Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji, Minnesota
City
Statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
Flag
Nickname(s): Brrrmidji
Motto: "First City On The Mississippi"
Location of the city of Bemidji within Beltrami County in the state of Minnesota
Bemidji, Minnesota Location in the United States
Coordinates: 47°28′25″N 94°52′49″W / 47.47361°N 94.88028°W / 47.47361; -94.88028
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Beltrami
Incorporated	1896
Government
• Mayor	Rita Albrecht
Area[1]
• City	14.14 sq mi (36.62 km2)
• Land	12.92 sq mi (33.46 km2)
• Water	1.22 sq mi (3.16 km2)  8.63%
Elevation	1,365 ft (416 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• City	13,431
• Estimate (2013[3])	14,435
• Density	1,039.6/sq mi (401.4/km2)
• Urban	16,000 (roughly)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	Central (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56601
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-05068
GNIS feature ID	0655325[4]
Website	www.ci.bemidji.mn.us

Bemidji (/bəˈmɪdʒiː/ bə-MIJ-ee) is a city in Beltrami County (and county seat^[5]), in north west Minnesota, United States. With a population of 13,431 at the 2010 census,^[6] it is the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Duluth, Minnesota. Bemidji houses many Native American services, which includes the Indian Health Service. The city is the central hub of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, White Earth Indian Reservation and the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Bemidji lies on the south west shore of Lake Bemidji, the northernmost lake feeding the Mississippi River and as such is deemed "the first city on the Mississippi." Bemidji is also called the "curling capital" of the U.S.

Etymology

Its name derives from the Ojibwe Buh-mid-ji-ga-maug (Double-Vowel orthography: bemijigamaag),^[7] meaning "a lake with crossing waters". On occasion, in Ojibwe, the city of Bemidji is called Wabigamaang ("at the lake channel/narrows"), because part of the city is situated on the Lakes Bemidji/Irving narrows, located on the south end of Lake Bemidji, and extends to the eastern shore of Lake Irving. Some sources also credit the name to Chief Bemidji, an Ojibwe chief.^[8]

History

Bemidji Township was surveyed in 1874 and organized in 1896 twenty-four days after the village of Bemidji was chartered and is the oldest township in the county. In 1897, the county attorney declared the original Bemidji township organization illegal (no reason given) and the township reorganized June 26, 1897.^[9]

Parks and recreation

Bemidji is near Chippewa National Forest, Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park, Big Bog State Recreation Area, and state forest areas. Bemidji has 400 lakes within 25 miles (40 km), 500 mi (800 km) of snowmobile trails and 99 mi (160 km) of cross country ski trails. Bemidji is home to many recreational events throughout the year. The Paul Bunyan Triathlon is the 3rd Saturday in August. The Dragon Boat Festival is a racing competition held at the waterfront during the first week of August. The Bemidji Polar Days is a week-long event held during the winter months. The Minnesota Finlandia Ski Marathon is also held in Bemidji.^[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.14 square miles (36.62 km²), of which 12.92 square miles (33.46 km²) is land and 1.22 square miles (3.16 km²) is water.^[1]

Lake Bemidji

Four-lane U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 71, and Minnesota State Highway 197 are three of the main routes in the city. Minnesota State Highways 89 and 371 are nearby.

The largest earthquake on record for the Bemidji area was recorded on September 3, 1917. It is claimed that it shook houses down in Bemidji and across northern Minnesota.^[11] The epicenter was about 95 miles (153 km) away in Staples, Minnesota and affected an area of 48,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi) with a magnitude 4.4 with a maximum intensity of VI to VII. The closest and most recent quake occurred in Walker, Minnesota on September 27, 1982 with a magnitude of 2.0.^[12]

Climate

Bemidji has a hemiboreal climate, Dfb in the Koeppen climate classification - short, warm summers; long, severe winters. The average mean annual temperature in Bemidji is 37.3 degrees. The coldest month is January with an average daily high of 16 degrees and an average daily low of -4 degrees. The warmest month is July with an average daily high of 79 degrees and an average daily low of 57 degrees. The average annual humidity is 47%. The average annual snowfall is 41.1 inches and the average annual rainfall is 23.8 inches. The average day Lake Bemidji freezes over is November 26 and the average day the ice goes off the lake is April 26.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 13,431 people, 5,339 households, and 2,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,039.6 inhabitants per square mile (401.4/km²). There were 5,748 housing units at an average density of 444.9 per square mile (171.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.3% White, 1.2% African American, 11.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 5,339 households of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.1% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 27.1 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 26.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 17.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,917 people, 4,669 households, and 2,427 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,011.8 people per square mile (390.6/km²). There were 4,948 housing units at an average density of 420.1 per square mile (162.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.31% White American, 0.76% African American, 11.52% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 4,669 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 24.9% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $28,312 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,264. About 13.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

1894 photo of Carson's Trading Post, Bemidji's first white business. Brothers George Earl and Merian Ellsworth Carson moved to the area in 1888, and Merian eventually married into a Leach Lake Band family.^[16]

Bemidji is a college city with strong arts influences. The city's streets are lined with small shops and adorned with sculptures and other forms of public art.

The Concordia Language Villages are located near Bemidji and have been influential in the existence of several language conversational groups (including French, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, and German) that meet weekly in local coffee houses.

In 2011, Red Lake Ojibwe Nation Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. complimented the city for its Ojibwe language signage in places of business.^[17]

During the summer, the Paul Bunyan Playhouse operates a non-Equity, summer stock theater. Bemidji Community Theatre also provides live theatre for the Bemidji area when Paul Bunyan Playhouse is not in operation.

