Milaca ( ) 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 Mille Lacs 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 ...

. The population was 3,021 at the time of the 2020 census. It is situated on 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, ...

History

A post office has been in operation at Milaca since 1883. The name Milaca is derived from shortening and alteration of

Mille Lacs Lake Mille Lacs Lake ( , also called Lake Mille Lacs or Mille Lacs) is a large, shallow lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in the counties of Mille Lacs, Aitkin, and Crow Wing, roughly north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropol ...

Geography

Milaca is in southern Mille Lacs County.

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–sou ...

passes through the east side of the city as a four-lane bypass, leading north to

and south to

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

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 ...

is to the south.

Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1. This route, signed east–west, runs roug ...

runs through Milaca south of its center, leading northeast to

Mora Mora may refer to: People * José Maria Mora (1847–1926), Cuban-American photographer, often credited as "Mora" * Mora (singer) (born 1996), a Puerto Rican singer * Mora (surname), a Spanish name (includes a list of people with the name) Plac ...

and southwest to St. Cloud. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Milaca has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.77%, are water. The

passes through the west side of the city, flowing south to join 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 ...

at Anoka. A segment of

Vondell Brook Vondell Brook is a stream in Mille Lacs County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a tributary of the Rum River. The brook's headwaters are in a wetland in the city of Bock, Minnesota. It flows to Milaca, then into the Rum River approximatel ...

, a tributary of the Rum River with headwaters in

Bock, Minnesota Bock is a city in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 78 at the 2020 census, down from 106 in 2010. History A post office called Bock was established in 1892. Bock was named by railroad officials. Geography Bock ...

, flows less than east of the city.

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 2,946 people, 1,308 households, and 691 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 1,449 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 1.4% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 1,308 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% 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, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.2% were non-families. 40.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 39.7 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 20.6% were from 45 to 64; and 23.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,580 people, 1,115 households, and 636 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,164 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.67%

, 0.12%

, 1.28% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 1,115 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,964, and the median income for a family was $40,739. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $24,531 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 $17,005. About 10.4% of families and 15.6% 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 16.4% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Milaca Public Schools is composed of Milaca Elementary and Milaca High School. The elementary and secondary schools are connected to form one school toward the west of the city, along Highway 23 and the Rum River. There are approximately 1,900 students Pre-K through 12th grade, and around 130 teachers. The high school has a science and research forest. There are 11 varsity sports and reputable music and arts programs. The ''Star Tribune'' ranked the music program best in the state. Each summer the marching band receives very high rankings for their performances. The teams are the Milaca Wolves. There is also special education, community education, an Area Learning Center (ALC), and gifted education programming. Milaca also hosts the world's largest high school cross-country meet, The Milaca Mega-Meet.

ALC

The Milaca School District has an alternative high school that is separate from the main high school. The Milaca ALC (Area Learning Center) aims to educate students who need to repeat classes or have other life challenges and require a different education style and format. The ALC enrolls approximately 40 to 50 students ages 16–19, with four fully licensed high school teachers. Students can earn .5 credits per class in one quarter, as opposed to .5 credits per class in one semester at the high school. Classes are longer: an hour and a half for day classes and two hours for after-school classes. Several required courses can be completed as an independent study under the guidance and direction of the classroom teacher. The ALC offers no extracurricular activities, but students can participate in extra courses and activities at the main high school. While the majority of Milaca ALC students live within the Milaca School District, students from outside the district can enroll and earn credits for graduation. The ALC is many students' last chance to earn a high school diploma.

Infrastructure

Milaca is served by the Milaca Municipal Airport.

Major highways

The following routes pass through Milaca: *

References

External links

*
''Mille Lacs County Times''''Mille Lacs Messenger''Milaca Public Schools
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota