International Falls, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
International Falls is a city in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,703 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Koochiching County6.
On some lists, International Falls is officially the coldest city in the continental United States with an average mean temperature of 36.4 °F (2 °C), earning it the nickname "The Icebox of the Nation", but there are actually over 100 colder cities, towns, and hamlets in the Rocky Mountains. The reason for the discrepancy is that officially, some divisions only include stations below 8500 feet and with a population of over 1000. Fraser, Colorado, for example, has an average mean temperature of 32.5 °F, but is at an elevation of above 8500 feet. Big Piney, Wyoming has an average mean temperature of 35.1 °F, but has a population below 1000. Such is the case with many other towns and cities in the Rocky Mountain Region.
International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly across from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. The two cities are connected by a toll bridge. Tolls are only charged for north (Canadian) bound vehicles. Voyageurs National Park lies 11 miles east of International Falls. There is a major U.S. Customs Port of Entry on the International Falls side of the toll bridge, and a Canadian Customs entry point on the north side of the bridge.
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[edit] History
Although the International Falls area was well known to explorers, missionaries and voyageurs as early as the 1600s, it was not until the late 1800s that a small village was first formed.
The inhabitants gave the names Rainy Lake and Rainy River to the nearby bodies of water because of the mist-like rain present at the falls where the lake flowed into the river. This promising community originally was known as Koochiching, an Ojibway word meaning "neighboring lake and river."
In 1901 the village was incorporated and two years later its name was changed to International Falls in recognition of the river's role as a border between the United States and Canada.
Realizing the potential for waterpower and mills in the area, E.W. Backus created an immense dam and the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company in the early 1900s. Purchased by Boise Cascade Corporation in 1965, and sold to an investment group in 2003, it remains the largest business and employer in the area.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²). 16.2 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.03%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 6,703 people, 2,959 households, and 1,751 families residing in the city. The population density was 412.8/km² (1,069.3/mi²). There were 3,264 housing units at an average density of 201.0/km² (520.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.30% White, 0.28% African American, 2.58% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 2,959 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,908, and the median income for a family was $41,458. Males had a median income of $41,584 versus $20,053 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,171. About 10.0% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Transportation
Falls International Airport (IATA: INL, ICAO: KINL) is a public airport located just south of the city. The airport has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation but is also served by one commercial airline; Northwest Airlines. [1] As of 10/06, the airport has two daily flights to Minneapolis using a Saab 340 turbo-prop and 1 flight making use of the CRJ (Canadian Regional Jet). There is no public bus service.
