| Ely, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Ely in Saint Louis County, Minnesota | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Saint Louis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.7 sq mi (7.1 km2) |
| • Land | 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,427 ft (435 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,460 |
| • Density | 1,369.5/sq mi (528.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 55731 |
| Area code(s) | 218 |
| FIPS code | 27-19142[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0661205[3] |
| Website | www.ely.mn.us |
Ely ( /ˈiːli/ ee-lee) is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It was once named "Que Quam Chep", which means "land of the berries" in the Chippewa language. The population was 3,460 at the 2010 census.[1] It is located in the Vermilion Iron Range, and was historically home to several Iron ore mines.
Today the city of Ely is best known as a popular entry point for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness; and is home to the International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center.
It is home to community-oriented newspapers Ely Echo and North Country Angler, and to radio stations WELY and Boundary Waters Radio. Ely is host to many community events such as the Blueberry Arts Festival and the Harvest Moon Festival, located in Whiteside Park throughout the summer months.
The city's main street is lined with outfitters, outdoor clothing stores, and restaurants. State Highway 1, State Highway 169 and County Road 21 (Central Avenue) are the main routes in the city.
Contents |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 901 |
|
|
| 1900 | 3,717 | 312.5% | |
| 1910 | 3,572 | −3.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,902 | 37.2% | |
| 1930 | 6,156 | 25.6% | |
| 1940 | 5,970 | −3.0% | |
| 1950 | 5,474 | −8.3% | |
| 1960 | 5,438 | −0.7% | |
| 1970 | 4,904 | −9.8% | |
| 1980 | 4,820 | −1.7% | |
| 1990 | 3,968 | −17.7% | |
| 2000 | 3,724 | −6.1% | |
| 2010 | 3,460 | −7.1% | |
|
|
|||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile (528.6/km²). There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile (271.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.86% White, 0.86% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. 21.8% were of German, 12.2% Slovene, 11.7% Finnish, 8.7% Norwegian, 6.4% English, 5.6% Swedish and 5.4% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 1,912 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,615, and the median income for a family was $36,047. Males had a median income of $34,559 versus $18,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,855. About 9.5% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), all of it land.
Ely is about 100 miles (160 km) north of Duluth, Minnesota, 137 miles southeast of International Falls, Minnesota, and about 240 miles (390 km) north of Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota's largest metropolitan center.
The famed Echo Trail (Saint Louis County Road 116), is a former logging road that runs north and west out of Ely and provides the primary access to the lakes of the western Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The trail is a 72 miles (116 km) roller coaster ride on asphalt and gravel through the untrammeled wilderness of the Superior National Forest and Kabetogama State Forest. Numerous trailheads and canoe portages along the Echo Trail provide access to the BWCAW. A sidetrip presses north to the resort village of Crane Lake, a gateway to Voyageurs National Park. Special attractions: Unmatched views of sharply rolling forest, lakes, wetlands, rivers, and granite crags in one of the most remote areas in the contiguous United States; canoeing, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and primitive camping in the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters; opportunities to see wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, moose, bears, wolves, and beavers; blueberry and other wild berry picking and wildflower viewing.
On the Köppen climate classification, Ely falls in the warm summer humid continental climate zone (Dfb).
| Climate data for Ely | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
56 (13) |
66 (19) |
86 (30) |
94 (34) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
97 (36) |
97 (36) |
85 (29) |
70 (21) |
54 (12) |
100 (38) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 14 (−10) |
23 (−5) |
35 (2) |
49 (9) |
65 (18) |
73 (23) |
78 (26) |
75 (24) |
64 (18) |
50 (10) |
32 (0) |
19 (−7) |
48.1 (8.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 2.5 (−16.4) |
10.5 (−11.9) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
37.5 (3.1) |
53 (12) |
62 (17) |
67 (19) |
64.5 (18.1) |
54 (12) |
41.5 (5.3) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
11.5 (−11.4) |
37.58 (3.10) |
| Average low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−2 (−19) |
10 (−12) |
26 (−3) |
41 (5) |
51 (11) |
56 (13) |
54 (12) |
44 (7) |
33 (1) |
17 (−8) |
4 (−16) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −44 (−42) |
−45 (−43) |
−42 (−41) |
−11 (−24) |
15 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
39 (4) |
34 (1) |
24 (−4) |
7 (−14) |
−24 (−31) |
−40 (−40) |
−45 (−43) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.06 (26.9) |
0.76 (19.3) |
1.24 (31.5) |
1.58 (40.1) |
2.87 (72.9) |
4.19 (106.4) |
3.72 (94.5) |
2.84 (72.1) |
3.63 (92.2) |
2.40 (61) |
1.66 (42.2) |
0.99 (25.1) |
26.94 (684.3) |
| Source: The Weather Channel [4] | |||||||||||||
Chippewa, or the Ojibwe, were the first to inhabit the Ely area. They are believed to have sought refuge with the abundance of blueberries, which is why the townspeople hold the Blueberry Festival every year in late July. Trappers and voyageurs made their way to the area in the 18th century in search of new land and furs. Later, in the mid-19th century, while explorers and prospectors were entering the area, the gold rush began. Although no gold was found in the Ely area, large deposits of iron ore were. Iron ore was first discovered in Ely in 1883, near the west end of the flooded, abandoned mine that is now called Miner's Lake. As the mining of the iron ore began, the population of Ely began to boom.
The town was first named Florence, but after discovering that another town in Minnesota was already named Florence, the name was changed to Ely. This name was in honor of Samuel B. Ely, a miner from Michigan who never actually saw the town.
After the addition of the railroad in 1888, the mines began shipping the iron ore to the docks of Lake Superior in Two Harbors. Originally, the mining was an open pit operation since there was an abundance of iron ore on the surface. Later, deep shafts were made to start mining underground.
With the addition of underground mining, support beams made of logs were put in to prevent tunnel collapsing. This in turn started the logging and milling industry for Ely.
In 1967, the Pioneer mine closed. It was the last of 11 mines located in the Ely area. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts Ely Arts & Heritage Center. Logging still takes place today in Ely, but on a limited basis.
Ely is the largest "jumping off" town for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, with extensive outfitting and other services. It can credibly be claimed to do the most wilderness canoe outfitting of any town or city in the world.