Sandstone is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, along the Kettle River. The population was 2,849 at the 2010 census. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highways 18 and 23 are three of the main routes in the community. Banning State Park is nearby.

History

The Village of Fortuna was platted by Caleb C. Ward and incorporated on May 19, 1857. It was originally platted at the junction of the Point Douglas to Superior Military Road and Kettle River. Fortuna served as the county seat for Buchanan County, Minnesota. By 1887, it had 200 residents. Just north of Fortuna, the Village of Sandstone was platted in June 1887 and incorporated on September 28, 1887. On April 14, 1920, the villages of Fortuna and Sandstone merged and reincorporated as the City of Sandstone. The city'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 () due to the sandstone quarry at the edge of the city.

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.

Features

Sandstone is on the Kettle River, known for its glacial kettles, and rapids well loved by kayakers and canoeists. The town was built up around a large sandstone quarry. Railroad magnate James J. Hill built many of the sandstone structures in the town. The city has Robinson Park, a historic and natural area that serves as a picnic area, sport-climbing and bouldering crag, hosts ice climbing in the winter, preserves the Sandstone Quarry history, and is an access point for the Kettle River. Th
Sandstone Ice Festival
celebrates the coming of winter and is held in the beginning of December each year. The event welcomes winter with ice climbing, winter camping and snow shoeing. In the spring local paddlers host th
Kettle River Paddle Festival
an event for canoeists and kayakers. A downriver race and a whitewater rodeo attract paddlers from all over the midwestern United States. Sandstone is surrounded by Banning State Park, has a connection to the Munger Bicycle Trail and is home to the Audubon Center of the North Woods, a residential environmental education and conference facility that offers programs for schools, adults, colleges, and retreats. In recent years, Sandstone has gained national recognition as the home of the Midwest Country Music Theatre. Performances at this traditional country and western music venue are seen regularly on the RFD-TV satellite network. A Federal Correctional Institution rated for low-security federal inmates is in Sandstone. Sandstone station served Great Northern Railway and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

passenger trains until 1985.

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 2,849 people, 602 households, and 362 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 652 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.5%

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 ...

, 15.5%

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 ...

, 5.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 3.6% from other races, and 2.9% 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 11.0% of the population. There were 602 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.9% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 46.1% were from 25 to 44; 20.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 71.0% male and 29.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 634 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.84%

, 0.39%

, 3.55% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.39% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 580 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,265, and the median income for a family was $43,684. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,181 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 $18,053. About 11.6% of families and 16.7% 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 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Doug Carlson (1939–2013), veterinarian and politician * William S. Ervin, Attorney General of Minnesota * Yonassan Gershom (b. 1947), rabbi and author, early proponent of the Jewish Renewal movement

Education

The area is served by East Central Schools. The Pine Grove Learning Center of the tribal Nay Ah Shing School is nearby and has a Sandstone address. - The facilities with Onamia addresses are ''not'' within the Onamia city limits despite the "Onamia, MN" mailing address
see zoning map
The Pine County school is ''not'' within the Sandstone city limits
see Sandstone map
.

Notes

External links

Visit Sandstone MN – www.visitsandstonemn.comSandstone Ice Festival – www.sandstoneicefest.comKettle River Paddle Festival – www.kettleriverpaddlefest.comMidwest Country Theater – www.midwestcountry.com
{{authority control Cities in Pine County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Former county seats in Minnesota 1857 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1857