Scandia, Minnesota

Scandia, Minnesota
—  City  —
Coordinates: 47°33′0″N 96°38′38″W / 47.55°N 96.64389°W / 47.55; -96.64389
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Washington
Area
– Total	39.8 sq mi (103.1 km2)
– Land	36.1 sq mi (93.1 km2)
– Water	3.7 sq mi (10.0 km2)
Elevation	876 ft (267 m)
Population (2010)[1]
– Total	3,936
– Density	2.4/sq mi (0.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55073
Area code(s)	651
FIPS code	27-58882[2]
GNIS feature ID	0665564[3]
Website	ci.scandia.mn.us

Scandia is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,936 at the 2010 census.^[1] Scandia is located 25 miles northeast of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and is part of the Twin Cities Metro Area.

History

As evidenced by the town's name, Scandia has a rich Scandinavian heritage. Scandia was the site of what is believed to have been the first Swedish immigrant settlement within the State of Minnesota. In 1850, the first log cabin was built on the shores of Hay Lake. The first sanctuary of Elim Lutheran Church, was built in 1856 on a site near Hay Lake.^[4]

After many years as New Scandia Township, Scandia became a city on January 1, 2007, due to concerns about the community being annexed by the city of Forest Lake. The city is serviced by a weekly newspaper, the Country Messenger.^[5]

Points of interest

• Gammelgarden Museum is owned by Elim Lutheran Church and since 1972 has preserved, presented, and promoted Swedish immigrant heritage and history. Since 1972, it has preserved, presented, and promoted Swedish immigrant heritage and history, with events such as Spelmansstämma. "Midsommarafton" and "Dalapalooza" . The later is a reference to the Dalecarlian horses the city has erected to welcome visitors, similar to Saint Paul, Minnesota's use of the Peanuts characters.^[6]

• Hay Lake School was constructed in 1896. This was rural school district #2 organized in Washington County in 1855. After several years of school being held in local homes, the school was moved into the old Elim Lutheran Church building. The school used that structure, which is now a part of the Gammelgarden complex, until this brick school building was built. The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 1970.^[7]

• Erickson Log House Museum centers on the log house constructed in 1868 by Johannes Erickson and his thirteen year old son Alfred. In 1904, Alfred Erickson constructed a new home and the old log home became at various time a granary, garage and playhouse. In 1974, the Washington County Historical Society purchased the old log house and moved it one and a half miles to its present site. The Erickson Log House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1976.^[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 39.8 square miles (103 km²). 36.0 square miles (93 km²) of it is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it (9.67%) is water. Minnesota State Highways 95 and 97 are two of the main routes in the community.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 3,692 people, 1,294 households, and 1,075 families residing in the township. The population density was 102.7 inhabitants per square mile (39.6/km²). There were 1,389 housing units at an average density of 38.6 per square mile (14.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.86% White, 0.24% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.

There were 1,294 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.7% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.9% were non-families. 12.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $68,036, and the median income for a family was $76,389. Males had a median income of $45,298 versus $33,333 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,399. About 2.0% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• Copas, Minnesota

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Scandia Community Website
5. ^ Country Messenger
6. ^ Gammelgården Museum
7. ^ Hay Lake School (Washington County Historical Society)
8. ^ Erickson Log House Museum (Washington County Historical Society)

External links

• City of Scandia, MN -- Official website
• Gammelgarden Museum

Coordinates: 45°15′13″N 92°48′21″W / 45.25361°N 92.80583°W / 45.25361; -92.80583