| Pine City, Minnesota |
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Interstate Highway 35 serves as a main arterial route. Pine City is the County Seat of, and the largest city in, Pine County 6 . Its name is an English translation of " Chengwatana " (Pine Town), originally an Ojibwe village located just east of Pine City, along the Snake River . The Ojibwe name for the city is ''Ne-zhingwaakokaag'' (on a land-point full of white pines). A portion of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is located within Pine City.
HISTORY ''Pine City'' was founded in 1881 and in 2006 celebrated its quasquicentennial Anniversary . The Dakota Indians were the first in the area. With the Ojibwa expansion, the area became a mixture of the two. By early 1800s, the area became predominantly Ojibwa. They trapped and hunted on the land and Traded Furs at the nearby trading posts. With the Treaty of St. Peters of 1837, dubbed the "White Pine Treaty", lumbering began in the area. Lumbering, though, was limited by access to the available waterways. In the late 1800s, European settlers came to the Pine City area, which was still heavily forested with thick stands of White Pine , some of the largest in the state. When the railroad arrived in Pine City so began a logging expansion. Pine City prospered and grew into a city that had everything needed to serve residents, farmers, and the fast expanding lumber industry. Following the national trend in farming, Pine City has since lost most of its agricultural underpinnings. When Buchanan County was merged with Pine County in 1861, the county seat was consolidated to Pine City because it was already well-established. Because of its location on the far southern edge of Pine County , there have been attempts over the years to move the county seat to more centrally located Hinckley and Sandstone . However, being the most populous city in the county, Pine City always prevailed as the county seat. In 2005, the city became the first in rural Minnesota with an annual Gay Pride event and one of only two rural communities to hold such an event in the United States. Christmas Trees for the Minnesota Governor's Mansion have often come from the Pine City area. PINE CITY TODAY Pine City is a popular day trip for tourists from the Twin Cities who enjoy the historic downtown's specialty stores and restaurants as well as a nearby casino, historical sites and recreational opportunities, including the scenic St. Croix River valley. In recent years, there has been a good deal of new housing development on the outskirts of the city, and there is a substantial population that commutes daily to the Twin Cities. However, the city has managed to maintain its regional significance without becoming a full-fledged Bedroom Community . POLITICS Pine City is located in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District , represented by Jim Oberstar , a Democrat . Local Government Mayor The current Mayor of Pine City is Jane Robbins .
GEOGRAPHY Pine City is located along . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 8.4 Km&2 (3.2 Mi&2 ). 7.3 km&2 (2.8 mi&2) of it is land and 1.1 km&2 (0.4 mi&2) of it (12.69%) is water. Transportation The city of Pine City is a busy city when it comes to traffic, particularly weekdays after school and on Friday evenings in the summer and fall as vacationers and hunters head north to their cabins. I-35 , which runs through Pine City and continues enroute to Duluth or the Twin Cities , sees tens of thousands of cars daily. For those who do not wish to make the drive, an intercity bus service called Jefferson Lines runs from Pine City to St. Paul or Duluth twice daily. Presently, the Rush Line Corridor task force is studying the feasibility of passenger rail service to serve area commuters. For travel within the city, there is local taxi service available as well as the Pine County minibus system. BUSINESS Pine City has established itself as an economic stronghold in East Central Minnesota with many diverse industries. MINPACK, Inc. is one of the largest with over 100 employees. Another, Atscott Manufacturing Company , has 85 employees. Both have their headquarters in Pine City. Other large employers in the community include , Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Blockbuster (movie Rental Store) , Ace Hardware , O'Reilly Auto Parts and Dominos Pizza, Inc. Shopping Pine City has three retail shopping centers: Pine Plaza, Evergreen Square and Northridge Center. ''Pine Plaza'', located in the central business district, was Pine City's first shopping center. It is anchored by a Dollar Store and an old-fashioned drive-in A&W All-American Food Restaurant , one of the few remaining Carhops in the state. ''Evergreen Square'' is anchored by Pamida and is also home to such stores as Radio Shack and T-Mobile . Pine City's newest shopping center is ''Northridge Center'', located at the city's developing northern freeway interchange. Pine City only has a municipal liquor store; no other liquor stores are allowed. The city closed its freeway location in 2006 and currently maintains just one liquor store, Voyageur Bottle Shop, on the corner of 2nd Ave & Main Street, downtown. Downtown Pine City has one of the most evident downtowns between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports . Robinson Park is in the heart of it and essentially forms the Town Square , with the old train depot to the east, City Hall to the south and many Mom And Pop shops lining 5th Street on the west side of the park. A farmers market called ''Market in the Park'' is held seasonally each Friday at the south side of the park. There are many people who live and work downtown. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 3,043 residents, 1,222 households, and 734 families in the city. The Population Density was 415.2/km&2 (1,076.3/mi&2). There were 1,275 housing units at an average density of 174.0/km&2 (451.0/mi&2). Racial Makeup 97.57% White 1.35% Hispanic or Latino of any race. 0.95% Native American 0.16% African American 0.16% Asian 0.03% Pacific Islander 0.16% from Other Races 0.95% from two or more races. Other Demographics There were 1,222 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were Married Couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% 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 3.04. In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,118, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $30,951 versus $20,759 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $16,802. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over. Population statistics PLACES OF INTEREST
Pine City also receives radio signals from the Twin Cities and St. Cloud areas. FICTIONAL REFERENCES Craig Wright , best-known as the writer of ''HBO's'' Six Feet Under , set a trilogy of plays in fictitious ''Pine City'', Minnesota that have been performed across the United States. Author Richie Ryan wrote "What We Are: Richie's Story" and "What We Are II: Summer Heat", adult fiction both set in Pine City. Also, author Dean Hovey wrote two fictional mystery novels that are set in Pine City, "Hooker" and "Where Evil Hides". NOTEWORTHY PINE CITIANS
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