Coon Rapids, Minnesota
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Coon Rapids is a city located in Anoka County, Minnesota. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 62,721. Coon Rapids is a northern suburb of Minneapolis. It is the fifth largest Twin Cities suburb and ninth largest city in Minnesota.
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History
The name "Coon Rapids" was from "Coon Creek Rapids" a turbulent part of the Mississippi River nearby the mouth of Coon Creek. These rapids were removed as a consequence of the construction of the Coon Rapids Dam in 1913. The Dam operated until 1966 when it was closed and later opened to the public as the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park in 1978.
Image:Coon Rapids River Dam - Coon Rapids, Minnesota.jpg
Originally founded as a part of Anoka Township in 1857, Coon Rapids became a separate village in 1952. In 1959, it became a city. It retains its original boundaries, except for the part that became the City of Anoka. The city has a council-manager form of government, and its current mayor is Tim Howe. While mayoral elections in Coon Rapids are nonpartisan, Howe has been endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Since 1967, Coon Rapids has been the home of the main campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
As of the 2002 redistricting, Coon Rapids is represented in the State House by districts 47A (Denise Dittrich, Democrat), 47B (Melissa Hortman, Democrat), and 49B (Kathy Tingelstad, Republican); in the State Senate by districts 47 (Leo Foley, Democrat) and 49 (Debbie Johnson, Republican); and in the United States House mostly by district 3 (Jim Ramstad, Republican), as well as district 6 (Mark Kennedy, Republican) along the northeastern edge of the city.
Coon Rapids has come under controversy as of late because of the name. Although named for racoons that were often found in the former rapids of Coon Creek, a select few believe that the name gives a negative connotation. Coon Rapids' logo was originally of a racoon, but has since been changed to an oak leaf. A name change bill, however, has failed several times in City Council.
Geography
Image:MNMap-doton-Coon Rapids.png According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.5 km² (23.3 mi²). 58.7 km² (22.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.87% water. The only recreational lake in the city is Crooked Lake, two-thirds of which is in Coon Rapids. The other third is in the City of Andover, immediately to the north.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 61,607 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,049.3/km² (2,718.1/mi²). There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 388.8/km² (1,007.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.22% White, 2.18% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 1.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,578 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% 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 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,550, and the median income for a family was $62,260. Males had a median income of $41,195 versus $30,277 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,915. 4.8% of the population and 3.6% of families were below the poverty line. 6.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Mayors
Since its incorporation as a city in 1952, Coon Rapids, Minnesota has had 14 mayors:
- Joe Nelson (1952-1953)
- Glenn Haven (1954-1955)
- Leslie B. Mason (1956-1958)
- Irving Nelson (1958-1959)
- Joe Craig (1960-1967)
- Robert Voss (1968-1971)
- Donald Erlandson (1972-1975)
- George White (1976-1979)
- David S. McCauley (1980-1981)
- Robert B. Lewis (1982-1989)
- Richard S. Reiter (1990-1991)
- William F. Thompson (1992-1998)
- Ilona McCauley (1999-2002)
- Tim Howe (2003-2006)
Elections will be held in 2006.
