Grand Rapids is a city in
Itasca CountyItasca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version the Latin words veritas caput, meaning true head, a reference to the source of the Mississippi River. As of 2000, the population was 43,992. Its county seat is Grand...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 7,764 at the 2000 census. It is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Itasca CountyItasca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version the Latin words veritas caput, meaning true head, a reference to the source of the Mississippi River. As of 2000, the population was 43,992. Its county seat is Grand...
. Mayor Dale Adams was elected in 2008.
The city of Grand Rapids is named for the 3.5 mile long local rapids in the
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
river, which was the uppermost limit of practical
steamboatA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels....
travel during the late 1800s. Today, those rapids are hidden underneath the
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions...
of the Blandin Paper Mill.
History
Grand Rapids was originally founded as a logging town, as the Mississippi River provided an optimal method of log shipment to population centers. The predecessor of the Blandin paper mill was opened in 1902.
The
Forest History Center is a State Historic Site and a living history museum that recreates life as it was in a turn of the century logging camp. Costumed interpreters guide visitors through a recreated circa 1890's logging camp to educate the public on the history of white pine logging and its relevance to today's economy. Miles of nature trails, educational naturalist programming, and an interpretive museum are also located on the site.
Judy Garland's birthplace
Grand Rapids was the birthplace and early childhood home of legendary singer and actress
Judy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
until her family moved to
Lancaster, CaliforniaLancaster is the eighth-largest city in Los Angeles County, California and the 9th fastest growing city in the United States. Lancaster is located approximately 70 miles north of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California's Antelope Valley...
when she was four years old. The Itasca County Historical Society maintains a Judy Garland exhibit in their Heritage Museum and Judy's fully restored birthplace is open to the public as the Judy Garland Museum. An annual Judy Garland Festival is held the fourth weekend in June.
The plaque, left, stands in front of the house in Grand Rapids in which Judy Garland spent her first four years. The house, right, was built in 1892 and was moved to this site in 1994 from the Northeast section of town.
Old Central School, located in downtown Grand Rapids, was built in 1895 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture. The three story building served as an elementary school from 1895 to 1972. A community effort restored the building in 1984 and it now serves as a location for commerce, houses the Itasca County Historical Society, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Major tourism events
- Judy Garland Festival, June
- Mississippi Melodie Showboat, July
- Itasca Vintage Car Show and Swap Meet, July
- Tall Timber Days, August
- White Rendezvous & Festival, August
- Grand Slam of Golf Tournament, August
- Goods From the Woods, September
- National Ruffed Grouse Society Annual Hunt, October
- White Oak Classic Dog Sled Race, January
Economy
Historically, the local economy was based on timber harvesting, and to this day, Blandin Paper Mill, now owned by the Finnish-based
UPM paper companyUPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish pulp, paper and timber manufacturer. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation and Repola Ltd and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996...
, has its papermaking facilities in downtown Grand Rapids, while Ainsworth (formerly Potlach) located just outside of the city limits, produced
oriented strand boardOriented strand board, or OSB, or waferboard, or Sterling board or SmartPly is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands of wood in specific orientations. In appearance it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips Oriented strand board, or OSB, or waferboard,...
until it closed recently.
The
Mesabi RangeThe Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...
or
Iron RangeThe Iron Range and Arrowhead are overlapping regions that make up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
region of Minnesota begins with iron mines north and northeast of the city. Although technically and geographically a member of the Iron Range, Grand Rapids and its economy has been historically based on paper manufacturing and other wood products. Its current economy also has a large tourist footing, with many local resorts, four golf courses, over one million acres of public and industrial forestlands that provide excellent regional hunting, and more than 1,000 lakes for fishing. It also is the service center for 46,000 people due to a large seasonal and weekend population of summer residences on surrounding lakes, and a number of smaller bedroom communities located near Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids was the first rural city in Minnesota to be served by an Advanced Life Support Ambulance Service,
Meds-1 EMS.
