channels

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscri ...

over standard UHF television frequencies, viewable in any area home without subscription. Selective TV operates under low power television rules of the FCC and as such was not subject to the analog to digital conversion in 2009. Residents still need a converter box to view KCCO and KSAX on the digital band, though KSAX is still rebroadcast via Selective TV.

Broadcast

Radio

Other forms

The city's unofficial mascot "Big Ole" is featured on the cover of the debut album of the National Beekeepers Society.

Culture

The city hosts the annual Vikingland Band Festival parade marching championship. A 2018 article in ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' described Alexandria as "conservative-leaning".

Sports

The Alexandria Blizzard is a Tier III junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team in the North American 3 Hockey League and play out of the Runestone Community Center. From 2006 to 2012, the organization had a Tier II team in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

. The NAHL franchise relocated to

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 23,377 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in South Dakota, fo ...

and the current NA3HL franchise took its place. Viking Speedway hosts weekly Saturday night dirt track racing from April–September and also periodic special, weekend events throughout the year. Five WISSOTA classes run there: Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Modifieds, and Late Models. Viking Speedway was awarded WISSOTA's "2005 Track of the Year". One night per summer, a

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

baseball game is held at Knute Nelson Memorial Park. The Willmar Stingers become the Alexandria Beetles to pay homage to the time when Alexandria had its own team. The Beetles were in operation from 2001 to 2012 and were renamed the Alexandria Blue Anchors in 2013. The team folded after the 2015 season.

Notable people

* Lars K. Aaker, state legislator * Richard Battey, judge * Hilda Bettermann, state representative * Marvin W. Bursch, state legislator and businessman * Dave Dalby, center for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

* Walter H. Campbell, state legislator, businessman and lawyer * Frederick J. Foslien, state legislator, farmer, and businessman * John Hammergren, CEO of

McKesson Corporation McKesson Corporation is a publicly traded American company that distributes Medication, pharmaceuticals and provides health information technology, Medical device, medical supplies, and Health administration, health management tools. The company ...

Duane Hanson Duane Hanson (January 17, 1925 – January 6, 1996) was an American artist and sculptor born in Minnesota. He spent most of his career in South Florida. He was known for his life-sized realistic sculptures of people. He cast the works based on ...

, sculptor * Edward Hanson, 28th

governor of American Samoa This is a list of Governor (United States), governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government o ...

*Jennifer and Sarah Hart, perpetrators of the

Hart family murders The Hart family murders was a murder–suicide which took place on March 26, 2018, in Mendocino County, California, United States. Jennifer Hart (38) and her wife, Sarah Hart (38), killed themselves and their six adopted children: Ciera (12), ...

* Hal Haskins, professional basketball player * John Hawkes, actor * Todd Hendricks, professional football player * Jed Johnson, interior designer and film director *

Peter Krause Peter William Krause (; born August 12, 1965) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has held leading roles across multiple acclaimed television series, portraying Casey McCall on '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000), Nate Fisher on '' Si ...

, actor * Tom Lehman, PGA golfer *

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

, professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist * Clifford Lofvegren, state legislator, businessman, and farmer *

Knute Nelson Knute Nelson (born Knud Evanger; February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923) was a Norway, Norwegian-born United States, American attorney and politician active in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he served in sta ...

, U.S. senator * Julian O. Newhouse, businessman and state legislator * Richard Peterson, architect,

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

Walter Roth Walter Edmund Roth (2 April 1861 – 5 April 1933) was a British colonial administrator, anthropologist and medical practitioner, who worked in Queensland, Australia and British Guiana between 1898 and 1928. Roth and his brother, Henry Ling ...

, farmer and state legislator * Gary Serum, pitcher for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Henrik Shipstead Henrik Shipstead (January 8, 1881June 26, 1960) was Norwegian-American dentist and politician who served in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1947, representing the state of Minnesota. He served first as a member of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor ...

, U.S. senator * Bruce P. Smith, halfback for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

Cliff Sterrett Clifford Sterrett (; December 12, 1883 – December 28, 1964) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the comic strip '' Polly and Her Pals''. Biography Born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where his father was a druggist, Cliff Sterr ...

, cartoonist * Hill H. Wilson, businessman and state legislator * Theodore G. Winkjer, businessman, farmer, and state legislator

References

External links

City of Alexandria – Official Website

Alexandria Independent School District

Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

Alexandria Hotel & Hospitality, Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Alexandria Tourism Official Website

Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission Website

Alexandria, Minnesota Real Estate

Alexandria, Minnesota Police Department
* xplorealex.com/big-ole-live-camera Live camera of Big Ole {{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Douglas County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Populated places established in 1858 1858 establishments in Minnesota