- Brainerd, Minnesota
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Brainerd, Minnesota
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Crow Wing County and the state ofMinnesota
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pushpin_label_position = left
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =Minnesota
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Crow Wing
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leader_title =Mayor
leader_name =James Wallin
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established_title = Founded
established_date = 1870
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established_title3 = Incorporated
established_date3 = 1873
area_magnitude =
unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 = 21.9
area_land_km2 = 20.6
area_water_km2 = 1.2
area_total_sq_mi = 8.4
area_land_sq_mi = 8.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.5
area_water_percent = 5.57%
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population_as_of = 2000
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settlement_type =City
population_total = 13178
population_density_km2 = 638.4
population_density_sq_mi = 1652.8
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timezone = Central
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = Central
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd = 46 |latm = 21 |lats = 29 |latNS = N
longd = 94 |longm = 12 |longs = 03 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 371
elevation_ft = 1217
postal_code_type =ZIP code
postal_code = 56401
area_code = 218
website = [http://www.ci.brainerd.mn.us www.ci.brainerd.mn.us]
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 27-07300GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0640426GR|3
footnotes =Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County,
Minnesota ,United States . The population was 13,178 at the 2000 census. It is thecounty seat of Crow Wing CountyGR|6 and one of the largest cities inCentral Minnesota . Brainerd straddles theMississippi River several miles upstream from theconfluence with theCrow Wing River , having been founded as a site for arailroad crossing above that confluence. The Brainerd area serves as a major tourist destination for Minnesota, and with Baxter as a regional retail center. The city is also known for theBrainerd International Raceway .Brainerd is the principal city of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Cass and Crow Wing counties [ [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List5.txt MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS] ,
Office of Management and Budget ,2007-05-11 . Accessed2008-07-27 .] and had a combined population of 82,249 at the 2000 census.GR|2History
Originally
Ojibwe territory, Brainerd was first seen by white men on Christmas Day in 1805, whenZebulon Pike stopped there while searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Crow Wing Village, a fur and logging community nearFort Ripley , brought settlers to the area in the mid-1800s.In these early years the relationship between the settlers and the Indians was complicated. The most famous example of this tenuous relationship was the so-called "Blueberry War" of 1872. Two Ojibwe were hanged for allegedly murdering a missing girl, and when a group of Indians approached the town, troops from nearby Fort Ripley were called in to prevent a potential reprisal. As it turns out, however, the Ojibwe only wanted to sell blueberries and the settlers narrowly avoided a bloody misunderstanding.
Brainerd was the brainchild of
Northern Pacific railroad presidentJohn Gregory Smith , who in 1870 named the township after his wife, Anne Eliza Brainerd Smith, and father-in-law,Lawrence Brainerd . The company built a bridge over the Mississippi seven miles north of Crow Wing Village and used the Brainerd station as a machine and car shop, prompting many to move north and abandon Crow Wing. Brainerd was organized as acity onMarch 6 ,1873 .On
January 11 ,1876 , the state legislature revoked Brainerd's charter for six years, as a reaction to the election of local handymanThomas Lanihan as mayor instead of JudgeC.B. Sleeper . Brainerd once again functioned as a township in the interim.In 1881 the railroad, and with it the town, expanded. Lumber and paper, as well as agriculture in general, were important early industries, but for many decades Brainerd remained a railroad town: in the 1920s roughly 90 percent of Brainerd residents were dependent on the railroad. Participation in the nationwide railroad strike on
July 1 ,1922 , left the majority of Brainerd residents unemployed and embittered many of those involved.On
October 27 ,1933 , the First National Bank of Brainerd became briefly famous when it was held up byBaby Face Nelson and his gang.Over the years increased efficiency and the better positioning of the more centralized Livingston,
Montana shops led to a decline in the importance of a railroad station that once employed over a thousand and servicedlocomotive s for the whole Northern Pacific line. Despite this, theBNSF Railway (successor to the Northern Pacific) continues to employ approximately 70 people in Brainerd at a maintenance-of-way equipment shop responsible for performing repairs and preventative maintenance to track and equipment.The
Northwest Paper Company built Brainerd's firstpaper mill in 1903 and with the steady increase intourism since the early 1900s the paper and service industries have become Brainerd's primary employers. The town's coating mill was sold by Potlatch to Sappi Limited in 2002 and then by Sappi Limited toWausau Paper in 2004.Brainerd itself is now heavily developed into commercial and residential areas and most new construction in the area takes place in neighboring Baxter.
