*** Welcome to piglix ***

Elk River, Minnesota

Elk River
City
Elk River, Minnesota
Main Street, July 2009
Main Street, July 2009
Nickname(s): Energy City, Powered By Nature
Location of the city of Elk Riverwithin Sherburne County, Minnesota
Location of the city of Elk River
within Sherburne County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°19′2″N 93°34′52″W / 45.31722°N 93.58111°W / 45.31722; -93.58111Coordinates: 45°19′2″N 93°34′52″W / 45.31722°N 93.58111°W / 45.31722; -93.58111
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Sherburne
Government
 • Mayor John J. Dietz
 • Administrator Calvin Portner
Area
 • Total 43.82 sq mi (113.49 km2)
 • Land 42.29 sq mi (109.53 km2)
 • Water 1.53 sq mi (3.96 km2)
Elevation 896 ft (273 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 22,974
 • Estimate (2015) 23,963
 • Density 543.2/sq mi (209.7/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 55330
Area code(s) Area code 763
FIPS code 27-18674
GNIS feature ID 0643266
Website City of Elk River

Elk River is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States (U.S.), about 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 22,974 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. The city's population exceeded 20,000 as of year 2005. U.S. Highways 10 and 169 and State Highway 101 are three of the main routes in Elk River, and a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to downtown Minneapolis is located in the city. Elk River is located 33.2 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 37.4 miles southeast of St. Cloud.

The hardwood-forested hills in which Elk River is situated were pushed up by the last glacier that advanced across Minnesota. These hills are made up of coarse materials which is the reason gravel mining is so prevalent in Elk River, and also the reason much of the area is not considered good farmland.

To the south of Elk River lies the prairie. This natural boundary between the prairie and woods was also a boundary between Indian nations. Two battles between the Dakota and Ojibwe took place where the Elk River meets the Mississippi in 1772 and 1773.

Zebulon Pike passed through the area on his 1805 exploration of the upper Mississippi River and named the Elk River after the herds of elk he saw in the area. David Fairbault built a trading post near the conjunction of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers in 1846, which he later sold to Pierre Bottineau. The two rivers and the Red River Trail, which passed nearby, made this area a good location for commerce.

In 1851, Ard Godfrey, a native of Orono, Maine, saw the potential of the water power of the Elk River and built a dam and a sawmill. His dam created the first lobe of Lake Orono (called the Mill Pond), which extended from the present day dam to Orono Cemetery Point. In 1855, the area by the dam was platted and the town of Orono (known as Upper Town) was created.


...
Wikipedia

...