Blaine, Minnesota
City
January-2008 sunset in Blaine
Location of the city of Blaine within Anoka County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°09′39″N 93°14′05″W / 45.16083°N 93.23472°W / 45.16083; -93.23472
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Anoka, Ramsey
Founded	1877
Incorporated	January 29, 1954[1]
Government
• Mayor	Tom Ryan
Area[2]
• City	34.05 sq mi (88.19 km2)
• Land	33.85 sq mi (87.67 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2)
• Urban	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)
Elevation	902 ft (275 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• City	57,186
• Estimate (2017)[4]	65,369
• Rank	US: 584th MN: 14th
• Density	1,700/sq mi (650/km2)
• Metro	3,524,583 (US: 16th)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	55014, 55434, 55449
Area code(s)	763
FIPS code	27-06382
GNIS feature ID	0640245[5]
Website	Official website

Blaine is a city in Anoka and Ramsey counties in the State of Minnesota. The population was 57,186 at the 2010 census.^[6] The city is located mainly in Anoka County, and is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

Interstate Highway 35W, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highway 65 are three of the main routes in the city.

History and culture[edit]

Until 1877, Blaine was part of the city of Anoka, Minnesota. Phillip Laddy, a native of Ireland, is recognized as the first settler in Blaine and settled near a lake that now bears his name, Laddie Lake, in 1862. Laddy died shortly after his arrival and his survivors moved on to Minneapolis. Another early settler was the Englishman George Townsend, who lived for a short time near what would today be Lever St. and 103rd Ave.

It was not until 1865 that Blaine's first permanent resident, Greenberry Chambers, settled on the old Townsend claim. Chambers was a former slave who moved north from Barren County, Kentucky, following the Civil War. In 1870, George Wall, Joseph Gagner, and soon others settled in the area and it began to grow.

In 1877, Blaine separated from Anoka and organized as a township of its own. That year the first election was held and Moses Ripley was elected as the first Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Ripley, who had come to Minnesota from Maine, persuaded his fellow board members to name the new Township in honor of James G. Blaine, a Republican senator, Speaker of the House and three-time presidential candidate from Maine. By 1880, Blaine's population had reached 128.

While many of the other communities in Anoka County experienced growth due to farming, Blaine's sandy soil and abundant wetlands discouraged would-be farmers and it remained a prime hunting area. Blaine's growth remained slow until after World War II when starter home developments began to spring up in the southern part of town and the community changed from a small rural town to a more suburban one. Blaine's population has grown from 1,694 in 1950 to 20,573 in 1970 to over 57,000 in 2010. For several years Blaine led the Twin Cities metro region in new home construction.^[7]

Blaine's growth could be attributed to the development of Interstate Highway 35W, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota Highway 65 which increased its accessibility to the Twin Cities making it an attractive location for business and residential development as many people call it home today. Furthermore, the land development technique of sand mining opened thousands of acres of peat sod farms up for development. Beginning with the development of the Knoll Creek, Club West, Pleasure Creek and TPC Twin Cities, the existing land was modified through extensive grading efforts with the result in the large open water areas. The sand from the excavation of those ponds was used to raise the level of the site. These site modifications are needed to accommodate the development of the homes and neighborhoods.^[8] The success of mining sand aided increating ponds/lakes and allowed for further development in the city. The Center piece of those developments is The Lake of Blaine, taking over 1,000 acres peat and sod farms and creating 158 acre Sunrise Lake and million dollar homes and other high end housing opportunities not seen in the city before.^[9] Corporate residents include the Aveda Corporation, Infinite Campus, PTC Inc, MagnetStreet, parking lot portion of a Medtronic Development, and Dayton Rogers Manufacturing.

Blaine is also home to the 600-acre (2.4 km²) National Sports Center featuring 50 soccer fields, a golf course, a velodrome, and the Schwan Super Rink, containing 4 Olympic and 4 regulation ice rinks in one building. Further development is occurring now that will bring another 20 fields for multiple uses including Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer and a host of other activities.^[10][11][12]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.05 square miles (88.19 km²), of which 33.85 square miles (87.67 km²) is land and 0.20 square miles (0.52 km²) is water.^[2] Blaine is 13 miles (21 kilometers)) from Minneapolis and 20 mi (32 km) from St. Paul.

Blaine can be accessed from several major roadways in the Twin Cities, including Minnesota State Highway 65, Interstate 35W, University Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Hamline Avenue, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highway 610.

