# Anoka, Minnesota

Anoka (/əˈnoʊkə/ ə-NOH-kə) is a city in and the county seat of Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 17,142 at the 2010 census. Anoka is the "Halloween Capital of the World" because it hosted one of the first Halloween parades in 1920. It continues to celebrate the holiday each year with several parades. Anoka is a northern suburb of the Twin Cities. U.S. Highways 10 / 169 and State Highway 47 are three of Anoka's main routes, and it has a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to Minneapolis.

## History

Colonists first settled the site that is now Anoka in 1844. By the mid-1850s, Anoka had a school, a store and a flour mill. In 1856, C. C. Andrews called it a "large and handsome village" and noted that pine logs were floated down the Rum River to sawmills there. The city was formally incorporated in 1878. The name Anoka was possibly derived from two Indian words. Santee Dakota used anoka, meaning "on both sides" or "from both sides", referring to its location on both banks of the Rum River. Ojibwe used anoki, meaning "I work", referring to the town's busy local lumber sites.
Anoka has a strong claim to having provided the first Union Army volunteers during the Civil War, as noted by a small plaque at the corner of West Main Street and Park Street. Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota's governor in 1861, was in Washington, D.C. when Fort Sumter was fired upon. He immediately offered a regiment to the War Department, and telegraphed former governor Willis Gorman and Lieutenant Governor Ignatius L. Donnelly that morning. Gorman, attending a district court session in Anoka, received the note by messenger from St. Paul and called a court recess, asking for volunteers. Aaron Greenwald, who has an "island" named after him on Lake George, and five others stepped forward; Greenwald was the first to sign. He died on July 5, 1863, after sustaining a mortal wound as a member of the 1st Minnesota Regiment in defense against Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

## Geography

Anoka lies at the confluence of the Rum and Mississippi Rivers, approximately 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Minneapolis. According to the United States Census Bureau, it has an area of 7.21 square miles (18.67 km$^2$), of which 6.70 square miles (17.35 km$^2$) is land and 0.51 square miles (1.32 km$^2$) is water. Adjacent communities include Dayton, Ramsey, Andover, Coon Rapids, and Champlin. The USGS tracks the city by the ID 639396 and the coordinates of 45°11′52″N, 093°23′14″W. 45°11′52″N 093°23′14″W﻿ / ﻿45.19778°N 93.38722°W﻿ / 45.19778; -93.38722

## Demographics
### 2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,142 people, 7,060 households, and 4,202 families living in the city. The population density was 2,558.5 inhabitants per square mile (987.8/km$^2$). There were 7,493 housing units at an average density of 1,118.4 per square mile (431.8/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 88.0% White, 4.7% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.
There were 7,060 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.
The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

### 2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 18,076 people, 7,262 households and 4,408 families living in the city. The population density was 2,709.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,046.0/km$^2$). There were 7,398 housing units at an average density of 1,108.7 per square mile (428.1/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 4.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.02% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.
There were 7,262 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.03. Age was represented as: 24.6% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median household income was $42,659 and the median family income was $55,311. Males had a median income of $37,930 versus $27,753 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,367. About 4.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

## Economy
### Top employers

According to Anoka's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its top employers were:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | Federal Cartridge | 1,242 |
| 2 | Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 | 1,221 |
| 3 | Pentair | 1,217 |
| 4 | Anoka County Government Center | 1,140 |
| 5 | Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center | 479 |
| 6 | Wells Fargo | 373 |
| 7 | Anoka Technical College | 324 |
| 8 | DecoPac, Inc. | 300 |
| 9 | Mate Precision Tooling | 300 |
| 10 | Firestone Building Products | 201 |

### Museums and other points of interest

* Anoka County Historical Society
* Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center
* Anoka County Library
* Castle Field
* Goodrich Field
* Peninsula Point Two Rivers Historical Park
* Anoka–Champlin Mississippi River Bridge
* Windego Park Auditorium/Open Air Theater
* Anoka Nature Preserve
* Greenhaven Golf Course
* Anoka Aquatic Center
* Colonial Hall and Masonic Lodge No. 30
* Lyric Arts Theater

## Government

In 2000, Anoka elected 22-year-old Bjorn Skogquist as mayor. He was reelected in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Skogquist was the second-youngest mayor ever elected in Minnesota (one year older than John Gibeau, who was elected mayor of Ceylon in 1998). He worked for open government, code reform, protection of historic housing and open space and encouraged young people to become involved in civics.
Precinct General Election Results :
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
| 2020 | 47.0% 4,496 | 49.8% 4,768 | 3.2% 308 |
| 2016 | 47.1% 4,075 | 42.5% 3,677 | 10.4% 904 |
| 2012 | 45.8% 4,076 | 51.2% 4,555 | 3.0% 267 |
| 2008 | 46.8% 4,167 | 50.7% 4,518 | 2.5% 220 |
| 2004 | 50.5% 4,523 | 48.3% 4,322 | 1.2% 103 |
| 2000 | 46.1% 3,778 | 46.7% 3,828 | 7.2% 588 |
| 1996 | 33.3% 2,526 | 51.9% 3,938 | 14.8% 1,119 |
| 1992 | 32.8% 2,796 | 40.7% 3,472 | 26.5% 2,257 |

