Taconite ( ) is a city in

Itasca County Itasca County ( ) is a county located in the Iron Range region of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,014. Its county seat is Grand Rapids. The county is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shorte ...

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 651 at the 2020 census.

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 ...

serves as a main route in the community.

History

Taconite was established in 1907 and is one of several whistlestop cities located on Highway 169 collectively known as 'Range Cities'. These cities were branded as such when they sprang up in parallel with the nearby iron mining operations that began in Coleraine and headed in a northeasterly direction. The mines and cities comprise part of what is known as Minnesota's Iron Range, specifically the Mesabi Range. Taconite is a derivation of the word Taconic, which is related to the Taconic Mountains of the eastern United States and contain similar geologic formations. 'Taconic' is based on a Native American word, documented in use as early as 1685, and spelled a number of ways including: - Tachkanick - Taghconic - K'takantshan - Tachanizen - Tackinick - Tocconuc - Taughkaughnick - Taghonic - Toghconnuck - Taconick - Toghconnuc - Tacon'ic - Taghkan'nuc - Taconyte - Taghkanick and - Tac'onite Taconite abuts what was originally called the Holman Mine, with independently operated mines located on either side of the city. With closure of the mines, the withdrawal of dewatering equipment led to rain, runoff and underground springs raising water levels in the nearby mine pits. The abandoned pits that surround Taconite – including the Holman Mine—have been filled and joined into what is now called the Canisteo Mine complex.

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. Taconite is located adjacent to the Cannisteo mine pit. It was established in 1907 and refers to itself as the "Hub of the Nation".

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 360 people, 151 households, and 95 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 162 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.8%

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 ...

, 1.9% Native American, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 5.0% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 151 households, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 315 people, 136 households, and 87 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 150 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.92%

, 0.32% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.63%

, 0.32% from other races, and 3.17% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 136 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,250, and the median income for a family was $50,417. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $20,357 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 $16,357. About 14.9% of families and 17.1% 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 34.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

James "Slim" Troumbly - ice hockey player who competed in the 1950 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship.

References

{{authority control Cities in Itasca County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Mining communities in Minnesota 1907 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1907