Grand Rapids is represented politically by the following
-
- Minnesota House Of Representatives district 3B by democrat Loren A. Solberg
- Minnesota Senate district 3 by democrat Tom Saxhaug
Tom Saxhaug is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 3, which includes portions of Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching and Lake of the Woods counties in the northern part of the state...
- U.S. House Of Representatives district 8 by democrat James Oberstar
Education
Grand Rapids has one of the few competitive high school marching bands north of the
Twin CitiesU.S. Census Bureau Areas|-! colspan="2" | |-! colspan="2" style="background:#d8d8e8;color:#000;" | Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud CSA, MN-WI
|-| Population || 3,502,891...
. Schools include:
- Southwest Elementary
- Murphy Elementary
- Forest Lake Elementary
- St. Joseph's Elementary
- Robert J. Elkington Middle School
- Grand Rapids High School
Grand Rapids High School is a four year public high school located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota on 800 Conifer Drive. GRHS offers a wide range of extra curricular activities, and boasts one of the only competitive field show marching band programs north of Minneapolis/St...
- Itasca Community College
Itasca Community College is a two-year community college located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It was founded in 1922 and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools....
- Grace Christian School
- Christian Community School
All the schools except St. Joseph's, Grace Christian School, Christian Community School, and ICC are part of
Independent School District 318Independent School District 318 is a school district located in Itasca County, Minnesota that operates public primary and secondary schools within the district. The district serves the communities of Balsam, Bigfork, Cohasset, Effie, Grand Rapids, Squaw Lake, Togo, Warba and Wawina...
Notable natives
- Bill Baker
William Robert Baker is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 143 regular season games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, St...
- a member of the Miracle on IceThe "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, which occurred on February 22. The United States team, made up of amateur and collegiate players and led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union team,...
1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the Gold MedalGold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
in Lake Placid, NY. Baker was also a member of the first Grand Rapids High School State Championship winning hockey teamThe Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state...
.
- Jon Casey
Jon Casey is a retired American ice hockey goaltender.Jon Casey was born in Grand Rapids Minnesota to James and Colleen Casey. He is the second of four children....
- professional hockey player for the Minnesota North StarsThe Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow gold and white...
with a record of most wins @ 31 in 1989-1990
- Alex Goligoski
Alex Goligoski is professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Goligoski was drafted by the Penguins in the second round, 61st overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, Goligoski completed 3 years of collegiate...
- professional hockey player for the Pittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first...
- Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
- actress, born June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids
- Don Lucia
Don Lucia is the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team. He has twice led the Golden Gophers to the NCAA National Championship title, in 2002 and 2003...
- Hockey coach at the University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States...
- Jeff Nielsen
Jeffrey Michael Nielsen is a retired American professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Minnesota Wild...
- professional hockey player for the Minnesota WildThe Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
and other NHL teams
- Norman Ornstein - political scientist
- Janelle Pierzina
Janelle Marie Pierzina was a contestant on the Sixth and All-Star seasons of the American version of the CBS reality show Big Brother.Pierzina is originally from Grand Rapids, Minnesota...
- Big BrotherThe sixth season of CBS's American version of Big Brother consisted of thirty episodes which aired from July 7 to September 20, 2005. It was again hosted by Julie Chen....
television series cast member
- Dusty Rychart
Dusty Rychart is an Australian basketball player. He currently plays power forward for the Cairns Taipans. Dusty's official website - -College career:...
- basketball player for the Cairns TaipansThe Cairns Taipans are a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 8.1 square miles (20.9 km²), of which, 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (9.16%) is water.
The city of Grand Rapids sits on the junction of U.S. Routes
2U.S. Route 2 is an east-west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. U.S. 2 consists of two segments connected by roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, which are disconnected into segments because of encroaching Interstate Highways, the two portions of U.S...
and
169U.S. Route 169 currently runs for 966 miles from the city of Virginia, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma at U.S. Route 64.-Route description:-Oklahoma:...