Sports

The city is well known to fans of the sport of hockey. As a Division II team, Bemidji State was a hockey dynasty in the 80s and 90s. Bemidji was in the title game 8 straight years, winning 5 Div II titles.

Also, the city is known to fans of the sport of curling. Both men's and women's rinks from the Bemidji Curling Club won the right to represent the United States in the 2005 World Curling Championship and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Pete Fenson, the skip of the U.S. curling team that took the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics, is a native of Bemidji, as is Natalie Nicholson, who was the lead for the United States women's team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

A city referendum for a Bemidji Regional Events Center passed by a slim majority of 43 votes out of 4,583 votes cast in November 2006. Opening in 2010, the center was renamed the Sanford Center and serves as home to the Bemidji State University hockey team. The men's and women's hockey teams are both members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Beginning in the spring of 2014, the Sanford Center is the home of the city's first-ever professional sports team, the Minnesota Axemen of the Indoor Football League.

Education

Bemidji is home to Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College, and Oak Hills Christian College. Public Education is served by Bemidji Area Schools, TrekNorth Charter High School, Voyagers Charter High School and Schoolcraft Charter School. Bemidji is also home to three private schools: St. Philips Catholic School, St. Mark's Lutheran School and Heartland Christian Academy.

Regional center

The City of Bemidji acts as a regional center for shopping, arts, entertainment, education, health services, worship, and government services. The Bemidji Area includes parts or all of Beltrami (Pop. 44,442), Hubbard (Pop. 20,428), Cass (Pop. 28,567), Itasca (Pop. 45,058), Koochiching (Pop. 13,311), Lake Of The Woods (Pop. 4,045), Marshall (Pop. 9,439), Pennington (Pop. 13,930), Red Lake (Pop. 4,089), Clearwater (Pop. 8,695), and Mahnomen (Pop. 5,413) counties. The Bemidji area also includes the White Earth (Pop. 9,192) and Leech Lake (Pop. 10,660) Reservations and the Sovereign Nation of Red Lake (Pop. 5,162). This places the Bemidji Area population at 131,553.^[18]

Media

Newspapers

The Bemidji Pioneer is the local daily (except Mondays) newspaper.^[19]

TV stations

Most of Bemidji's TV stations primarily rebroadcast the television stations of the Twin Cities.

Radio stations

FM

AM

Magazine

• Northwoods Woman, a bimonthly magazine published from 2008-2013, launched in Bemidji, Walker and Park Rapids and included articles about women who live and work in northern Minnesota.^[20]

Infrastructure

Major highways

The following routes are located in the Bemidji area.

• U.S. Highway 2
• U.S. Highway 71
• Minnesota State Highway 89
• Minnesota State Highway 197
• Minnesota State Highway 371

Air service

Bemidji is served by Bemidji Airport, which has passenger services on 3 airlines, Delta Connection, Sun Country Airlines and Bemidji Airlines, the latter of which is based in the city of Bemidji. Bemidji Airlines also operates cargo flights, while Corporate Air is the only airline to operate all-cargo-only flights to the airport, on behalf of FedEx Express.

Banks

• Deerwood Bank^[21]
• Wells Fargo
• First National Bank of Bemidji

Notable people

• Dave Casper, Hall of Fame football player
• Pete Fenson, American curling skip
• Gary Sargent, Pro Ice Hockey defensemen, played in National Hockey League 1975-1983
• Joe Motzko, hockey player, member of 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks
• Jane Russell, actress^[22]

In popular culture

• In Jonathan Franzen's book Freedom, the father of the main character is cited as having moved to Bemidji.^[23]
• In the fourth season episode "Little Minnesota" of the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) pretends to be from Bemidji when Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) takes her to the Walleye Saloon, a New York City bar for Minnesota Vikings fans, in an attempt to befriend the patrons.
• The first season of the FX TV series Fargo, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, is mainly set in and around Bemidji. However, the series is filmed in Calgary, Alberta.

Gallery

• 

  Courthouse

• 

  Lake Bemidji

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bemidji, Minnesota.

• City of Bemidji
• Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce
• The Bemidji Pioneer, newspaper
• Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
• Best of Bemidji Quarterly Magazine
• 360 Degree Virtual Tour of 2011 Beltrami County Fair
• First National Bank of Bemidji

Municipalities and communities of Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States County seat: Bemidji Cities Bemidji Blackduck Funkley Kelliher Solway Tenstrike Turtle River Wilton Townships Alaska Battle Bemidji Benville Birch Buzzle Cormant Durand Eckles Frohn Grant Valley Hagali Hamre Hines Hornet Jones Kelliher Lammers Langor Lee Liberty Maple Ridge Minnie Moose Lake Nebish Northern O'Brien Port Hope Quiring Roosevelt Shooks Shotley Spruce Grove Steenerson Sugar Bush Summit Taylor Ten Lake Turtle Lake Turtle River Waskish Woodrow CDPs Little Rock Ponemah Red Lake Redby Unorganized territories Brook Lake Lower Red Lake North Beltrami Shotley Brook Upper Red Lake Unincorporated communities Hines Island Lake Pennington Pinewood Puposky Rosby‡ Saum Shooks Waskish Indian reservations Leech Lake Indian Reservation‡ Red Lake Indian Reservation‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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Coordinates: 47°28′25″N 94°52′49″W / 47.47361°N 94.88028°W / 47.47361; -94.88028