Coon Rapids is a northern suburb of
Minneapolis
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 ...
, and is the second-largest city by population in
Anoka 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 63,599 at the
2020 census,
making it the
fifteenth largest city in Minnesota and the seventh largest
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 stat ...
suburb.
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 , of which is land and is water.
Recreational lakes in the city include Cenaiko Lake and Crooked Lake, two-thirds of which is in Coon Rapids. The other third is in the city of
Andover, immediately to the north.
History
In 1835, the
Red River Ox Cart Trail was laid to establish military and trade connections between Minneapolis and Anoka. The first industries of Coon Rapids sprung up around the road, including the prominent Anoka Pressed Brick and Terra Cotta Company, founded by Dr. D.C. Dunham in 1881. The clay excavation site – known locally as the “Clay Hole” – is one of the lasting reminders of Coon Rapids’ industrial history. Today, the vital Red River Ox Cart Trail is known as Coon Rapids Boulevard and remains an important commercial corridor for the city.
In 1912, construction began on the
Coon Rapids Dam and the influx of laborers and engineers increased the city's population to over 1,000 for the first time. Completed in 1914, the dam functioned as a regional power source for the
Northern States Power Company until it was sold to the Hennepin County Park Board in 1969 and incorporated into the
Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.
When the dam was built, Anoka Township renamed itself Coon Creek Rapids, later shortened to Coon Rapids. In 1959, the Village of Coon Rapids voted to incorporate as a city and the City of Coon Rapids was born. The city's population increased from 14,000 in 1959 to more than 62,785 in 2022, making it the
15th largest city in Minnesota.
Transportation
While commercial traffic on 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 ...
once passed through Coon Rapids - steamboats could reach as far north as
St. Cloud under certain conditions
the completion of the
Coon Rapids Dam in 1914 established the city as the northernmost navigable point of the Mississippi river.
U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highways
47 and
610 are three of the main routes in the city.
Coon Rapids Riverdale Station is served by the
Northstar Commuter Rail line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown
Minneapolis
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 ...
; the line opened in November 2009.
The
Burlington Northern/Santa Fe mainline railroad from Seattle to Chicago travels directly through Coon Rapids, and the commuter rail runs on these tracks.
Economy
Coon Rapids is home to the headquarters of medical device manufacturer RMS Company, healthcare and housing provider, Mary T, Inc., furniture retailer HOM Furniture, and printers/publishers John Roberts Company and ECM Publishers.
Largest employers
According to the City's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers are:
Government
The city of Coon Rapids has a nonpartisan
Council–manager government
The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...
, and its
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
is Jerry Koch. The city is divided into 5 Wards, each represented on the City Council by its own Councilmember, with one at-Large Councilmember.
As of the 2022 election, Coon Rapids is represented in the State House by districts 35A (
Zack Stephenson,
Democrat), 35B (
Jerry Newton,
Democrat), and 34B (
Melissa Hortman, Democrat); and in the State Senate by districts 35 (
Jim Abeler, Republican), and 36 (
John Hoffman, Democrat).
Coon Rapids is in
Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat
Kelly Morrison.
Mayors and local government
Since its incorporation as a city in 1952, Coon Rapids, Minnesota has had 15 mayors:
The next mayoral election is in 2026.
As of the 2025, the members of the Coon Rapids City Council are:
Education
The city is home to
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a public community college in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Founded in 1965, the college annually serves more than 12,500 students as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of ...
, which offers a wide variety of 2- and 4-year programs. The college awarded 754 Associate degrees in 2013.
Coon Rapids is served by the
Anoka-Hennepin Public School District 11.
Coon Rapids High School is the largest school in the city, with enrollment of approximately 2,800 in three grades. Coon Rapids Middle School is also located in the city, sharing a parking lot with the high school. The Catholic Church of the Epiphany also has a private school that teaches K-8th grade within the city.
Cross of Christ Lutheran School is a Pre-K-8 grade school of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...
in Coon Rapids
Northwest Passage High Schoolis a highly rated charter school specializing in inquiry-driven
project based learning, interdisciplinary seminars and expeditions.
In the 1980s the
Minnesota Japanese School, a
weekend supplementary school for Japanese people, formerly held its classes at the Coon Rapids campus, using eleven of its classrooms.
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Clipping of first
an
of second page
from Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
.
Recreation
Coon Rapids contains several
Anoka County parks, such as
Coon Rapids Dam and Bunker Hills Regional Park, including
Bunker Beach water park.
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 61,476 people, 23,532 households, and 16,323 families living 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 24,462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.0%
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 ...
, 5.5%
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 ...
, 0.7%
Native American, 3.5%
Asian, 1.2% from
other races, and 3.1% 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 3.2% of the population.
There were 23,532 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.6% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08.
The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.22%
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 ...
, 2.18%
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 ...
, 0.67%
Native American, 1.60%
Asian, 0.01%
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 ...
, 0.59% from
other races, and 1.73% 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 1.51% of the population.
There were 22,578 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,550, and the median income for a family was $62,260. Males had a median income of $41,195 versus $30,277 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 $22,915. About 3.6% of families and 4.8% 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 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable People
*
Claire Butorac - forward for the
Minnesota Frost
The Minnesota Frost are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Xc ...
of the
Professional Women's Hockey League
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...
; former captain of
Minnesota State Mavericks women's ice hockey; Walter Cup champion with Minnesota.
References
External links
City of Coon Rapids official website
{{Authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River
Cities in Anoka County, Minnesota
Populated places established in 1857
1857 establishments in Minnesota Territory