Elk River, Minnesota

For other places with the same name, see Elk River.

Elk River is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, about 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 16,447 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sherburne County⁶. Elk River's population exceeded 20,000 as of 2005.

Geography

Location of Elk River, Minnesota

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 113.5 km² (43.8 mi²). 110.5 km² (42.7 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (2.67%) is water. The city's latitude and longitude are 45.313601° N and 93.5814° W.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 16,447 people, 5,664 households, and 4,400 families residing in the city. Recent estimates show the population at 21,329 as of 2005. The population density was 148.9/km² (385.5/mi²). There were 5,782 housing units at an average density of 52.3/km² (135.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.18% White, 0.44% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population. 39.0% were of German, 14.7% Norwegian, 7.7% Swedish and 6.8% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 5,664 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,114, and the median income for a family was $65,471. Males had a median income of $43,230 versus $30,023 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,808. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

The median house/condo value in 2005 was estimated to be $242,400 (67% increase from 2000).

Transportation

The city of Elk River is a busy city when it comes to traffic, particularly on weekends in the summer and fall as vacationers and hunters head north to their cabins. US-10 and US-169 have their northwest juncture in Elk River, with the highways multiplexing for 12 miles until Anoka to the southeast. US-10 continues northwesterly toward St. Cloud, and US-169 continues due north toward Lake Mille Lacs from Elk River. MN-101 has its northern terminus at the US-10/US-169 split in Elk River, and is a major route connecting these highways with I-94, seven miles to the south.

Many residents of Elk River commute to the Twin Cities daily for work. For commuters who do not wish to make the 40-mile drive, a coach bus service called the NorthStar Commuter Coach runs from Elk River to Minneapolis during the morning rush hours and back in the evening. The coach also stops in Coon Rapids. Fares for the NorthStar Coach are $4.50 each direction between Elk River and Minneapolis and $2.75 between Coon Rapids and Minneapolis. The NorthStar Commuter Rail, planned for completion in 2008, will replace the coach service with passenger rail service to Minneapolis.

For travel within the city, there is an on-demand bus service available called 'RiverRider.'

Schools

Elk River is served by one 9^th to 12^th high school, Elk River High School, and two middle schools, Salk Middle School and VandenBerge Middle School, both of which serve 6^th to 8^th grades. Lincoln Elementary, Parker Elementary, Meadowvale Elementary and Twin Lakes Elementary (opening Fall '07) serve kindergarten to fifth grade.

Downtown Revitalization Project

Downtown

Downtown

The Elk River city council finalized their plans for several major construction projects in 2005, two of which will be known as The Bluffs of Elk River and Jackson Place. The stated goals of the Downtown Revitalization Project are to enhance downtown Elk River's role as a residential, commercial and retail area, as well as to revitalize commercial interest in the downtown area.

Construction is planned to be complete on both projects in late 2007. Recently, work on the River's Edge Commons Park located within the downtown section of Elk River has been completed, and to celebrate the park's opening the park played host to various local musicians and bands.

External links

• City of Elk River
• Elk River Chamber of Commerce
• Minnesota Historical Society: Oliver H. Kelley Farm
• Friends of the Kelley Farm
• Elk River Area School District
• Downtown Revitalization Project PDF