## Education

Higher education institutions in Anoka include Anoka Technical College. One of the two main Anoka-Ramsey Community College campuses is in neighboring Coon Rapids.
Most Anoka elementary and secondary students attend schools in Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. District 11 secondary schools in Anoka are Anoka High School and Secondary Technical Education Program or S.T.E.P. High School. The Middle School is Anoka Middle School for the Arts, formerly known as Fred Moore Middle School for the Performing Arts. Anoka Middle School for the Arts has two campuses: Fred Moore Campus (formerly Fred Moore Middle School for the Performing Arts), and Washington Campus (formerly Washington Elementary School). The District 11 elementary schools in Anoka are Franklin Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Wilson Elementary School. District 11 is the largest school district in the state of Minnesota and includes parts of twelve other municipalities besides Anoka. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute, or students come from places such as Brooklyn Park under the NWISD Magnet Program.
Anoka has several private schools for all ages, including St. Stephens Catholic School.

## Sports

Anoka High School competes in the Northwest Suburban Conference in the Minnesota State High School League. The school mascot is the Tornadoes. They have won a combined 25 State Tournaments in its history.
Anoka is also home to two successful local baseball teams, the Anoka Bucs and the Minnoka Grays. Jim Lundeen started the Ham Lake Bucs in May 1980. The team was officially approved by the Eastern Minney League and moved to Anoka in the fall of 1982. The first official game for the Anoka Bucs was played in May 1983. The Bucs have been to five straight MBA State Tournaments. (2019-2023) The Minnoka Grays play baseball in the Federal League which is baseball for men 35 and older. The Grays won Class AAA in 2023 and 2024, they won the last 35+ Minnesota State Tournament in 2023 and won the 2023 MSBL World Series in Arizona - recognizing them as the 35+ National Champions. In 2024 the Grays reached the Championship Game again at the 2024 MSBL World Series losing to Houston in the last inning. Both the Bucs and Grays play their home games at Castle Field during the summer months.

## Infrastructure
### Transportation

U.S. Highways 10 / 169 and State Highway 47 are three of Anoka's main routes, and it has a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to Minneapolis, which opened in 2009.

## Notable people

* Flora Aldrich, physician and writer
* Stub Allison, American college football coach
* Dale Arnold, sportscaster, co-host of the WEEI-FM Dale & Holley (with Keefe) Show and the Boston Bruins pre- and postgame shows on NESN, resided in Anoka
* Michele Bachmann, U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 6th District, was raised in Anoka and graduated from Anoka High School in 1974
* Theodora Bean (1871–1926), American journalist and suffragist
* Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News Channel anchor, 1989's Miss America, and celebrity spokesperson for March of Dimes
* Larry Constantine, computer software pioneer and author, was raised in Anoka and graduated from Anoka High School in 1961
* Jake Deitchler, Olympic wrestler, graduated from Anoka High School in 2008
* Herbert Funk Goodrich, a former judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, was born in Anoka
* Anna Arnold Hedgeman, first African American to earn a B.A. from Hamline University and the first African American woman to hold a mayoral cabinet position in the history of New York.
* Garrison Keillor, radio host of A Prairie Home Companion and author, born in Anoka and graduated from Anoka High School
* Ernest A. Larsen, Minnesota state legislator and educator
* Tom Mangan, Minnesota state legislator and educator
* Steve Nelson, son of Anoka High School head football coach Stan Nelson, linebacker for the New England Patriots in the late 1970s
* Brandon Paulson, U.S. Olympic wrestler, 1996 silver medalist, graduated from Anoka High School in 1992
* Briana Scurry, United States women's national soccer team goalie, graduated from Anoka High School in 1990
* Sean Sherk, former UFC lightweight champion
* Richard K. Sorenson, master sergeant, USMC, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Marshall Islands of the South Pacific in February 1944 Rick Sorenson Park in downtown Anoka is named for him.
* Matt Sorteberg (born 1986), professional ice hockey defenceman
* Robert Stewart Sparks, Los Angeles, California, city council member, 1925–27
* Bill Tuttle, major league baseball player of the 1950s and 1960s
* Dick Wildung, player for the Green Bay Packers