Princeton, Minnesota

Princeton, Minnesota
City
The Great Northern Depot served Princeton on the Great Northern Railway until 1976.
Motto: "A Growing Community On the Rum River"[1]
Location of the city of Princeton within Mille Lacs and Sherburne Counties in the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°34′22″N 93°35′7″W / 45.57278°N 93.58528°W / 45.57278; -93.58528
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Mille Lacs, Sherburne
Area[2]
• Total	5.18 sq mi (13.42 km2)
• Land	4.96 sq mi (12.85 km2)
• Water	0.22 sq mi (0.57 km2)
Elevation	981 ft (299 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	4,698
• Estimate (2012[4])	4,674
• Density	947.2/sq mi (365.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55371
Area code(s)	763
FIPS code	27-52522[5]
GNIS feature ID	0649738[6]
Website	www.princetonmn.org

Princeton is a city in Mille Lacs and Sherburne counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located at the confluence of the Rum River and its West branch. Located 50 miles north of Minneapolis and 30 miles east of St. Cloud, at the intersection of Highways 169 and 95, Princeton offers the conveniences of a larger community with the tranquility of small-town living. An excellent school system, strong industrial park, historic downtown, and a growing variety of recreational opportunities all add to the quality of life in the Princeton community.^[7] The population was 4,698 at the 2010 census.^[8] A majority of residents live within Mille Lacs County.

History

In the winter of 1855 Samuel Ross, Jame W. Gillian, Dorilius Morrison, John S. Prince and Richard Chute platted the town of #Ptown. The plat was officially recorded on April 19, 1856.^[9] The town is traditionally thought to have been named in honor of John S. Prince.^[10] A lack of historical evidence directly supporting this claim has prompted an alternative theory that homesick Easterners named the town in honor of Princeton, New Jersey.^[11]

Lumbering

1. Princeton's location near the confluence of the Rum River and its West branch was critical to the town's development. In 1847 Daniel Stanchfield led an expedition to explore the Rum River.^[9] The group discovered vast white pine forests upstream from the future site of #Princeton along the Rum River, the West Branch Rum River, and their tributaries. Three sawmills were built in #Princeton between 1856 and 1867. Lumbermen floated logs down the Rum River to the mills in #Princeton, though most of the logs passed through #Princeton to mills in Minneapolis.

Brickmaking

Brick-making was another important industry in the #Princeton area. The brick industry developed about two miles northeast of Princeton near beds of clay. A community known as Brickton formed in the location. From 1889 through the late 1920s several brickyards operated in Brickton, collectively producing as many as 20,000,000 bricks per year.^[9] When the brick industry declined, Brickton ceased to exist. “Years after the last brick had been shipped from Brickton, specifications in contracts for construction of public buildings often stated that it should be of Princeton brick or of equally good quality.”^[9]

Other

Other important industries in Princeton's early years included potato farming, starch production, dairy, and the distillery located in town continues to play a key role in alcohol production.

The Princeton Farmers Market has been a seasonal mainstay since 1988.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.18 square miles (13.42 km²); 4.96 square miles (12.85 km²) is land and 0.22 square miles (0.57 km²) is water.^[2]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 4,698 people, 1,926 households, and 1,176 families residing in the city. The population density was 947.2 inhabitants per square mile (365.7 /km²). There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of 412.1 per square mile (159.1 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.5% White, 0.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 1,926 households of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 3,933 people, 1,624 households, and 998 families residing in the city. The population density was 887.7 people per square mile (342.8/km²). There were 1,670 housing units at an average density of 376.9 per square mile (145.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.27% White, 0.13% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 1,624 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,216, and the median income for a family was $42,558. Males had a median income of $31,684 versus $22,009 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,381. About 2.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Bob Backlund - former World Wrestling Federation champion wrestler
• Rod Grams, former member of the United States Senate from Minnesota^[12]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Princeton is served by the Princeton Municipal Airport.

Major highways

The following routes are located within the city of Princeton.

• U.S. Highway 169
• Minnesota State Highway 95

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princeton, Minnesota.

• City of Princeton, Minnesota website
• City-Data.com
• ePodunk: Profile for Princeton, Minnesota

v t e Municipalities and communities of Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States County seat: Milaca Cities Bock Foreston Isle Milaca Onamia Pease Princeton‡ Wahkon Townships Bogus Brook Borgholm Bradbury Dailey East Side Greenbush Hayland Isle Harbor Kathio Lewis Milaca Milo Mudgett Onamia Page Princeton South Harbor CDP Vineland Indian reservation Mille Lacs Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Municipalities and communities of Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States County seat: Elk River Cities Becker Big Lake Clear Lake Elk River Princeton‡ St. Cloud‡ Zimmerman Townships Baldwin Becker Big Lake Blue Hill Clear Lake Haven Livonia Orrock Palmer Santiago Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Coordinates: 45°34′12″N 93°34′54″W / 45.57000°N 93.58167°W / 45.57000; -93.58167