Pine City, Minnesota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Pine City is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,043. It is the county seat of Pine County6. Its name is an English translation of "Chengwatana" (Pine Town), originally an Ojibwe village located just east of Pine City, along the Snake River. The Ojibwe name for the city is Ne-zhingwaakokaag (on a land-point full of white pines).

Contents

[edit] Geography

Location of Pine City, Minnesota
Pine City, Minnesota
Country United States
State Minnesota
Counties Pine County
Government
 - Mayor Jane Robbins
Population (2005)
 - City 3,255
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Website: http://pinecity.govoffice.com

Pine City is located along Interstate 35 66 miles north of Minneapolis and 85 miles south of Duluth-Superior. It is also located along the St. Croix Scenic Byway. Its East Central Minnesota location is in Area code 320.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 km² (3.2 mi²). 7.3 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (12.69%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,043 residents, 1,222 households, and 734 families residing in the city. The population density was 415.2/km² (1,076.3/mi²). There were 1,275 housing units at an average density of 174.0/km² (451.0/mi²).

[edit] Racial Makeup

97.57% White

1.35% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

0.95% Native American

0.16% African American

0.16% Asian

0.03% Pacific Islander

0.16% from other races

0.95% from two or more races.

[edit] Other Demographics

There were 1,222 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.7% 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 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,118, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $30,951 versus $20,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,802. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Population statistics

Population history
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005[1]
1,343 1,708 1,937 1,972 2,143 2,489 2,613 3,043 3,255
  1. ↑ State Demographer's Estimate

Much of the growth of the region occurs around the lakes in the neighboring townships, in Pokegama, Chengwatana or Pine City Township.

[edit] History

Pine City was founded in 1881 and in 2006 celebrated its quasquicentennial anniversary.

The Ojibwe Indians were the first in the area. They trapped and hunted on the land and traded furs at the nearby trading posts.

In the late 1800's, european settlers came to the Pine City area, which was heavily forested with thick stands of white pine, some of the largest in the state. When the railroad arrived in Pine City so began a logging expansion. Pine City prospered and grew into a city that had everything needed to serve residents, farmers, and the fast expanding lumber industry.

Following the national trend in farming, Pine City has since lost most of its agricultural underpinnings.

Because of Pine City's location on the far southern edge of Pine County, there have been attempts over the years to move the county seat to more centrally located Hinckley and Sandstone. However, Pine City, being the most populous city in the county, always prevailed as the county seat.

Christmas trees for the Minnesota Governor's Mansion have often come from the Pine City area.

[edit] Pine City today

Pine City is a popular day trip for tourists from the Twin Cities who enjoy the historic downtown's specialty stores and restaurants as well as a nearby casino, historical sites and recreational opportunities, including the scenic St. Croix River valley.

In recent years, there has been a good deal of new housing development on the outskirts of the city, and there is a substantial population that commutes daily to the Twin Cities. However, the city has managed to maintain its regional significance without becoming a full-fledged bedroom community.

[edit] Climate

Below is a table of average high and low temperatures throughout the year in Pine City.


Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg high °F (°C) 19 (-7) 25 (-4) 38 (3) 55 (13) 68 (20) 77 (25) 81 (27) 79 (26) 68 (20) 57 (14) 39 (4) 23 (-5)
Avg low temperature °F (°C) -3 (-19) 0 (-18) 15 (-9) 31 (-1) 41 (5) 51 (11) 57 (14) 53 (12) 43 (6) 32 (0) 19 (-7) 2 (-17)

[edit] Business

Pine City has established itself as an economic stronghold in East Central Minnesota with many diverse industries. MINPACK, Inc. is one of the largest with over 100 employees. Another, Atscott Manufacturing Company, has 85 employees. Both have their headquarters in Pine City. Other large employers in the community include Wal Mart, Product Fabricators, Inc., ISD 578, Therapeutic Services Agency, Pine County and Lakeside Medical Center. Recently, Pine City has seen a fair amount of commercial growth throughout the City but especially near the city's two freeway interchanges. Some (but not all) of the examples of this include: Subway (restaurant), Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Blockbuster (movie rental store), Ace Hardware and Dominos Pizza, Inc.

