Pine City, Minnesota

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Pine City, Minnesota
Downtown Pine City seen from the Snake River
Downtown Pine City seen from the Snake River
Location in the state of Minnesota.
Location in the state of Minnesota.
Coordinates: 45°49′38″N 92°58′17″W / 45.82722, -92.97139
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Pine
Government
 - Mayor Jane Robbins
Area
 - Total 3.2 sq mi (8.4 km²)
 - Land 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km²)
 - Water 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²)
Elevation 951 ft (290 m)
Population (2006)
 - Total 3,318
 - Density 1,076.3/sq mi (415.5/km²)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 55063
Area code(s) 320
FIPS code 27-51064[1]
GNIS feature ID 0649445[2]
Website: http://pinecity.govoffice.com

Pine City is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,043 at the 2000 census.

Interstate 35 serves as a main arterial route and the St. Croix Scenic Byway runs through Pine City along Main Street (formerly U.S. Route 61) for travelers wanting a more scenic view.

Pine City is the county seat of, and the largest city in, Pine County[3].

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). A portion of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is located within Pine City.

Contents

[edit] History

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

The Dakota Indians were the first in the area. With the Ojibwa expansion, the area became a mixture of the two. By early 1800s, the area became predominantly Ojibwa. They trapped and hunted on the land and traded furs at the nearby trading posts. With the Treaty of St. Peters of 1837, dubbed the "White Pine Treaty", lumbering began in the area. Lumbering, though, was limited by access to the available waterways.

In the late 1800s, European settlers came to the Pine City area, which was still 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.

Historic Pine City Aerial, overlooking the railroad
Historic Pine City Aerial, overlooking the railroad

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

When Buchanan County was merged with Pine County in 1861, the county seat was consolidated to Pine City because it was already well-established. Because of its 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, being the most populous city in the county, Pine City always prevailed as the county seat.

In 2005, the city became the first in rural Minnesota with an annual gay pride event and one of only two rural communities to hold such an event in the United States (See worldwide "list of LGBT events").

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

[edit] Pine City today

Pine City's famous roadside attraction, the Voyageur, in Voyageur Park
Pine City's famous roadside attraction, the Voyageur, in Voyageur Park

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 and recreational opportunities, including the scenic St. Croix River valley. Also, a local historical site situated along the Snake River, the Northwest Company Fur Post, has become a popular tourist draw; it was used by French fur traders more than a century ago.

Pine City is a recreation destination for outdoor enthusiasts who find the easily-accessible area lakes, rivers, and forests ideal for hunting, fishing, water sports, hiking, biking, and camping. Pine City is also home to two golf courses, the Pine City Country Club, a beautiful nine-hole public course opened in 1971, and Pokegema Lake Golf Course, a par-3 course located just west of town.

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] Politics

Pine City is located in Minnesota's 8th congressional district, represented by Jim Oberstar, a Democrat. Pine City is in State Legislative District 8B, represented by State Senator Tony Lourey (DFL) and Representative Tim Faust (DFL).

[edit] Local Government

Pine County Courthouse
Pine County Courthouse

A new courthouse and county offices were recently relocated from downtown to the north end of town. City offices, in City Hall, remain downtown.

[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] Geography

Winter scene with native pines in the background
Winter scene with native pines in the background

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

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

[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.

Main Street, formerly U.S. Route 61
Main Street, formerly U.S. Route 61

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. The St. Croix Valley Railroad runs through Pine City and has a non-passenger station downtown. Also, Pine City is served by the Rush City/Pine City Regional Airport, eight miles south of the city limits.

[edit] Business and Industry

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., Broekema Beltway, 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, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Dominos Pizza, Inc..

[edit] Shopping

Pine City serves as a shopping hub for such surrounding Minnesota communities as Askov, Braham, Brook Park, Henriette, Hinckley, Finlayson, Rock Creek, Rush City and Sandstone, as well as Grantsburg, Wisconsin, and each of their respective townships. Serving as a subregional center, Pine City accommodates a much larger population by day as residents from the smaller, aforementioned, surrounding communities both shop and work there.

Pine City is home to 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.

From early spring to late fall, one of East Central Minnesota's largest flea markets takes place every Wednesday morning at the Pine County Fairgrounds. Vendors feature everything from antique tools and furniture to fresh flowers and produce.