. Highway 2 runs west towards
BemidjiBemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was estimated at 13,419 in 2007. It is the county seat of Beltrami County. Bemidji is the most major city in North Central Minnesota and the largest commerical center between Grand Forks, ND and Duluth, MN...
and east towards
DuluthDuluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census and 84,397 according to July 1, 2007 census estimates. The Duluth MSA had a population of 275,486 in 2000...
. Highway 169 heads south to
Hill CityHill City is a city in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 479 at the 2000 census.U.S. Route 169 and Minnesota State Highway 200 are two of the main arterial routes in the community.-Geography:...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
and ultimately towards
MinneapolisMinneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
. In the other direction, Highway 169 heads up the
Mesabi RangeThe Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...
until it reaches Virginia, Minnesota, passing through Hibbing and several other smaller towns along the way. Grand Rapids is also the starting point of
State Highway 38Minnesota State Highway 38 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and Minnesota 38 in Grand Rapids and continues north to its northern terminus at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 1 and Minnesota 38 in Effie.The entire length of Highway 38 has...
, running 47 miles north along the
Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway towards
EffieEffie is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 91 at the 2000 census.Minnesota State Highways 1 and 38 are two of the main arterial routes in the community.-Geography:...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
. State Highway 38 has been designated a
National Scenic BywayA National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
by the
United States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967...
.
Grand Rapids is also located at a junction of the
BNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway , formerly known as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, is an American freight railroad company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas; it is one of four remaining transcontinental railroads, and one of the largest freight railroad networks, in North America. Only the Union...
.
Grand Rapids is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of Itasca County, a county that contains over 1000 lakes.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 7,764 people, 3,446 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,057.8 people per square mile (408.4/km²). There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 493.3/sq mi (190.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.53% White, 0.28% African American, 1.93% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.
There were 3,446 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,991, and the median income for a family was $39,468. Males had a median income of $36,035 versus $20,759 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $17,223. About 9.2% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Local radio stations
The following radio stations are licensed by the FCC to Grand Rapids. The city is also served by many other radio stations from around the northland.
- KOZY 1320 AM Talk radio, Oldies
- KMFY
KMFY is a radio station on 96.9 FM in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Most of its programing is from ABC Radio's Hits and Favorites satellite fed adult contemporary format...
96.9 FM Soft Rock, Paul HarveyPaul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments...
- KAXE
KAXE is a community licensed public radio station serving Northern Minnesota communities, including Grand Rapids, Brainerd, Bemidji, Virginia, Chisholm and Hibbing. The station airs locally produced news, talk, and music programming. It is a member of Independent Public Radio, a group of public...
91.7 FM Public Radio (first rural public radio station in the United States)
- KGPZ 96.1 FM Country
- KBAJ Deer River
Deer River is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census.U.S. Route 2 and Minnesota State Highways 6 and 46 are three of the main routes in the community....
105.5FM Rebroadcast of KQDS-FMKQDS-FM is a classic rock music formatted radio station located in Duluth, Minnesota. It is owned by Red River Broadcasting, and follows a format similar to that of the well-known KQRS-FM in the Twin Cities....
Duluth, MN except for commercials and community calendar, which are local.
Television stations
Grand Rapids TV is primarily fed in from Duluth TV stations. However, some cable subscribers receive Minneapolis stations as well. But local government and community events are covered by the local community television station.
- Itasca Community Television, Inc.
Itasca Community Television Inc., is a public access television station and is a non-profit organization established to provide local content to the greater Grand Rapids Minnesota area cable television providers...
(ICTVICTV can stand for*the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses*ICTV — A content distribution network for delivering the web-media experience through television.*Indigenous and Community TV — see List of Australian television channels...
) - Public access community television stationPublic access television is one of three types of PEG media access within a municipality. In short, public access television is the availability of one or more television stations to the general public...
serving the Itasca County area.
External links