Cambridge, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cambridge is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,520 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Isanti County6.
[edit] History
The City of Cambridge is located in Isanti County, Minnesota and was established in 1866. The city sports the name given by settlers from New England, even though Cambridge and the surrounding area were a haven for Swedish immigrants. These immigrants brought with them a strong work ethic and rich heritage.
In the early 1900's, Cambridge had good business facilities, possessing a potato starch factory, a 1300-barrel flour mill, a wool carding and spinning mill, an electric lighting plant, and local and long-distance telephone systems.
The population grew rapidly from 258 in 1890, to 737 in 1900, to 5520 in 2000. In 2005, the population of Cambridge was estimated to be just under 8,000. By the year 2015, it is projected that Cambridge will be home to nearly 12,000 people.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.2 km² (6.3 mi²). 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.28%) is water. The Rum River flows north to south through the middle of Cambridge. Camping, canoeing, and fishing are popular attractions of the Rum River. Cambridge is a rapidly growing city. It is a regional shopping center with many 'big box' stores. The recently expanded Cambridge Medical Center serves as the regional health care center. As a government center, Cambridge is the County Seat. The new Court House serves many functions. Cambridge Isanti High School, Cambridge Middle School, and Cambridge Elementary are the main learning centers (schools) there. Mr. Charlie Burroughs, Principal of Cambridge Middle School, was recently named "Middle School Principal of the Year for Minnesota". Two new schools are being built to house the expanding school population. A new Cambridge Middle School and a new Isanti Elementary will be completed in the fall of 2006.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 5,520 people, 2,237 households, and 1,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 345.4/km² (894.1/mi²). There were 2,373 housing units at an average density of 148.5/km² (384.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.21% White, 0.31% African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 2,237 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,313, and the median income for a family was $53,381. Males had a median income of $34,836 versus $23,681 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,697. About 5.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