[edit] Downtown

Downtown Pine City street scene
Downtown Pine City street scene
Farmers' Market, Robinson Park
Farmers' Market, Robinson Park

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.

A farmers market called Market in the Park is held seasonally each Friday at the south side of the park. There are many people who live and work downtown.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,043 residents, 1,222 households, and 734 families in the city. The population density was 1,076.3 people per square mile (415.2/km²). There were 1,275 housing units at an average density of 451.0/sq mi (174.0/km²).

[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] 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 3,318
  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] 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.

Ancestry of Pine City residents is primarily German (36%), Norwegian (17%), Swedish (15%), and Czech (8%).

[edit] Religion

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

[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] Places of interest

Rural School Museum, Built 1908
Rural School Museum, Built 1908

[edit] Education and Academic institutions

The Pine City Public Schools (Independent School District #578) serve the needs of more than 1,600 area students through one PK-6 elementary school (Pine City Elementary), a 7-12 Junior/Senior High School, and the Pine City Area Learning Center.

Pine City is also home to St. Mary's School (Catholic), which serves pre-school and K-6 students.

Pine Technical College is a two-year institution offering a wide variety of technical and general education course offerings. Pine Tech's gunsmithing curriculum is one of the only programs of its kind in the country and draws students from throughout North America.

The Pine City Public Library is part of the East Central Regional Library. The ECRL holds nearly 400,000 volumes and serves over 65,000 cardholders in the region. Pine City is also home to the George E. Sausen Memorial Law Library, located inside the Pine County Courthouse.

[edit] Health and Utilities

Pine City's Lakeside Medical Center features a full-service hospital and surgery center, clinic, urgent care, and nursing home facility. The Allina Clinic provides a variety of family medicine, obstetrics, and orthopedic surgery services. Pine City is also home to three chiropractic clinics and Sprouts-n-More, an organic and health foods store.

Utility providers are regulated monopolies. East Central Energy provides electrical utilities to the community and is a co-op member of Great River Energy. Minnesota Energy supplies gas and US Cable provides cable television. The city treats and distributes water and several local businesses provide garbage removal and recycling services.

[edit] Amateur Sports

[edit] Baseball

The Pine City Pirates baseball team features mostly 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] Arts

Pine City has an active community theater, the Heritage Players, which 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 free performances are given throughout the school year. The high school band has built its sterling reputation under the direction of Mr. Bradley Mariska. [4]

[edit] Major annual events

Historic photo of the Pine County Fair
Historic photo of the Pine County Fair

[edit] Summer

[edit] Fall

[edit] Winter

  • Holiday Madness
  • Holiday Parade

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspapers

The major weekly newspaper in the area is the Pine City Pioneer, which has a circulation of over 3,000. The Pioneer is owned by Kanabec Publishing and edited by Becky Glander. 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
WXCX 105.7 FM Pine City, MN Classic Hits
K231AT 94.1 FM Pine City, MN Christian (Horizon Christian Fellowship)
KCMP 97.5 FM Hinckley, MN Adult Album Alternative (The Current)
KSJN 104.5 FM Hinckley, MN Classical
WYSG 96.3 FM Hinckley, MN Christian music (Lifetalk Radio)
KMKL 90.3 FM North Branch, MN Christian Contemporary
KBEK 95.5 FM Mora, MN Oldies
WGVY 105.3 FM Cambridge, MN Oldies/Soft Adult Contemporary

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

[edit] Fictional references

[edit] Books

[edit] Film

In Drop Dead Gorgeous (film) (1999), starring Kirsten Dunst, there was a fictitious "Miss Pine City" character, portrayed by an actual Pine Citian, Amy Olson.

[edit] Stage

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

  • "The Pavilion"
  • "Orange Flower Water"
  • "Molly's Delicous"
  • "Melissa Arctic"
  • "Grace", takes place in Florida, but is about people who come from Pine City

[edit] Noteworthy Pine Citians

The following list includes those that were either born in, or that have resided (or presently reside) in Pine City:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ 1

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Pine County, Minnesota
County seat: Pine City
Cities
Map of Minnesota highlighting Pine County
Townships
Unincorporated
communities

Coordinates: 45°49′34″N, 92°58′07″W