[edit] Shopping

Pine City has three retail shopping centers: Pine Plaza, Evergreen Square and Northridge Center. Pine Plaza, located in the central business district, was Pine City's first shopping center. It is anchored by a dollar store and an old-fashioned drive-in A&W All-American Food Restaurant, one of the few remaining carhops in the state. Evergreen Square is anchored by Pamida and is also home to such stores as Radio Shack and T-Mobile. Pine City's newest shopping center is Northridge Center, located at the city's developing northern freeway interchange.

Pine City only has a municipal liquor store; no other liquor stores are allowed. The city closed its freeway location in 2006 and currently maintains just one liquor store, Voyageur Bottle Shop, on the corner of 2nd Ave & Main Street, downtown.

[edit] Downtown

Pine City has one of the most evident downtowns between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports. Robinson Park is in the heart of it and essentially forms the town square, with the old train depot to the east, city hall to the south and many mom and pop shops lining 5th Street on the west side of the park. There are many people who live and work downtown.

[edit] Transportation

The city of Pine City is a busy city when it comes to traffic, particularly weekdays after school and on Friday evenings in the summer and fall as vacationers and hunters head north to their cabins. I-35, which runs through Pine City and continues enroute to Duluth or the Twin Cities, sees tens of thousands of cars daily.

For those who do not wish to make the drive, an intercity bus service called Jefferson Lines runs from Pine City to St. Paul or Duluth twice daily. Presently, the Rush Line Corridor task force is studying the feasibility of passenger rail service to serve area commuters.

For travel within the city, there is local taxi service available as well as the Pine County minibus system.

[edit] Politics

Pine City is located in Minnesota's 8th congressional district, represented by Jim Oberstar, a Democrat.

[edit] Local Government

[edit] Mayor

The current Mayor of Pine City is Jane Robbins.

[edit] Council

  • Dylan Ascheman (At-Large)
    • Term- January 2007 to January 2011
  • Paul Miller (At-Large)
    • Term- January 2007 to January 2011
  • Mark Nisley (At-Large)
    • Term- January 2005 to January 2009
  • Brian Scholin (At-Large)
    • Term- January 2005 to January 2009

[edit] Religion

Pine City is home to several churches, of varying denominations, including:

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspapers

The major weekly newspaper in the area is the Pine City Pioneer. Papers from the Twin Cities are also commonly read.

[edit] Television Stations

Pine City receives TV signals from the Twin Cities. Channels include Twin Cities Public Television, WCCO 4, KSTP-TV, KMSP-TV, KARE, WFTC and KSTC-TV.

[edit] Radio Stations

Station Call Sign Frequency Tower Location Format
WCMP 1350 AM Pine City, MN Nostalgia
WCMP 100.9 FM Pine City, MN Country
KMKL 90.3 FM North Branch, MN Christian Contemporary
KBEK 95.5 FM Mora, MN Oldies
WGVY 105.3 FM Cambridge, MN Adult Album Alternative

Pine City also receives radio signals from the Twin Cities and St. Cloud areas.

[edit] Arts

Pine City has an active community theater, the Heritage Players, that performs semiannually. The Pine City Arts Council sponsors a variety of annual events, most notably a free Friday night summer concert series held in Robinson Park. Musical ensembles at Pine City High School are also noted for their excellence and give free performances throughout the school year.

[edit] Amateur Sports

[edit] Baseball

The Pine City Pirates baseball team features local players from around the area and competes in the Eastern Minny North League, which is part of the Minnesota Baseball Association. Amateur baseball has been a part of Pine City culture for years and has enjoyed many successes in the past. The Pirates have had several state appearances including: 1950, 1952 B 2nd, 1953 B 3rd, 1961 and 1962.

[edit] Academic institutions

[edit] Major annual events

[edit] Places of interest

Pine City's famous roadside attraction, the Voyageur

[edit] Fictional references

Craig Wright, best-known as the writer of HBO's Six Feet Under, set a trilogy of plays in ficticious Pine City, Minnesota that have been performed across the United States.

Also, author Dean Hovey wrote two fictional mystery novels that are set in Pine City, "Hooker" and "Where Evil Hides".

[edit] Noteworthy Pine Citians

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 45°49′34″N, 92°58′07″W

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../p/i/n/Pine_City%2C_Minnesota_1fba.html"
In other languages