Major landforms[edit]

There are four major named water bodies partially or completely within the city limits. Sunrise Lake as part of The Lakes housing development is the largest body at 158 acres in size, and going down to depths of near 40 feet in some places.^[13] The next largest body is Laddie Lake, which is also partially in Spring Lake Park at 77 acres in size, reaching maximum depth of 6 ft in some locations.^[14] The next largest body is Club West Lake at 39 acres and depths up to 25 ft, also man-made, located in the Club West Housing development.^[15] The last named body of water in the city is Lochness Lake; at 11 acres in size it is managed by the city and has a provided fishing dock.^[16] There are several other large bodies of water within the city that are not classified as lakes found around the TPC of the Twin Cities, Pleasure Creek Neighborhood, Knoll Creek Development, Crescent Ponds.

Blaine is also in the process of creating a 500-acre open space plan. The city started acquiring portions of the property in the late 1990s, but most of it was acquired after Blaine voters approved a $3.5 million referendum in 2000.^[17] A tentative long-range plan calls for the construction of a nature center by 2020. The 70-acre Kane Meadows Park also acquired next to The Lakes development has been the centerpiece of this open space program.^[18]

Economy[edit]

Top employers[edit]

Professional sports[edit]

The National Sports Center has been the home of Minnesota's professional soccer teams for 23 years. From 1990–2003 and 2008–2009 the National Sports Center was home for the now defunct Minnesota Thunder. After the Thunder folded, the sports center quickly stepped in and created the NSC Minnesota Stars for the 2009 season. The United States Soccer Federation ruled the stadium could not own the team, due to an increase in financial standards the stadium did not have, and the team re-branded to become the Minnesota Stars FC for the 2010–2012 seasons. The Minnesota United FC, after being re-branded in early 2013 to represent the history of soccer in Minnesota, played at the National Sports Center until their promotion to Major League Soccer in 2017,^[19] and they now play at TCF Bank Stadium.^[20]

Education[edit]

There are 3 high schools within the city: Blaine High School home to the Bengals in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, and Centennial High School home to the Cougars in the Centennial School District. Paladin Career and Technical High School is a public charter school.

The city is serviced by 3 different school districts. District 11 - Anoka Hennepin covers the majority of the city from Highway 65 west to University Ave north of 99th Av NE and the areas north of Cloud Drive and zig-zags through The Lakes Neighborhood up to Main Street where it covers everything north all the way across to Sunset Blvd the cities eastern edge. District 12 - Spring Lake Park Schools pretty much covers everything south of 99th Av Ne, the east side of Highway 65 north to where it bumps into the District 11 boundary and east over to Lexington where it bumps into the Centennial School district. Covering the majority of the center part of the city. The final district is District 12 - Centennial Schools they cover east of Lexington up to almost Main Street and everything south and east of Interstate 35W in the city.

Rasmussen College, a private, for-profit school offering Bachelor's and associate degrees, has a location in Blaine.

Demographics[edit]

2010 census[edit]

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 57,186 people, 21,077 households, and 15,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,689.4 inhabitants per square mile (652.3/km²). There were 21,921 housing units at an average density of 647.6 per square mile (250.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.0% White, 3.7% African American, 0.5% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 21,077 households of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.8% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14.

The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.7% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 8.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census[edit]

As of the census of 2000, there were 44,942 people, 15,898 households, and 12,177 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,330 people per square mile (512/km²). There are 16,169 housing units at an average density of 477.6 per square mile (184.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.46% White, 0.86% African American, 0.63% Native American, 2.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. 1.72% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2003 the US census estimated that the population had grown to 50,425.^[23]

There are 15,898 households out of which 41.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% are married couples living together, 11.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% are non-families. 17.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.82 and the average family size is 3.19.

In the city, the population is spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females, there are 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $59,219, and the median income for a family is $63,831. Males have a median income of $40,620 versus $30,452 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,777. 3.0% of the population and 2.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Politics[edit]

Blaine is located in Minnesota's 6th congressional district, represented by Tom Emmer, a Republican. U.S. Senate representatives are Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats. On a state level, Blaine is represented by Nolan West and Erin Koegle in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and Jerry Newton in the Minnesota Senate.

Notable people[edit]

• 
  David Backes – Player in the NHL and member of the U.S. Men's Hockey team, born in Blaine.


• 
  Nick Bjugstad – Player in the NHL, born in Blaine.


• 
  Brandon Bochenski – professional ice hockey player in the KHL, born in Blaine.


• 
  Bryan Cupito – former starting quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, now residing in Blaine.


• 
  Matt Hendricks – Player in the NHL, born in Blaine.


• 
  Now, Now – Indie Rock band, formed at Blaine High School in 2004.


• 
  Patrick O'Bryant of the Taiwan Beer of the Super Basketball League (SBL) in Taiwan.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website

Coordinates: 45°09′39″N 93°14′05″W / 45.16083°N 93.23472°W / 45.16083; -93.23472