Hinckley is a city in
Pine 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, located at the junction of
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...
and
Minnesota State Highway 48. The population was 1,800 at the
2010 census.
Hinckley's name in the
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous la ...
is ''Gaa-zhiigwanaabikokaag'', meaning "the place abundant with grindstones" due to being located along the
Grindstone River. Portions of the
Mille Lacs Indian Reservation are located within and adjacent to Hinckley.
On September 1, 1894, the
Great Hinckley Fire killed more than 400 people.
Hinckley is generally considered the halfway point on Interstate 35 between
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...
and
Duluth
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
.
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.
Interstate Highway
35 and Minnesota Highway
23 (
co-signed); and Minnesota Highway
48 are two of the main routes in Hinckley. Interstate 35 runs north–south; and Highway 48 (Fire Monument Road) runs east–west. Pine County 61 passes through downtown Hinckley.
Hinckley is along the Grindstone River. The Kettle River is also nearby.
Hinckley is the home of
Grand Casino Hinckley, sister casino to Grand Casino Mille Lacs; which holds an associate count equal to the population of the city of Hinckley itself.
''Camp Nathanael'' is located east of Hinckley on Highway 48.
Climate
History
The
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...
Indians were the first people to settle the Hinckley area. They trapped and hunted on the land and
traded furs at the Mille Lacs and Pokegama trading posts.
When European settlers came to the Hinckley area, it was a heavily forested area with thick forests of white pine, some of the largest in the state. The first railroad arrived in Hinckley in 1869; and so began a logging and railroad expansion.
Hinckley was founded as the Village of ''Central Station'' in 1885, the village was re-incorporated as the City of Hinckley in 1907. Both names were after
Hinckley Township where the city is located within. Surrounding Hinckley Township was known as ''Central Station'' by the railroads because of its position halfway between the Twin Ports of
Duluth
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
and
Superior as well as the Twin Cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hinckley Township was named in 1870 after
Isaac Hinckley, president of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.
By 1894, Hinckley was a prosperous community that had everything needed to serve residents and the fast-expanding lumber industry.
On September 1, 1894, everything changed with a firestorm wiping out Hinckley and many northeastern Minnesota towns. Today the
Hinckley Fire Museum, nine blocks west of Interstate 35 in downtown Hinckley, tells the devastating story of what came to be called the
Great Hinckley Fire and the town's recovery from it. The museum is located in a restored railroad depot downtown, an exact replica of the pre-fire depot, built just after the fire.
After the fire, the burned stumps of the forests were cleared to take advantage of the now nutrient-rich soil. Hinckley's recovery would hinge on agriculture. Some of the main crops were potatoes, fruits and vegetables. The early harvests were bountiful. Abundant clover helped feed milk cows for a brisk dairy industry.
Following the national trend in farming , Hinckley has lost most of its agricultural underpinnings.
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe opened Grand Casino Hinckley in 1992.
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 1,800 people, 736 households, and 409 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 785 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.4%
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 ...
, 1.1%
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 ...
, 10.3%
Native American, 0.8%
Asian, 0.3% from
other races, and 5.1% 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 3.5% of the population.
There were 736 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.0% 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, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.
The median age in the city was 32.5 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% 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 1,291 people, 551 households, and 332 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 614 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.87%
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 ...
, 0.15%
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 ...
, 5.81%
Native American, 0.70%
Asian, 0.08% from
other races, and 1.39% 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 1.08% of the population.
There were 551 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% 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, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% 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 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,338, and the median income for a family was $37,313. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $21,375 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 $15,537. About 12.5% of families and 12.4% 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 17.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
It is a part of
Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools.
The school district was established in 1994 through the consolidation of the Hinckley and Finlayson school districts.
Notable people
The following list includes those who were either born in, or who have resided (or presently reside) in Hinckley:
*
Boston Corbett —
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
avenger
References
External links
Hinckley Convention and Visitors Bureau – Visitor Information websiteVideo documentary on The Hinckley Fire of 1894Hinckley, Minnesota – City Government website
{{authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Cities in Pine County, Minnesota
Populated places established in 1885
1885 establishments in Minnesota