Geography
Brainerd is located just north of the geographical center of Minnesota, in a relatively hilly
terminal moraine area created by the Superior Lobe of theLabradorian ice sheet . The town occupies land on both sides of theMississippi River , though the older parts of Brainerd are almost all to the east.Though the city itself has relatively few lakes, there are over 460 lakes within 25 miles of Brainerd, located mostly to the north. For this reason, Crow Wing County and parts of the adjoining counties are often collectively referred to as the Brainerd Lakes Area.
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.9 km²), of which, 8.0 square miles (20.6 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (5.57%) is water.Minnesota State Highways 18, 25, 210, and 371 are four of the main routes in the community.
Brainerd has been assigned
ZIP code 56401 by the USPS.Demographics
USCensusPop
1890= 5703
1900= 7524
1910= 8526
1920= 9591
1930= 10221
1940= 12071
1950= 12087
1960= 12898
1970= 11667
1980= 11489
1990= 12353
2000= 13178
estyear=
estimate=As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 13,178 people, 5,623 households, and 3,036 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,652.8 people per square mile (638.4/km²). There were 5,847 housing units at an average density of 733.3/sq mi (283.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.83% White, 0.71% African American, 1.44% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population. 31.4% were of German, 17.7% Norwegian, 7.1% Swedish, 6.8% Irish and 6.1%United States or American ancestry according toCensus 2000 .There were 5,623 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,901, and the median income for a family was $35,212. Males had a median income of $27,677 versus $21,217 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,744. About 11.8% of families and 17.6% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.Culture
Brainerd claims Paul Bunyan as its native; the world's largest animated statue of him, once located at Paul Bunyan Amusement Center in nearby Baxter, was moved a few miles east of the town to This Old Farm after the amusement center closed in 2003.
Much of the Coen brothers' movie "Fargo" takes place in a fictional version of Brainerd. The landmarks pictured (the Blue Ox Bar, the Paul Bunyan statue) are not the same ones actually in the town.
On
June 30 ,1999 , then-21-year-old Farrah Slad of Brainerd won what was Minnesota's largest lottery prize, $150 million in the multi-statePowerball game. (The state record was broken onMay 3 ,2008 by a ticket purchased in Faribault.)Notable natives
* Barbara Bossus Bohrer -
Princess Kay of the Milky Way 1956
*Babe Winkelman - Fisherman
*Linda Eder - Broadway actress
*Bullet Joe Bush - Professional baseball player 1912 - 1928Points of interest
*
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
*Northland Arboretum
*Brainerd International Raceway References
Radio stations
:FM radio
*93.3
KBLB Country
*94.7KSKK Adult Contemporary
*97.5KDKK Music of Your Life
*101.5KFGI Classic rock
*101.9KQKK Adult Contemporary
*103.5KUAL Oldies
*104.3 KLKS Timeless music
*106.7 WJJY The Best of the 80's, 90's and Today
*107.5 KLIZClassic rock :AM radio
*870KPRM Classic Country andNews/Talk
*1070KVKK Country
*1570KAKK Oldies External links
* [http://www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/ City of Brainerd, MN -- Official site]
* [http://brainerddispatch.com/history/ Brainerd History.com]
* [http://www.brainerdcommunityaction.org/ Brainerd Community Action site]
* [http://www.explorebrainerdlakes.com/ Explore Brainerd Lakes.com -- Visitor Information site]
* [http://www.brainerddispatch.com/ "Brainerd Dispatch" newspaper site]
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