Cambridge, Minnesota

Cambridge, Minnesota
—  City  —
The original Isanti County Courthouse in Cambridge MN
Location of Cambridge, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Isanti
Area
 • Total 6.3 sq mi (16.2 km2)
 • Land 6.2 sq mi (16.0 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 961 ft (293 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 8,111
 • Density 894.1/sq mi (345.2/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 55008
Area code(s) 763
FIPS code 27-09370[2]
GNIS feature ID 0640789[3]

Cambridge is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Minnesota State Highways 65 and 95. The population was 8,111 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the county seat of Isanti County.[4] It is located along the Rum River and the BNSF Railway. Cambridge is notable for having the highest percentage of Swedish Americans of any city in the United States with a population of over 5,000 people.[5]

Contents

History

The city of Cambridge was established in the late 19th century along the railroad from Minneapolis to Duluth. It was named by settlers from New England, although the surrounding area was heavily populated with Swedish immigrants, as were many areas of Minnesota.

In the early 20th century, Cambridge had a potato starch factory, a 1,300-barrel flour mill, a wool carding and spinning mill, an electric lighting plant, and local and long-distance telephone systems.[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), of which, 6.2 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) 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.

Economy

Cambridge is a local commercial center. The recently expanded Cambridge Medical Center serves as the regional health care center.

Education

Cambridge-Isanti High School, Cambridge Middle School, Cambridge Intermediate School, and Cambridge Primary School serve the community. Two new schools, Cambridge Middle School and Isanti Intermediate School, were built in the fall of 2006 to house the expanding school population.

Cambridge Christian School, founded in 1978, has new facilities in the city of Cambridge. Cambridge is also home to Cambridge Community College, a branch of Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1880 136
1890 258 89.7%
1900 737 185.7%
1910 900 22.1%
1920 1,080 20.0%
1930 1,183 9.5%
1940 1,592 34.6%
1950 1,790 12.4%
1960 2,728 52.4%
1970 2,720 −0.3%
1980 3,287 20.8%
1990 5,094 55.0%
2000 5,520 8.4%
2010 8,111 46.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census [2] of 2000, there were 5,520 people, 2,237 households, and 1,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 894.1 people per square mile (345.4/km²). There were 2,373 housing units at an average density of 384.4 per square mile (148.5/km²). 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. 24.7% were of Swedish, 24.6% German, 14.6% Norwegian and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

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.

References

External links